A Heart for Space

Eiman Jahangir, MD, MPH, is a professor of medicine and radiology in Nashville, Tennessee, where he serves as a leading cardiologist. He combines cutting-edge clinical practice with a distinguished research career. A graduate of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, he completed his internal medicine residency at Boston University Medical Center and his cardiovascular fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He has authored more than fifty peer-reviewed publications and book chapters advancing the understanding of heart health.

Born in Tehran during the Iran–Iraq War, Jahangir immigrated to Nashville at age four, where early visits to the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville sparked his lifelong passion for space exploration. After being named a finalist in two NASA Astronaut Candidate selection cycles, he became the first Iranian American man to travel to space on August 29, 2024, flying aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard (NS-26) sponsored through a global MoonDAO competition. He is the first commercial physician astronaut and the third cardiologist to travel to space, where he conducted research examining the genetic and immune effects of spaceflight.

Jahangir lives in Nashville with his family. As a keynote speaker, he shares lessons on resilience, overcoming self-doubt, and pursuing purpose-driven goals, bridging the worlds of medicine and space exploration.