OPENING CEREMONY KEYNOTE SPEAKERMae Jemison, MD, will launch Annual Meeting
Mae C. Jemison, MD, will inspire attendees at the Opening Ceremony of the AAO-HNSF 2016 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPOSM with stories of her adventures in space and achievements in medicine and science.
Mae C. Jemison, MD, will inspire attendees at the Opening Ceremony of the AAO-HNSF 2016 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPOSM with stories of her adventures in space and achievements in medicine and science. Dr. Jemison, a former NASA astronaut and the first woman of color in the world to go into space, is an engineer, physician, and educator.
During her six years at NASA, Dr. Jemison flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, STS-47, a cooperative mission between the United States and Japan, and served as NASA’s first Science Mission Specialist performing experiments in material science, life science, and human adaptation to weightlessness.
“I am delighted to introduce Dr. Jemison as our keynote speaker. Her dynamic background in space travel and medicine will energize all who hear her story,” said Sujana S. Chandrasekhar, MD. “As healthcare professionals, we can all appreciate her message of determination and scientific advancement.”
Prior to working at NASA, Dr. Jemison earned her medical degree from Cornell University, completed her residency at the University of Southern California, and practiced general medicine in Los Angeles. She served as an Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia, and oversaw the healthcare system for the Peace Corps and the State Department in Sierra Leone.
She is currently leading 100 Year Starship (100YSS), an initiative seed funded by DOD’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to assure the capability for human interstellar space travel to another star is possible within the next 100 years. She also is the founder and president of two medical technology companies and the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence.
Dr. Jemison is a member of the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, and serves on several boards of directors, including the Texas Medical Center. She is an inductee of the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the National Medical Association Hall of Fame, and the Texas Science Hall of Fame. She has received the National Organization for Women’s Intrepid Award, the Kilby Science Award, and in 1999 was selected as one of the top seven women leaders in a presidential ballot national straw poll.
The Opening Ceremony will take place Sunday morning during the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO EXPOSM, September 18-21, in San Diego, CA. This is an Opening Ceremony that no one will want to miss.
“In September 1992, while I was biting off the last of my nails before my Boards exams, Dr. Jemison was conducting microgravity investigations in materials and life sciences on the Space Shuttle Endeavour. She is truly a remarkable person, and I hope you all attend the meeting and feel inspired by her experiences and character,” Dr. Chandrasekhar said.