Armenians

THEIR GROUNDBREAKING CONTRIBUTIONS REFLECT A LEGACY OF INNOVATION THAT CONTINUES TO INSPIRE FUTURE GENERATIONS

James Philip Bagian

Space Shuttle astronaut and trailblazer in medical safety

Astronaut and Scientist

Bio


James Bagian (born 1952 in Philadelphia) is an engineer and former NASA scientist and astronaut.


Bagian holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel University and a doctorate in medicine from Thomas Jefferson University.


After becoming a NASA astronaut in 1980, he participated in the planning and provision of emergency medical and rescue-support systems for the first six Shuttle flights. He was also responsible for developing the survival pressure suit used in subsequent Shuttle missions. Bagian himself took part in two space flights, in 1989 and 1991.


Following his retirement from NASA in 1995, Bagian served as director of the National Center for Patient Safety at the US Department of Veterans Affairs. He currently serves as director of the Center for Health Engineering in the Department of Anesthesia at University of Michigan.

James Philip Bagian