Australian physician Dr Rowena Christiansen practises medicine in extreme and austere environments, with a focus on space health, and pre-hospital emergency care. 

Rowena has a diverse background, with qualifications and experience in medicine, law, business, humanities, and education, including aerospace medicine and space studies. She is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) and of Ormond College at the University of Melbourne. 

Rowena has developed a new subject on “Human health in the space environment” for the Melbourne Medical School, and lectures on ‘humans in space’ for Swinburne University of Technology. She is a member of the Australian Space Agency Space Medicine and Life Sciences Technical Advisory Group. 

A passionate aerospace medicine advocate and educator, she is the first Australian to serve as an AsMA Vice-President, and is the Founder of the ad astra vita project (space health and extreme medicine), and Co-Founder of the International Humans in Space Summit. 

Rowena is the Research Director, Health Law for the Jus Ad Astra human rights in space project, a UNOOSA Space4Women mentor, and an ISU alumna and mentor. She is a five-year finalist in the Australian Space Awards, receiving the 2023 “Innovator of the Year” award.