For more information contact: Boonshoft School of Medicine, Judi Engle, Office of Public Relations, (937) 775-2951

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2001

Wright State’s Aerospace Medicine Graduate
enters the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame

DAYTON, OHIO--A woman with connections to the Miami Valley was one of 18 women recently inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame by Governor Taft.

Irene Duhart Long, M.D., completed a three-year residency and received a Masters of Science degree in Aerospace Medicine at Wright State University School of Medicine. She is currently a clinical assistant professor in community health for the school. Long is the chief medical officer and associate director of Spaceport Services at Kennedy Space Center. She has been involved in the launch and recovery of space shuttle missions since 1982. She oversees occupational health, institutional safety, and environmental health for the entire Kennedy Space Center.

A native of Cleveland, Long received her B.A. degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and her M.D. degree from the St. Louis University School of Medicine. Long received the Women in Aerospace Outstanding Achievement Award in 1998 and the Presidential Award in 1995 from the Society of NASA Flight Surgeons. She served as the society’s president in 1999. A past recipient of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, Long is the first woman chief medical officer and the first female minority to advance to the equivalent military rank of general at Kennedy Space Center.

The Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame was established in 1978 to provide “public recognition of the contributions Ohio women have made to the growth and progress of our state, our nation and our world.”

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