For 30 years, UTMB has been training physicians to become specialists in Aerospace Medicine. Our graduates have supported successive eras of spaceflight — from the Space Shuttle to the ISS and now commercial space. As access to space continues to expand, UTMB Aerospace Medicine draws on the facilities, faculty, and expertise of several partners to deliver training, research, and services at the forefront of space medicine and aviation medicine.
30+ Years Training Physicians | 2-Year ACGME-Accredited Residency | MS Degree in Aerospace Medicine | ABPM Board Certification Eligibility |
The two-year, ACGME-accredited program integrates classroom academics and field practicum experiences in Aerospace Medicine. Historically, the academic requirements led to a Master of Public Health degree; this has transitioned to a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Medicine. Practicum experience is offered through a variety of Aerospace Medicine-related activities and rotations. Program graduates are eligible for board certification in Aerospace Medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM).
Training is focused on the full spectrum of care warranted by an Aerospace Medicine specialist — prevention, acute care, and maintenance of primary specialty skills. Residents are also exposed to medical operations, aeromedical certification, research, and systems engineering custom-designed for non-engineers. Training is led by experienced, board-certified Aerospace Medicine faculty, as well as national and international experts with specific expertise in the unique aspects of what is being taught.
What Residents Learn
| Crew health issues | | Medical standards and certification | | Risk management | | Extra-vehicular activities | | Life support and protective equipment | | Physics of flight |
| | Physiologic changes in aerospace environments, including microgravity | | Operational considerations of hyper- and hypobaric environments | | Radiation | | Telemedicine and remote monitoring | | Lifetime surveillance of astronaut health |
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Residents also become proficient in critically evaluating Aerospace Medicine literature and participate in academic research related to the physiologic changes of spaceflight and aviation.
Our mission is to prepare physicians in the operational aspects of Aerospace Medicine and space biomedical research — to protect the health of populations exposed to unusual or extreme environments, to understand the physical and engineering aspects of the flight environment, and to manage public safety issues across a range of regulatory agencies.
Practicum experience includes clinical and other rotations that cover the entire spectrum of Aerospace Medicine. These rotations prepare the resident through supervised clinical, project, and program management experiences to be competent in all facets of aviation and space medicine.
Learn more about Aerospace Medicine from the faculty at UTMB
Academic Study and Degree Requirements
The Master's degree in Aerospace Medicine meets the credit hour requirements set forth by the Council on Education for Public Health and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The curriculum is built around four foundational requirements.
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| Courses in core public health knowledge areas — Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Policy, Environmental Health, and Social/Behavioral Sciences |
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| Aerospace specialty courses covering toxicology, global health and travel medicine, principles of aviation and space medicine, and accident investigation, risk management, and mitigation |
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| Completion of an integrative learning experience (capstone) |
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| Completion of a mentored, non-patient-care public health practice experience |
Aerospace Medicine I and II
These courses teach residents fundamental and integrated concepts of Aerospace Medicine across the full range of physiologic, environmental, and operational challenges of flight.
| Spatial disorientation | | Physiologic response to spaceflight | | Space radiation | | Acoustics | | Vibration and thermal loads | | Decompression sickness | | Atmosphere, hypoxia, and hypercarbia |
| | Systems engineering | | Requirements writing | | Vehicle design and flight requirements | | Probabilistic risk assessment and risk management | | Aeromedical certification of medically complex cases | | Clinical medicine and medical systems in low earth orbit and exploration medicine |
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Practicum Rotation Opportunities
Rotations are selected to give each resident supervised experience across the full breadth of aviation and space medicine. Examples of available placements include:
01 NASA Johnson Space Center | 02 NASA Headquarters | 03 Commercial Space |
04 Federal Aviation Administration | 05 Military Aerospace Medicine | 06 Aviation Medicine |
07 Extreme Medicine Environments | 08 Hyperbaric Medicine | 09 Additional Elective Opportunities |
Want to hear directly from the physicians who teach and practice Aerospace Medicine at UTMB? Watch the faculty panel discussion for an inside look at the program, the field, and what it means to practice medicine at the edge of human exploration.