Canadian Medical Students Attending Aerospace Medicine Training at NASA

Dr. Caroline Rheaume, a second-year resident in Family Medicine at Université Laval, and Paul McBeth, in his final year of medical school at the University of Calgary, were selected by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to attend the Johnson Space Center Aerospace Medicine Clerkship. Over four weeks, they will attend formal lectures on space medicine, be exposed to manned testing operations, and become familiar with the medical aspects of space shuttle operations and space station design and function.

Dr. Kyle Kirkham, a first year resident in Anaesthesiology, and Dr. Gregory Silverman, a third year resident in Anaesthesiology, both at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, were selected to attend the John F. Kennedy Space Center Medical Elective Program. This is a program of lectures on various aerospace medicine topics, from the hazards of ground operations to the physiological changes that take place during space flight. Participants will have first hand access to many aerospace topics not available elsewhere.

Dr. Rheaume and Dr. Kirkham are scheduled to begin their internships in fall 2006. Paul McBeth and Dr. Silverman will undertake their clerkships in spring 2007. Each year, through its Operational Space Medicine Group, the Canadian Space Agency funds travel and living expenses up to a total of $6,000 per student to encourage four Canadians to pursue training in aerospace medicine.

Operational Space Medicine is the medical body of the Canadian Astronaut Office that is responsible for the health and safety of Canadian astronauts during all phases of training and missions. The group develops medical technologies and procedures adapted to space, and offers aerospace medicine training opportunities for medical students, residents, and physicians. This helps develop Canadian expertise in aerospace medicine and promote public awareness of this field.

For further information: please contact: Julie Simard, Communications Advisor, Media Relations and Information Services, Canadian Space Agency, (450) 926-4370, julie.simard@space.gc.ca