A career in nursing presents numerous opportunities, but Katie Samoil discovered a unique and often untapped field: aerospace.
Initially starting her post-secondary studies in Chemistry Katie pivoted to nursing at the advice of a close friend. From here things built momentum, from completing a BSc, to Advanced Studies in Critical Care Nursing – Emergency Medicine, a MSc with a thesis focus in patient safety, and now to a PhD with a focus in aerospace physiology & medical education.
During her MSc work Katie stumbled across a series of journal articles on astronaut medical care. One written by a Canadian Flight Surgeon working at NASA discussed International Space University. With encouragement from her family, she decided to apply, not thinking that she would be accepted. The tuition was enough to be an obstacle and it also meant she’d have to spend time in France to study. She ended up receiving a scholarship from the European Space Agency and with her family’s support, she decided to go for it.
Katie’s doctoral thesis examines medical education and aerospace physiology for astronaut crew medical officer researchers. Her research examines cardiorespiratory coupling, exploring analogies between critical care patients and astronauts. Her research aims to contribute to astronaut medical care and education. She hopes to finish her PhD in 2026.
Katie was awarded the Florence and Lloyd Cooper Alberta Registered Nursing Educational Trust (ARNET) Scholarship for the excellence she’s shown in pursuing her studies. Education advancement and research is one of Calgary Health Foundation’s priority areas in enhancing healthcare for our community.
“When I first found out I received the scholarship it brought tears to my eyes. I had been picking up a lot of night shifts and was concerned about falling behind with my PhD work as I tried to balance academics and fatigue.” Katie recalls.
The scholarship allowed her to feel like a weight was being lifted off her shoulders and gave her more flexibility to focus on her studies.
It felt extra special to her because her mom remembers going to Lloyd’s Roller Rink and knew about the philanthropic work the family was involved in.
She is particularly thankful to her colleagues at the Foothills Emergency department who often swapped shifts with her so that she could have time to put towards pursuing her education.
“They tease and jokingly call me ‘Space Katie’, but the way they show up for me is unparalleled. From encouragement, swapped shifts, sending me texts when they see something space related, and checking in with how I’m doing. We get to have great dialogue when we bounce ideas around. It sounds cheesy, but I truly couldn’t get through school without their support.”
The way her career has evolved feels almost serendipitous when looking back to when she was in third grade.
“I was in the environment club and ended up meeting an astronaut, Dr. Roberta Bondar. Recently, my great aunt sent me a picture of a newspaper clipping of then I wouldn’t have expected that things might lead to here.”
Pursuing further education was always a goal of Katie’s. Prior to deciding to pursue a PhD, she was invited to a think tank hosted at Lake Como where there she met many lead scientists that gave her encouragement to continue on her path.
“Most people don’t think about space when it comes to a career in nursing. We practice with all these other disciplines, and I think it’s so important to pursue what you’re interested in.”
One of the most satisfying parts of her job has been engaging with children and telling them a bit about what she does, hopefully inspiring a new generation to follow their dreams. To create more firsts in research and learning, please consider making a donation by visiting givehealth.ca
