Gary E. Beven, MD

Gary E. Beven, MD, is Chief of the Space Medicine Operations Division within NASA’s Human Health and Performance Directorate at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. He leads the division responsible for optimizing the health and performance of astronauts and the JSC workforce in support of NASA’s human spaceflight mission, including the International Space Station, Commercial Crew, Commercial Low Earth Orbit and Artemis Programs. Dr Beven’s team of physicians, biomedical engineers, psychologists, scientists and other healthcare professionals oversees a broad portfolio spanning aerospace and occupational medicine, astronaut medical operations in Russia and other training facilities, behavioral health and performance operations, astronaut strength, conditioning and rehabilitation, epidemiology and data analytics, space radiation research, and biomedical engineering.

Education

Dr. Beven earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Doctor of Medicine from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He completed his internship at the Cleveland Clinic, residency in psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and fellowship in forensic psychiatry at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He is board certified in psychiatry and forensic psychiatry, board certified in healthcare management, a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and a Certified Physician Executive. Dr Beven completed NASA’s Aspiring Executives (ASPIRE) program in 2024 in preparation for a Senior Executive Service leadership role.

Experience

Dr. Beven has served as a physician at Johnson Space Center since 2005, holding progressive leadership roles as Chief of Aerospace Psychiatry, Lead of the Behavioral Health and Performance Operations Group, Deputy Chief, and Chief of the Space and Occupational Medicine Branch. He is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and flight surgeon with 24 years of service and a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association. Dr Beven’s contributions have been recognized with NASA’s Space Flight Awareness Silver Snoopy Award for exemplary support to the Astronaut Corps and the Aerospace Medical Association’s Raymond F. Longacre Award for outstanding accomplishments in the psychological and psychiatric aspects of aerospace medicine.