at Carolina

The idea of starting a chapter at UNC Chapel Hill was not one without a story. In May 2022, the AsMA (Aerospace Medical Association) and UHMS (Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine Society) Joint Annual Scientific Meeting in May 2022 gathering researchers, engineers, scientists, field experts, and enthusiasts from around the world. This allowed them to meet one another and to learn and discuss issues that promoted a movement to improve the advancement and expansion scientific knowledge. Among the attendees, two students attended the conference each with a different intended goal in mind. One individual, a rising third-year graduate student in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, was looking forward to learning more about the field of space medicine and any engagement opportunities. The other individual, a rising senior undergraduate in the UNC Chapel Hill and NC State University Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, was aiming to share and present his research on decompression sickness at first international conference. During a networking event, the two students encountered each other while speaking to other physicians. Through their shared interest of aerospace medicine, it was mentioned that the eastern coast did not have any related programs. As a result, the two decided it was necessary to start a movement and cultivate a new culture at UNC Chapel Hill.