Dwight Holland, M.D., Ph.D., FAsMA, FRAeS, FRAI, has been elected as the Secretary of the fairly new AsMA Constituent Space Surgery Association (SSA). He also won the Flying Physicians Association 2025 Tabari Award for the “best scientific/medical presentation at the Annual Meeting”. He continues to serve as the Member-at-Large for the Aerospace Physiology Society, is the continuing Treasurer of the Air and Space Forces Association for Virginia, and is also the Historian/Social Chair for the Life Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Branch of AsMA.
Additionally, the band Dr. Holland leads, The Galactics and Friends Band, played for the LSBEB/UMHS-led Social Event at the Hyatt-Regency June 3rd, 2025. Some version of this band has now appeared at AsMA and in other places for 11 years since its first appearance in Orlando in May 2015. Over the years Dr. Holland has made the song selections, arrangements, sponsorships, and the like, with core members like Dr. Michael Schmidt contributing musically, and often to sound engineering, while original band member Dr. Felix Porras continues to provide expert overall support and musicianship. A new band member and keyboardist is Dr. David Wexler, who drove his keyboard all the way from Massachusetts to Atlanta to play his role! Dr. George Pantalos is the amazing percussion section Chief (and President of the Space Surgery Association), while past-President of the UHMS Dr. Marc Robins stepped up this year to play a key role as a new lead guitarist, and singer. The band thanks past AsMA President Dr. Joe Dervay for once again coming and singing and appreciate original Galactics member Dr. David Powell coming back to play the sax, and new friend of the band Tom Hoffman for stepping up to play some trumpet this year for us!
LSBEB President Dr. Carol Ramsey continues to provide well-crafted harmonies, along with LSBEB friend and logistics support staff Sally Sappenfield (a recent Executive Director of an international research organization in her own right). New female singers Niki Nair and Dr. Mical Kupke had songs to shine on, with Debbie Garland-Holland taking on the lead vocals role overall for the band. Drs. Jeff Jones and Smith Johnston provided some male vocals in special songs with flavor, with Smith playing the harp on multiple songs. He is also a very capable guitarist. Dr. Diego Garcia played some great jazz percussion and bass guitar on a song, while Dr. Ari Epstein laid down the drum beat with the full kit on multiple songs. Julian and Caleb Schmidt came from Colorado and North Carolina, respectively, to help with logistics and setup and take-down of the band.
Onward to the Mid-Year Meeting in Whitefish, MT, and then to Denver, CO, in May 2026.
