Chief Medical Officer

Chief Medical Officer DutiesThe Chief Medical Officer:Leads monitoring of compliance with, and approves deviations from, applicable health and medical technical requirements, standards, products, processes, and policies. Establishes technical oversight and ensures consistent implementation of HMTA across developmental and operational spaceflight programs. Works with the Director, Human Health and Performance Directorate (HH&P) and OCHMO to develop and maintain standards and program requirements. May delegate HMTA responsibilities to HH&P officers for individual programs and projects with OCHMO concurrence. Maintains JPR 7120.8 in concurrence with NPR 7120.11A and ensures the HMTA delegation letter remains current.Provides leadership and technical oversight in aerospace medicine, medical operations, and occupational health. Oversees astronaut and aircrew medical certification and related medical operations. Develops and leads, in collaboration with the JSC Clinic Medical Director and JSC Occupational Health Officer, programs supporting occupational health of JSC employees, including infectious disease risk management.Provides technical authority and oversight for biomedical engineering, environmental health, and human factors affecting crew health and performance. Oversees applicable technical considerations involving spaceflight habitability, food, and hygiene, ensuring human health and performance requirements are addressed in the development and operation of crewed spaceflight systems.Provides expert medical consultation and recommendations on Agency policy, standards, and risk posture for crewed spaceflight programs. Advises OCHMO and the Director, HH&P, on medical and HMTA-related risks affecting programs and projects. Provides technical expertise in established and emerging areas, including precision medicine, medical standards, artificial intelligence, and medical risk assessment, to inform policy development and program decisions.Provides HMTA expertise and medical risk evaluations for mission management and flight-readiness decisions. Serves as required on Agency crewed spaceflight Mission Management Teams (MMTs), Stage Operations Readiness Reviews, Flight Readiness Reviews, program boards, and other flight-readiness forums. Evaluates medical risks and provides expert opinions to inform mission decisions. Completes required MMT training and simulations. Reviews and signs, when requested, hazard assessments for human-in-the-loop testing involving potential injury to participants. Maintains situational awareness of human spaceflight activities, including hazardous human-in-the-loop testing, and promptly informs senior leadership of significant medical risks and outcomes.Oversees astronaut occupational medical monitoring, medical data governance, and adjudication of applicable medical claims. Serves as System of Records manager for astronaut medical and research data and ensures compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974 in the management and use of astronaut data for research and analysis. Chairs the Astronaut Occupational Health Management Group, including determining the appropriateness of proposed new medical examinations for astronaut occupational monitoring. Chairs the TREAT Astronauts Act Board to determine whether medical conditions claimed by former astronauts are attributable to the effects of spaceflight.Represents JSC and NASA in medical governance and international crewed spaceflight coordination. Chairs the JSC Aerospace Medicine Board and serves as Chair, Co-Chair, or alternate on medical policy, operations, and medical certification boards with International Space Station (ISS) and Artemis international partners. Provides technical expertise/recommendations to support coordinated medical policies, operational practices, and crew medical certification across international partnerships.Provides medical expertise and recommendations for potential medical evacuations of JSC travelers under the MedEvac5 contract procured by ISS Program. Advises the ISS POC and ISS Program leadership on appropriate medical care and provides concurrence or nonconcurrence with the medical evacuation provider's proposed response plan.