Dr. Robert L Satcher

Keynote Speaker

Robert Lee Satcher, Jr., MD, PhD is recognized for his varied career interests and notable successes, from his training as a chemical engineer, to his practice as an orthopaedic surgeon in oncology, and service as a mission specialist astronaut and first orthopaedic surgeon astronaut for NASA. Dr. Satcher flew on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-129, in November 2009, during which he performed two spacewalks totaling over 12 hours of extravehicular activity. Dr. Satcher earned his BS and PhD degrees in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School (Health Sciences and Technology) in 1994. His postgraduate training included postdoctoral research fellowships at the University of California (Berkeley and San Francisco); a residency in orthopaedic surgery, also at the University of California San Francisco; as well as an orthopaedic oncology fellowship at the University of Florida, Gainesville. He is currently an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Board memberships included Teach for America, Space Center Houston, Whitehead Institute of MIT, and Voorhees College (Chair). He recently served on the Houston Mayor’s Task Force on Policing Reform, and continues to serve on NASA advisory boards for human spaceflight, most recently the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel to assess cancer risks associated with radiation exposure following crewed space missions. He was recently elected as a Fellow to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Most recently, Dr. Satcher led the initiation of virtual care at MD Anderson Cancer Center and serves as the Clinical faculty lead. With over 2.5 million virtual appointments completed since inception, MD Anderson’s specialized cancer expertise continued with minimal disruption throughout the pandemic. For medical care delivery in underserved countries, Dr. Satcher has participated in surgical trips to Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Venezuela, and Nicaragua in recent years. Dr. Satcher’s research has focused on understanding how cancer spreads to the skeleton, with a focus on discovering new curative treatment options using cellular, molecular, and personalized medicine strategies. He has over 100 peer reviewed publications, and has received research grants from DOD and NIH, and serves on grant review panels for NCI. Dr. Satcher is a member of numerous professional organizations including the Association of Space Explorers, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, Musculoskeletal Tumor Society, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, to name a few. He has been involved in efforts to introduce racial equality and diversity in academia and healthcare throughout his career through committee memberships and scholarly work.