Dr. Rochelle Velho, MD, MPH, BSc, ARaES AFPH

Dr. Rochelle Velho is an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow (ACF) in General Practice and Public Health, with a decade of experience in the NHS. She has previously specialized as a resident doctor in Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine (ICM), and Acute Medicine.

In addition to her clinical expertise, Dr. Velho served as the Chief Medical Officer for the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF), where she played a pivotal role in pioneering expeditions such as AMADEE-18, which tested space suits in the extreme environment of the Dhofar Desert in Oman. She continues to consult for the OeWF medical team during mission planning and implementation and has recently joined the World’s Biggest Analog (WBA) medical steering committee.

Dr. Velho’s extensive clinical and research background led her to co-found the SGAC Space Medicine and Life Sciences Project Group in 2018. This global platform empowers young professionals to present space-based solutions to the United Nations, contributing to the health-related Sustainable Development Goals. Her leadership in this area has fostered collaborative research with ICAM, ESA, and NASA teams.

She has served as a mentor for the UNOOSA Space 4 Women program and continues to inspire the next generation of space medicine professionals. Driven by a passion to leverage space-based innovations for terrestrial health challenges, Dr. Velho is also dedicated to paving the way for women in space medicine.