Episode 58 | From Sea to Space: The Quest to Help Humanity Survive and Thrive

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About Dr. Shawna Pandya, BSc (Hons), MSc, MD, CFPC, DMT, FAWM (candidate), FEWM (honorary):

Dr. Shawna Pandya is a physician, aquanaut, scientist-astronaut candidate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS), skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies, Associate Fellow of the Aerospace Medicine Association, and Fellow of the Explorers Club. She is Director of IIAS’ Space Medicine Group, Chief Instructor for IIAS’ Operational Space Medicine course, a host with the World Extreme Medicine’s podcast series, Primary Investigator for the Shad Canada-Blue Origin student microgravity competition, member of the AIAA ASCEND Guiding Coalition, medical advisor at Astreas and Above: Space Development Corporation, and sessional lecturer for “Technology and the Future of Medicine,” at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Pandya was on the first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in zero-gravity in 2015. She earned her aquanaut designation on the 2019 NEPTUNE (Nautical Experiments in Physiology, Technology and Underwater Exploration) mission. Her expeditions have been previously captured in the 2019 Land Rover short, ‘Another World,’ released with the Apollo 11: First Steps film, and in the 2022 FIGS Space Navy and Mauve space medicine themed campaign. She interned at ESA’s European Astronaut Center and NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Her publications include a paper on medical guidelines for commercial suborbital spaceflight, and book chapters on space technologies that have benefitted terrestrial medicine, psychological resilience in long-duration spaceflight, and reproduction and sexuality in long-duration spaceflight. In 2021, she was granted an Honorary Fellowship in Extreme and Wilderness Medicine and named to the Canadian Women’s Executive Network’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women. Her work is permanently exhibited at the Ontario Science Center alongside Dr. Roberta Bondar, the first Canadian woman in space. In 2022, Dr. Pandya was named to the Explorers’ Club’s “50 Explorers Changing the World.”

Episode Notes:

Dr. Laura is joined by the brilliant Dr. Shawna Pandya – a Canadian physician, aquanaut, scientist-astronaut candidate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences, VP of Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies, and Director of IIAS’ Space Medicine Group. Dr. Pandya talks about the many facets of her career and what drives her to success and continued exploration.

It is tempting to simply call Dr. Shawna Pandya superhuman and assume she is on a level of her own, but Dr. Laura delves into the very human side of what inspired Dr. Pandya to pursue space medicine, and what continues to keep her growing. Dr. Pandya talks about resilience and the ability to see failure as growth. She has wrestled with her own perceived failures and learned how perspective shifts things for the better. Dr. Pandya explains what being an aquanaut is, her record for days living under the sea, the importance of mentorship and role models in life, and who her own mentors are. From studying to be a neurosurgeon to testing the first commercial spacesuit in zero gravity, Dr. Pandya shares with Dr. Laura how she navigates her extraordinary life.

“…so realizing the end is not guaranteed, but the journey is so incredible. Like if you told me as a kid I would get to be part of Mars simulations and get to command these missions and get to live under the sea and do really cool science as part of this and do really cool technology development, and even work with some of these companies like I do with Sonic or advise some of these companies, you know, that’s a pretty cool dream to realize as an adult! And so the journey is just as important as that end goal.”  Dr. Shawna Pandya

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