Profile
Rochelle Velho
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About Me:
Space Medical Doctor
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I work in the West Midlands as a hospital doctor and in my spare time I sing opera.
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I am a hospital doctor training to be a researcher in space medicine and an intensive care doctor. As a doctor in the NHS, I am privileged to be constantly learning: how to perform clinical skills, how to think like a scientist and how the world works. My objective is to transfer knowledge from space researchers to earth researchers, to help patients on earth.
My training has taken me to all sorts of places but it all started in the UK. My passion for space medicine started at school during physics lessons, and the Kent space summer schools. Then at university, I had a chance to attend the European Space Agency Space Medicine Workshop. Since then I have become involved in the UK Space Environments Association that helps build conferences for space medical researchers and work on Mars simulations in Austria.
My interest in space medicine led me to research emergency medical procedures for astronauts in Brazil with Kings College London. Currently I am also working with Analog Astronauts at the Austrian Space Forum as a medical officer. I have been lucky enough to talk about the work I do to doctors and astronauts, including Tim! With a little imagination, hard work and enthusiasm – anything is possible! Ad astra!
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My Typical Day:
It involves a lot of metaphorical juggling.
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Fortunately, there is never a typical day and I can honestly say every day is different. I work around my shifts at work, which can vary from day today. Somehow I try to work in hospital, fit in some space research time, exercise daily, read fictional space novels like Dune, paint, dance, sing, meet with family/friends, sleep and sing opera….
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Build a set of web podcasts with UKSEA and UKLABS for students about space medicine!