Kennedy Space Center Medical Education Program
Aerospace/Occupational Medicine Clerkship
The Aerospace Medicine and Occupational Health Branch of the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) offers four-week rotations to medical students or residents with a focus on either Aerospace Medicine or Occupational Medicine.
Description
Clerks will learn about Aerospace Medicine Operations, Occupational Medicine, and Environmental Health as it relates to various ground support personnel at Kennedy Space Center. All clerks will be given lectures on various topics related to both Aerospace Medicine and Occupational Health. Clerks will also have opportunities to go “in the field” and visit operational areas associated with biomedical support of launches and the processing of spaceflight hardware.
Daily training will vary depending on the available opportunities, but will consist of some of the following components as schedules permit:
- Didactic lectures in aerospace medicine/physiology, disaster medicine/triage management, medical research, planetary protection/microbiology, artificial gravity, space radiation, cosmology, safety orientation, IT procedures/information protection, hearing conservation, launch medical support, electronic medical records, and the KSC medical certification process.
- Environmental health/Industrial hygiene training rotations at various industrial/processing locations.
- Public health training rotations involving food handling inspections, mosquito surveillance, water quality sampling (potable and ground water), and others.
- Health physics training locations, including laser site monitoring and other ionizing and non-ionizing radiation control surveillance.
- Launch medical preparations and support when launch events occur.
- Environmental Microbiology Laboratory orientation/activities.
- Biomedical Engineering Research Laboratory orientation/activities.
- Supervised patient encounters and use of the electronics health records system as the available system function and clearances allow (this will vary among different student/residents and programs/institutions).
Schedule
Rotations typically start the first full week of each month and last four weeks. Slots are limited so not all applicants will be selected. Rotations are not available during the months of May and December. During the rotation you should expect to be on site Monday to Friday, 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week. Clerks will report for duty at 0800 – 1600 daily. Clerks will report to their preceptor daily to confirm planned training activities for each day. There may be evening or weekend experiences depending on the launch schedule.
Eligibility
We accept residents in Aerospace Medicine or Occupational Medicine, or senior (4th year) medical students with an interest in applying for residency in those fields. We will also consider medical residents in other fields who have an interest in Aerospace Medicine or Occupational Health. Applicants must be US Citizens.
Application and Selection
All applicants must complete the application, provide a CV, a letter of good standing and a recommendation, and an official transcript (or diploma). An application will be provided by the point of contact listed below. Applications are due a minimum of 3 months prior to your desired start date. If possible, please encrypt or password protect forms which include PII.
Compensation and Expenses
This rotation is unpaid, and all expenses incurred during your clerkship are your responsibility. During this rotation you will be responsible for all expenses related to travel, food, and housing. There is no public transportation to and from KSC. A vehicle is required to commute to and from the training location each day. Bicycles are not allowed on the main roads during primary entry and exit times.
Selected clerks will also be responsible for procuring their own housing. We can supply you with housing recommendations and suggestions on where to stay (e.g., AirBnB, VRBO).
Clerks may apply to the Space Medicine Association (SMA) Training Scholarship sponsored by Dr. Philip J. Scarpa, Jr. at https://www.asma.org/about-asma/careers/scholarships.
Point of Contact
Ken Cohen, PhD, kenneth.d.cohen@nasa.gov
Ken Cohen, PhD
Mail Code: SI-E1-1
Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899-0001
