Irene Deihart Long
Personal Information
Born: 1951
Died: 2020
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: Black
Education
1973, BA biology, Northwestern University; 1977, MD, St. Louis School of Medicine; MS Aerospace Medicine, Wright State University
Professional Life
Field of Study: Aerospace Medicine
Institution/Corporation: NASA
Degrees & Memberships: none
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 1986 - Kennedy Space Center Federal Woman of the Year Award; 1995 - Society of NASA Flight Surgeons Presidential Award;1998 - Women in Aerospace Outstanding Achievement Award; 2001 - Ohio Women s Hall of Fame; 2005 - Lifetime Achievement Award; Women of Color Technology Awards Conference; 2010 - Strughold Award, Space Medicine Association
Achievements: 1st female & minority chief medical officer at Kennedy space Center 2000; contributed to the creation of the Space Flight & Life Sciences Training Program at NASA; researched the effects of space on an individuals physiology & consequences of weightlessness; research determined space had no effect on sickle cell anemia
1st female & minority chief medical officer at the Kennedy Space Center
2nd civilian to enter Wright State University School of Medicine's aerospace medicine program
She was the medical officer on duty January 28, 1986, the day of the space shuttle Challenger disaster
Worked at NASA 31 years
Discovered space had no effect on sickle cell anemia, opening up space to more African-Americans