Podcast appearances and mentions of shawna pandya

Dr. Shawna Pandya is an aeromedical transport physician, a neurosurgery and emergency medic, leader of the an aquanaut with NASA's NEEMO analog missions, director of the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences' (IIAS) Space Medicine Group, and will be Canada's first female commercial astronaut. She's also a black belt martial artist in Taekwon-Do, an analog astronaut, and an explorer. During our interview, we discussed the path that brought her to medicine, space, and what the future holds for humans living and working offworld.

Meet Shawna Pandya, Physician, Neuroscientist, and now Canada's First Female Commercial Astronaut.In this inspiring episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, we sit down with Shawna to unpack her journey from childhood dreams of space to preparing for her Virgin Galactic mission.We explore:Her selection as part of the Virgin Galactic research crewThe science behind her mission, including microgravity, diabetes research & emergency medicine in spaceHow she balances medicine, research, teaching, and astronaut trainingHer thoughts on the future of commercial spaceflight and why it's not just for engineersThe power of mindset, resilience, and saying yes to big challengesWhether you're a med student, space nerd, or someone chasing a big dream, this one's for you!

$15K Bunnies and a Snake-Bitten First Day—Callers Share Expensive Little Disasters, Dr. Shawna Pandya on Life as a Future Astronaut. Plus Teddy Swims shares his biggest fears as an artist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Norah is training for a mission scheduled for 2026 as part of an all-female crew on a spaceflight with IIAS and Virgin Galactic alongside American Kellie Gerardi and Canadian Dr. Shawna Pandya. She will become the first Irish person in space!Norah joined Alison Curtis to update us on the latest part of her adventure and to chat about a brand new documentary that reveals all about Ireland's involvement in space. Did you know: Ireland is a founding member of the European Space Agency when it was set up in 1975 and In 2024 alone 116 Irish companies worked with the European Space AgencyCeltic Cosmos is now available to watch now on Virgin Media PlayerGo To: virginmediatelevision.ie – search for “Celtic Cosmos”@spacenorah on Instagram and norahpatten.com for more on Norah

It’s been a minute since we caught up with Canadian astronaut Dr. Shawna Pandya, but what better time to chat than when the NASA astronauts are finally returning home after a massive stint stuck in space! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do doctors and astronauts have in common? Turns out, it's more than you might think! On this episode, Sarah and Maia are joined by Shawna Pandya, MD. Shawna is a physician, astronaut and scientist. Tune in to hear her talk about navigating health care in the most extreme environments, and how she helps patients survive and thrive!   Links: Our Website: https://interactomemedia.wixsite.com/website Twitter: https://twitter.com/theinteractome  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/interactome_media/ Mastodon: @interactome@universeodon.com   Credits: Audio/Video Editing: Sam Pickell Artwork: Maia Reyes Intro/Outro Music: Geovane Bruno - Dancing In The Future   Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:47 Meet Shawna! 2:39 How Shawna Became an Astronaut 11:11 Space is Trying to Kill You 18:05 Training for Space 27:00 Other Cool Tech Related to Space Medicine 29:54 Working on a Team of Highly Skilled Individuals 34:29 Shawna's Upcoming Mission 42:30 One Piece of Advice for Aspiring Astronauts 45:30 Outro

On this end-of-year episode, Nick & Cyrus boldly go where no Critical Care Podcasters have gone before - into space! Join us, as we adventure into the great beyond with astronaut extraordinaire, Dr. Shawna Pandya - the first female Canadian commercial astronaut, who also happens to be a rural emergency medicine physician among SO many other things. We spend an hour with her discussing space physiology, medical applications of space tech, chatting about ICU corollaries, her experiences training for her upcoming mission, and exploring the challenges facing space exploration in 2025 and beyond. Hop aboard and and enjoy this exciting content and let us know what you think. This super accessible episode is loads of fun for ICU junkies and space-nerds alike so kick back, give it a listen, and as always, let us know what you think! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Don't have time to listen to the full show? We got you covered on the Nathan, Nat & Shaun Quickie, all the best bits from Tuesday, 26th of November's episode!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you plan on being an astronaut and you like your fizzy drinks then this is bad news.Dr Norah Patten or you may know her as Space Norah from Mayo and Canada's Dr Shawna Pandya joined Dave to chat all things Space!

Are you at your tipping ‘tipping point'? A recent survey from “Point of Sale” company Lightspeed, has found a whopping 77 percent of Canadians are fed up with auto-tipping prompts on payment machines. Is tipping out of control and how have attitudes towards tipping changed in recent years? We discuss with Bruce McAdams, Associate Professor, School of Hospitality, Food, and Tourism Management at the University of Guelph.    Next, an Edmonton doctor is set to be the first Canadian woman to become a commercial astronaut aboard Richard Branson's “Virgin Galactic” rocket! We meet Physician, Speaker and Astronaut Dr. Shawna Pandya, and hear her personal story, of what led her to this “out of this world” adventure.   Finally, ten days of Stampede also means packing on an extra ten pounds as you eat your way across the Midway. So, what do you eat first and is it all as good as it looks? We get some ‘tasty' suggestions of what to sample from Mark Neustaedter from the ‘Calgary Stampede Concession Committee'.

I sit down with Dr. Shawna Pandya and discuss how the effects of space on the human body and how advances in space medicine will dictate the future of crewed space expoloration. Dr. Shawna Pandya is a scientist-astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, physician, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies and Fellow of the Explorers' Club.

How does the female body respond to space?Dr. Shawna Pandya is a scientist-astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, physician, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies and Fellow of the Explorers' Club. She is also the Director of the PosSUM Space Medicine Group and Chief Instructor of the PoSSUM Operational Space Medicine Group. Shawna holds degrees in neuroscience (BSc Hons. Neuroscience, University of Alberta), space (MSc Space Studies, International Space University), entrepreneurship (Graduate Studies Program, Singularity University) and medicine (MD, University of Alberta), and is currently completing a fellowship in Wilderness Medicine (Academy of Wilderness Medicine).Today, women constitute approximately 12% of all astronauts. How has being in space affected their menstrual cycles, reproductive health, ovarian longevity, bone density, and hormones?This is important to think about now, because as Shawna put it: "We are going to space for humanity so we need to do it with all of humanity."A shared and visionary goal within the space industry is for humans to live and thrive across multiple planets. Human ingenuity is incredible so if someone is dreaming about it, it will eventually happen. And when it does - will we be able to reproduce in space? What will just thinking about it teach us about life and pregnancy? Scientists and entrepreneurs are already looking for answers while you are reading this sentence! From figuring out how to have intercourse in space to exploring whether it is possible to conceive a baby out there.This spaceship is launching. Join me and Shawna in this episode to get on it ;)(00:00) Intro(01:25) What does it feel like to be in space?(04:15) Why are humans travelling into space? What is the goal?(07:58) The golden age of commercial space travel is now!(10:26) How do female astronauts experience space travel?(12:17) Is it too early to care about female health in space?(15:58) What happens to the human body in space?(25:48) Can humans reproduce in space?(35:41) What's your take on artificial wombs?(38:10) What's the effect of space travel on ovarian reserve?(42:27) What's the effect on menopause and perimenopause?(44:39) Could there be health benefits of going into space?(46:24) Doing innovative science experiments in space(49:06) 3D printing in space(50:28) Women's health research in the space environment(53:13) Key ethical health considerations about the future of space exploration(54:27) Shawna's plans for 2024 and closing thoughtsLinks:Shawna's Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnapandyaShawna's Twitter - https://twitter.com/shawnapandyaShawna" Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shawnapandya Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Shawna Pandya is a physician and scientist-astronaut candidate. Dr. Pandya received a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience from the University of Alberta. Then, she received a Master of Science in space studies from the International Space University before returning to the University of Alberta to complete her medical degree. In this conversation, Dr. Pandya tells us all about how she merged her passions through the field of space medicine.  Connect with Dr. Shawna Pandya:Instagram/Twitter: @shawnapandya, LinkedIn, Facebook If you liked this episode, we recommend our previous episode, S3E04: Dr. Humza Nusrat, Medical Physicist - Shepherding Physics and Tech into Healthcare. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or our website.  Fill out our anonymous feedback form to let us know what you want us to include in future episodes.  New episode every other Tuesday! Follow and subscribe on your preferred platform.  Produced by Ment Projects. Follow @mentprojects on all social media platforms for updates and more mentorship resources. Visit our website to learn more about the mission and services of Ment. 

The Mars Society's live podcast, RedPlanetLive interviews the people instrumental to settling and exploring Mars. In this episode Ashton Zeth interviews the Dr. Shawna Pandya, a scientist-astronaut candidate!

Joining us today are podcast host Dr Shawna Pandya, Dr Erik Antonsen, and Dr Dana Levin, pioneers in the field of space medicine, to dissect the current state of aerospace medicine residency funding, the imperative of global collaboration, and the philosophical shifts shaping the next generation of spacefarers. They'll delve into the waters of international cooperation against the backdrop of a burgeoning commercial spaceflight industry and the challenges of keeping astronauts safe, healthy, and thriving. Our experts will also lay out the seven major competencies vital for an adept space medicine physician, the implications of physicians as integral cogs in the conceptual machinery of space systems, and the necessity of a hands-on approach to medical care, tailored for the unique challenges space presents. Erik Antonsen is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine with a co-appointment as an Associate Professor of Space Medicine at the Center for Space Medicine, both at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Texas. Dana Levin MD MPH is a board certified Aerospace and Emergency Medicine Physician with more than a decade of experience working to ensure human health in Space and other extreme environments. He is the cofounder and Assistant Program Director for the joint Baylor College of Medicine Space Medicine - Massachusetts General Hospital Space Medicine Fellowship and a Physician for NASA under the Human Health and Performance Contract. He is also the director of the independent research and consulting company Exploration Medicine.He has supported expeditions and travelled to every continent on Earth and has worked in every aspect of Space Medicine from Engineering Systems Design to Spaceflight Operations to Clinical Research to Education.His research and consulting projects include artificial intelligence applications for Clinical Decision Support, extreme environment clinical medicine, and regenerable, on demand resources and pharmaceuticals for autonomous medical systems.Dana is also a Scientific Diver, Private Pilot, Percussionist, Rock Climber, Sailboat Captain, and an avid Science Fiction fan.

Aree Bly is joining us!  Aree was a successful actuary for a number of years.  She was VERY good at it… because she has a highly analytical mind. But then found she had a true passion for personal and professional development… and she realized she was also REALLY good at helping other “analyticals” to get clear on what they wanted in their life and in their careers… and then build a plan to achieve it. So… in 2018… she became certified as an Elite Success Coach! And that's when she started to coach… but she also became an in-demand keynote speaker and workshop facilitator!  And now… her brand new book… “The Sustainable Brain - An Analytical Mind's Guide to Creating a Sustainable Life” just hit the shelves and people are LOVING it! Aree is amazing at helping analytical professionals unlock their potential, clarify their vision and create sustainable and fulfilling careers and lives!  So you KNOW this is an powerful episode! GET YOUR SCORE! Have YOU ever thought about becoming a Life Coach, Success Coach or Business Coach… but you've wondered whether it would be a good fit for YOU? Let's get YOUR predictability of success score: www.mitchmatthews.com/cpsa  That's right!  Download the Coaching Predictability of Success Assessment to see if becoming a successful and profitable Coach is right for YOU! MORE ABOUT AREE BLY: Get the book: Click here Aree's website: https://www.areebly.com Find Aree on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/areebly  Check out Mitch's NEWEST PODCAST: ENCOURAGING THE ENCOURAGERS You can now check out Mitch's new DAILY podcast called “ENCOURAGING THE ENCOURAGERS” anywhere you listen to podcasts.   It's specifically designed for coaches, speakers and content creators and provides quick doses of inspiration, strategy AND… of course… encouragement! Check out: www.encouragingtheencouragers.com!  Find it on Apple Podcasts:  Click here Find it on Spotify: Click here Find it on Anchor: Click here Find it on Google: Click here RELATED DREAM THINK DO EPISODES: Things are changing fast BUT don't miss out!  YOU have a role to play!  Listen to THIS convo with Astronaut Dr. Shawna Pandya: mitchmatthews.com/382/  Let's talk about another secret weapon: YOUR CREATIVITY! Listen to THIS convo with award-winning photographer Chase Jarvis: mitchmatthews.com/236  Let's talk about getting MORE DONE in LESS TIME!  Yup… let's talk about TIME BLOCKING! mitchmatthews.com/257  MINUTE BY MINUTE 00:00 Introduction To Today's Interview With Aree Bly  00:27 Introducing Aree and Her Unique Perspective 02:02 Aree's Journey from Actuary to Coach 03:13 The Sustainable Brain: An Analytical Mind's Guide 03:49 Understanding the Concept of a Sustainable Brain 04:07 Aree's Personal Journey to Sustainability 04:50 The Importance of Balancing Brain and Heart 05:16 Addressing the Success Trap 06:40 The Role of Experimentation in Personal Development 07:58 Aree's Transition to Full-Time Coaching 08:15 Recognizing Signs of Unsustainability 12:17 Aree's Approach to Cultivating a Sustainable Brain 14:19 Aree's Personal Experience with Experimentation 23:03 Cultivating a Sustainable Brain in Younger Generations 30:04 Mitch's Minute! What Resonated With You Today? I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: How about YOU!?  Do YOU think the “Analytical” dreams and visions differently?   Did you connect with Aree's approach to creating a more “Sustainable Life?” More importantly… I'm curious. (Like always!)  What part of the idea or strategy that resonated with you?   More specifically… what's something (BIG or small) YOU want to try as a result?  Lastly… PLEASE share this powerful episode with an “Analytical” who YOU think would appreciate it and/or might be needing it… right now!   They'll thank you! And hey… remember… I'm rooting for you!   Mitch

I'll shoot straight with you.  In THIS episode… I dig into one of the most important epiphanies I've had in YEARS!  If you've been feeling a little (or a lot) frazzled, stretched, stressed or easily offended… THIS episode is for YOU!  If you've been finding it a little bit easier to move into “comparison mode” more lately… THIS episode is for YOU!  If you've been feeling pressure to be EVERYTHING and to be EVERYWHERE… this episode is for you!  So let's get to it! GET YOUR SCORE! Have YOU ever thought about becoming a Life Coach, Success Coach or Business Coach… but you've wondered whether it would be a good fit for YOU? Let's get YOUR predictability of success score: www.mitchmatthews.com/cpsa  That's right!  Download the Coaching Predictability of Success Assessment to see if becoming a successful and profitable Coach is right for YOU!   Check out Mitch's NEWEST PODCAST: ENCOURAGING THE ENCOURAGERS You can now check out Mitch's new DAILY podcast called “ENCOURAGING THE ENCOURAGERS” anywhere you listen to podcasts.   It's specifically designed for coaches, speakers and content creators and provides quick doses of inspiration, strategy AND… of course… encouragement! Check out: www.encouragingtheencouragers.com!  Find it on Apple Podcasts:  Click here Find it on Spotify: Click here Find it on Anchor: Click here Find it on Google: Click here RELATED DREAM THINK DO EPISODES: Things are changing fast BUT don't miss out!  YOU have a role to play!  Listen to THIS convo with Astronaut Dr. Shawna Pandya: mitchmatthews.com/382/  Let's talk about another secret weapon: YOUR CREATIVITY! Listen to THIS convo with award-winning photographer Chase Jarvis: mitchmatthews.com/236  Let's talk about getting MORE DONE in LESS TIME!  Yup… let's talk about TIME BLOCKING! mitchmatthews.com/257  MINUTE BY MINUTE: 00:00 Introduction to today's episode, as Mitch Matthews shares a game changing epiphany!  02:00 Hear about Mitch's epiphany found through prayer and how there is truth in it for everyone 04:00 How we can allow frustration to overtake our minds and build narratives in our head 09:00 The power of prayer and inviting God into a conversation   13:00 The “everything, everywhere fallacy” concept and do you get caught up in it? 17:00 Learning how to do one place well and what those places are  20:26 How can we lean into some specific things more intentionally?  21:33 Living a “one place well” life can shift your frustration to empathy and joy  25:39 Where and how can you apply this concept in your life?  28:36 Mitch shares how this concept has impacted his business and relationships  31:00 Mitch's Minute! Here are two questions for you to process this week!  I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: How about YOU!?  What stood out to you from this convo and the strategies and observations that Andy mentioned? Plus… I'm curious. (Like always!)  What part of the idea of the TRUE GEEK CULTURE that resonated with you?  Whether you lead a software company, run a restaurant or teach in a classroom… we can ALL lean into the concepts of SCIENCE, OWNERSHIP, SPEED and OPENNESS more.  But what specifically stood out to YOU!? Lastly… PLEASE share this powerful episode with someone who YOU think would appreciate it and/or might be needing it… right now!  They'll thank you! Know I'm rooting for you! Mitch  

Andrew McAfee is joining us for DREAM THINK DO! Andrew is a Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management.  He's also the co-founder and co-director of MIT's Initiative on the Digital Economy. Oh… and he's the inaugural Visiting Fellow at the Technology and Society organization at Google.  Andrew studies how technological progress changes the world and his next book “The Geek Way” he explores what he's calling the most important technological revolution of our time!  So… yes… let's talk about THAT! GET YOUR SCORE! Have YOU ever thought about becoming a Life Coach, Success Coach or Business Coach… but you've wondered whether it would be a good fit for YOU? Let's get YOUR predictability of success score: www.mitchmatthews.com/cpsa  That's right!  Download the Coaching Predictability of Success Assessment to see if becoming a successful and profitable Coach is right for YOU! MORE ON ANDREW McAFEE: Andrew's new book: THE GEEK WAY: Click here Andrew McAfee on X/Twitter: @amcafee MIT's Initiative on the Digital Economy.  Check out Mitch's NEW Daily PODCAST: ENCOURAGING THE ENCOURAGERS You can now check out Mitch's new DAILY podcast called “ENCOURAGING THE ENCOURAGERS” anywhere you listen to podcasts.   It's specifically designed for coaches, speakers and content creators and provides quick doses of inspiration, strategy AND… of course… encouragement! Check out: www.encouragingtheencouragers.com!  Find it on Apple Podcasts:  Click here Find it on Spotify: Click here Find it on Anchor: Click here Find it on Google: Click here RELATED DREAM THINK DO EPISODES: Things are changing fast BUT don't miss out!  YOU have a role to play!  Listen to THIS convo with Astronaut Dr. Shawna Pandya: mitchmatthews.com/382/  Let's talk about another secret weapon: YOUR CREATIVITY! Listen to THIS convo with award-winning photographer Chase Jarvis: mitchmatthews.com/236  Let's talk about getting MORE DONE in LESS TIME!  Yup… let's talk about TIME BLOCKING! mitchmatthews.com/257  MINUTE BY MINUTE: 00:00 Introduction to the episode and our conversation with Andrew McAfee 01:40 Andrew McAfee studies how technological progress changes the world  02:25 Andrew dives into the meaning behind his book, “The Geek Way”  04:34 What Andrew saw emerging that led him to write this book  06:21 How the geek way is duplicated and implemented into any business  07:53 The four norms that all successful organizations have  13:07 Examples of non-tech organizations that are implementing this method well 15:14 The importance of being open and transparent as possible as a business  17:06 Andrew talks about the cultural evolution and how it plays into the geek way  21:14 The behavior of senior leaders matters when it comes to creating culture  24:07 How to follow Andrew and where to find his book, “The Geek Way”  25:00 One thing that Andrew would equip somebody with to pursue the geek way 28:52 Mitch's Minute! Biggest takeaways from our conversation with Andrew McAfee I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: How about YOU!?  What stood out to you from this convo and the strategies and observations that Andy mentioned? Plus… I'm curious. (Like always!)  What part of the idea of the TRUE GEEK CULTURE that resonated with you?  Whether you lead a software company, run a restaurant or teach in a classroom… we can ALL lean into the concepts of SCIENCE, OWNERSHIP, SPEED and OPENNESS more.  But what specifically stood out to YOU!? Lastly… PLEASE share this powerful episode with someone who YOU think would appreciate it and/or might be needing it… right now!  They'll thank you! Know I'm rooting for you! Mitch  

"She's some sort of superhero." That's the first thing that popped into my head when I started following Dr. Pandya on social media.  She's an aquanaut, scientist-astronaut candidate, skydiver, and practices medicine in rural Alberta.  The cool thing is Shawna is eager to share what she's learned by pursuing her passions and the approach to resilience and building support structures that has allowed her to accomplish so much.  If you're a busy doctor looking to pursue your passion and creativity, this is a must-listen episode.  Tune into this episode to hear her 5 pillars for resilience, real-life examples of support structures to stay grounded and maintain work-life balance.  She'll even share advice she got from the one and only Chris Hadfield.  If concerns around your financial plan are weighing you down, you might be a good fit for a fee-based financial plan. If you'd like to know more, be sure to click here.  Enjoy the show!

Germany's Ramstein Air Base will be the headquarters of a new US Space Force service component for Europe and Africa. The UK Space Agency has awarded Scotland-based AstroAgency and UAE based AzurX, 75,000 pounds each to develop advanced space technologies to tackle natural disasters and reduce greenhouse emissions in the Gulf. EutelSat says its HOTBIRD 13F and HOTBIRD 13G satellites have now entered into full commercial service. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our weekly intelligence roundup, Signals and Space, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow T-Minus on Twitter and LinkedIn. T-Minus Guest Our guest is Dr. Shawna Pandya is a Canadian physician, scientist-astronaut candidate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS). You can connect with Shawna on LinkedIn and Learn more about IIAS on their website. Selected Reading Newest Space Force component to stand up at Ramstein Air Base in December- The Stars and Stripes UAE and Bahrain to work with UK to develop space technologies to help protect the planet- The National UK Space Agency launches consultation on variable liability limits for orbital operations Eutelsat Brings Two Hotbird Satellites into Commercial Service- Via Satellite Mini space thruster that runs on water- ESA UT Will Lead $4 Million Research Collaboration in Outer Space- PR Astra Space, Inc. Announces Reverse Stock Split- PR ‘Galactic 04' Mission Marks Virgin Galactic's Fifth Spaceflight In Five Months US could advance SpaceX license as soon as October after rocket exploded in April- Reuters Allies Eager to Develop, Collaborate with US on New Space Programs- Air and Space Forces Earth is outside its ‘safe operating space for humanity' on most key measurements, study says- AP 'Learning period' for US commercial space regulations should be extended, Sen. Cruz says- Reuters https://www.welcometohelios.com/missions/ T-Minus Crew Survey We want to hear from you! Please complete our 4 question survey. It'll help us get better and deliver you the most mission-critical space intel every day. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © 2023 N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Shawna Pandya is our guest. And hey… Dr. Pandya has one of the biggest dreams of anyone we've ever featured on DREAM THINK DO.  She… drum roll please… wants to step foot on Mars.  Yup… Mars! And… when you hear about her background… you'll know that she's actually got a chance of getting this big dream done.  She's a scientist-astronaut candidate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS), she's a physician and she's also an aquanaut.  Oh… and she skydives… she's a martial artist and she's a pilot.  It doesn't stop there.  Dr. Shawna is also the VP of Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies and she's a medical advisor at Above Space Development Corporation.  And… she's a Fellow of the Explorers Club.  See what I mean?  This Mars thing could really happen! We're going to talk about what it takes to pursue a massive dream.  As we do… we also talk about keys to overcoming the Imposter Syndrome, strategies for breaking free from worry and implementable tactics to increase your resilience as you go after YOUR dreams!  I think you're going to love it! MORE ABOUT DR. SHAWNA PANDYA Find Dr. Shawna on Instagram: instagram.com/shawnapandya/  Find Dr. Shawna on FB: facebook.com/shawnapandyaofficial/  Find Dr. Shawna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shawnapandya/ Watch Dr. Shawna's Land Rover commercial:     Check out Mitch's NEW Daily PODCAST: ENCOURAGING THE ENCOURAGERS You can now check out Mitch's new DAILY podcast called “ENCOURAGING THE ENCOURAGERS” anywhere you listen to podcasts.   It's specifically designed for coaches, speakers and content creators and provides quick doses of inspiration, strategy AND… of course… encouragement! Check out: www.encouragingtheencouragers.com!  Find it on Apple Podcasts:  Click here Find it on Spotify: Click here Find it on Anchor: Click here Find it on Google: Click here RELATED DREAM THINK DO EPISODES: We talked about breaking free from the Imposter Syndrome with Dr. Shawna… so check out what bestselling author Jon Acuff had to say on how he address it: mitchmatthews.com/340/  You don't have to go into space or to the depths of the ocean for adventure.  In fact, we talked about ways to find adventure… right in your backyard in THIS Dream Think Do deep dive: mitchmatthews.com/334/  Resilience is important when you want to live on Mars… but it's also critical when your a TV producer.  Listen in as Sarah Yourgrau talks about the practical resiliency strategies she uses as she works with Mike Rowe and as she produces shows like Netflix's Home Edit: mitchmatthews.com/294/  LET'S HEAR FROM YOU! This was so good.  I loved this conversation!  Dr. Shawna shared some great stories and some incredible insights! She's totally living the DREAM THINK DO life!  Love it! Okay… so now it's YOUR turn.  What stood out to you?  I want to hear from YOU!   Leave a comment and let me know. And hey… keep bringing YOUR awesome!!! Mitch Episode Minute By Minute:  0:02 How to overcome imposter syndrome 1:11 Get to know Dr. Shawna Pandya 10:30 What it's like to live totally underwater for 6 days 14:26 How Dr. Shawna and her crew broke a world record 18:00 How to push yourself past your limits and planning for success 24:35 The 5 Keys to tapping into Resilience 29:28 Dr. Shawna Pandya's advice for overcoming imposter syndrome 33:17 Final advice for those building their dream! 34:14 Mitch's minute and biggest takeaway!

Today we meet with veritable force to be reckoned with. Dr. Pandya's experience is vast, which explains in part why many believe she is inline to be a future astronaut. She is a physician, aquanaut, scientist-astronaut candidate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS). But she is also a skydiver a pilot-in-training, a VP of Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies, a Medical advisor at Above Space Development Corporation and a Fellow of the Explorers Club. She instructs an Operational Space Medicine course, and hosts the World Extreme Medicine's podcast series. And just last year Dr. Pandya was named to the Explorers' Club's “50 Explorers Changing the World." There is so much more to share about this impressive woman in STEM so let's get right to the interview. Dr. Pandya's podcast series. Link to AIA website: www.aerospacehigh.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/shawna-christenson2/support

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 PandyaAbout 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."Resources:Shawna Pandya, MD on LinkedInDr. Shawna Pandya at the IIAS (International Institute for Astronautical Sciences)WEMcast (World Extreme Medicine Podcast)Dr. Roberta Bondar“No Ego” by Cy Wakeman“An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth” by Chris HadfieldHouston, We Have a Podcast (NASA podcast) “Another World: A Film by Land Rover” short film on YouTube“FIGS Scrubs: Space Navy and Mauve” ad on YouTubeLearn more about Dr. Laura on her website: https://drlaura.liveFor more resources, look into Dr. Laura's organizations: Canada Career CounsellingCalgary Career CounsellingSynthesis Psychology

SpaceWatch.Global is pleased to present: The Space Café Podcast #80: Shawna Pandya - Physician, Astronaut Candidate, Martial Artist, and Space Medicine InnovatorEpisode 080  features a special guest:  Dr. Shawna PandyaIn this episode, join Dr. Shawna Pandya, a physician, citizen-scientist astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, and Director of Medical Research at Orbital Assembly Construction, as she delves into her multi-faceted career, her passion for space medicine, and her vision for the future of space exploration. Key topics:

In this episode, join Dr. Shawna Pandya, a physician, citizen-scientist astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, and Director of Medical Research at Orbital Assembly Construction, as she delves into her multi-faceted career, her passion for space medicine, and her vision for the future of space exploration. Key topics:

It's Star Wars Day! Next week Dr. Shawna Pandya will be giving a talk on what it really takes to send people to the moon and beyond  Guest: Dr. Shawna Pandya - Scientist-Astronaut Candidate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS)

[3:12] I want to be in space?[6:32] Everything I do is exciting to me[10:44] Cultivating individual resilience[15:28] How we view Space Medicine[18:54] Norwegian Next Steps Initiative[20:39] Do you believe in aliens?[25:33] There is a season for everything[28:34] Privilege to watch Edmonton evolve

Show Sponsor: www.LaShamanaFaby.com Dr. Shawna Pandya is Director of Medical Research with Orbital Assembly Corporation, scientist-astronaut candidate program graduate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences and aquanaut with the NEPTUNE mission. Through her involvement with Project PoSSUM, Dr. Pandya was part of the first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in micro-gravity. She has also completed centrifuge studies, emergency spacecraft egress and sea survival training, and wilderness medicine training. She also currently serves at the Life Sciences Team Lead for Association of Spaceflight Professionals and the Life Sciences Chair for the Canadian Space Society. Dr. Pandya holds degrees in Honors Neuroscience (BSc. Hons, University of Alberta), Space Studies (MSc., International Space University) and medicine (MD, University of Alberta). She is licensed as a general practitioner. Prior to completing medical school, she attended Singularity University, where she co-founded CiviGuard, based on Singularity's challenge to positively impact 1 billion people in 10 years using accelerating technologies. She is an accomplished speaker, having given talks at TEDxUAlberta, TEDxEdmonton and the University of Alberta's Peter Lougheed Leadership College at the invitation of former Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell. Dr. Pandya is a passionate STEM advocate, and a frequent speaker at schools, universities, scientific conferences and science centers.  Dr. Pandya also holds certifications in solo sky-diving, advance, open water, Nitrox and rescue diving, and is working towards her private pilot's license. Dr. Pandya is fluent in English, French, Gujarati, and speaks introductory Spanish and Russian. She also sings, plays the piano and holds a black belt in Taekwondo and has trained annually at Muay Thai fight camps in Thailand since 2015, entering and winning her first amateur fight in 2017.

Dr. Kevin Mailo welcomes Dr. Shawna Pandya - Physician, Aquanaut, Explorer, Director of IIAS Space Medicine Group, Space Medicine and Austere Environment Researcher - to the show to talk about her amazing career. But more than that, Shawna speaks about dreams and how to make them reality.Shawna Pandya is an explorer, an aquanaut, she's lived in a Mars simulation in the Utah desert, and she's lived in an underwater habitat for five days. She works for a company focussed on immersive technologies and a company trying to put the world's first rotating partial gravity artificial gravity space station into orbit. She's also a martial artist, skydiver, and pilot-in-training. She has an amazing career. And she knows more than a little bit about having lofty dreams and not sacrificing them to reality but pursuing them with determination.In this episode, Kevin Mailo and guest Dr. Shawna Pandya talk about the varied paths of Shawna's career. And they dive deeply into how Shawna's childhood dreams propelled her into the journey she's on today. She addresses self acceptance, having a plan of action, positive visualization, preparing for setbacks, and the mentors who invested in her along the way. Her story and advice on dreams are deeply inspiring.About Dr. Shawna Pandya:Dr. Shawna Pandya is a scientist-astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, physician, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies and Fellow of the Explorers' Club. She is also Director of the PosSUM Space Medicine Group and Chief Instructor of the PoSSUM Operational Space Medicine Group. She holds degrees in neuroscience (BSc Hons. Neuroscience, University of Alberta), space (MSc Space Studies, International Space University), entrepreneurship (Graduate Studies Program, Singularity University) and medicine (MD, University of Alberta), and is currently completing a fellowship in Wilderness Medicine (Academy of Wilderness Medicine).Resources Discussed in this Episode:International Space UniversityNasa Johnson Space CenterChris Hadfield“An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth” by Chris Hadfield—Physician Empowerment: website | facebook | linkedinShawna Pandya, MD - Physician, Aquanaut, Explorer, Director - IIAS Space Medicine Group: linkedin | twitter | iias |  luxsonic | zenith canada pathways__Transcript:Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:00:00] Hi, I'm Dr. Kevin Mailo and you're listening to the Physician Empowerment Podcast. At Physician Empowerment, we're focused on transforming the lives of Canadian physicians through education in finance, practice transformation, wellness and leadership. After you've listened to today's episode, I encourage you to visit us at PhysEmpowerment.ca - that's P H Y S empowerment.ca - to learn more about the many resources we have to help you make that change in your own life, practice, and personal finances. Now on to today's episode. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:00:35] Hi, I'm Dr. Kevin Mailo, one of the hosts of the Physician Empowerment Podcast. And today I'm very, very excited to be joined by Dr. Shawna Pandya. And before we get started in the interview, let me say a little bit about Shawna, and she is a primary care physician who practices mostly emergency medicine. And for years now, even before her career in medicine, Shawna has been pursuing space medicine with a focus as well in extreme medicine and hostile environments. And so I would love to hear from you, Shawna, and that probably isn't the full introduction. Why don't you tell us a little bit more about yourself? Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:01:15] Yeah, sure. So first of all, thanks so much for having me on the podcast. I think this will be really fun. So for those who don't know me, here's a little bit about my background. I'm an explorer, I'm an aquanaut, I've been on expeditions in what we call analog environments. So that is environments that are analogous in some way to the spaceflight environments. I've been to the Mars Desert, or I've been to the Utah desert on a Mars simulation. I've lived underwater for five days, yeah, in a water underwater habitat. There's lots to talk about. I work with a lot of space companies with applications for Earth. I work with Luxsonic Technologies, which focuses on immersive technologies. So virtual reality, augmented reality, 360 video for medical education, for health care workers, physicians, paramedics and more. And I also advise a company trying to put the world's first rotating partial gravity artificial gravity space station in orbit by the end of the decade, as well as a space food company. So that's Orbital Assembly Corporation and IIAS, respectively. There's a lot we could talk about. So I think this is going to be fun. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:02:23] Yeah. So there is a lot we could talk about. And it's funny because at first I was tempted to interview you about space medicine specifically, right? Because I think that's extremely exciting. I myself am a big fan or I don't want to say fan, but I constantly follow space exploration and all the remarkable progress we've been making throughout the world in terms of space technologies. But I really want to hear about your dreams and the meaning of dreams in our lives, because what struck me, following you on social media, Shawna, is the fact that what appears to be your dreams are very much a part of your daily reality. And that your dreams have been integrated into your career. In fact, your career is your dream. You live and work your dream, and that is so incredibly rare. And in Physician Empowerment, actually, in December 2021, we were actually in Mexico talking about wellness practice transformation. But one of the topics that we covered is dreams and how dreams provide not only goals in our lives, it's bigger than that. Dreams provide focus and meaning in our lives. They give us a sense of the arc of our life, and it can be a source of immense personal comfort and wellness as we pursue them. So talk to us about what dreams mean in your life. Tell us about your dream journey. Like, how old were you when you decided you wanted to go on this path? Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:03:47] Yeah. So my childhood journey is actually, I think, where this all starts. And I think that's where this idea of, Hey, I want to go to space comes from. Before that, it came with actually even bigger ambitions. So this is me as a nine or ten year old settling down, quote/unquote, decide to pursue astronautics. And so I think this is really a good example of what it means to be limitless and not-- Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:04:13] -- I love that-- Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:04:14] -- bound by what is possible in reality. And so to make that more concrete, so when I was four, I was like, I want to save the world. I want to do good. And I'm going to do that by being a Transformer, like I was going to be Optimus Prime crime fighter. We do good. And then I matured a little bit. I became seven and I realized, Oh, you can't actually be a Transformer. That's just ridiculous. So I thought, okay, well, I will be a billionaire superhero like in this Batman, Bruce Wayne kind of context. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:04:46] Also very reasonable. Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:04:48] Very reasonable. You know, I matured. I'd put on some years since the age four. And I thought, okay, well, clearly I need to do good in the world. I need to pursue this Batman persona, you know, get lots of money and also fight crime. And then I realized that's not something you go to school for. You don't get your degree in billionaire-ology. So then by the time I was nine, this is also during the nineties when Canada had sent its first ever female astronaut to space - and that was, of course, Dr. Roberta Bonder - and I looked at her and I said, okay, she's Canadian, I'm Canadian, she's female, I'm female. So now all I need to do is be a neuroscientist, physician, astronaut, boom, done. That's my path towards astronautics. And so if you look at all of my homework from junior high, it was all about astronautics and how to get to space and just everything obsessed with human spaceflight and exploration. And then in high school, again, focusing down more, I said, okay, I'm going to go be a neurosurgeon. I'm going to medical school. That's what I'm focusing on. So my first degree was neuroscience. And then somewhere along the way, that space dream kind of crept back in. And so by the time I was applying for medical school, I realized how insanely competitive it was. And I said, okay, I'm not guaranteed to even get an interview. I need to pick a backup plan, a contingency that even if I don't get into med school, will make me happy that I could spend the entire year, you know, saying, this is amazing, like not wishing I was somewhere else, like medical school. And I'd heard of someplace called the International Space University, which is in Strasbourg, France, offers a master's program, and in reality is like Starfleet Academy, where you meet amazing students from all across the world. It's very, they abide by this international, interdisciplinary, intercultural perspective. We had 50 students, 31 countries represented. We had lawyers, engineers, future physicians and myself. Everything we did was collaborative. And that's when I realized maybe I didn't have to choose between space or medicine. Maybe there was an intersection. That's where I really learned about what space medicine was. And so kind of tying back to your initial question, this is kind of where realizing that, hey, having these big dreams as a kid, you can actually forge a path towards them. And that's really kind of taking what seems pie in the sky limitless, but also maybe not necessarily attainable, becomes attainable. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:07:14] So talk to us about self acceptance of dreams and living them boldly. Because I'll be honest, I'm a big dreamer. I have lots of my own dreams about what I want to do with my life, where I want to go, where I want to see Physician Empowerment go. And, you know, it took me years to live that boldly. It took me years to even speak about my dreams. And for those of you that come to our conferences, you'll hear all about it. But tell me about like learning to live that boldly, learning to speak it, share it, and overcome the people that might have something negative to say or who who aren't necessarily there to support you. Because that's hard when we work in highly collaborative environments or even just with friends and family. So talk to us about overcoming doubt. Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:08:05] Yeah. So I mean, I'm a big believer in having a plan of action, having multiple contingency plans, and also taking concrete steps to put yourself on the way. And I think Chris Hadfield actually captures this in his book perfectly when he says when he was a kid and decided to be an astronaut, he didn't just go into his kitchen and declare it to his family because he would have been laughed out of the kitchen. He said, okay, I'm just going to be the best student possible. I'm going to do this. I'm going to pursue a career as a fighter pilot. And so it comes down to creating an action plan of how is this going to move me forward towards my goals and my ambitions, and then also realizing that you can prepare yourself and that also just because you're not eligible for something today doesn't mean you shouldn't keep it on your radar. And so to give you a concrete example, I knew about the Canadian Space Agency sponsored Aerospace Medicine elective to go down to NASA for a month and perform research related to space medicine. I knew about that since I was in Grade 11 and I would, like, compulsively check the CSA website, but you weren't eligible to even apply for it until you were final year medical school or until you were a first year resident. So, I mean, that was at least a decade off. But the nice thing about keeping an eye for these opportunities is it gives you something to reach for. Then you start putting together that ladder that gets you there. You start making yourself a competitive candidate. And so that was always in the back of my mind. And by the time it came to apply, you know, I had publications under my name, I had a book chapter under my name. I was very involved in Canadian space activities. And so I became one of two Canadians sponsored for that term to go down to NASA. So part of it is being aware of the opportunities and then working towards them as a matter of attaining your goals. And then the other part of it is rehearsal and for the hard things. And so to give you an example of, like, how rehearsed I've been for what I've deemed the most important things in my life, I will practice it before the real thing ever comes. And so when I was writing my MCAT, my medical college admissions test, which I'm sure the entire audience is familiar with us, they've all we've all had to write it. My family was out of town. It was to a new part of the city I'd never been to. So as a dress rehearsal, I drove all the way to the test site, found my parking spot, figured out how long it would take me to get to the test hall, make sure I knew where it was. I did all of that the day before, just to make sure I knew that part of the the concrete part. I applied to medical school a year before I was qualified to even apply, just so I could go through the essays, know what they asked for, have them all written. So when it came time to actually apply, I had something to draw off of. Same thing for Canadian Space Agency astronaut selection. Even the years I wasn't eligible, I went through their 50 page, literally, 50 page submission process, so I knew what they were asking for, so I knew what they were looking for. So the qualifications I didn't have, I would just go out and get them. And so there's an element of preparation and planning and action that really comes along with realizing our dreams. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:11:15] I love that. Tell us about positive visualization. Right? Because it's one thing to say, oh, I have this dream on the horizon, but like positive visualization goes further in that we start to have specific stepping stones imagined or seen or written down. Talk to us about the role of positive visualization in your mind, as well as negative visualization of setbacks. Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:11:43] Yeah. So I think we need to talk about, we can't talk about positive visualization without negative visualization. And I call it the what if game. Anyone who practices emergency medicine will be doing this at all times because we're constantly asking, What is the most likely diagnosis? What is the worst case scenario? Best case scenario? What else could this be? And in everything we do in life, we should be asking the same, like, what is most likely to happen? How would this work? What would this look like if this is was a best case scenario versus what could go wrong and the reason that we do this, so when we talk specifically about positive visualization and we go through, for example, the exact steps to do a procedure in medicine, we're building that muscle memory by activating our supplementary motor areas. So we're kind of priming our brains to say, I'm ready to perform. But the value of going through the worst case scenarios, playing that what if game is also saying, how am I going to react, I don't want to be caught unawares if something bad happens because I didn't plan for it. So I call it the What if game. Chris Hadfield calls it the power of negative thinking, but it's also preparing ourselves for the reality of what life is and saying that I have a plan for that as well. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:12:56] I love that. I love that. Talk to us about failure or setbacks. Because I think that is inevitable. Any time we are pursuing a higher goal or a dream, trying to get somewhere, we encounter failure. And again, that's another thing it took me years to embrace was failure as a stepping stone to success. Talk to us about failure. You don't have to share any specific stories, but how you overcome failure, how you approach it, how you learn from it, and then how you move ahead and try again. Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:13:33] Yeah. One of my friends, she's amazing. She's Canada's seventh female fighter pilot and she said, If you've never failed, you're either lucky, lying, or Jesus himself. So I love that. And I, for me, I say, if you're always winning, you're probably in the wrong league. So you have to fail because you're not really pushing your own limits if you haven't failed. And the other part of it is to realize that success and failure are two sides of the same coin. And what I mean by that is even when we succeed, our successes aren't always pretty and perfect, that there's something that can always be improved upon. And when things, when we fail, it's not final. There's a quote that says Success is not final. Success, or failure is not final, failure's not fatal. It's the courage to go on that counts. And that's basically saying, well, if you fail, you've only failed if you refuse to do something about it. Why not take that situation, analyze what went wrong, figure out what went right so you can reinforce that part, and then come up with a plan to address the part that didn't go so well. And in the operational world, in aviation and space, we call that the art of the debrief. Any time we fly a zero gravity campaign, we are debriefing after every flight because we want to know what went well so we can reinforce that pattern of performance. What didn't go so well, so we can share those lessons learned with the rest of the team, and also so we can change our own actions and performance patterns in what didn't go so well. And so that's why I say success and failure are two sides of the same coin, because there's always actions to be optimized. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:15:02] Absolutely love that. What else do you want to share with us about your journey or about what you've learned along the way in terms of pursuing your dreams? Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:15:11] Yeah, I definitely feel like I'm just getting started. I think there's so much else I want to do. So many other places I want to go. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:15:20] I love that because you've been at it, like, dreaming for over 20 years, right? Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:15:24] Yeah I've been doing it my whole life. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:15:25] But it still feels fresh. It still feels new. I really love that. Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:15:28] Absolutely. Every single day is like, Wow, I can't believe that someone would think of me for this. That's amazing. And part of it is you can't acknowledge success without acknowledging the imposter syndrome. We all feel it. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:15:41] Right. Right. Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:15:42] And what I've learned is it's an opportunity. It's a growth opportunity. Right? Because someone even if I don't feel ready to be in, whatever, in medical school or to be in this position within a company or an organization, someone somewhere saw something in me that they believed I could do this. And so it's an opportunity to become better, smarter, more educated, and then also execute. So that's how I deal with the imposter syndrome. And then just realizing that you have to love every bit of the journey. And there's people who say, I want to be an astronaut, I'm going to study engineering, even though I hate it. I'm to go get my operational certifications in skydiving, whatever, even though I hate it. And when they're hating every step of it and then maybe ultimately they are medically disqualified forever from astronaut candidacy and they feel like they've wasted their life. And for me, it's the exact opposite. I love every aspect of what I do and every part of the journey. That's how I work seven days a week. That's how I live out of a suitcase. And I'm home for maybe three days a month because everything I do is absolutely fun to me. And I think that's key when realizing, you know, if this is the path I want to pursue, is it actually the path I want to pursue, get those data points, live it, and then figure out, is this how I envisioned it to be? Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:17:02] Amazing. Talk to us about the importance of mentors and surrounding yourself with people that build you up, because I know I've certainly, over the years, become much more mindful of who I spend my time with in terms of sharing my dreams, working towards my dreams. Because there are people that build us up in life. There are people who bring us down. Talk to us about how you seek out mentors. I would love to hear that because I bet you, well already, from what you've mentioned, it sounds like you met some incredible people on the journey. Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:17:28] Yeah. So for mentors, I think mentorship, I have this view of it doesn't have to be this very formal relationship. It doesn't have to be, hey, will you be my mentor? Because I think there's this unrealistic expectation that this person is going to transform you into the person you want to be. And that comes from within. And I think we don't do a good job with with any type of mentorship relationship setting those expectations that, no, it's you. You're the one who has to set your goals and pursue them and come armed with questions. And that's the approach I've always taken. And then the other part of it is just feeling, realizing the social contract to pay it forward, because I wouldn't be where I am if incredibly busy people hadn't taken time during their careers to invest in me, even though they didn't have to. And the best example I can give of that is someone I've mentioned a lot through this podcast because the first day I ever interned at NASA's Johnson Space Center, the phone rang in my office. It was off campus. I'd lost my passport, I was frazzled. So I picked up the phone and I said, I'm sorry I have to put you on hold. And then I realized that the person on the other end of the line said that was Lieutenant Colonel Chris Hadfield, who is training to be commander of the International Space Station. And I just put him on hold. And so the man was busy. This was 2012. He was training to command an entire space station, but he still found time to take myself and the other Canadian medical student out for coffee, answer questions about space. Why? He has no impetus to do that. All of this, all of the Canadian astronauts, Jeremy Hansen, David Saint-Jacques, they took time to invest in us. That's amazing. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:19:10] That's incredible. That's so inspiring. Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:19:13] Right? Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:19:13] Yeah, like, what a Canadian hero. Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:19:16] He was amazing. I can't say enough good things about him. And so, to me, that really is a lesson in pay it forward. Like, you know, as busy as I get, I also feel a duty to help others, to help answer the questions. I'm involved with [00:19:31] Gosh as a mentor. [00:19:32] Space Prize Fellowships, [00:19:34] sets Canada [00:19:35], Zenith Pathways, Women in Aerospace Medicine. Like there is a very long list that I'm sure I'm forgetting more because once upon a time I was at that stage and I definitely wouldn't be where I am if folks hadn't taken the time from their schedules to invest in me. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:19:52] Wow, wow, wow. What a great story. And so beautiful to talk about paying it forward. Right? Because I think that enriches us immensely when we can take the time and help somebody who's on a similar journey or somewhere further down the path or coming up the path like we are. So powerful. I think that also helps renew our interest in our dreams and energize us and focus us. Wow. Shawna, I'm not going to, I'm not going to keep you longer because I know you're busy. Do you want to share like a book that you love that might be related to this? But that's always hard because I'm putting you on the spot. I didn't give you any prep about that ahead of time. Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:20:30] It's very on brand. It's the same book I've been quoting this whole. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:20:33] Go for it. Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:20:34] Chris Hadfield's 'An Astronaut's Guide to Earth'. It's very resonated very much with me. A lot of the lessons I've shared this hour have been from that book and also through my own lessons, so totally recommend it. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:20:46] Was that the guy that you put on hold when you... Oh, that guy okay. Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. Amazing. That's truly incredible. Love it. Okay, Shawna, thank you so much for coming on and just sharing your story, sharing your journey. It is so inspiring. As I said earlier, it is rare to meet people that live their dreams so boldly and so fully. And yet dreams are maybe one of the most important things in our lives because they give us so much meaning and joy. And like you said, it's the journey that has to be savored, not just the destination. Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:21:20] Absolutely. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:21:21] I love that. Thank you so much, Shawna. Dr. Shawna Pandya: [00:21:24] Yeah, my pleasure. Dr. Kevin Mailo: [00:21:25] Thank you so much for listening to your Physician Empowerment podcast. If you're ready to take those next steps in transforming your practice, finances or personal well-being, then come and join us at PhysEmpowerment.ca - P H Y S Empowerment.ca - to learn more about how we can help. If today's episode resonated with you, I'd really appreciate it if you would share our podcast with a colleague or friend and head over to Apple Podcasts to give us a five star rating and review. If you've got feedback, questions, or suggestions for future episode topics, we'd love to hear from you. If you want to join us and be interviewed and share some of your story, we'd absolutely love that as well. Please send me an email at KMailo@PhysEmpowerment.ca. Thank you again for listening. Bye. 

Dr. Shawna Pandya: Current doctor, future astonaut Dr. Pandya has many titles. Medical strategic research advisor. Vice president of immersive medicine. Chief instructor of operational space medicine. There are even more titles, but I like keeping this paragraph short! We chatted about her titles and how she came to have them. We also talked about how public speaking has helped her in these roles. To learn more about Dr. Pandya, her Twitter handle is @shawnapandya. __ TEACH THE GEEK teachthegeek.com/tips for public speaking tips Prefer video? Go to youtube.teachthegeek.com @teachthegee (FB, Twitter) @_teachthegeek_ (IG, Tik Tok)

Industry thought leaders discuss, how do we make space available for everyone? Featuring Oroville science advisor André Bormanis, "October Sky" protagonist, Homer Hickam, Dan Hawk, Jared Angaza, and Dr. Shawna Pandya.

In this episode I am joined by Dr. Shawna Pandya and we have discussed various aspects of space medicine and the importance of this topic in medical education.

Join us as World Extreme Medicine Founder and CEO Mark Hannaford and Luca Alfatti, Logistical Lead for the convoys discuss the progress of the work they have carried out so far. Following their live session last week their conversation with Shawna Pandya is now available to listen on demand. The team have transported medical supplies to the area in Ukraine where they are needed, here we discuss the team, what they have learnt, the potential dangers and how they manage this in country. Any donations can be made here https://www.gofundme.com/f/medics4ukraine

In this blockbuster first episode of season 2, I interview Dr. Shawna Pandya, a physician, scientist-astronaut candidate, researcher, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, skydiver, pilot-in-training and currently the VP of Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies. She was named one of the Women's Executive Network's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada in 2020. Dr. Pandya is a passionate STEM advocate, and a frequent speaker at schools, universities, scientific conferences and science centers. We discuss how she navigated through different roles in her professional life, and also get some deep insight into how she built upon her personal resilience to accomplish her many successes as a South Asian woman in STEM. We are also introduced to the field of Space Medicine, and how it's making space exploration more accessible and inclusive for all.

In this episode we have an excellent interview with Dr. Shawna Pandya talking about the medical risks of long duration spaceflight, and what we can do to better understand, and mitigate, these risks.

Over Coffee® is on holiday-weekend hiatus. Please enjoy this reposting of one of our top episodes of 2021, and join us again next week for another new conversation on innovation, creativity and making a difference! (Photograph courtesy of Cooper and O'Hara Photography, and used with permission.) This post and podcast are for informational purposes only, and are not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional with any medical questions. What are the challenges involved in staying healthy, when your workday occurs in zero gravity? And when radiation exposure and space dust are valid concerns? That's the focus of Dr. Shawna Pandya's career. As a physician, Dr. Pandya wears multiple "hats". In addition to being Vice-President of Immersive Medicine at Sasketchewan-based virtual-reality pioneer Luxsonic Technologies Inc., she is a citizen-scientist astronaut with Boulder, Colorado-based Project PoSSUM. This 501c nonprofit uses astronautics to study the role of our upper atmosphere in climate change. {“PoSSUM” is an acronym for “Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere”. In addition, she serves as Director of Medical Research at Orbital Assembly Corporation, the world's first large-scale space-construction company. Dr. Pandya, who completed her citizen-astronaut training in 2015, was a member of Project PoSSUM's first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in zero gravity. Today, she serves as Director of Space Medicine for Project PoSSUM. And, as you'll see on her website, she's currently working on obtaining her private pilot's license, is an aquanaut and has given multiple TEDx speeches. In our prerecorded 2021 conversation, Dr. Pandya talked about the considerations of space medicine, what's involved in keeping the crew healthy, and what's next for her, as a citizen-science astronaut. On this edition of Over Coffee® we cover: What first inspired Dr. Pandya's passion for space science; Why “space is trying to kill you”, as Dr. Pandya says; What it's like to be in zero gravity! What's involved in mitigating some of the health risks of space; What Dr. Pandya might pack for travel to the Moon or to Mars; How a medical emergency might be handled, if one occurs in space; A look at the virtual-reality space-medicine training program Dr. Pandya has created, with Luxsonic; Technologies; What the results of Dr. Pandya's space-medicine research can mean, for maintaining good health on Earth; What's next in her journey, as a citizen-science astronaut.

Dr. Shawna Pandya is a Canadian physician, scientist-astronaut candidate program graduate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) and Project PoSSUM, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies and Fellow of the Explorers' Club. She is also Director of the IIAS/PoSSUM Space Medicine Group, Chief Instructor of the IIAS/PoSSUM Operational Space Medicine course, Director of Medical Research at Orbital Assembly Corporation, clinical lecturer at the University of Alberta, podcast host with the World Extreme Medicine's WEMCast series, Primary Investigator (PI) for the Shad Canada-Blue Origin student microgravity competition, appointed member of the ASCEND 2021 Guiding Coalition, Life Sciences Team Lead for the Association of Spaceflight Professionals, and sessional lecturer for the “Technology and the Future of Medicine,” course at the University of Alberta. She serves as medical advisor to several space, medical and technology companies, including Mission: Space Food, as well as the Jasper Dark Sky Festival Advisory Committee. Dr. Pandya holds degrees in neuroscience (BSc Hons. Neuroscience, University of Alberta), space (MSc Space Studies, International Space University), and medicine (MD, University of Alberta), and a certification in entrepreneurship (Graduate Studies Program, Singularity University).

Dr. Shawna Pandya is a Canadian physician, scientist-astronaut candidate program graduate with the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS) and  Project PoSSUM, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies and Fellow of the Explorers' Club. She is also Director of the IIAS/PoSSUM Space Medicine Group, Chief Instructor of the IIAS/PoSSUM Operational Space Medicine course, Director of Medical Research at Orbital Assembly Corporation. In this episode, Ben chats to Dr Shawna about her journey to get to the stars, the importance of psychological resilience and why she is a fan of doing things “same, same but different”! 00:18 Episode 29: Dr Shawna Pandya - Ben more than impressed with her CV (won't be the last time he mentions it) 01:43 Ben brings on Dr Shawna 02:00 What is a citizen astronaut candidate? 04:07 Why is Dr Shawna considering the alternative route to space? 06:46 Favourite astronaut training activity? 11:50 What did Dr Shawna learn about herself? 15:27 Rural emergency medicine 16:18 Ben attempts to talk about learnings from Covid in respect to space. Dr Shawna's thoughts on covid response. 20:12 Does Mars simulation experience help with covid? 22:52 Strategy to become astronaut 22:40 Game-plan to get to space? 26:34 What research would Dr Shawna do in LEO? 28:12 What is Orbital and what is the timeline? https://orbitalassembly.com/ 29:44 What advice for young women entering the STEM world? 30:20 Dr Shawna's love of Taekwondo 33:04 Outro and wrap up Social Media Twitter/Instagram: https://twitter.com/shawnapandya?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/shawnapandya/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawnapandyaofficial/about LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnapandya/?originalSubdomain=ca Stay connected with us! Use #Astroben across various social media platforms to engage with us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrobenpodcast/ Website (coming soon): www.astroben.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/gambleonit?lang=en Please subscribe and rate - Ad Astra!

In this episode, WEMCast host Dr Shawna Pandya dives deep into this very question with none other than AstroRN Starr Schroeder, a nurse passionate about pioneering, defining, and developing the role of nursing in the commercial space industry as well as advocating for the continued development of space medicine in current and future space exploration. Listen in as Shawna and Starr talk about the rise of space nursing, the commercial space sector, Starr's research on a myriad of topics including space nutrition and medical guidelines for commercial suborbital spaceflight.   Starr Schroeder is a nurse with experience in critical care, emergency nursing, and nursing management. She has since become an active participant in the space medicine community incorporating her experience in medicine into her love for space by pioneering, defining, and developing the role of nursing in the commercial space industry as well as advocating for the continued development of space medicine in current and future space exploration. Starr is a member of the Association of Spaceflight Professionals where she was co-lead for research involving medical guidelines in commercial space flight participants, currently published in Acta Astronautica. Her additional publications include chapters on Spaceflight Nutritional Support, Future Trends in Spacesuits, and The Lunar Environment in the Handbook of Life Support Systems for Spacecraft and Extraterrestrial Habitats. She currently serves as a PoSSUM 13 chair, an organization dedicated to increasing opportunity and representation for women and students in STEM. Starr graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1999. She is currently a Masters candidate in the Human Factors in Aerospace program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.   Links:  IIAS PoSSUM PoSSUM13

This post and podcast are for informational purposes only, and are not intended as medical advice. Please contact a healthcare professional with any medical questions. Photo courtesy of Cooper and O'Hara Photography, and used with permission. Like her fellow medical professionals, Dr. Shawna Pandya is focused on keeping patients healthy. Unlike many of her colleagues, though, she has to take space dust, zero gravity and radiation into account. And as she practices space medicine, she's experienced some of the circumstances her patients will encounter. Besides being a physician, Dr. Pandya is a citizen-scientist astronaut with Boulder, Colorado-based Project PoSSUM. This 501c nonprofit uses astronautics to study the role of our upper atmosphere in climate change. {"PoSSUM" is an acronym for "Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere". In 2015, Dr. Pandya completed her citizen-astronaut training. She was a member of Project PoSSUM's first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in zero gravity. And today, she serves as Director of Space Medicine for Project PoSSUM. A multifaceted career She is also Vice-President of Immersive Medicine at Sasketchewan-based virtual-reality pioneer Luxsonic Technologies Inc. In addition, she serves as Director of Medical Research at Orbital Assembly Corporation, the world's first large-scale space-construction company. And "so much more", as Dr. Pandya says. She's a chief instructor in Operational Space Medicine for the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences....Medical Advisor for Mission Space Food...a physician with Alberta Health Services... And, as you'll see on her website, she's currently working on obtaining her pilot's license, is an aquanaut and has given multiple TEDx speeches. Dr. Pandya talked about the conisderations of space medicine, what's involved in keeping the crew healthy, and what's next for her, as a citizen-science astronaut. On this edition of Over Coffee® we cover: What first inspired Dr. Pandya's passion for space science; Why "space is trying to kill you", as Dr. Pandya says; What it's like to be in zero gravity! What's involved in mitigaing some of the health risks of space; What Dr. Pandya might pack for travel to the Moon or to Mars; How a medical emergency might be handled, if one occurs in space; A look at the virtual-reality space-medicine training program Dr. Pandya has created, with Luxsonic; Technologies; What the results of Dr. Pandya's space-medicine research can mean, for maintaining good health on Earth; What's next in Dr. Pandya's journey, as a citizen-science astronaut.

From Afghanistan to Uganda, Haiti to Somalia, Yvette Gonzalez has over two decades’ experience with capacity-building and community stabilization in kinetic war zones, natural disasters, and impoverished areas. In this episode, she shares her experiences and lessons learned from her experiences building resilience in disaster zones with host, Dr Shawna Pandya - including where to find some downtime in rural DR Congo (it’s definitely not what you’d expect), and a  close encounter in a conflict zone with a restless population, armed rebels and ...dynamite (don’t worry, she’s okay!). Whether community building in rural Latin America, working on hurricane relief in the Bahamas, or dealing with armed conflict in Afghanistan, Yvette shares common themes for building trust, and developing situational awareness: Keep your head on a swivel. Ask questions. Seek to learn. Defer to the experience of the locals. When trying to strike a sense of balance between capacity building and not burning out, Yvette suggests asking herself, “why am I going here? Do I need to? What is my intent? Am I doing what the population needs?” Most importantly - don’t forget to look for levity along the way. An epidemiological expert by training, Yvette Gonzalez has over 22 years of experience building resilience in disaster zones and including communities in active war, conflict, natural disasters, and epidemiological outbreaks. She has worked in complex contexts such as Afghanistan, Bahamas, Benin, Brazil, DR Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Turkey, and Uganda. She crossed over to bring her expertise in operational environments to Space science, research, and tech to solve Earth challenges. She is a member of the International Astronautical Federation, American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and Lunar Exploratory Analysis Group. She serves as the Chief Operations Officer for the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS). You can find Yvette via LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvette-gonzalez-45610a3   

From the Thai-Burmese border conducting important work on men’s health to the most isolated oil rigs to COVID-19 response to biosensor technology development for prehospital care, Dr Johannes Svensoy has hit nearly square on the extreme medicine Bingo card! In this episode, he and WEMCast host Dr Shawna Pandya discuss his experiences in tropical, disaster, aerospace medicine and more, lessons learned from the world of extreme sports...and the next stop on his extreme medicine journey. Austere environments abound - and getting involved is part acknowledging enthusiasm early on, part keeping an eye out for opportunity...and part going for it! Whether talking about tropical medicine, maritime medicine, disaster medicine, or even COVID-19 response, some lessons are universal. Anticipate medical issues early on. Prepare and prevent when possible. Practice closed-loop communication in crisis situations and build team dynamics from the outset. Skills from other equally operational environments, whether mountaineering, skydiving or diving offer some equally key lessons. Know your equipment. Test it. Be aware that your environment can change on a dime. Dr Svensøy (Johannes Nordsteien) is a Norwegian physician with a specialization in Disaster medicine (EMDM) and training in Tropical medicine, along with Pre-Hospital, Maritime, Offshore and Aviation Medicine. He is currently working on a doctorate at the Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Prehospital Emergency Medicine (NAKOS), researching biosensor technology, especially for monitoring hemodynamically unstable patients in the prehospital setting. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, he has been involved with the medical response at Oslo University Hospital Infectious disease department. Humanitarian, adventure, expedition and extreme medicine have been his main interest fields for many years, being a rescue diver, skydiver, active mountaineer and member of the Explorers Club. https://twitter.com/JohannesSvensoy https://www.linkedin.com/in/johannessvensoy/ https://www.instagram.com/docjohannes/

 Dr. Shawna Pandya MD, is a scientist-astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, physician, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, and pilot-in-training. Dr. Pandya is also the VP of Immersive Medicine with the virtual reality healthcare company, Luxsonic Technologies, Director of the International Institute of Astronautical Sciences (IIAS)/PoSSUM Space Medicine Group, Chief Instructor of the IIAS/PoSSUM Operational Space Medicine course, Director of Medical Research at Orbital Assembly Construction (a company building the world's first rotating space station providing the first artificial gravity habitat), clinical lecturer at the University of Alberta, podcast host with the World Extreme Medicine's WEMCast series, Primary Investigator (PI) for the Shad Canada-Blue Origin student micro-gravity competition, member of the ASCEND 2021 Guiding Coalition, Life Sciences Team Lead for the Association of Spaceflight Professionals, sesional lecturer for the “Technology and the Future of Medicine,” course at the University of Alberta, and Fellow of the Explorers' Club. Dr. Pandya also serves as medical advisor to several space, medical and technology companies, including Mission: Space Food, Gennesys and Aquanauta, as well as the Jasper Dark Sky Festival Advisory Committee. Dr. Pandya holds a Bsc degree in neuroscience from University of Alberta, a MSc in Space Studies from International Space University, an MD from University of Alberta, and a certification in entrepreneurship from the Graduate Studies Program at Singularity University. Dr. Pandya is currently completing a fellowship in Wilderness Medicine (Academy of Wilderness Medicine), was granted an Honorary Fellowship in Extreme and Wilderness Medicine by the World Extreme Medicine organization in 2021, and was one of 50 physicians selected to attend the 2021 European Space Agency Space Medicine Physician Training Course. Dr. Pandya was named one of the Women's Executive Network's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada in 2021, and a Canadian Space Agency Space Ambassador in 2021. Dr. Pandya was part of the first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in zero-gravity in 2015. Dr. Pandya earned her aquanaut designation during the 2019 NEPTUNE (Nautical Experiments in Physiology, Technology and Underwater Exploration) mission. She previously served as Commander during a 2020 tour at the Mars Desert Research Station. Her expeditions were captured in the Land Rover short, released with the Apollo 11: First Steps film. She previously interned at ESA's European Astronaut Center and NASA's Johnson Space Center. Dr. Pandya's publications include book chapters on space spin-offs for medical benefit, psychological resilience in long-duration spaceflight, and reproduction and sexuality in long-duration spaceflight. In 2019, Dr. Pandya's career and trajectory were captured at the Ontario Science Center's “Canadian Women in Space,” exhibit, where Dr. Pandya is permanently exhibited alongside Dr. Roberta Bondar, the first Canadian woman in space (and Dr. Pandya's idol growing up). 

A must Listen episode

S8E7 Our interview with scientist astronaut candidate, physician, black belt in TaeKwondo, and skydiver, Dr. Shawna Pandya!

Dr. Shawna Pandya talks about project PoSSUM, neuroscience, and search for space Medicine. Dr. Shawna is a scientist-astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, physician, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies, and Fellow of the Explorers' Club. She is also Director of the International Institute of Astronautical Sciences (IIAS)/PoSSUM Space Medicine Group, Chief Instructor of the IIAS/PoSSUM Operational Space Medicine course, Chair of Strategic Directives for the PoSSUM13, a clinical lecturer at the University of Alberta, a newly appointed podcast host with the World Extreme Medicine's WEMCast series, Primary Investigator (PI) for the Shad Canada-Blue Origin student microgravity competition, session organizer for ASCEND 2020, Life Sciences Team Lead for the Association of Spaceflight Professionals, and serves as medical advisor to several space companies, including Orbital Assembly Construction and Mission: Space Food. Dr. Pandya holds degrees in neuroscience (BSc Hons. Neuroscience, University of Alberta), space (MSc Space Studies, International Space University), and medicine (MD, University of Alberta), and certification in entrepreneurship (Graduate Studies Program, Singularity University). She is currently completing a fellowship in Wilderness Medicine (Academy of Wilderness Medicine), and was named one of the Women's Executive Network's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada in 2020. Her publications include book chapters on space spin-offs for medical benefit, psychological resilience in long-duration spaceflight, and reproduction and sexuality in long-duration spaceflight. She previously interned at ESA's European Astronaut Center and NASA's Johnson Space Center. Dr. Pandya earned her aquanaut designation during the 2019 NEPTUNE (Nautical Experiments in Physiology, Technology, and Underwater Exploration) mission. She previously served as Commander during a 2020 tour at the Mars Desert Research Station. CONNECT WITH SHAWNA: ​Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawnapandya ​Twitter: https://twitter.com/shawnapandya​ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.ShawnaPandya --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/spaceexplr/support

In this latest episode I am joined by Dr Shawna Pandya, physician, astronaut-candidate and aquanaut, to talk about space medicine, the recent mars landing, the future of commercial space flight and much more... Find out more about what Dr Pandya gets up to by following her on social media: @shawnapandya (Instagram and Twitter) or visit shawnapandya.com Some links from the episode: International Institute of Astronautical Sciences Space Medicine Group and Project PoSSUM International Astronautical Congress Aerospace Medicine Association Association of Spaceflight Professionals Some Papers for those who want to know more: Space Medicine in the Era of Civilian Spaceflight, NEJM Red Risks for a Journey to the Red Planet, Nature An Overview of Space Medicine, British Journal of Anesthesia

Listen in to our conversation with a one-woman multi-expertise team: Dr. Shawna Pandya. She is not your typical scientist, doctor, businesswoman or teacher. She is a lifelong learner and an inspiration to women and men, near and far. We can't wait for you to join us and be inspired!

Dr. Shawna Pandya is a martial arts practitioner, physician, science-astronaut candidate among her other illustrious titles. I had never ever thought that I wouldn't turn down anything for medical school and then the opportunity of going to space came a long. I realized that I wanted to make space part of my life and career. Sometime everything doesn't have to go to plan, as long as you keep your end-goal in mind. Dr. Shawna Pandya - Episode 546 You can get the girl out of the Dojang, but you can't get the Dojang out of the girl. It might just be a joke that Dr. Shawna Pandya tells her friends but it is solid proof of how martial arts is an important part of her life. Dr. Pandya started training at the age of fifteen, it's amazing how she hadn't turned her back to martial arts in spite of having a full list of titles in her bio including being a physician, science-astronaut candidate, and medical executive among others. In this episode, Dr. Shawna Pandya tells us not only her journey to the martial arts, but her journey that could eventually bring her across the skies.

Guest: Dr. Shawna Pandya, Dr. Pandya is a scientist-astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, a physician, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies and Fellow of the Explorers' Club. 

Physician, scientist-astronaut candidate, aquanaut, VP Immersive Medicine (Luxsonic Technologies), Director (International Institute of Astronautical Sciences Space Medicine Group), skydiver, martial artist, pilot-in-training, Fellow of the Explorers' Club, start-up advisor, adventurer. https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnapandya/

On gender equality & empowerment in the space sector - “If we are going to space to better ourselves – there is a saying ‘don't do it for me without me' and if we are going to space for humanity, we can't just do it with half of humanity” – Shawna Pandya, MD. Salma had the chance to speak to Shawna Pandya, MD, a scientist-astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, physician, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies and Fellow of the Explorers' Club. This episode is packed with interesting topics and insights ranging from Shawna's own growth trajectory into the fields of STEM, Space and Business, her work in inspiring women to get into these fields, her lessons on exponential leadership and her work with innovators working on ground-breaking concepts in space exploration. Shawna also tells us a bit more about her latest entrepreneurial venture at Luxsonic Technologies, the unique selling point of its pioneering immersive medical technologies and the current phase the startup is in. You will not be disappointed with all of the valuable insights Shawna shares with us here!

Have you ever been told your dreams are unattainable? Is it possible to dream too big? Learn how Dr. Shawna Pandya lives a life without limitations.

Physician, aquanaut, ...superwoman? We had the privilege to interview Dr. Shawna Pandya (after a ~72 hour shift in the ER!) to chat about her passion for space and medicine and what the future might hold when these two worlds collide.

https://youtu.be/7-Vo5HxszW0 Dr. Shawna Pandya is a physician, scientist-astronaut candidate, speaker, martial artist and adventurer. As a scientist-astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, she has tested commercial spacesuits in micro-gravity and flown over 100 parabolas to date. She has served as Mission Specialist for Project PoSSUM's high-altitude noctilucent cloud campaign, operating a tomography instrument to gather more date about these clouds, thought to be a marker of climate change. She also serves as lead instructor for PoSSUM's Operational Space Medicine Course, looking at medical operations and considerations in EVA scenarios. Through Project PoSSUM, she has experienced slow onset hypoxia training in a decompression chamber and aerobatic flight, undergone emergency spacecraft egress and sea survival and helped test spacesuitis in off-nominal spacecraft landing scenarios. She has published book chapters on psychosocial resilience in long-duration spaceflight, reproduction in long-duration spaceflight and space medicine spin-offs in long-duration spaceflight. Dr. Pandya is currently completing her private pilot's licences and holds her advanced free fall solo sky-diving licence, and numerous SCUBA diving certifications, including open water, advanced, rescue and Nitrox.  She holds a 2nd degree black belt in Taekwondo and dabbles in Muay Thai, having trained in fight camps in Thailand. She is fluent in English, French and Gujurati, and dabbles in Russian, Spanish and Hindi.