Proximate causes and technical faults are rarely the sole explanations for system failures. In many cases, a flawed organizational culture is at the heart of the problem.
Our health care system can learn from NASA’s 2003 disaster
Culture
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.
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, […]
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.
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.
To Soar with the Eagles
Last month I visited with the Masters students of International Space University. Each year the university, based in Strasbourg, France, offers a one-year graduate studies program to about 40 international students – young professionals who wish to learn more about the space program and who aspire to push back frontiers. This year’s students have completed […]
Planning for the Best; Preparing for the Worst
On December 3, David Saint-Jacques will launch with two crewmates from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Russian Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station. David will spend six months aboard the Station as part of the ‘C3’ expedition, Canada’s third long-duration mission. Preparation for an ISS expedition is a significant undertaking requiring the […]