National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058
Biographical Data

ROBERT L. SATCHER, JR. (PH.D., M.D.)
NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born September 22, 1965, in Hampton, Virginia. Married to the former D’Juanna O. White, MPH, MD of New York, New York. They have two children. He enjoys running, scuba diving, and reading. His parents, Robert and Marian, reside in Lawerenceville, Virginia. Her parents, Edward and Geraldine, reside in New York, New York.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Denmark-Olar High School, Denmark, South Carolina in 1982; received a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1986; a doctor of philosophy in chemical engineering from MIT in 1993; a doctorate of medicine degree from Harvard Medical School in 1994; completed internship and residency in orthopaedic surgery at University of California, San Francisco in 2000; postdoctoral research fellowships at MIT in 1994 and University of California, Berkeley in 1998; and completed a fellowhip in musculoskeletal oncology at the University of Florida in 2001.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery; Illinois Medical License; Texas Medical License, Medical Board of California: Physicians and Surgeon’s Certificate; National Board of Medical Examiners; DEA Authorization; Medical Board of California: Physician Assistant Supervisor; California Fluoroscopy X-Ray Supervisor and Operator; ATLS and CPR Certifications; Professional Association of Divers International (SCUBA).

ORGANIZATIONS: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Musculoskeletal Tumor Society, American Academy of Cancer Research, Connective Tissue Oncology Society, National Medical Association, Society of Black Academic Surgeons, Doctors United in Medical Missions, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Orthopaedic Research Society, MIT Alumni Association, Black Alumni at MIT, Harvard Alumni Association.

SPECIAL HONORS: Leadership Fellow of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, ABC Fellow of American Orthopaedic Association, UNCF/Merck Research Fellow, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Fellow, Bloomberg Leadership Fellow, Johns Hopkins University, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.

Dr. Satcher completed 12 Research Grants from 1991-2004. He has 15 Peer-reviewed publications, and over 25 presentations at National and International Research Meetings

NON-MEDICAL ACTIVITIES & INTERESTS: Dr. Satcher has been active in numerous community organizations including Big Brother for Youth at Risk Counseling Program, Department of Corrections, San Francisco, California; Tutor for Black Student's Union Tutorial Program, MIT; National Society of Black Engineers; American Institute of Chemical Engineering; Supervising Adult for Cub Scout Camp for Boys, Nashville, Tennessee; Open Airways Tutor (asthma awareness); Proctor for Freshman Dormitory at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Lay Episcopal Minister (primary responsibility is visiting sick and shut in members of church) at St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church, Chicago, Illinois and at St. James Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas.

EXPERIENCE: Most recently an Assistant Professor at The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr. Satcher also held an appointment as an Attending Physician in Orthopaedic Surgery at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, specializing in Musculoskeletal Oncology; and an Adjunct Appointment in The Biomedical Engineering Department at Northeastern University School of Engineering. Dr. Satcher was also a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Advanced Medicine at Northwestern University. Prior to this, he completed clinical fellowships in Musculoskeletal Oncology at the University of Florida; and as Schweitzer Fellow at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Lambarene, Gabon. Dr. Satcher also completed numerous medical missions for outreach care to underserved areas in Nicaraugua, Venezuala, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Gabon. Prior experience in engineering includes internships at E.I. DuPont deNemours & Company, Inc., Wilmington, Delaware, in the Textile Fibers Research Group, and the Polymer Products Division.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in May 2004. In February 2006 he completed Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival training. Satcher is assigned as a mission specialist on the STS-129 crew. The mission is targeted for launch in October 2009, and will deliver two Express Logistics Carriers (ELC racks) to the International Space Station. The mission will also feature four spacewalks and will bring back to earth Canadian astronaut, Robert Thirsk.

OCTOBER 2008