Been There. Done That.
OrbitalMed was founded by medical doctors who are former NASA astronauts. Let their firsthand experience illuminate your path to space.
Our Team
OrbitalMed was co-founded by physicians, astronauts, and strategists with direct flight and clinical experience:
Dr. Bernard Harris – Board Chair
Astronaut and physician, clinical systems and investor relations
Dr. Robert Satcher – Board Member
Astronaut and orthopedic oncologist, translational research
Dr. Kenneth Wells – Board Member
President and CEO, physician executive, corporate operations, and business integration
Dr. Gregory Pinnell – Board Member
Aeromedical and telehealth logistics
A. Ché Bolden – Board Member
Aerospace and strategy insights
Together they bring unmatched credibility and execution capacity across medicine, aerospace, and enterprise strategy.
BOARD CHAIR AND FOUNDER
Bernard Harris, Jr., MD, MBA, FACP
Dr. Harris is currently CEO & Managing Partner of Vesalius Ventures, Inc., a venture capital firm that invests in early- to mid-stage healthcare technologies and companies. He is responsible for managing a portfolio of private assets of early- and mid-stage venture investments and operating companies.
Dr. Harris was at NASA for ten years, where he conducted research in musculoskeletal physiology and clinical investigations of space adaptation and developed in-flight medical devices to extend astronaut stays in space. A veteran astronaut for over thirty years, he has logged more than 438 hours and traveled over 7.2 million miles in space.
He is a member of the Board of Directors for RTX Corporation (NYSE: RTX), MassMutual, Solventum (NYSE: SOLV), and U.S. Physical Therapy (NYSE: USPH). Dr. Harris served as a Board Director/Trustee for Salient Midstream & MLP Fund and Salient MF Trust, and Barings Fund & BBDC. In addition, he is on the non-profit Boards of the Texas Medical Center (past Chair), Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, and the Harris Institute & Foundation.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Houston, a Master of Medical Science from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Houston, and a Doctorate of Medicine from Texas Tech University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic, a National Research Council Fellowship in Endocrinology at the NASA Ames Research Center, and trained as a Flight Surgeon at the Aerospace School of Medicine, Brooks Air Force Base. He is also a licensed private pilot and certified scuba diver.
Dr. Harris is the recipient of numerous awards, including nine honorary doctorates; NASA Space Flight Medal; NASA Award of Merit; National Space Grant Distinguished Services Award; James Bryant Conant Award; a fellow of the American College of Physicians; a fellow of the American Telemedicine Association; a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the recipient of the 2000 Horatio Alger Award; and 2024 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. In May 2025, Dr. Harris was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.
He is the author of Dream Walker: A Journey of Achievement and Inspiration (2010) and Embracing Infinite Possibilities: Letting Go of Fear To Find Your Highest Potential (2025).
BOARD MEMBER AND FOUNDER
Robert L. Satcher, MD, PhD
Dr. Satcher is an astronaut and orthopedic oncologist in Houston, Texas. He has provided medical services in under-resourced countries throughout Africa, as well as in Central and South America. His research focuses on bone-metastatic disease, leading to the identification of new curative treatment options through cellular, molecular, and personalized medicine strategies. In 2004, Dr. Satcher was selected by NASA for the U.S. astronaut program and subsequently flew aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) in November 2009. During the mission, he performed two spacewalks, totaling over 12 hours of extravehicular activity.
Dr. Satcher earned his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering from MIT and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, Health Sciences & Technology Division. His postgraduate training included postdoctoral research fellowships, a residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of California — Berkeley and San Francisco, respectively — and an orthopedic oncology fellowship at the University of Florida, Gainesville.
He has served on numerous boards, including Voorhees University (an HBCU), where he was Board Chair overseeing the transition from Voorhees College to Voorhees University; the Whitehead Institute of MIT; Teach For America; Space Center Houston; NASA advisory boards for human spaceflight; and a National Academy of Sciences panel to assess cancer risk in astronauts following spaceflight.
BOARD MEMBER, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Kenneth Wells, MD, MBA, MPH
Dr. Kenneth Wells is a physician executive with more than three decades of experience spanning aviation medicine, clinical care, health benefits, public health, pharmacy, wellness, and risk management. His work has given him a broad perspective on healthcare, organizational health, and the practical needs of people, employers, and communities.
Dr. Wells served as Chief Medical Officer and Corporate Medical Director for multiple Fortune 100 corporations over his career. He has chaired several corporate boards and committees and frequently speaks on healthcare policy, population health, corporate health, and risk reduction. He combines medical knowledge with business experience, technological awareness, and financial discipline to help leaders make thoughtful, practical decisions.
His background in aviation medicine offers practical insight into safety, operations, and decision-making in demanding environments. Dr. Wells trained in aviation medicine at the U.S. Army School of Aerospace Medicine and at NASA. He served as a flight surgeon with the Texas National Guard and the Army Reserve and is a licensed commercial pilot with fixed- and rotary-wing experience. He has also served as medical director for air ambulance operators and corporate aviation departments and as a Senior Aeromedical Examiner with the FAA for two decades.
Dr. Wells holds a master’s degree in management from Northwestern University, an MD and an MPH from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Texas Southern University. He completed residencies in family practice and occupational medicine and is licensed to practice medicine in Texas, where he and his wife, Kathy, live.
BOARD MEMBER
Dr. Gregory Pinnell, MD
Dr. Gregory Pinnell is president of Airdocs Aeromedical Support Services, a multi-specialty group providing a variety of services to the aviation community. He has 25 years of aviation medicine experience and has been a pilot for 43 years.
He is a Board-Certified Family Practice Physician and Senior HIMS Aviation Medical Examiner in Michigan. He served as a Chief Flight Surgeon and Commander for the 434th Aerospace Medicine Squadron at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana. He also served as Deputy Chief of Bioastronautics for Human Spaceflight Support at Patrick AFB working 23 Space Shuttle missions plus Soyuz support.
He serves as an adjunct professor teaching Aviation Physiology and Human Factors at Western Michigan University College of Aviation. He is President of the Civil Aviation Medical Association (CAMA) and AME Consultant to the Federal Air Surgeon. He is a Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA). He is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) Aeromedical Council.
BOARD MEMBER AND SECRETARY
A. Ché Bolden
Ché Bolden is a strategic leader at the intersection of human performance, aerospace medicine, and mission-driven innovation. As a founding partner and Vision & Strategy Officer for OrbitalMed, he helps shape the future of Cross-Gravity Health—a model in which medical systems built for space missions strengthen healthcare on Earth.
Bolden draws on his 26-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he led organizations through complex change, integrated advanced technologies, and built resilient systems under high-risk conditions. As a TOPGUN graduate, weapons and tactics instructor, and former Chief Modernization Officer for Marine Corps Installations, he learned to turn frontier challenges into frameworks that drive real outcomes.
He is also CEO of the Charles F. Bolden Group and the Executive Chair of the Inter Astra Consortium — two strategic collaborators building global alliances that open doors into the business of space. His work centers on access, opportunity, and talent optimization, guided by a core belief: the next major leap in healthcare could come from the environments farthest from Earth.
In OrbitalMed, Bolden focuses on enterprise strategy, governance design, and partnerships that unite government, commercial operators, medical institutions, and research networks. His goal is simple: ensure the expansion of human spaceflight also expands access to advanced health solutions for communities everywhere.
