Robert Satcher

Early life Robert Lee Satcher Jr. was born in Hampton, Virginia on September 22, 1965 to Robert Lee Satcher and Marian Hanna Satcher. Robert Lee Satcher was the president of Saint Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Virginia, and was from Lawrenceville. Marian Hanna Satcher, from Calhoun County, Alabama was a graduate from Alabama State University. Robert L. Satcher and Marian H. Satcher had four children - Serena Maria Satcher, a physician, Rodney Levi Satcher, and Robin Leon Satcher.

Satcher began school in Corvallis, Oregon then to Hampton, at the Hampton University Laboratory School and Spratley Middle School. Then, his family moved to Denmark, South Carolina. Satcher graduated from a predominantly black Denmark Olar High School in Denmark, South Carolina in 1982 as valedictorian.

Early career He went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in 1986 as well as a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1993. He then went on to study medicine at Harvard Medical School, and received his medical doctorate in 1994 through the Harvard–MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology. Satcher did his internship and residency at the University of California, San Francisco from 1995–2000, and postdoctoral research fellowship at University of California, Berkeley in 1998, and an orthopedic oncology fellowship at the University of Florida from 2000–2001.

Prior to being accepted into the astronaut program by NASA, Satcher was the Assistant Professor at The Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in 2001. Satcher also held appointments as an Attending Physician in Orthopaedic Surgery at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, specializing in Musculoskeletal Oncology; and an Adjunct Appointment in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Northwestern University School of Engineering. Selected by NASA in May 2004, Satcher completed Astronaut Candidate Training in February 2006. He was trained on scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in shuttle and International Space Systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training and water and wilderness survival training. Satcher later worked on the STS-129 mission as a mission specialist. During November 16-29, 2009, Satcher was the first orthopedic oncologist to complete an orbit around Earth on the Space Shuttle Atlantis. He was also the first Black male astronaut and physician to act as the crew's medical doctor to the International Space Station on the STS-129 NASA Space Shuttle mission. During this mission, Satcher repaired ISS exterior robotic arms of the ISS and installed an antenna to improve satellite communication and file updates on Twitter. During the mission, he served as a mission specialist studying the influence of space on the immune system, specifically the effects of zero gravity on muscles and bone density. The mission resulted in 4.5 million miles of travel in 171 orbits.

Post-NASA career Satcher left NASA and joined The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in 2011, in the Department of Orthopaedic Oncology as a surgical oncologist and assistant professor. He researches the treatment of skeletal metastatic disease, soft tissue sarcoma, technology applications for improving surgical outcomes, teleoncology, and intra-operative navigation. He leads institution-wide efforts to create a clinical enterprise for virtual care. He works extensively at M.D. Anderson Cancer Care Center's Global Oncology enterprise that works with international healthcare partners on a construction of a Cancer Center in sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, he co-founded the eHealth Research Institute (eHRI) with Rice University and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. eHRI aims to improve access to specialized health with the latest research and technology. Dr. Satcher holds primary appointment as an associate professor at the University of Texas and is dual-appointed as an adjunct professor at the Ken Kennedy Institute of Information Technology at Rice University.

In 2012, Satcher was invited to present to the commencement address at the Voorhees College in Denmark, South Carolina, while also receiving an honorary doctorate. He also received an honorary doctorate from Saint Paul's College in the same year. In 2019, Satcher was the keynote speaker for the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine Class Day. Satcher has written numerous articles and book chapters over the course of his career.

Professional qualifications Source: They have one daughter and one son. He enjoys running, scuba diving, and reading.