Dr John Cherry1
1Australian Antarctic Division
Biography:
FACRRM, FRAeS, FRAS, FRGS, FRSA, FGS, FRSPH, FTEC, A/FACAsM, MBBS, MTrauma, MMed (Crit Care), MHlthRemExtEnv, MRSTMH, BSc(Hons), BTeach, DCH, DipRGA, CCPU, CPL(H)
Dr John Cherry is the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the Australian Antarctic Division, a Councillor for the Centre for Antarctic, Remote and Maritime Medicine and the Australian Space Analogue Representative for the Joint Expert Group on Human Biology and Medicine. He is the Vice-President of the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine (ASAM) and the Chair of ASAM’s Space Life Science Committee. Within the space sector he is a member of the Australian Space Agency’s Applied Space Medicine and Life Sciences Technical Advisory Group, a delegate for the Agency’s Australian Civil Space Delegation to the European Space Agency, and a member of the International Astronautical Congress Federal Government Working Group. Dr Cherry is a Fellow of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, a Senior Lecturer in Space Medicine with the University of Tasmania and holds roles with Human Aerospace’s Technical Consultancy Group and the Australasian College of Aerospace Medicine.
Dr Cherry completed an over-winter deployment in Antarctica with the Australian Antarctic Program in 2021, and has undertaken multiple summer deployments, including leading a team in a deep field expedition to Little Dome C, one of the most isolated and challenging environments on Earth. He coordinates extreme environment research undertaken by the Australian Antarctic Division’s Polar Medicine Unit, including international collaborations supporting research studies undertaken in Antarctica and in spaceflight. Prior to medicine, he worked as an astrophysicist, commercial helicopter pilot, high school science teacher, and expedition leader.
Abstract:
The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has maintained a permanent presence in East Antarctica since 1954, now with three Antarctic research stations (Casey, Davis and Mawson) and one sub-Antarctic research station on Macquarie Island. Each research station is supported by an Antarctic Medical Practitioner who is responsible for the comprehensive medical, surgical, anaesthetic and dental care of their expeditionary team with advanced training and telehealth support provided by the Polar Medicine Unit in Kingston, Tasmania.
Infection prevention within the Australian Antarctic Program remains an ongoing area of focus due to Antarctica’s isolated, confined, and extreme environment. The AAD’s Polar Medicine Unit remains committed to evidence-based infection prevention and control measures to support routine medical care, surgical and dental procedures, and navigate novel risks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The Polar Medicine Unit’s processes, technology and research remain at the forefront of infection prevention internationally amongst nations operating in Antarctica, and lessons learned from our work are applicable to other extreme environments such a human spaceflight.