Not Your Typical Doctors

Building Spaceflight: NASA Human Performance Optimization with Maj Danielle Anderson & Christi Keeler, MS, ATC

It's the second week of our Spaceflight mini-series and we're thrilled to bring you an awesome and informative conversation with Maj Danielle Anderson and Christi Keeler, MS, ATC!

Maj Anderson is making history being the first active-duty service member to be assigned to NASA. Maj Anderson and her teammate Christi are part of the integrative dream team at NASA Johnson Space Center working daily in astronaut human performance care. We pick their brains about both their roles in the Spaceflight HPO program and break down what exactly it is they do day to day. And spoiler, it's even cooler than you think! In this episode we get into some basics about spaceflight standards, the innovation that comes with being part of the human performance team for astronauts and how rewarding the job truly is. But we don't stop there, we cover an eclectic variety of burning questions:

• What length of time is required to be considered long duration Spaceflight?
• How do you rehab someone in space?
• What type of rehab equipment is available in space?
• What are the go-to exercises that astronauts have to do daily to maintain health?
• Mobility.... in space? Why or why not?

Come wrap up our mini-series with us and get all the questions you've had since being a little kid about space answered! We can't wait to have them back in the future!

Talk to ya later!

Guest Bios:
Major Danielle Anderson is a Physical Therapist currently assigned to Johnson Space Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration as the Musculoskeletal Medicine and Rehabilitation Lead. She delivers a spectrum of neuromusculoskeletal care preparing and supporting both U.S and International Astronauts for long duration space flight aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Additionally, she provides consultation and management recommendations to Crew and Deputy Crew Flight Surgeons working neuromusculoskeletal conditions on board the ISS. She serves as the Air Force’s liaison to the Military Musculoskeletal residency, a tri-service one-year Physical Therapy residency, where she oversees admittance, regional instruction, and successful program completion of Air Force, Army and Navy Physical Therapists. Major Anderson received her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Regis University and direct Air Force commission in 2012. During her first assignment to Travis Air Force Base, she deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She provided musculoskeletal care for Joint Special Operations Task Force Afghanistan and NATO partners, earning her the United States Air Force Biomedical Service Corps and Military Health Systems Junior Clinician of the Year. In addition, she served as the sole physical therapist while deployed with Navy Special Warfare Unit Three in Bahrain, supporting the training and assistance to the special operations forces of the Nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council. She has instructed numerous Air Force Physical Therapy courses and currently serves as an Assistant Professor to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Army-Baylor University, Joint Based San Antonio (JBSA), Tx. Lastly, she is published in Military Medicine and the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy and has presented in over ten National Physical Therapy conferences. Prior to her current position, Major Anderson was the Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Flight Commander at 59th Surgical Operations Squadron, JBSA-Lackland, Tx., where she led 72 members among six elements across two sites, providing 77k specialty visits and ove

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