“Optimizing crew health and safety during spaceflight requires the input of many disciplines.  Advances that enable healthcare in Space also accelerate the development of remote capabilities for healthcare on earth." 
-- Dr. Aenor Sawyer MD, Director, UC Space Health

  What we do

The mission of the UC Space Health program is to address the complexities of optimizing human health and medical management in Space and return the resultant knowledge to earth.  Previous human space expeditions have deepened our understanding of physical and behavioral adaptations to the Space Flight environment and the countermeasures necessary to address them.

Research and development applied to the Space Health challenge also deepen our knowledge of physiologic responses on earth, provide models of extreme environments and accelerated aging, and provide technological advances that enhance terrestrial health care. The advanced technology requirements for human space exploration on longer duration and greater distance missions contribute significantly to our capabilities in remote self-health and medical management on earth.  In collaboration with NASA and industry space health experts, including astronauts, clinicians, scientists, engineers, health tech innovators, we seek to understand how space-associated science and technology can accelerate medical innovation to optimize crew health and safety and to provide health benefits universally.

The UC system has a long history of pioneering biomedical research and a bold vision for advancing health worldwide and galaxy-wide! 

There are over 150 researchers in the UC system actively engaged in research and innovation related to advancing human space exploration. UC Space Health is a cross-campus and cross-discipline network that provides opportunities to share resources and knowledge as well as collaborate in research and funding opportunities. 

Meet our team

The UC Space Health program is lead by Dr. Aenor Sawyer MD, Director, UC Space Health, and Associate Clinical Professor, UCSF Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Meet the team, composed of  UC Space Health Collaborators, Space Health Advisors/Consultants  and the Health Sense Matrix Team.

Projects, events, resources

To learn more about current project, events and resources, please visit the UC Space Health website:  https://spacehealth.ucsf.edu.  

Contact us

If you have an interest in participating or contributing to these efforts, please connect with us.