Irene Duhart Long is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 physician

Physician

A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

 and an official at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

. She was the first female Chief Medical Officer at the Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center

The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...

.

In 1973, Long received her bachelor's degree in Biology from Northwestern University

Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....

. In 1977, she received her medical degree from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine

Saint Louis University School of Medicine

Saint Louis University School of Medicine is a private, American medical school within Saint Louis University.It was established in 1836 as the Medical Department of the university and had the distinction, in 1839, of awarding the first M.D. degree granted west of the Mississippi River...

 followed by residencies at the Cleveland Clinic, Mt. Sinai Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, and Wright State University

Wright State University

Wright State University is a comprehensive public university with strong doctoral, research, and undergraduate programs, rated among the 260 Best National Universities listed in the annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Wright State is located in Fairborn, Ohio,...

 in Dayton, Ohio

Dayton, Ohio

Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...

, where she received her Masters of Science
degree in aerospace medicine

Aviation medicine

Aviation medicine, also called flight medicine or aerospace medicine, is a preventive or occupational medicine in which the patients/subjects are pilots, aircrews, or persons involved in spaceflight...

.

In 1982 Long went to work for NASA as a physician. In 1994, she was appointed director of the Biomedical Operations and Research Office at the Kennedy Space Center. In 2000, she was appointed as Chief Medical Officer and Associate
Director of Spaceport Services at the Kennedy Space Center.

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 - Women of Color Technology Awards Conference Lifetime Achievement Award