Dr. Nitza Margarita Cintron, chief of NASA’s Johnson
Space Center (JSC) Space Medicine and Health Care Systems
Office, is a long way from her native Puerto Rico. Her plan
to stay at NASA for only two years resulted in a 26-year
career.

“NASA has provided me the opportunity to grow,” Cintron said.
“And of course I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe in what
we do. I have space medicine and science in my soul.”

Cintron was inducted into the Hispanic Engineers National
Achievement Awards Conference’s (HENAAC) Hall of Fame on Oct.
7 during its 16th Annual Conference. The Hall of Fame was
established in 1998 to recognize the contributions of
Hispanics in science, engineering and technology. With
Cintron, its membership numbers 25.

“It’s HENAAC’s purpose to work towards involving Hispanic
school kids in science, math and engineering, and make it
real to them, to show them that it’s not such a faraway
goal,” Cintron said. “Being involved in HENAAC is one way of
being able to give back, and I think that’s very valuable.”

Cintron came to NASA after reading a recruitment announcement
for the first Mission Specialist positions in the Astronaut
Corps. She was in the last phases of completing her Ph.D. and
was excited about the possibility of scientists in space.
Although she was one of the finalists, due to her eyesight,
she was not selected for the corps.

However, she was offered a position as a NASA scientist. That
was in 1978. Since then, she has held increasingly
responsible positions at JSC. She was originator of the
center’s biochemical laboratory in 1979. She served for six
years as project scientist for the Spacelab 2 mission,
launched aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger in July 1985.

Cintron served as chief of the Biomedical Operations and
Research Branch in the Medical Science Division and later
held responsibility as director for managing the Life
Sciences Research Laboratories in support of medical
operations. She assumed her present position earlier this
year.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Cintron holds a Ph.D. in
biochemistry and molecular biology from Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore and an M.D. degree from the University
of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.

Although born in Puerto Rico, as a small child, Cintron
traveled with her military father and family throughout
Europe. The family returned to Puerto Rico when she was in
elementary school. She attended high school in Santurce,
Puerto Rico, and college at the University of Puerto Rico,
Rio Peidras. Throughout her young life, she was fascinated by
the sciences, especially absorbed by biology, chemistry,
astronomy and space.

“I always dreamed of being a scientist. Space was high in my
readings, but it didn’t become a reality until I was in
college and then graduate school, when I read the
announcement recruiting scientists to the Astronaut Corps,”
said Cintron.

Cintron has published scores of papers and holds numerous
awards. Among them is the JSC Director’s Commendation and
Innovation Award, the center’s highest award for civil
servants.

Cintron’s advice to young people is, “In everything you do,
always do you very best, be your very best. Everyone has
skills and talents, and if you do your very best with them,
you will always be a winner.”

Media organizations interested in interviewing Cintron should
contact John Ira Petty, JSC Office of Public Affairs, at:
281/483-5111.

For information about NASA and agency programs on the
Internet, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov