Nicolas Heft

Nicolas Heft, MD, is a Board-Certified Emergency Medicine physician and a key figure in the development of Space Medicine at UTHealth Houston. He serves as a Staff Physician and co-founder of the Space Medicine program, while also directing the Space Medicine Fellowship within the Department of Emergency Medicine.

• Education: MD from Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine
• Training: Emergency Medicine residency at UTHealth Houston

Dr. Heft integrates clinical expertise with aerospace innovation, focusing on medical experimentation for orbital missions and frameworks for space exploration. His work bridges emergency care with extreme environment medicine, including Air Force Special Warfare certification and Diver Medical Technician training. He has contributed to NASA’s Artemis program and supported ISS crews as a Flight Surgeon in Mission Control.

His clinical interests align with high-risk medical scenarios, aerospace physiology, and operational medicine in military contexts.