Kevin Fong
Encyclopedia
Dr. Kevin Fong is a leading expert on space medicine
in the UK and the co-director of the Centre for Aviation Space and Extreme Environment Medicine (CASE Medicine), University College London
(UCL). He is also a Lecturer
in Physiology
at UCL
. He is best known for his television appearances, particularly as an occasional presenter of the long-running BBC2 science programme, Horizon.
in Astrophysics
and Medicine
from University College London
.
Space medicine
Space medicine is the practice of medicine on astronauts in outer space whereas astronautical hygiene is the application of science and technology to the prevention or control of exposure to the hazards that may cause astronaut ill health. Both these sciences work together to ensure that...
in the UK and the co-director of the Centre for Aviation Space and Extreme Environment Medicine (CASE Medicine), University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
(UCL). He is also a Lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
in Physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
at UCL
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He is best known for his television appearances, particularly as an occasional presenter of the long-running BBC2 science programme, Horizon.
Qualifications
Fong holds degreesAcademic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
and Medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
from University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Positions held (current and previous)
- Specialist registrarSpecialist registrarA Specialist Registrar or SpR is a doctor in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland who is receiving advanced training in a specialist field of medicine in order eventually to become a consultant...
in anaesthesia and intensive care medicineIntensive care medicineIntensive-care medicine or critical-care medicine is a branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and management of life threatening conditions requiring sophisticated organ support and invasive monitoring.- Overview :...
. - Fellow of the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts.
- Chair of the UK Space Biomedical Advisory Committee.
- Co-Founder and Co-Director of CASE Medicine, UCL Medical School.
- Honorary Lecturer in PhysiologyPhysiologyPhysiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
at UCL. - Trained and worked with NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
at Johnson Space Center, Houston and Kennedy Space CenterKennedy Space CenterThe John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
, Cape CanaveralCape CanaveralCape Canaveral, from the Spanish Cabo Cañaveral, is a headland in Brevard County, Florida, United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Known as Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River.It is part of a region known as the...
. - Advisor to the British National Space CentreBritish National Space CentreThe British National Space Centre was a British government body that coordinated civil space activities for the UK. It was replaced on 1 April 2010 by the UK Space Agency.-Structure:...
. - Medical officer for diving expedition in FijiFijiFiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
(2003).
In media
- Guest in Material WorldMaterial World (radio programme)Material World is a weekly science magazine programme on BBC Radio 4 on a Thursday afternoon, presented by Quentin Cooper with contributions from scientists researching areas under discussion in each programme.-History:...
(BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
), on January 20, 2000 where Dr Kevin Fong argued for British participation in space travelSpace explorationSpace exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
research, particularly focusing on the long-term effects on the humanHumanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
frame. A 1,000-day mission to MarsMarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
was due in 2004. However, it had been argued that, unless the European Space AgencyEuropean Space AgencyThe European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
and its partners had understood what could happen to a crew journeying through areas of high radiationRadiationIn physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
, the project may have been scuppered. - Featured in EsquireEsquire (magazine)Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
magazine's 2004 list “UK’s 100 Most Influential Men Under 40”.{cn} - Presented Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
’s science program “Superhumans” in 2004. - Was interviewed on Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
program Sunshine about the making of the Danny BoyleDanny BoyleDaniel "Danny" Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Trainspotting. For Slumdog Millionaire, Boyle won numerous awards in 2008, including the Academy Award for Best Director...
film of the same nameSunshine (2007 film)Sunshine is a 2007 British science fiction film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland about the crew of a spacecraft on a dangerous mission to the Sun. In 2057, with the Earth in peril from the dying Sun, the crew is sent to reignite the Sun with a massive stellar bomb with the mass...
. He gave opinions and physiological risks of long-term space travel, and how these had been dealt with in a realistic manner in the film. - Presented three episodes of BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary series Horizon:- "Mars: A Horizon Guide", first broadcast in November 2009, explored the possibilities of human inhabitation of MarsMarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
. - "Back from the Dead", first broadcast in October 2010, followed the incredible survival story of Anna BågenholmAnna BågenholmAnna Elisabeth Johansson Bågenholm is a Swedish radiologist from Vänersborg, who survived after a skiing accident in 1999 left her trapped under a layer of ice for 80 minutes in freezing water...
and documented pioneering uses of therapeutic hypothermiaTherapeutic hypothermiaTherapeutic hypothermia, also known as protective hypothermia, is a medical treatment that lowers a patient's body temperature in order to help reduce the risk of the ischemic injury to tissue following a period of insufficient blood flow. Periods of insufficient blood flow may be due to cardiac...
in surgery. - "How to Mend a Broken Heart", first broadcast in February 2011.
- "Mars: A Horizon Guide", first broadcast in November 2009, explored the possibilities of human inhabitation of Mars
- Wrote and Presented Space Shuttle: The Final Mission (BBC) in July 2011, an hour-long documentary following the final mission of the Space ShuttleSpace ShuttleThe Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
, meeting and interviewing those involved in the mission.
External links
- In space, who is the doctor? - The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
(June 29, 2000) - Space, the final frontier - The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
(July 1, 2005) - Why are there no Brits in space? - by Kevin Fong (January 27, 2005, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
) - Walking on the Moon - by Kevin Fong (July 6, 2001)
- Where doctors dare - NewScientist
- Space medicine in the United Kingdom - Student BMJStudent BMJStudent BMJ is a monthly, international medical journal for medical students and junior doctors. It is published by the BMJ Group, which publishes the highly prestigious BMJ and over 30 other speciality journals....
- The next small step - Student BMJStudent BMJStudent BMJ is a monthly, international medical journal for medical students and junior doctors. It is published by the BMJ Group, which publishes the highly prestigious BMJ and over 30 other speciality journals....
- Space holds medical secrets - BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
(December 21, 2002) - Centre for Aviation Space and Extreme Environment Medicine (CASE Medicine) - University College LondonUniversity College LondonUniversity College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
- NESTA - Kevin Fong awardee profile - NESTANESTAThe National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts is an independent endowment in the United Kingdom established by an Act of Parliament in 1998....
(National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) - Superhuman - Experts - Kevin Fong - channel4.comChannel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...