Co-Leaders
Dr Hossein Akbarialiabad, MD, MSc, HMBA
Dr. Hossein Akbarialiabad, MD MSc HMBA, is a physician-scientist with expertise in dermatology, digital health, and space medicine, serving in academic roles across the U.S., Australia, and the Caribbean. His work bridges dermatologic research with aerospace innovations. A recipient of the ANAHPS-TRISH Space Medicine Award, he is committed to advancing skin health in extreme environments, including space.
Dr Rowena Christiansen, MEmergHealth, MBA, MBBS, BA Hons, LLB, DCH, GradDipDisasterMed, GradDipEd, ACCAM, GradCertSpaceStudies, ISU SHSSP16, FAsMA, FAsHFA
Dr. Rowena Christiansen is dual-qualified in medicine and law, with extensive studies in emergency health, aerospace medicine, and disaster management. She specialises in space health, medicine for extreme environments and pre-hospital emergency care. As a Fellow of various aerospace organisations, she lectures on human health in space and advocates for aerospace medicine. Rowena founded the ad astra vita project and co-founded the International Humans in Space Summit. She has received multiple awards, including the 2023 “Innovator of the Year” at the Australian Space Awards.
Professor Dedee F. Murrell
Dedee F. Murrell is Professor of Dermatology at the Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales (UNSW), and Chair of the Dept of Dermatology, St George Hospital, Sydney, Australia. She designs and conducts clinical trials of novel therapies for skin cancer and inflammatory skin diseases.
Dr M. Mark Melin
M. Mark Melin MD FACS RPVI FACWS is the Medical Director of the Wound Clinic, Gonda Vascular Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA. His interests include dermal lymphatic therapeutics and research, adjunctive micronutrients including Diosmin Hesperidin, and biofilm mitigation in wound care. He has participated in research, publications and education in aerospace medicine and is the Treasurer for the Space Surgery Association.
Dr Christopher G. Bunick, MD, PhD
Dr. Bunick is an Associate Professor of Dermatology and Translational Biomedicine at the Yale School of Medicine, leading a structural biology lab and treating patients’ skin care needs..
Dr Ayman Grada, MD, MS, MHA
Dr. Grada is a US-trained dermatologist and physician-scientist with a distinguished career spanning over 18 years in clinical practice, academic research, and biotech innovation, specializing in immune-mediated skin disorders and cutaneous wound healing. He is currently a Medical Director for Dermatology at a biopharmaceutical company, and an Adjunct Professor of Dermatology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Professor Sancy Leachman
Dr. Leachman completed her Dermatology Residency and Research Fellowship at Yale School of Medicine before joining the University of Utah as a Professor and Director of the Melanoma and Cutaneous Oncology Program. She later became Chair of the Department of Dermatology at OHSU and Director of the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Research Program until 2025, when she returned to Utah as Vice-Chair of Faculty Development. Her clinical practice emphasizes skin cancer, melanoma, and genetic syndromes related to increased cancer risk. A strong advocate for skin screenings and patient education, she has led initiatives in Oregon to enhance early melanoma diagnosis. Her research spans melanoma, innovative diagnostic techniques, and public health studies.
Dr Parnian Jamshidi, MD, MPH
Parnian is an MD and MPH graduate from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, and currently serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the same university. Her passion lies at the intersection of medical science and public health promotion. With a strong background in translational medicine, she is particularly interested in exploring cellular and molecular disease pathogenesis, patient-related therapy response, healing processes, and the significant role of the human microbiome in diverse illnesses.
Members
Dr Mohsen Farjoud Kouhanjani
Mohsen is an MD graduate from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and a previous Research Fellow at Shiraz Epilepsy Research Center. He is currently completing a PhD in Neuroscience at Goethe-University Frankfurt, Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Dr Nafise Niknam
Nafise is a Research assistant and mentor at NeuroTRACT International Association, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. She is also a family medicine doctor at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Professor Thais Russomano, MD, MSc, PhD, FRSA
InnovaSpace – UK.
Dr Fatima El-Assaad, PhD
Dr. Fatima El-Assaad is an early-mid career medical science researcher at UNSW Sydney, Australia. She leads a program of work focusing on the microbiome’s role in women’s health, mental health, and neuroscience, and her research explores the intricate connections between inflammation, the gut-brain-body axis, and systemic health.
Dr Narges Azizi, MD, BSc
Narges is a research associate at the Advanced Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology (ADIR) Center, building on her MD from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and BSc in Mechanical Engineering to drive innovation in radiology.
Dr Seyed Reza Taha, MD
Reza is an MD and aspiring pathologist currently working as a research fellow at Washington University in St. Louis. He is passionate about advancing both diagnostic and prognostic aspects of medicine through research and is committed to a career in pathology.
Dr Zahra Aminzade, MD
Zahra is a research fellow and assistant at the Endometriosis Research Center of Iran University of Medical Sciences. She focuses on gynecologic diseases, particularly endometriosis and female cancers, conducting studies to improve understanding and treatment of these conditions. Through collaboration with a multidisciplinary team, she aims to enhance patient outcomes and raise awareness about women’s health.
Najmeh Sadeghian
Driven by predictive and equitable medicine, she investigates human resilience in the face of isolation and extreme environments.
Dr Lydia Johnson Kolaparambil Varghese
Lydia is a medical doctor in Emergency Medicine and Anaesthesiology (II Level specialisation) and also a space medicine researcher at the European Society of Aerospace Medicine (SMG).
Dr Dora Babocs, MD, PGD
Dr. Dora Babocs is a medical doctor focused on making surgical procedures safe for future deep-space missions. Currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Baylor College of Medicine, she began her career as a General Surgery resident in Hungary. She is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Astronomy and Planetary Science and has graduated as a Space Specialist in Life Sciences. Dr. Babocs contributes to Mars analog missions through her work with the Biomedical Engineering Group at OeWF and represents Europe in international space outreach efforts. Recognized on the Forbes 30/30 and Forbes x Johnnie Walker Selfmadelists in 2024, she is dedicated to advancing surgery in deep space for future human exploration.
Dr Tim Squire
Dr Tim Squire is a Radiation Oncologist and Director of Radiation Oncology training at Townsville University Hospital. He is a Senior Lecturer at James Cook University and has multidisciplinary research interests ranging from radiation protection in space, chronobiology and the effect of magnetic fields on brain tumours during radiation therapy. Dr. Squire has been part of the Technical Advisory Group on radiation protection for the Australian Space Agency.
Dr Jessica D’Urbano, MD
Jessica D’Urbano is an Italian Medical Doctor, currently studying Occupational Medicine at the University of Trieste. She is a Research Fellow of ASRI (Advanced SpaceLife Research Institute). Jessica is always looking for international collaborations to learn and exchange knowledge and backgrounds coming from different cultures. She’s the Communications Lead of NASA GeneLab ALSDA and Multi-Omics Analysis WorkingGroups, where researchers can explore GeneLab datasets in the data repository and create collaborative projects. This year Jessica has been selected as one of the members of NASA Space App Collective 2024-2025 Cohort. Together they’re learning how to use NASA data to advance its mission priorities and to make a difference both locally and globally.
the ad astra vita project 