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Build consistent and persistent to achieve your ambitions, and see how one innovator, founder, scientists, doctor, and future astronaut built herself to where she is today and where she is going in the future (i.e. Space! )

Shawna Pandya, MD

Passionate about the two ‘extremes’ of humanity – surviving and thriving – namely furthering technological innovation and human knowledge and tackling humanity’s grandest challenges to effect positive social change.

Previously served as co-founder of CiviGuard, Inc., a Silicon Valley start-up based at NASA-Ames and incubated by Singularity University. Our mission is to save lives in crisis situations by improving coordination, collaboration and communication between key agencies, and also between authorities and civilians.

Have been extensively involved with public service and innovation in the past, having served as VP Research for a inner-city free clinic for high-risk youth, Director of Research & Projects for a national organization promoting space exploration and development, and Founder/Director of an anti-bullying initiative for school-aged children.

Graduate of the International Space (MSS ’07) and Singularity (GSP ’09) Universities, with backgrounds in Neuroscience (BSc Hons ’06, University of Alberta) and Medicine (MD Candidate ’12, University of Alberta).

Published author on telemedicine for the developing world, space technology spin-offs for medical benefit and neuroArm, the world’s first intra-operative, MR-compatible image-guided robotic arm for neurosurgery (conducted pre-clinical and early clinical testing).

Awards including being named a finalist for the 2009 ASTech “Leader of Tomorrow” award for leadership and innovation in science, technology and entrepreneurship, Rhodes scholarship provincial finalist, two-time Peter Lougheed scholar and Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation National Laureate. Source

Key specialties:

Innovation, technology, medicine, “rocket surgery,” leadership, telemedicine, telesurgery, robotics in surgery, neuroscience, space technology spin-offs for medical benefit, telemedicine for the developing world, medical/scientific writing/editing, space exploration, strategic/business plans

Project PoSSUM

Project PoSSUM is a 501(c)(3) research and education organization using citizen-science astronautics to study our mesosphere and communicate the critical role that it plays in the understanding of our global climate while developing compatible space technologies. PoSSUM received support through NASA for tomographic noctilucent cloud missions, Antarctic balloon missions, and microgravity spacesuit evaluations. PoSSUM also maintains a professional astronautics education program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and also engages students through immersive aeronomy and astronautics programs at various locations throughout the US. Source

Key specialties:

upper atmospheric research, astronautics education, spacesuit test and evaluation, and aeronomy education

Key Websites and Links

• ted.com/profiles/bio/id/122431  (Profile on TED.com)
• https://www.facebook.com/shawnapandyaofficial/(Facebook)
• http://shawnapandya.com/
• iloa.org/about.html  (ILOA Bio)
• CiviGuard
• shawnapandya
• Article she wrote
• http://projectpossum.com