Thais Russomano
Encyclopedia
Thais Russomano MD, MSc, PhD (born 25 September 1963) is a Brazilian doctor and scientific researcher specialising in Space medicine
. She is founder and coordinator of the Microgravity Centre at PUCRS university, Porto Alegre
, Brazil, establishing it in 1999 as the first educational and research centre in Space Life Sciences in Latin America. She is an Associate Professor with the Schools of Medicine, Aeronautical Sciences, and Engineering (Masters degree program) at PUCRS, a visiting Senior Lecturer at King's College London
, and a Guest Scientist at the German Aerospace Center
(DLR), Cologne, Germany.
in southern Brazil and studied medicine from the age of 16 at the Federal University of Pelotas, qualifying in 1985. Fours years on an Internal Medicine Residency program followed at Hospital de Clinicas, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
as there were no such courses available nationally. In 1991 she completed an MSc in Aerospace medicine at Wright State University
, Ohio, USA. The following year, 1992, Russomano completed a NASA
Flight Surgeon training course at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
, Houston, Texas, USA.
The years 1994 through till 1998 were spent at King's College London, UK where she became the first person to complete a Ph.D. in respiratory space physiology under the mentorship of Air Vice-Marshall John Ernsting
CB OBE FRCP FFOM FRAeS. Subsequent to this, a year was spent working at the German Aerospace Centre, Cologne, Germany before returning to Brazil and establishing the Microgravity Centre in 1999. A further period of Post-Doctoral research in Space Life Science was completed at King's College in 2007.
. These studies include experiments conducted in simulated hypergravity, hypogravity, Microgravity and through Parabolic flight.
A selection of topics covered to date are:
Spatial disorientation
with the use of a rotator Bárány chair
Hypoxia (medical)
Pharmaceutical medication and packaging under simulated microgravity conditions
Biomechanics and physiology of exercise in environments such as on space craft or planet surfaces
Adaptation of man to space environments and subsequent re-adaptation to Earth post flight
Hyperbaric chamber and Hypobaric chamber studies
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
studies in simulated space environments
Lower body negative pressure boxes (LBNP)
Telemedicine research developing systems, software and tools to enable health assistance to remote communities
Teleeducation projects at national and international level
. Research and teaching cooperations exist with many national and international partners including King's College London, UK; Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Centre, Cologne Germany; Greek Aerospace Medical Association, Thessalonik Greece; Medical University of Warsaw
, Poland; Kaunas University of Medicine
Lithuania; New York University
, USA; Brazilian Society of Aerospace Medicine and Brazilian Space Agency
.
Dr Russomano has produced over 200+ scientific papers, presented at over 100 scientific meetings worldwide, and published in the main scientific journals of her field. She is internationally recognised as a leading researcher in the area of Space Life Science and a member of numerous professional associations including the International Academy of Astronautics
and the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine. Russomano has been invited to take part in many study groups, including two working groups sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation
, The Bellagio Report: Cardiovascular Risks of Spaceflight: Implications for the Future of Space Travel. in 2005, and Making the eHealth Connection. in 2008. She remains to date the only native Latin American to hold a Ph.D in Space Physiology.
VERNIKOS J, RUSSOMANO T. A Gravidade - Esta Grande Escultora, EdiPucrs, 2009
RUSSOMANO T, FALCAO FP, DALMARCO G. The Effects of Hypergravity and Microgravity on Biomedical Experiments, Morgan & Claypool, 2008
JOURNALS
MARTINELLI LK, RUSSOMANO T, DOS SANTOS MA, FALCAO FP, BAUER ME, MACHADO A, SUNDARESAN A. Effect of Microgravity on Immune Cell Viability & Proliferation: Simulation using 3-D Clinostat. IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology, v.28, n.4, p. 85-90, 2009.
SCOLARI D, FAGUNDES RD, RUSSOMANO T, ZWETSCH IC. Comparative Study Between DD-HMM and RBF in Ventricular Tachycardia & Ventricular Fibrillation Recognition. Medical Engineering & Physics, v.30, n.2, p. 213-217, 2008.
RUSSOMANO T, RIZZATTI MR, COELHO RP, SCOLARI D, De SOUZA D, Prá-VELEDA P. Effects of Simulated Hypergravity on Biomedical Experiments. IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology, v.26. n.3, p. 66-71, 2007.
RUSSOMANO, T, EVETTS S, CASTRO J, Dos SANTOS MA, GAVILLON J, AZEVEDO D, WHITTLE J, COATS E, ERNSTING J. A Device for Sampling Arterialized Earlobe Blood in Austere Environments. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, v.77, n.4, p. 453-455, 2006.
RUSSOMANO T, Allan J, Beck L, Petrat G, May F, Thompsen S, Falcao F, Dalmarco G, Gurgel J, Piccoli L, Azevedeo D. Development of a lower body negative pressure box with an environmental control system for physiological studies. Advances in Space Research, v.38, p. 1233–1239, 2006.
EVETTS, S; EVETTS, L; RUSSOMANO, T; CASTRO, J; ERNSTING, J. Basic Life Support In Microgravity: Evaluation of a Novel Method During Parabolic Flight. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, v. 76, n. 5, p. 506-510, 2005.
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...
. She is founder and coordinator of the Microgravity Centre at PUCRS university, Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
, Brazil, establishing it in 1999 as the first educational and research centre in Space Life Sciences in Latin America. She is an Associate Professor with the Schools of Medicine, Aeronautical Sciences, and Engineering (Masters degree program) at PUCRS, a visiting Senior Lecturer at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, and a Guest Scientist at the German Aerospace Center
German Aerospace Center
The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...
(DLR), Cologne, Germany.
Early life
Russomano grew up in the city of PelotasPelotas
Pelotas is a Brazilian city and municipality , the third most populous in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. Pelotas is located 270 km from Porto Alegre, the capital city of the state, and 130 km from the Uruguayan border...
in southern Brazil and studied medicine from the age of 16 at the Federal University of Pelotas, qualifying in 1985. Fours years on an Internal Medicine Residency program followed at Hospital de Clinicas, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Academic career
In order to pursue a career in Aerospace medicine, Russomano had to look outside her home country of BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
as there were no such courses available nationally. In 1991 she completed an MSc in Aerospace medicine at Wright State University
Wright State University
Wright State University is a comprehensive public university with strong doctoral, research, and undergraduate programs, rated among the 260 Best National Universities listed in the annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Wright State is located in Fairborn, Ohio,...
, Ohio, USA. The following year, 1992, Russomano completed a NASA
NASA
The 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...
Flight Surgeon training course at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's center for human spaceflight training, research and flight control. The center consists of a complex of 100 buildings constructed on 1,620 acres in Houston, Texas, USA...
, Houston, Texas, USA.
The years 1994 through till 1998 were spent at King's College London, UK where she became the first person to complete a Ph.D. in respiratory space physiology under the mentorship of Air Vice-Marshall John Ernsting
John Ernsting
Air Vice-Marshal John "JE" Ernsting CB, OBE FRCP FFOM FRAeS was a senior British military commander and renowned researcher.-Early life:He was educated at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School for Boys...
CB OBE FRCP FFOM FRAeS. Subsequent to this, a year was spent working at the German Aerospace Centre, Cologne, Germany before returning to Brazil and establishing the Microgravity Centre in 1999. A further period of Post-Doctoral research in Space Life Science was completed at King's College in 2007.
Research
Dr. Russomano's main areas of research are in the development of projects relating to Aerospace medicine, Aerospace Biomedicine, Aerospace Biomedical Engineering, and TelemedicineTelemedicine
Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities...
. These studies include experiments conducted in simulated hypergravity, hypogravity, Microgravity and through Parabolic flight.
A selection of topics covered to date are:
Spatial disorientation
Spatial disorientation
Spatial disorientation is the inability to correctly interpret aircraft attitude, altitude or airspeed, in relation to the Earth or point of reference. Spatial disorientation is a condition in which an aircraft pilot's perception of direction does not agree with reality...
with the use of a rotator Bárány chair
Barany chair
The Barany chair or Bárány chair, named for the Austro-Hungarian physiologist Robert Bárány, is a device used for aerospace physiology training, particularly for student pilots. The subject is placed in the chair, blindfolded, then spun about the vertical axis while keeping his head upright or...
Hypoxia (medical)
Hypoxia (medical)
Hypoxia, or hypoxiation, is a pathological condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Variations in arterial oxygen concentrations can be part of the normal physiology, for example, during strenuous physical exercise...
Pharmaceutical medication and packaging under simulated microgravity conditions
Biomechanics and physiology of exercise in environments such as on space craft or planet surfaces
Adaptation of man to space environments and subsequent re-adaptation to Earth post flight
Hyperbaric chamber and Hypobaric chamber studies
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure which is performed in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person in cardiac arrest. It is indicated in those who are unresponsive...
studies in simulated space environments
Lower body negative pressure boxes (LBNP)
Telemedicine research developing systems, software and tools to enable health assistance to remote communities
Teleeducation projects at national and international level
Achievements
The Microgravity Centre, founded by Russomano has become an internationally recognised research centre in Space Life Sciences and led the way in Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. Research and teaching cooperations exist with many national and international partners including King's College London, UK; Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Centre, Cologne Germany; Greek Aerospace Medical Association, Thessalonik Greece; Medical University of Warsaw
Medical University of Warsaw
The Medical University of Warsaw was founded in January 1950, building on the University of Warsaw's former Faculty of Medicine, which had been established in the early nineteenth century...
, Poland; Kaunas University of Medicine
Kaunas University of Medicine
Lithuanian University of Health Sciences ) is a medical school in Kaunas, Lithuania. It was founded in 1919 and from 1922 it was a Faculty of Medicine of University of Lithuania....
Lithuania; New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, USA; Brazilian Society of Aerospace Medicine and Brazilian Space Agency
Brazilian Space Agency
The Brazilian Space Agency is the civilian authority in Brazil responsible for the country's burgeoning space program. It operates a spaceport at Alcântara and a rocket launch site at Barreira do Inferno...
.
Dr Russomano has produced over 200+ scientific papers, presented at over 100 scientific meetings worldwide, and published in the main scientific journals of her field. She is internationally recognised as a leading researcher in the area of Space Life Science and a member of numerous professional associations including the International Academy of Astronautics
International Academy of Astronautics
The International Academy of Astronautics is an international community of experts committed to expanding the frontiers of space. It is a non-governmental organisation established in Stockholm on August 16, 1960....
and the International Academy of Aviation and Space Medicine. Russomano has been invited to take part in many study groups, including two working groups sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
, The Bellagio Report: Cardiovascular Risks of Spaceflight: Implications for the Future of Space Travel. in 2005, and Making the eHealth Connection. in 2008. She remains to date the only native Latin American to hold a Ph.D in Space Physiology.
Selected bibliography
BOOKSVERNIKOS J, RUSSOMANO T. A Gravidade - Esta Grande Escultora, EdiPucrs, 2009
RUSSOMANO T, FALCAO FP, DALMARCO G. The Effects of Hypergravity and Microgravity on Biomedical Experiments, Morgan & Claypool, 2008
JOURNALS
MARTINELLI LK, RUSSOMANO T, DOS SANTOS MA, FALCAO FP, BAUER ME, MACHADO A, SUNDARESAN A. Effect of Microgravity on Immune Cell Viability & Proliferation: Simulation using 3-D Clinostat. IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology, v.28, n.4, p. 85-90, 2009.
SCOLARI D, FAGUNDES RD, RUSSOMANO T, ZWETSCH IC. Comparative Study Between DD-HMM and RBF in Ventricular Tachycardia & Ventricular Fibrillation Recognition. Medical Engineering & Physics, v.30, n.2, p. 213-217, 2008.
RUSSOMANO T, RIZZATTI MR, COELHO RP, SCOLARI D, De SOUZA D, Prá-VELEDA P. Effects of Simulated Hypergravity on Biomedical Experiments. IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology, v.26. n.3, p. 66-71, 2007.
RUSSOMANO, T, EVETTS S, CASTRO J, Dos SANTOS MA, GAVILLON J, AZEVEDO D, WHITTLE J, COATS E, ERNSTING J. A Device for Sampling Arterialized Earlobe Blood in Austere Environments. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, v.77, n.4, p. 453-455, 2006.
RUSSOMANO T, Allan J, Beck L, Petrat G, May F, Thompsen S, Falcao F, Dalmarco G, Gurgel J, Piccoli L, Azevedeo D. Development of a lower body negative pressure box with an environmental control system for physiological studies. Advances in Space Research, v.38, p. 1233–1239, 2006.
EVETTS, S; EVETTS, L; RUSSOMANO, T; CASTRO, J; ERNSTING, J. Basic Life Support In Microgravity: Evaluation of a Novel Method During Parabolic Flight. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, v. 76, n. 5, p. 506-510, 2005.