Planetary Defence, Healthcare & the Future of Humanity

I recently participated in an enjoyable interview with Senior Editor Ivan Duran of the Harvard Health Policy Review . Ivan’s questions were wide-ranging. Besides asking me about my experiences in space, he also asked my thoughts on the delivery of remote healthcare, benefits to Earth from investments in space, and planetary protection.

Continue reading


Adversity is a key part of a purpose-filled life

I received a medical degree from McGill University many years ago. I chose McGill for my medical education because its Faculty of Medicine excels in teaching, research and clinical training.

Continue reading


A Month of Inspiration

The Canada Aviation and Space Museum has designated January as The Month of Inspiration. Here are a few of my thoughts about what motivated me to chose my career path, people who inspired me along the way, and how I find strength in trying times.

Continue reading


20 Years in Space

This week we celebrate 20 years of continuous human presence in space. Since November 2000, the International Space Station has been home to astronauts from around the world — by 239 people from 19 different countries, including Canada. The Station program had a slow start in the 1990s – there were many technical, political and […]

Continue reading


Preparing for the Next Global Crisis

We are now six months into the Covid-19 pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is unfortunately still prevalent and continues to inflict social and economic turmoil throughout our world. Rarely has an unseen threat created such havoc. The swiftness, scale and severity of the outbreak took us all by surprise. Initial responses of some jurisdictions were reactive, […]

Continue reading


Strategies to preserve relationships and productivity in times of stress

Home isolation measures are a means to control the number of COVID-19 cases. But living continuously in close quarters with family members can be challenging. Here are a few strategies that I learned as an astronaut about successfully living and working as a crew in space. They may be helpful to you.

Continue reading


Experience with Emerging Technology

I did a fun interview with Experience magazine this week. The questions were thought-provoking. Besides asking me about my spaceflights, I was also asked about my thoughts on emerging technologies.

Continue reading


Remembering Apollo 11

In my opinion, the Apollo 11 moon landing was the highlight of the 20th century. It took everything that humanity had – a culmination of a decade of technology development – to pull together this capability to get us off the planet.

Continue reading