Emmanuel Urquieta, M.D., M.S., FAsMA, is the Vice Chair of Aerospace Medicine and
Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Central Florida – College of
Medicine.

In his role at UCF, he oversees the development of research, education, and partnerships in the domain of aerospace medicine.
Prior to joining UCF, Dr. Urquieta served as the Chief Medical Officer at the NASA-funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health where we managed a multi-million dollar portfolio of medical research for missions to the Moon and Mars, the commercial spaceflight program EXPAND, and analog capabilities, including partnerships with the Australian Antarctic Division.
 

Dr. Urquieta has experience providing medical care in austere and remote environments serving as a flight surgeon in Mexico City’s Police Department Helicopter Emergency Medical Services, participating in hundreds of rescue missions and aeromedical evacuations. He has volunteered in medical missions around the world. In 2017, Dr. Urquieta was selected as a crew member of the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) XI mission at NASA Johnson Space Center, spending 30 days in a
capsule simulating a deep space long-duration mission. He is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association, and an academician of the International Astronautical Association,
and has authored and co-authored dozens of publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Dr. Urquieta holds a medical degree and specialty in emergency medicine from Anahuac University in Mexico City and an M.S. in aerospace medicine from WrightState University in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Urquieta frequently appears at scientific meetings and connects with reporters to discuss the effects of space on the human body and potential interventions to promote human space exploration.

Carol S. Ramsey, DO, MPH, has been a Member at Large on the LSBEB BOG since 2022.  She was recently named Membership Chair and previously served as secretary.  She has been a member of LSBEB since 2002. 

Now retired, she is a physician board-certified in the specialties of aerospace, occupational and internal medicine.   Joining the Air Force Reserves in 1983, she became the 2nd Air National Guard Resident in Aerospace medicine, serving as ANG Chief of Aerospace Medicine between 1997-2000.  This was followed by an assignment with the Air Force Research Laboratory, where she supported aeromedical research.    In 2005 she retired from the US Air Force in the rank of Colonel. 

After her military retirement she has worked as an occupational medicine physician and held several civilian USAF contract flight surgeon positions.  Between 2015 and 2020, she served as Deputy Regional Flight Surgeon in the Southwest Region with the Federal Aviation Administration.  During the past year, she held a part time contract position with the OSHA Office of Medicine and Nursing.   She is now pursuing personal interests and travel.   

Carol proudly participates as a backup vocalist with The Galactics and Friends band.

Michael Acromite, MD, MSPH, FACOG, FASMA specializes in OBGYN and Aerospace Medicine.  Currently working as an Aeromedical Specialist for Aviation Medicine Advisory Service (Denver, CO) primarily for airline HIMS programs.  Retired from the Navy in 2019 after 22 years service.  Initially worked in OBGYN, then transitioned to combined OBGYN and Aerospace Medicine, and subsequently focused on aerospace medicine.  OBGYN Practice in Ookiinawa, Pensacola, and WPAFB, Senior Flight Surgeon Training Airwing SIX Pensacola, Director of Public Health Naval Hospital Pensacola, Director of Human Performance, Standards, Waivers for Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, Senior Medical Officer on the USS Dwight D Eisenhower deployed in the Gulf, Head of Aerospace Medicine at the USAF Aeromedical Consultation Service, WPAFB.  Functioned in military aeromedical policy for the Navy, USAF, USA, and USCG.  Research includes Androgens in Preeclampsia, Leptin Hormone in Preeclampsia, Polycystic ovarian disease association in hypertension and adrenal disorders, motion sickness, remote applications of NASA autogenic feedback countermeasures, hypoxia and pilot performance assessment with novel cockpit display, joint military aerospace policy nomenclature, computerized aeromedical systems implementation/advancement for documentation and dispositions for the Navy (and later the USA and USCG), and hospital champion for TEAM STEPPS, Adjunct Professor Anatomy & Physiology University of West Florida, ASTM International Standards (Commercial Aerospace), teacher of OBGYN, aerospace OBGYN, Aeromedical Policy, and Aeromedical Decision Making.

Dr. Harney, an accomplished medical professional, began her career with an M.D. from First Pavlov State Medical University in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. As a Psychiatrist at Psycho-Neurologic Hospital #6, she explored Neurology, Neuropsychology, and Emergency Medicine. After relocating to the United States, Dr. Harney applied her expertise to emergency medical services. Her collaboration with MMAARS, INC. included completing five Analog Astronaut missions, researching space medicine topics like teleanesthesia, telesurgery, human factors, and astronaut well-being. Beyond space medicine, she founded the S.T.E.A.M. for Humanity Foundation, supporting educational activities in STEAM disciplines, and serves as the secretary of the Life Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Branch within the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA).

Dr. Lee is an Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Brown University and a cardiothoracic surgeon at Southcoast Health in Massachusetts. He received a BS in

neuroscience, PhD in pathobiology, and MD degrees all from Brown University. He received a Master of Science (MS) in Space Studies from the International Space University in France, and

a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Harvard University. He completed his surgical training at

Tufts University, UCLA, and Stanford University. He is board certified in both general surgery

and thoracic surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC), and a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical

Association (FAsMA). He has over 100 scientific publications, abstracts, and book chapters. He

has his own basic science laboratory at Brown University. He has flown multiple microgravity

and spaceflight experiments, including 10 parabolic flights experiments, 1 space shuttle

experiment, 1 suborbital flight experiment, and 4 International Space Station (ISS) experiments

as PI or Co-I. He is an elected Academician of the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine (IAASM), and the International Academy of Astronautics, an Executive Council

member of AsMA, the President of the Life Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Branch

(LSBEB), the Immediate Past President of the Space Surgery Association (SSA), and former

Governing Board member of the ASGSR. Dr. Lee is also a member of the User Advisory

Committee for the International Space Station National Laboratory and was a reviewer of the

National Academies 2023-2032 Decadal Survey on Biological and Physical Sciences Research in Space. He was also a finalist for the Canadian Astronaut selection in 2016. Dr. Lee serves as a consultant to the Federal Air Surgeon of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and is a certified FAA aviation medical examiner. Dr. Lee is a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Air National Guard where he serves as a general surgeon as part of the Ground Surgical Team and flight surgeon and was the Chief of Clinical Services (SGH) for the 179th Medical Group for eight years. On a personal note, he is a German-born Korean Canadian American, a 7 th degree grandmaster in taekwondo, and Master SCUBA diver, and a private pilot. Dr. Lee is a Grand Cross Knight in the Royal Equestrian and Military Order of Saint Michael of the Wing, a Portuguese Roman Catholic dynastic order, and a Knight Commander in the Order of Prince Danilo I.

Dr. Mike is a Senior Emergency Medicine Resident at the University of British Columbia, currently pursuing subspecialty training in aviation and space medicine. His training includes work with the Space Medicine Team at the European Astronaut Centre, the Canadian Forces, and the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute. He is spearheading the development of Canada's first aerospace medicine fellowship program.

​

Before attending medical school at the University of Calgary, he earned a Space Engineering degree from York University and a Master's in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Toronto, focusing on microsatellite development. As a Professional Engineer, he worked in space robotics at MDA Space Missions. He is also a licensed pilot and certified SCUBA diver.

Dr. Marc Shepanek serves as the lead psychologist for analogs, extreme environments, and behavioral adaptation in NASA Headquarters' Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer. His expertise bridges space exploration and polar research, serving as the U.S. representative for Human Biology and Medicine in Life Sciences on the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). His NASA career began in 1987, when he contributed to the groundbreaking "Leadership and America's Future in Space" initiative, also known as the Sally Ride Report. Beyond his NASA work, Dr. Shepanek holds an appointment as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) and maintains clinical practices at several area hospitals.

Dr. Michael A Schmidt is the founder, CEO, & Chief Scientific Officer of Sovaris Aerospace in Boulder, Colorado. He is among those leading the advancement of precision medicine in human spaceflight and high-performance operations on Earth.  Dr. Schmidt has also been instrumental in development of the field of multiomics applied to human spaceflight (genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiomics, etc.). These findings are highlighted in the special issue, “Space Omics,” published in Nature in June 2024. This work includes missions such the NASA Twins Study of One Year in Space, SpaceX Inspiration4, SpaceX Polaris Dawn, SpaceX Axiom-1, SpaceX Axiom-2, SpaceX Axiom-3, and forthcoming orbital missions in development.  His work in functional genomics and functionally characterized molecular networks has been central to his team’s development of the Astronaut Digital Twin (ADT) platform for advancing prediction and personalization in human spaceflight (rooted in the mathematics of Bayesian Inference). He has also developed a working pharmacogenomics methodology to personalize drug prescribing for astronauts.

Working in collaboration with the US National Space Council since 2020, Dr. Schmidt co-led development of the foundational work that would become the Human Research Program for Civilian Spaceflight (HRP-C™) of which he is the current President. This effort enlisted the input of almost 200 thought leaders in human spaceflight today, ranging from NASA, JAXA, ESA, ISA, DLR, TRISH, numerous academic centers, and industry leaders, such as Blue Origin, SpaceX, Axiom Space, Sierra Space, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and others. 

Beyond spaceflight, Dr. Schmidt has three decades of experience working with elite performers in extreme environments, which includes leading the molecular profiling and countermeasure efforts for humans ranging from wilderness medicine, S.W.A.T., high altitude ascent, military Special Forces, Naval and Air Force aviators, Navy submariners, Olympic athletes, and professional athletes (NFL, NBA, etc.). This includes human performance work with the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program (TOPGUN School).

Dr. Schmidt is the editor of two forthcoming textbooks, “Building a Space Faring Civilization” and “The Human Research Program for Civilian Spaceflight,” both published by Academic Press (Elsevier). He is the former President of the Life Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Branch of the Aerospace Medical Association (currently on the Board of Governors), is the President of the Space Precision Medicine Association, and is on the Space Exploration Committee for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.  Dr. Schmidt did his Ph.D. research in Molecular Medicine & Biochemistry at NASA Ames Research Center (under the Chief Medical Officer), which includes molecular, physiologic, and behavioral research on NASA’s 20G human centrifuge. He did a second Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Lancaster University (UK), with additional studies in data and models at MIT.