Rowena Christiansen, MBBS, MEmergHealth, MBA, BA Hons, LLB, DipChildHealth, DipDisasterMed, DipEd, AusCertCivilAvMed, GradCertSpaceStudies
Vice President of Operations
Dr Rowena Christiansen is dual-qualified in medicine and law, with post-graduate studies in emergency health, aerospace medicine, space studies, disaster management, anaesthetics, and child health. She also holds qualifications in business, humanities and education. Rowena primarily practises in medicine in extreme and austere environments and pre-hospital emergency care. She is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA), the Aerospace Human Factors Association, and of Ormond College at the University of Melbourne. Rowena is the author and coordinator of a new subject on "Human health in the space environment" for the Melbourne Medical School, and lectures on 'humans in space' for Swinburne University of Technology. She is a member of the Australian Space Agency Space Medicine and Life Sciences Technical Advisory Group, and a passionate aerospace medicine advocate, educator, and researcher, embracing the importance of international collaboration and networking. Rowena draws on her diverse skill set to volunteer in support of diverse professional organisations, and is the first Australian Vice-President of AsMA. In late 2019, she founded the “ad astra vita” project, focusing on space health and medicine in austere and extreme environments, and is a co-founder of the International Humans in Space Summit and the Melbourne International Space Festival. She is the Research Director, Health Law for the Jus Ad Astra human rights in space project, a UNOOSA Space4Women mentor, and an ISU alumna. Rowena is a five-year finalist in the Australian Space Awards, receiving the 2023 “Innovator of the Year” award, and has also received several aerospace medicine awards. She is a strong human rights advocate, particularly around public health and universal access to healthcare, including in the context of space and global health and the ‘One Health’ concept.