On May 24, Dr. Roberta Bondar will speak to Circle of Care volunteers at this year’s Volunteer Appreciation Night.
As the world’s first neurologist in space, Dr. Roberta Bondar is globally recognized for her pioneering contribution to space medicine research.
For more than a decade at NASA Dr. Bondar headed an international research team, continuing to find new connections between astronauts recovering from the microgravity of space and neurological illnesses here on Earth such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease. Her techniques have been used in clinical studies at both the University of New Mexico and Harvard Medical School.
Her space experience left her with a whole new view of science, herself and the future of planet Earth. As a medical doctor, her perspective on medicine also changed to encompass more than her specialties of neurology and space medicine, to include the health of the environment.
She is Co-Founder of The Roberta Bondar Foundation, formed to educate and improve knowledge of the environment. Roberta wants to inspire people to see our land in a positive light, to become more attuned to its characteristics and factors that influence change and for some, to encourage them to seek a career in the sciences. A respected advisor to industry and government she continues to speak to medical, scientific, corporate and environmental organizations about change, social responsibility and our environment.
A postdoctoral teaching and research award, the Roberta Bondar Fellowship in Northern and Polar Studies, was established at Trent University to mark the six years she served as Chancellor.
Among the many honours and awards, Dr. Bondar has been recognized with the NASA Spaceflight Medal and inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame for her pioneering research in space medicine. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada, has been appointed to the Order of Ontario and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She has received 25 honorary doctorates from Canadian and American universities.
Roberta also received her own star on Canada’s Walk of Fame!