James A. Pawelczyk, Ph.D.
Dr. Pawelczyk was born in Buffalo, New York and considers Elma, NY as his hometown. He earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Biology and Psychology from the University of Rochester in 1982. At Pennsylvania State University, he earned a Master of Science degree in Physiology in 1985, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biology (Physiology) from the University of North Texas in 1989. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in cardiovascular neurophysiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 1992 and then joined their Division of Cardiology in the Department of Internal Medicine. Since 1995, Dr. Pawelczyk has been at Penn State University where he currently holds the title of Associate Professor of Physiology, Kinesiology and Medicine.
In 1998, Dr. Pawelczyk took leave from Penn State to train for and fly as a Payload Specialist Astronaut on NASA’s STS-90 (Neurolab) space shuttle mission. During this 16-day space flight, the seven person shuttle crew served as both experimental subjects and operators for 26 individual life science experiments focusing on the effects of microgravity (chronic free-fall) on the brain and nervous system. The STS-90 flight, which took place April 17 to May 3, 1998, orbited the Earth 256 times, covered 6.3 million miles, and logged over 381 hours in space. Serving as a physiologist during this flight, Pawelczyk made the first direct recordings from human nerves in space.
Since his return to Penn State, Dr. Pawelczyk has investigated the effects of microgravity on neural control of blood pressure; countermeasures for use in space to help improve cardiovascular control; neural causes of orthostatic intolerance; the effects of insulin on cardiovascular and autonomic regulation; and the effects of prolonged bed rest on the cardiovascular system and its regulation. He is an invited consultant for the National Academy of Sciences on issues related to medicine and biology during spaceflight.
Dr. Pawelczyk has two children and his hobbies include cycling, swimming, woodworking, philately, and outdoor activities.