The Legacy of the Wright State University Aerospace Medicine Residency Program

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In the mid-1970s, NASA required a robust training program for physicians responsible for the medical needs of the Shuttle astronauts. Personnel at NASA worked closely with academicians and subject matter experts at Wright State University (WSU) to develop and establish a residency program in aerospace medicine. This academic training program was initiated in 1978 and closed in 2018. The objective of this historical piece is to catalog, for posterity, the impact this training program has had on national and international human spaceflight and aviation. METHODS: A thorough review of all available historical documents and oral histories provided by contemporaries were reviewed in detail, including a search of every available residents thesis and all available historical documents and reports at WSU and NASA Headquarters. RESULTS: Over the past 40 yr, WSU has graduated 172 individuals with an M.S. degree focused on aerospace medicine, of which 84 were residents. Nearly 50 of these residents have worked closely with NASA. Many others became integrated into academia, the aviation industry, or international space programs. DISCUSSION: With the growth in interest for government and commercial spaceflight, the field of aerospace medicine is poised to grow. Although it is not well known outside of the Aerospace Medicine community, the legacy of this pioneering, 40-yr civilian-based program is of significant value. If not recorded in an easily locatable and accessible manner, many of the challenges and outcomes from this residency could be lost until future generations have to spend the money, time, and effort to relearn them. Doarn CR, Shimada K, Shepanek M. The legacy of the Wright State University Aerospace Medicine Residency program. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2021; 92(9):744750.