NASA Medical Leader Dr. Jade Spurgeon to Speak at Upchurch Auditorium

Dr. Jade Spurgeon, director of Health and Medical Systems within NASA’s Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer, will visit UNC Pembroke on Nov. 10 to speak with students about careers at the intersection of healthcare, science, business, technology, and human performance.

The event will be held at 4:30 p.m. at Upchurch Auditorium in James A. Thomas Hall. It is open to students and the public.

Spurgeon oversees occupational health operations for NASA employees across a range of environments, including spaceflight and ground activities. In her role at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., she directs and manages programs involving occupational medicine, industrial hygiene, environmental health, health promotion, food safety, fitness, employee assistance and federal workers’ compensation. She also authors and implements medical standards to support the health and well-being of NASA’s workforce.

John O’Dell, a lecturer in the biology department and MBA program advisor for the Thomas College of Business and Economics, said the visit will give students an opportunity to learn firsthand how their education can lead to unexpected career paths.

“Bringing professionals like Dr. Jade Spurgeon to UNCP gives our students an opportunity to see how the knowledge and skills they are developing in the classroom translate into careers they may never have imagined,” O’Dell said. “Space medicine is inherently interdisciplinary; it brings together healthcare, science, business, leadership, technology and human performance to solve extraordinarily complex problems.”

O’Dell said hearing from a leader working at NASA can help students broaden their understanding of how their degrees can be applied beyond traditional career paths.

Spurgeon earned her medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, and completed a residency in preventive medicine at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. She also holds a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is board-certified in aerospace medicine, occupational medicine and preventive medicine.

Before joining NASA, Spurgeon served as the agency surgeon for the Defense Logistics Agency. She previously spent 16 years in the U.S. Air Force, serving in a variety of clinical and medical leadership roles. She attained a flight rating as chief flight surgeon and logged flight hours in multiple military aircraft.

At NASA, Spurgeon also serves as the agency’s ambassador for MISSION: All Systems GO!, an initiative focused on health and medical readiness.

O’Dell said opportunities to interact with professionals such as Spurgeon are an important part of helping students envision the possibilities beyond graduation.

“These interactions are important because they expose students to new career pathways, allow them to learn from someone working at the highest levels of her field and help them begin to envision themselves in roles and organizations they may not have previously considered,” O’Dell said. “Opportunities like this are an important part of preparing students not only for their first job after graduation, but for careers that may take them in directions they have yet to imagine.”