ABOUT

Joan Vernikos, PhD, a former Director of NASA's Life Sciences Division is a researcher, author, speaker, consultant, entrepreneur, mentor, and coach. She is a member of the Space Studies Board of the National Academy. Active in the international space policy arena she serves as space editor for Defense & Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy and consults for the European Space Agency.

Joan's bio profiles her key involvement in conducting gravity-related pioneering research both in the microgravity of spaceflight and in ground-based simulations. She holds several patents on technologies important to gravity's role in good health including one for a human-powered centrifuge. (77k pdf)

Her recent book, "The G-Connection: Harness Gravity and Reverse Aging", applies lessons learned from U.S. astronauts and Russian cosmonauts living in space without gravity's influence, to healthy living on Earth.  The book, due to its broad international interest, is  published in Greek and Japanese.  A Portuguese version is due out in Brazil in the spring of 2008 while German and Italian versions are in the works with co-authors in each country.  She has also published many articles on this topic, several of which are available online. 

Joan is a  sought-after speaker and consultant on the "Gravity Revolution".  She has developed and assembled simple methods to counter the consequences of our increasingly sedentary life style that now also impacts the health of our children.  She is an expert on stress management and developing effective coping skills and speaks on this and related topics for optimizing health and wellness.  Joan is a great role model for the benefits of active living and brings both passion and humor to all her endeavors.