What motivated you to go into the aviation/space industry? 
Growing up I always wanted to be a doctor, which I am grateful to have become. I never envisioned that a career in space was even possible. I grew up watching NASA, astronauts, and space movies (Interstellar is my favorite- an absolute masterpiece)- all of which seemed otherworldly. But thanks to the influence of a fellow Canadian physician who worked as a scientist at NASA, somehow the possibility of working in space became tangible. As humanity goes farther and longer in space, we will need newer and better ways to care for humans and our physiology. Space medicine is still a niche field, but it is only a matter of time before it becomes a central point of human spaceflight. I feel blessed to combine both my passions of physiology and space into my work in space medicine, and the excitement of working towards improving human health in space and on Earth is what continues to motivate me daily.

How does your experience as a doctor impact your perspective or work in the space industry? 
Honestly, quite a lot. We all have our own perspectives, but as an ICU doctor who manages the most critically-ill patients, most of whom are on multiple different machines, gives me a unique insight into how our bodies work in extreme environments. This curiosity is what drives me to research and understand how our bodies and physiologies adapt under extreme physiological conditions, such as being in microgravity and eventually on the surface of different planets. 

The majority of the conversations in the space industry centre around satellites, communications, and hardware, with little emphasis on human physiology. But, I am happy to see a growing group of people researching and working on advancing the limits of human physiology. And we need more people who are interested in medicine and space to research and build the future of human health. 


Tell us about your space medicine startup - what are your goals for it, and how do you think it will change the game in medicine as a whole? 
Somnium Biolabs is building the next generation continuous human health monitoring platform. We combine wearables and health data to create highly-accurate digital twins of the patients and their organs. Our system combines this with an AI layer that enables autonomous medical care. For any space company, a priority must be given to dual-use for it to remain viable, given the long funding and deployment cycles within the space ecosystem. 

On Earth, our human health monitoring platform enables health systems to manage heart failure patients remotely, using only a smartwatch, to monitor and trend their specific cardiac parameters. The monitoring of these parameters enables autonomous management by our AI system to provide graded interventions, such as titration of a diuretic. These simple interventions can prevent hospital readmissions for these patients. At baseline over 50% of heart failure patients get readmitted within 6 months and preventing this improves patients outcomes and significantly reduces healthcare costs. 

This is why I strongly believe that we need more space medicine! What space forces us to innovate for understanding and improving human health in space can actually serve as an inspiration for inventing revolutionary new ways to think about health, to integrate AI, and to help patients on Earth. 


You’ve done work not only in medicine but also in social media. What are the biggest takeaways for how to communicate and how to grow a following in a technical field? 
Social media is a great avenue to share your passions and interests. I think more doctors need to be on there! One of the biggest things I’ve learned about communicating complex physiology and technical aspects of AI is to anchor it into a tangible real-world example that others can relate to. Most of my content revolves around interesting and complex medical case challenges, and this gives my followers a real-world anchor for the technical and complex concepts I am about to explain. Additionally, simplifying the complex technical concepts into simple language analogies has also proved to be very popular. 


What is one of your proudest accomplishments? 
I am grateful to have had many personal and professional accomplishments throughout my life. I have always seen my work as a physician as a true calling. Early in my training, I was taking care of a terminally-ill heart failure patient. The patient and the family were so moved by my knowledge, care, and empathy, that they donated to the hospital citing excellent care provided by me and the team. This doesn’t happen often and the hospital subsequently granted me a “Heart of Gold” pin to commemorate this, and I still cherish it to this day. 

Give us the inside scoop: what are some highlights/coolest things you’ve gotten to see in the space industry (career-wise or otherwise)?
While I am still early in my space career, having spent the past 14 years in the medical field, I have seen some very cool things in space. During my summer program at the International Space University, we got to build a rocket and fly it in a rocket competition. Our team didn’t win, but not many doctors can say they got to build and shoot up a rocket! We also did a tour of NASA Mission Control Centre, and seeing an ISS astronaut on the screen, communicating and performing science experiments was by far one of the coolest and sci-fi things I witnessed. It got me excited to send my own biomedical research payload up in space. 

Why do you think fewer Asian Americans go into the space industry? 
I suspect it's a visibility and accessibility thing. Personally, I just did not think a career in the space industry was even possible or accessible initially. Seeing others that look like us and from similar backgrounds doing things you want to do, makes it acceptable and achievable. No Asian American ever questions whether they can become a doctor, we see people like us in medicine everywhere. But the space industry isn’t the same, and additional diversity (of backgrounds, experience, and perspectives) will only serve to advance the space ecosystem faster! 

Any last thoughts you’d want to leave with our audience? 
If you’re interested in space medicine, reach out to me! Many students have, and we always find them some research projects or some internships they can do. You can also reach out to me on social media: @drchintandave on IG and TikTok.