Dr. James P. Bagian has extensive experience in the fields of human factors, aviation, and patient safety. He was chosen as the first Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Center for Patient Safety in 1998. A former NASA astronaut for 15 years, he flew on two Space Shuttle missions and following the 1986 Challenger space-shuttle explosion, supervised the capsule's recovery from the ocean floor and led the development of the Space Shuttle Escape System that is now in use. He was also the Chief Flight Surgeon and Medical Consultant for the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation Board. Dr. Bagian holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Drexel University and a doctorate in medicine from Thomas Jefferson University. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and is on the faculties of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences and University of Texas Medical Branch. Dr. Bagian received the American Medical Association’s 2001 Dr. Nathan S. Davis Award for outstanding public service in the advancement of public health and the Association of American Medical Colleges’ first annual Innovations Award in 2001. He received the Frank Brown Berry Prize in Federal Healthcare which recognizes the military or federal physician who has made the most significant contribution to healthcare in the United States (2002) and received the Service to America Medal for the most outstanding career contribution by a federal employee (2003).