News

Johns Hopkins’ Berkowitz, Hienz to help lead space research teams


Two Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine professors, Dr. Dan E. Berkowitz and Dr. Robert D. Hienz, have been appointed to leadership positions with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI).

Berkowitz, a professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine and biomedical engineering, is the new associate team leader for the NSBRI Cardiovascular Alterations Team. As associate team leader, he will help manage scientists at five institutions working on six projects, including his own. The team’s research is focused on determining the effect of long-duration spaceflight on the heart and blood vessels and researching ways to reduce the risk of and to improve pre-flight detection and management of cardiovascular diseases.

Hienz is the new associate team leader for the NSBRI Neurobehavioral and Psychosocial Factors Team. Hienz, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins, will help manage eight projects at five institutions, including his own. The team’s research focuses on identifying how stress and isolation affect crew health, safety and productivity during long-duration space missions. Objectives include developing methods to detect and alleviate individual and group behavioral risk in spaceflight and identifying ways to enhance performance, crew motivation and quality of life.

Hienz received his bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Michigan, a master’s in experimental psychology from Western Michigan University and a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Berkowitz received his medical degree from University of the Witwatersrand Medical School in Johannesburg, South Africa.

NSBRI, a NASA-funded consortium of institutions, is studying the health risks related to long-duration spaceflight and developing countermeasures to mitigate the risks. The Institute’s science, technology and education projects take place at more than 60 institutions across the United States. Johns Hopkins is a member of the NSBRI consortium.

Other NSBRI teams address space health concerns such as bone loss and muscle weakening, radiation exposure, remote medical care and research capabilities, and habitability and performance issues such as sleep cycles and lunar dust exposure. Research findings also impact the understanding and treatment of similar medical conditions experienced on Earth.

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Brad Thomas
NSBRI
713-798-7595
rbthomas@bcm.edu