Principles of Aviation and Space Medicine

This 3-week course is typically held in July annually.  The goal of the course is to provide a thorough familiarization with the history of aviation, spaceflight and the specialty of aerospace medicine, human physiology in aviation and spaceflight, human factors engineering concepts related to aviation and spaceflight, the role of aerospace specialists in the selection, training, standards, medical certification and health maintenance of aviation and spaceflight personnel.  Evaluation is determined by participation in class, an oral presentation on a topic from the field of aerospace medicine.

Students who complete this course will be prepared to:

  • Identifying a circumstance in which human factors impose undesirable limitations on current or proposed aerospace operations
  • Identify the physiologic effects of flight and spaceflight on humans
  • Analyze relationships among systems that influence the health of humans in the flight and spaceflight environments
  • Understand the design of air and flight space equipment, biomedical equipment, and vehicles to promote flight safety

The following core and specialty competencies are addressed: Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Systems-Based Practice, Interpersonal & Communication Skills, and Professionalism.

PASM Workshop

An optional separate workshop will be offered in person. The workshop will be held Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Participants must apply to the workshop separately for one of the 20 seats available.  This workshop will include both additional mentoring and in-depth didactics on various Aerospace Medicine topics. The on-site tours at NASA Johnson Space Center are not officially part of this workshop; however, we will try and accommodate them on a space-available basis.


Course Eligibility

Must be at least a 3rd year physician medical student to attend this course.

Course Dates and Application

PASM Course will be held July 1 – 18, 2025 and will be virtual

PASM Workshop will be held July 21 - 25, 2025 in person.

Details including the course and workshop applications, fees, and registration deadline are below.


Coming Soon: 
UTMB PASM Application   |   Post PASM Workshop Application   

NEW Application Deadline: February 16

Registration Fee Deadline: March 31

Registration fees must be received to secure a seat in the course and/or workshop.

Applications for the Gregory G. Shaskan, MD Scholarship is open to registered course participants only and will be provided upon acceptance into the course.

Interested applicants should contact the program at aerospacemed@utmb.edu or call (409) 747-6131 for details.