Dr. Joan Saary is a physician with a longstanding interest in aerospace and diving medicine who has experience not only in commercial and military aviation medicine but also in space medicine, a real passion. She is part of a team working to expand opportunities for training in aerospace medicine in Canada. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada with a specialty license in Occupational Medicine. In addition, Joan has a PhD from the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto, a Masters in Clinical Psychology from the University of Calgary, and advanced aerospace medicine training from various institutions including the International Space University (ISU, housed in Strasbourg France), NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and the Canadian Forces School of Operational Medicine where she now instructs. Joan also teaches in the Division of Occupational Medicine and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, and is regularly invited to speak at local schools to introduce students to the range of exciting activities in the realm of space medicine.
A Fellow of both the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Joan is a Past-President of the Occupational Medicine Specialists of Canada (OMSOC). She consults regularly to various industries, governmental agencies and tribunal boards. She has substantial experience in the areas of medical selection standards and safety-critical work which enhances her contributions to, and learning from, her various roles specifically in aerospace medicine. Joan is a Senior Flight Surgeon at the Canadian Forces Environmental Medicine Establishment where she is involved in aircrew selection for the Royal Canadian Air Force; she is a Transport Canada Civil Aviation Medical Examiner; and she is a consultant to the Canadian Space Agency for various activities including her role as Chair of the Medical Standards and Health Evaluation working group for the International Space Station (ISS) program.
She maintains involvement in collaborative interdisciplinary groups, that not only incorporate the commonalities between occupational medicine, aerospace medicine and engineering, but that also think creatively about innovative new technologies to enable the provision of exemplary medical care and programming both terrestrially and in space.
Joan has mentored hundreds of interested people of all ages and levels of experience, and will be thrilled to inspire you and answer your questions at the conference about aerospace medicine, training, general interest topics such as “life in space” or even her own career.