Irene D. Long

American aerospace physician (1950–2020)

Irene D. Long
Dr. Irene D. Long at work
Born	(1950-11-16)November 16, 1950 Cleveland, Ohio
Died	August 4, 2020(2020-08-04) (aged 69)
Education	Northwestern University (B.A., Biology) Saint Louis University (MD) Wright State University (MS, aerospace medicine)

Irene Duhart Long (November 16, 1950 – August 4, 2020^[1]) was an American physician and was an official at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. She was the first female chief medical officer at the Kennedy Space Center.

Early life and education

Long, the second of two children was born to Andrew and Heloweise Davis Duhart in Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from East High School in Cleveland, and in 1973, she received her bachelor's degree in biology from Northwestern University. In 1977, Long received her medical degree from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine followed by residencies at the Cleveland Clinic, Mt. Sinai Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, and Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, as the second civilian to enter the Wright State University School of Medicine's aerospace medicine program,^[2] and where she received her Masters of Science degree in aerospace medicine.^[3]

Career

In 1982 Long went to work for NASA as a physician.^[4] There, she contributed to the creation of the Spaceflight and Life Sciences Training Program.^[5] Notably, she was the medical officer on duty Jan. 28, 1986, the day of the space shuttle Challenger disaster.^[6] In 1994, she was appointed director of the Biomedical Operations and Research Office at the Kennedy Space Center.^[7] In 2000, she was appointed as Chief Medical Officer and associate director of Spaceport Services at the Kennedy Space Center. She retired at the age of 63 and David Tipton assumed the duties as Chief Medical Officer in 2013.^[8] She worked for NASA for 31 years. Director Hortense Diggs. “She was Kennedy’s first ‘Hidden Figure.’”

Awards

1986 - Kennedy Space Center Federal Woman of the Year Award
1995 - Society of NASA Flight Surgeons Presidential Award
1998 - Women in Aerospace Outstanding Achievement Award
2001 - Ohio Women's Hall of Fame
2005 - Lifetime Achievement Award, Women of Color Technology Awards Conference^[9]
2010 - Strughold Award, Space Medicine Association^[10]

Notes

^ "Dr. Long Remembered as a Trailblazer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center". August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
^ "Space Doctor, Spring 2007, Northwestern Magazine". www.northwestern.edu. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
^ Staff (1997). "Physician of Color Highlight" (PDF). The Supplemental Instructor. 1 (March 1997): 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 26, 2003.
^ Staff (September 1984). "Dr. Irene Long: a pioneer in aerospace medicine". Ebony. 39 (9): 61–63.
^ Cawley, James (August 20, 2020). "Dr. Long Remembered as a Trailblazer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center". NASA. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
^ "Space Doctor, Spring 2007, Northwestern Magazine". www.northwestern.edu. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
^ Staff (August 1, 1994). "Irene Duhart Long, M.D. Named Director, Biomedical Operations and Research Office at the Kennedy Space Center". NASA News Release Online. NASA. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2007.
^ Siceloff, Steven (March 8, 2013). "ISS may provide clues in Alzheimer's fight" (PDF). Spaceport News. Vol. 53, no. 6. p. 10.
^ Staff (Spring 2006). "Class Notes" (PDF). Universitas. 32 (2). St. Louis, Missouri: St. Louis University: 26. OCLC 37135294. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 20, 2006.
^ Staff (August 2010). "Space Medicine Association News: Other SMA Awards". ASMA News. Aerospace Medical Association. Archived from the original on May 20, 2012.

References

Staff (January 2004) "Irene D. Long 1951-" Biography Today 13(1): pp. 92–104
Staff (1997). "Physician of Color Highlight" (PDF). The Supplemental Instructor. 1 (March 1997): 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 26, 2003.
Staff (March 2005). "Kennedy Space Center Biographies:Irene Duhart Long, M.D." NASA. Archived from the original on November 4, 2005.
Henning, Caitlin (2007). "Space Doctor". Northwestern Magazine. 2007 (Spring). Archived from the original on March 11, 2009.
Wayne, Tiffany K. (2011). "Long, Irene (Duhart)". American Women of Science Since 1900: Essays A-H. Vol.1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 629–630. ISBN 978-1-59884-158-9.

Ohio Women's Hall of Fame

1970–1979

1978	Florence E. Allen Helen Chatfield Black Frances Bolton Elizabeth Boyer Harriet Bracken Martha Kinney Cooper Gertrude Donahey Jane Edna Hunter Consolata Kline Virginia Kunkle Margaret A. Mahoney Helen Grace McClelland Agnes Merritt Rose Papier Lottie Randolph Ella P. Stewart Marigene Valiquette Ann B. Walker Stella Walsh Marion Wells
1979	Mary Jobe Akeley Mary Ann Bickerdyke Beatrice Cleveland Charity Edna Earley Eleanor Jammal Bernice Kochan Emily Leedy Ruth Lyons Jerrie Mock Emma Phaler Rachel Redinger Bobbie Sterne Ethel Swanbeck Clara Weisenborn Marjorie Whiteman

1980–1989

1980	Grace Berlin Erma Bombeck Patricia M. Byrne Ruth Crawford Louisa Fast Dorothy Fuldheim Lillian Gish Esther Greisheimer Edith Keller Tella Kitchen Blanche Krupansky Hattie Larlham Mary Louise Nemeth Annie Oakley Doris Weber
1981	Mildred Bayer Tina Bischoff Lovin Dorothy Cornelius Doris Day Phyllis Diller Eusebia Hunkins Andre Norton Jean Starr Untermeyer Harriet Taylor Upton Nancy Wilson
1982	A. Margaret Boyd Ann Eriksson Bernice Foley Zelma Watson George Grace Goulder Izant Toni Morrison Phyllis Sewell Jayne Spain Helen Zelkowitz
1983	Harriet J. Anderson Ione Biggs Eula Bingham Mary O. Boyle Mariwyn Heath Josephine Irwin Barbara Janis Minnie Player Gloria Steinem Freda Winning Mary E. Miller Young
1984	Sally Cooper Sarah E. Harris Cindy Noble Hauserman Marcy Kaptur Karen Nussbaum Mary Rose Oakar Catherine Pinkerton Willa Player Judith Resnik Helen Hooven Santmyer Marian Trimble Joyce Wollenberg
1985	Lois Anna Barr Cook Mercedes Cotner Zell Draz Barbara Easterling Nikki Giovanni Aurora Gonzalez Mary Lazarus Barbara Mandel Norma Marcere Helen Mulholland Lauretta Schimmoler Marge Schott Mary Jen Steinbrenner
1986	Margaret Andrew Kathleen Barber Fay Biles Elizabeth Blackwell Marie Clarke Eva Mae Crosby Ruby Dee Cynthia Drennan Hooker Glendinning Louise Herring Katherine LeVeque Ruth Ratner Miller Amelia Nava Arline Webb Pratt Anastasia Ann Przelomski Virginia Purdy Selma Lois Walker Julia Walsh Faye Wattleton Mary Ellen Withrow
1988	Anna Biggins Patricia Clonch Norma Craden Jewel Freeman Graham Cathy Guisewite Rebecca D. Jackson Carol Heiss Jenkins Carol Kane Bea Larsen Alice Raful Lev Linda Rocker Sogg Eleanor Smeal Carolyn Utz Anita Smith Ward
1989	Jeanette Grasselli Brown Maxine Carnahan Tracy Chapman Betsy Mix Cowles Ann Gazelle Michelle Graves Florence Harshman June Hutt Geraldine Jensen Carolyn Mahoney Linda Myers Jennie Porter Diane Poulton Renee Powell Charlene Spretnak Charlene Ventura

1990–1999

1990	Marilyn Gaston Dorothy Jackson Luella Talmadge Jackson Janet Kalven Rosabeth Kanter Maggie Kuhn Joan Lamson Maya Lin Anne Variano Macko Alicia Mott Ludel Sauvageot Fanchon bat-Lillian Shur Phebe Temperance Sutliff Grayce Williams
1991	Berenice Abbott Earladeen Badger Hallie Brown JoAnn Davidson Raquel Diaz-Sprague Rita Dove Mary Ignatia Gavin Sara Harper Donna Hawk June Holley Martha C. Moore Darlene Owens Helen H. Peterson Martha Pituch Yvonne Pointer Virginia Ruehlmann Josephine Schwarz Suzanne Timken Nancy Vertrone Bieniek Stella Marie Zannoni
1992	Mary of the Annunciation Beaumont Antoinette Eaton Rubie McCullough Nancy Oakley Harriet Parker Susan Porter Helen Steiner Rice Alice Schille Louella Thompson
1993	Mildred Benson Amelia Bingham Virginia Coffey Viola Famiano Colombi Ivy Gunter Virginia Hamilton Lucy Webb Hayes Joy Alice Hintz Geraldine Macelwane Anne O'Hare McCormick Rena Olshansky Edna Pincham Maxine Plummer Jean Reilly Pauline Riel
1994	Christine M. Cook Claudia Coulton Ellen Walker Craig-Jones Nanette Ferrall Jill Harms Griesse Georgia Griffith Florence Melton Lucille Nussdorfer Jane Reece Emma Ann Reynolds Carol Scott Paula Spence Deanna Tribe Lillian Wald
1995	Sandra Beckwith Daeida Hartell Wilcox Beveridge Patricia Ann Blackmon Mary Bowermaster Christine Brennan Joy Garrison Cauffman Bunny Clark Grace Drake Naomi Evans Frances Dana Gage Jane Kirkham Sylvia Lewis Tami Longaberger Donna Moon Gratia Murphy Alice Robie Resnick Muriel Siebert
1996	Carol Cartwright Elizabeth Evans Rae Natalie Goodall Elizabeth Hauser Bernadine Healy Carol Kelly Fannie Lewis Betty Montgomery Hope Taft
1997	Carol Ball Marilyn Byers Jean Murrell Capers Martha Dorsey Joan Heidelberg Clarice Herbert Beatrice Lampkin Jacquelyn Mayer Townsend Ann O'Rourke Beryl Rothschild Thekla Shackelford
1998	Marianne Boggs Campbell Carole Garrison Nancy Hollister Stephanie J. Jones Bettye Ruth Kay Barbara Ross-Lee Audrey Mackiewicz Kathy Palasics Margaret Diane Quinn Henrietta Seiberling Mary Emily Taylor Virginia Varga Jacqueline Woods Nancy Lusk Zimpher
1999	MaryJo Behrensmeyer Alvina Costilla Sarah Deal Electra Doren Daisy Flowers Annie Glenn Ann Hamilton Carole Hoover Cheryl Han Horn Carol Latham Nancy Linenkugel Marie Barrett Marsh Marjorie Parham Mary Regula Lee Lenore Rubin Harriet Beecher Stowe Jerry Sue Thornton Janet Voinovich

2000–2009

2000	Paige Ashbaugh Maude Charles Collins Faye Dambrot Margarita de Leon Patricia Louise Fletcher Jean Patrice Harrington Shirley Hoffman Dorothy Kazel Farah Majidzadeh Ada Martin Lorle Porter Lanna Samaniego Yvonne Taylor Margaret Wong Betty Zane
2001	Rebecca Boreczky Frances Jennings Casement Ruth L. Davis Lucille Ford Susan F. Gray Kathleen Harrison Adella Prentiss Hughes Janet E. Jackson Dottie Kammie Kamenshek Maxine Levin Irene Long Martha MacDonell Mary Andrew Matesich Elizabeth Powell Deborah Pryce Maria Sexton Farah Walters Georgeta Blebea Washington
2002	Judy Barker Frances Seiberling Buchholzer Joan Brown Campbell Nancy Frankenberg Zell Hart-Deming Elsie Helsel Katie T. Horstman Jennie Hwang Cathy Monroe Lewis Viola Startzman Robertson Stefanie Spielman Kathryn D. Sullivan
2003	Sheila Bailey Jeraldyne Kilborn Blunden Shannon Carter Luceille Fleming Olga González-Sanabria Elsie Janis Lois Lenski Ellen Mosley-Thompson Cathy Nelson Evlyn Gray Scott Yvonne Williams
2007	Rogers Margaret Brugler Julia Chatfield Lucille Hastings Lillie Howard Mary Ann Jorgenson Joyce Mahaney Rozella Schlotfeldt Katherine May Smith Florence Wang
2008	Dorothy Baunach Carrie Black Caro Bosca Yvette McGee Brown Loann Crane Joan Durgin Carol Gibbs Billie Johnson Jih Lei Elizabeth Magee Kasturi Rajadhyaksha Julie Salamon Michele Wheatly
2009	Gail Collins Pamela B. Davis Kim de Groh Beverly J. Gray Sharon Howard Carol Kuhre Virginia Manning Helen Moss Judith Rycus Mary Adelaide Sandusky Glenna Watson Bernett Williams Celia Williamson

2010–2019

2010	Owens Alvarene Tenenbaum Gayle Channing Dorothy McAlpin Maguire Chapman Barbara Fergus Merle Grace Kearns Rebecca J. Lee Nina McClelland Lana Moresky Martha Potter Otto Elizabeth Ruppert Rita Singh
2011	Cheryl A. Boyce Elizabeth H. Flick Frances Harper Brenda J. Hollis Mary C. Juhas Kleia R. Luckner Valerie J. Lyons Linda S. Noelker Carrie Vonderhaar