Assistant Professor – Duke University

  • Department of Emergency Medicine – School of Medicine
    • Attending Physician – Duke University Hospital Emergency Department
  • Department of Surgery (Secondary Appointment) – School of Medicine
    • Laboratory for Transformational Administration (LTA) – Medical Director
      • Operational Machine Learning development and implementation group that reports directly to the Chair of Department of Surgery. I have directed two large projects that have gone from model development to clinical implementation in the areas of Prediction of Emergency Department Clinical Outcomes and Prediction of Surgical Resource Needs with deployment to a 70,000+ visit/year ED and 400+ surgeon staff group respectively.
  • Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science (Secondary Appointment) – Duke Pratt School of Engineering
    • Duke Robotics Laboratory
      • My research focus is on technology development for acute care in austere environments (emergency department waiting rooms, human spaceflight, prehospital care, military medicine, and rural medicine)
      • We focus on data science, robotics, and system engineering processes to develop and determine the impact of automation in safety critical contexts. 
      • Duke Acute Care Technology Laboratory (DACTL)

Deputy, Human System Risk Manager – NASA Johnson Space Center

  • 2021 – Present
  • Currently detailed to NASA-JSC via Intergovernment Personnel Act Assignment as Deputy Chair of the Human System Risk Board (NASA.gov)
  • Manager of human system risks analogous to the approach the engineering profession takes with its Failure Mode and Effects Analysis in that a process is utilized to identify and address potential problems, or failures to reduce their likelihood and severity. In the context of risks to the human system, the HSRB considers eight missions which different in their destinations and duration to further refine the context of the risks.
  • With each DRM a likelihood and consequence are assigned to each risk which is adjusted scientific evidence is accumulated and understanding of the risk is enhanced, and mitigations become available or are advanced.
  • Direct and manage risk custodian teams of operational physicians, researchers, and epidemiologists to determine and characterize hazards of space travel on human system performance.

Awards and Honors

  • Georgia Institute of Technology 40 under 40 – 2022
  • Marie Marvingt Award for excellence and innovation in Aerospace Medicine – 2016
  • Whitaker Foundation International Scholarship – Post-Doctoral Fellowship 2012-13
  • NIH National Research Service Awards Individual Predoctoral MD/PhD (F30) – 2011-14

Previous Research Positions:

Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and Visiting Medical Student – University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland – June 2012 – May 2013

1 year Research and Clinical fellowship in the Department of Orthopedics applying engineering approaches to problems encountered in the clinical care of shoulder, knee, and hip injuries.

Research Assistant – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/ Center for Advanced Orthopedic Studies – 2007 – 2012

Conceived and implemented PhD topic for brand new area of research in the lab. Ultimately thesis work was selected for $2.3 Million grant from the Department of Defense to develop three-dimensional ultrasound imaging system for real-time in-flight analysis of neck injuries in US Army Helicopter Pilots.

Research Engineer – National Aeronautics and Space Agency/Wyle Laboratories – Summer 2007

Quantified injuries caused by current American spacesuit and applied results to recommendations for design of next generation suit for exploration of Moon and Mars. Resulted in publication in Acta Astronautica.

Research Study Coordinator – Brigham and Women’s Hospital Emergency Department – Spring 2007

Member of study design team for clinical research study on efficacy of novel antibiotic use on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) caused cellulitis in emergency department patients.

Affiliations

  • Aerospace Medicine Association
    • Communications Committee – Former Chair
    • Social Media Committee – Former Chair
    • Science and Technology Committee
    • Education and Training Committee
  • American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics – Professional Member
    • Life Sciences & Systems Technical Committee
  • Space Medicine Association
  • American College of Emergency Physicians – Professional Member
    • Research Section
    • Aerospace Medicine Section
  • Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Other Previous Positions:

President/Co-Founder – A.D.E. Aerospace Consulting, L.L.C. – 2012 – 2017

Space Medicine Consulting for Research and Operations Support

Associate Editor – Medgadget Online Journal of Emerging Medical Technologies. – 2010 – 2016

Editor/Writer with original reporting and essays that have been reprinted in multiple Medical Technology trade publications.

Associate Member of the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor Medical College – October 2011– 2015

Mentor and Collaborate with students and faculty working on Space Medicine research and operations.