Where outer space and medicine meet
They might be fans of space exploration and science fiction, but don’t call Pritzker medical students Joe Novak or Ed Gometz space cadets.
Novak recently graduated from the University’s Pritzker School of Medicine and has long been a bit of a space fanatic. Gometz, a fourth-year student, has had an interest in space since he watched “Star Trek” and other science fiction as a youngster.
A delegate to the American Medical Association (AMA) and a former F-15 Air Force pilot who flew combat missions over Iraq, Novak saw striking similarities between serving as a fighter pilot and being a doctor. “You have to make decisions quickly, know the big picture, and completely understand the systems of the planes or human beings involved.”
Novak believed the AMA should recognize NASA’s work to benefit medicine and advanced patient care. The students sponsored a resolution for the AMA to support the continuation of medical research for manned space flights and the international space station. They spent about a year preparing their resolution before taking their plea to the AMA’s House of Delegates meeting in June.
“As a medical student, you can’t go anywhere in the hospital without seeing all the technological improvements that have come about as spinoff results from space technology,” said Novak. “We benefit from imaging advancements, prosthetics, heart pumps, pacemakers, and half of the ICU equipment.
Space exploration has led to the development or improvement of more than 1,500 technologies, including the artificial heart, breast biopsy systems, laser angioplasty, robotic hands and arms for surgery, kidney dialysis—even telemedicine has benefited from space missions, added resolution co-author Gometz.
Looking for Resolution
First, Gometz and Novak had to convince their fellow student delegates that the issue was worth pursuing. Next, they went before the Illinois Medical Student Section of the AMA, and finally, they got the backing of the National Medical Student Section.
The resolution moved to the annual AMA convention. Gometz and Novak put together an impressive package that included a fact sheet with a space-age design, complete with quotes from three former NASA physician astronauts. They handed out holographic cards from NASA that showed a hospital scene with and without space-derived technologies. They had “Space Medicine” lapel pins to support the cause. “Those were a big hit,” said Novak.
The resolution passed unanimously, and doctors in attendance told the pair they had never seen such passion or such an impressive presentation. “With hard work and determination, any Pritzker student can affect policy and make a difference in what they believe in,” said Gometz.
And NASA? It was over the moon as well.
“We’re pleased the nation’s doctors recognize the value of what we do in space to improve the quality of life on Earth,” said Scott “Doc” Horowitz, NASA’s former associate administrator for Exploration Systems. “To understand the universe, we also have to understand how our own bodies and minds hold up to the rigors of space flight. Improved medical knowledge and innovative medical technology are certain to come from that.”
Covering Earth and Space
Novak received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Cornell University before joining the Air Force as a pilot for six years. His missions took him over Canada, Iceland, and Iraq. He got the engineering bug from his father, a Slovak immigrant who worked on landing gear when Novak was a kid.
Novak has his sights set on working for NASA one day, possibly as a flight surgeon. His next stop is San Antonio, Texas, where he starts his residency in emergency medicine at Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base.
Gometz received his undergraduate degree in molecular neuroscience and Latin American Studies from Johns Hopkins University. He has a master’s degree in international health from Columbia University and has worked as an international health consultant for the United Nations in New York City, Geneva, Switzerland, and Zambia.
He hopes to be a physician in the developing world, in international development or public health. “Joe and I joke that I’ll work on solving the Earth’s problems, while he’ll take care of things from outer space,” Gometz said.
By Eileen Norris
