Talking about Space Health Care and Innovation in Canada

The forum follows after a series of information sessions that were held across Canada where experts in related fields were debriefed on healthcare for astronauts in the space environment, some of the challenges they face on space missions, as well as the ways that solutions to some of these problems also translate to solutions for issues we face in Canada. Along with the forum and information sessions, an expert group has also been working together to articulate recommendations on how space healthcare can play a role in Canada’s space program.

To give some context, Canada is a contributor to the International Space Station which became operational in 2000, and has been continuously occupied by humans for 17 years. It represents one of the greatest achievements in scientific research, engineering, and international collaboration in human history. I would certainly consider it a Wonder of the Modern World (or Low-Earth Orbit at least). However, there has been a shift in focus to begin moving further than Low-Earth Orbit — the Moon and Mars being two of the most discussed destinations. There are quite a number of engineering challenges to be able to safely get humans to these locations, but one of the most complicated and least understood challenges are the effects of the space environment on the human body and how to mitigate, treat, or prevent them. We have a very small sample size to work with, whose baseline for overall health is quite high. For those individuals, a number of negative impacts from being in space have already been recorded, including loss of bone density and change in vision. Even when we send our healthiest humans into Low-Earth orbit, they come back in worse shape than when they were sent. As it was explained, the aging process is basically accelerated and astronauts will be at a higher risk for things like cancer for the rest of their lives.

In preparation for the more human-focused exploration of space, the CSA has been reaching out to experts to figure out Canadian capabilities in the healthcare fields, areas Canada could have the highest impact, and how this can be incorporated into the overall space program. To have and develop this expertise will also enable us to continue to be valuable contributors on international missions. In parallel, these capabilities can also have translatable benefits for Canadians, which was a significant part of the focus of this endeavour — things like telemedicine which can help connect remote communities to healthcare providers can also be used for providing healthcare to our astronauts on space missions.

The first day of the forum opened with an astronaut panel moderated by former NASA flight surgeon, Douglas Hamilton, and featured Dave Williams, Robert Thirsk, and David Saint-Jacques. David is the next Canadian astronaut to participate in a mission to the ISS in 2018. The astronauts discussed their experiences of going to space, some of the challenges involved, and the things they were concerned about such as the effects of the space environment on their bodies, and the mental/emotional impacts when isolated and far away from their families. This set the stage and tone for the remainder of the forum.

Two other panels followed that were on the topics of Space and Terrestrial Healthcare, and Health Innovation in Canada. Participants then went home for the evening to allow the information to percolate, before returning for day two. On the second day, there were breakout sessions in the morning and afternoon, as well as a fourth panel on artificial intelligence in healthcare.

I wasn’t quite sure how the breakout sessions would go — space health felt like a pretty big topic, and I personally don’t feel that terribly versed in it. But, our group ended up being a very dynamic and well balanced. Everyone had very insightful input on the topics presented, from various perspectives. We even had the chance to ask Robert Thirsk a few specific questions. In the first breakout session, we talked about the stresses and demands on the healthcare system in Canada, and then tried to link how solutions to those issues could also be used for solutions in space healthcare. In the second session we discussed the barriers to these solutions being translated between terrestrial and space applications, and ideas for how to facilitate support for Canadian space healthcare expertise.

The outcomes of the forum will be released sometime early next year, but some of the more interesting things I learned were:

My biggest takeaway from this experience was that it is really important that there is a “line of sight” for how our space efforts will benefit terrestrial medicine in Canada. I definitely agree that this is a really important element, even though I think many space technologies naturally have spin-off benefits on Earth.

As a space enthusiast in general, the idea that much more serious discussions about humans in deep space exploration/long duration missions is very inspiring and exciting — I think human exploration of our cosmos is definitely what we all envision as the end goal of our space programs, and why astronauts are the most iconic figures in the industry. I am happy to know Canada will likely play a role in the future. The Director General of the CSA’s Space Exploration branch, Gilles Leclerc, included a quote from John H. Chapman in his opening remarks, which goes:

Certainly, medicine is a part of this railway. It can connect various Canadian industries and expertise (medicine, psychology, psychiatry, science, engineering, technology), our provinces/territories, large cities and remote communities, as well as our Earthly inhabitants with the ones we are sending to space. I think that from whatever lens we choose to look at the Canadian space sector with, we should definitely continue to try our best to bring it home to this concept.

I continue to be optimistic and excited about the next decade of the Canadian space program.

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