What is space medicine? Although the answer can vary, the practice focuses on ways to keep humans in homeostasis while they endure extreme environments. There’s also ways that the space environment can benefit researchers studying diseases. 

Dominic Tanzillo is an intern at NASA, a member of SEDS, as well as a mathematics and neuroscience student at Duke University. Although his NASA internship focuses on engineering, he’s interested in pursuing medical school. His interest led him to develop a space medicine course at Duke, which will be offered in the fall.

In this episode, we talk to Dominic about the history of space medicine, what it encompasses, and what we can learn during the COVID-19 pandemic.