Emergency physician has dreams the size of space
Most kids at some point in their childhood make the sweeping declaration that they will some day become an astronaut. That dream, for most, fades as quickly as the sun. But there are the exceptions to the rule, such as University of Guelph graduate Kris Lehnhardt, who turned that dream into a lifelong adventure.
For Lehnhardt, the desire to be an astronaut started very early in life with, to his credit, watching Star Trek on television with his mom. Watching the Space Shuttle launches later in school served as further fuel to the fire. The cement of it all came in high school, when a guidance counselor suggested looking at profiles of Canadian astronauts to help Lehnhardt decide on a path to pursue. Lehnhardt specifically remembers astronaut and emergency physician, Dr. Dave Williams, as the inspiration for his career. “Becoming an astronaut is an extremely challenging process that may or may not be successful,” Lehnhardt explained of his dream. “My goal all along has been to make sure I enjoy the voyage as much as the destination.”
That voyage included achieving another goal: attending the University of Guelph. “Believe it or not, I had wanted to go to U of G since I was 12 years old,” Lehnhardt said, although he originally wanted to become a veterinarian. “As I got older, I quickly realized they did not need vets in space.” The Bio-Medical Sciences program became a perfect fit for the aspiring astronaut, who decided to “switch species” and become a doctor.
Lehnhardt is a rare breed in that he has experience as both a Guelph Gryphon and a Western Mustang, due to attending medical school at the University of Western Ontario. Lehnhardt admits he did have a few misgivings at first because of the rivalry, but the opportunity Western offered for medical school was undeniable. “Whenever Guelph and Western played each other, I was always very torn up about who to cheer for,” Lehnhardt explained. “But ultimately, it was usually Guelph!”
Before graduating from the University of Guelph in 1999, Lehnhardt spent time as a supervisor for the First Response Team (FRT). “That was when I first got a taste for dealing with medical emergencies,” he explained of the experience. “[FRT] fueled my desire to complete an Emergency Medicine residency after medical school.” Lehnhardt believes everything has come “full circle” now, as he is currently the Medical Director of the Emergency Medical Response Group (EMeRG) at George Washington University (GWU).
Lehnhardt also severs as an Emergency Medicine Physician at GWU Hospital, the closest hospital geographically to the White House. “I supervise and teach medical students and residents while also providing patient care to anyone that comes through our doors,” Lehnhardt said of the position. “It’s a fun job, but it can be a little busy.” Busy goes without saying, as Lehnhardt is also the director of the Fellowship in Extreme Environmental Medicine, the Medical Director of the Emergency Health Services Program, and the Director of the Introduction to Human Health in Space graduate course.
Don’t let the immense amount of success fool you. Lehnhardt is still the young Star Trek-watching, astronaut aspiring dreamer, but his dreams have come very close to becoming a reality. In 2008, Lehnhardt was among 5,500 applications in the Canadian Space Agency’s astronaut selection campaign, and was placed in the top 200. His passion for space didn’t end there. “When I first began my job at GWU, one of my goals was to carve out a niche for myself in aerospace medicine,” Lehnhardt added, explaining that this was an area that the university had not yet covered prior to his arrival. “With the assistance of a few key people at GWU and NASA, I was able to create the Introduction to Human Health in Space graduate course: a unique course designed to introduce aerospace medicine concepts to anyone interested in human spaceflight.” Lehnhardt finds the course, the proudest moment of his bright career, extremely rewarding as he gets to share his passion with his students.
When it comes down to it, Lehnhardt doesn’t believe staying motivated when you truly want something to be difficult. “Every time I see a rocket launch on TV, I get completely overwhelmed,” he explained. “The real challenge is staying focused on your goal.” In order to avoid getting caught up in day-to-day struggles, Lehnhardt offers two pieces of advice: “One, learn how to say no. You will have many amazing opportunities in your life, but the ones which divert your attention from your goal should be avoided,” Lehnhardt said, adding that it may not always be possible, but it is worth the attempt. “Two, if you never ask, you will never receive. Figure out what you want, find the people who can help you, and ask for it.” The aspiring astronaut described his experience of getting to sit in the commander’s seat in the Space Shuttle Discovery, simply because one of his colleagues asked to do it. “I will never forget that,” said Lehnhardt, who remembers the moment as a step that took him another inch closer to the dream as big as space.
After all, you know what they say: if you shoot for the moon and fall short, you will still land among the stars.