Experience
Dr. Ward specializes in Preventive Medicine. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine in Aerospace Medicine. After completing his residency training in 1992, Dr. Ward joined Wyle Laboratories (formerly Krug) as a physician supporting the design of Space Station medical facilities. In 1993 he worked as a Flight Surgeon at NASA Johnson Space Center in support of the Space Shuttle program. Later, he lived in Star City, Russia as a physician for the US/Russia Shuttle-Mir Programs until 1997.
He returned to his native Appalachia, began work at Blue Ridge Hyperbarics in Asheville, NC, and formed Toxaway Wilderness Experience in 1999. Consulting with, educating and treating individuals in a travel and wilderness setting was a continuation of his experience with ‘expeditionary medicine’. He has been a physician in private practice in Western North Carolina since that time. He has more than ten years experience in Acute Care as a treating physician at ProMed Minor Emergency Center and NextCare Urgent Care in Asheville, NC.
In 2008, he started a private practice in preventive and integrative medicine. His practice, General Preventive Medicine, has grown and evolved for over a decade, and now includes care for individuals as part of the General Preventive Medicine Program, consultations for travel and wilderness medicine, and group health and wellness projects, such as the City of Brevard Doctor Care Program. He is a member of the Society of NASA Flight Surgeons and the Wilderness Medical Society.
Professional Information
- David F. Ward, M.D., M.S.
- Specialty: Aerospace Medicine, American Board of Preventive Medicine
- Years in Practice: 35 years
- Education and Training:
- Duke University, Durham, NC , B.S. Planetary and Evolutionary Biology (Program II), 1984
- Wright State University, Dayton, OH , M.S., Aerospace Medicine, 1991
- East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine, M.D. , 1988
- Transitional Residency: Spartanburg Regional, Spartanburg, SC
- Residency: Wright State University, Dayton, OH
Certifications and Honors
- Board Certification: Diplomate, American Board of Preventive Medicine (Aerospace Medicine).
- Military Service: Recipient of the Army Commendation Medal (U.S. Army) and the Distinguished Service Medal (Tennessee Army National Guard).
- Professional Awards: * Melbourne W. Boynton Award (American Astronautical Society).
- President’s Special Award (Society of NASA Flight Surgeons).
- Distinguished Alumnus in Medicine (ETSU Quillen College of Medicine).
Papers, Abstracts, and Publications
Advocating for Patients in a Primary Care Physician’s Office, Holistic RN Patient Advocacy Training Institute online course, Asheville, North Carolina. May 20, 2020.
Bone Health, Osteoporosis, and Why Gravity is Good! David F Ward, MD. University of North Carolina Asheville. Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Asheville, North Carolina. October 28, 2016.
Health and Hazards During Human Spaceflight: A Physician’s Perspective. David F Ward, MD. Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, The Evening at PARI Program, PARI, Rosman, NC. August, 2011.
Wellness Program Planning: Tips and Tricks for Successful Implementation. Glenn Ingram, ND and David F. Ward, MD. Brevard/Transylvania County Chamber of Commerce, Brevard, NC. May, 2011.
Health Olympians! Habits of the Healthiest 5% in the Nation. David F. Ward, MD. City of Brevard Wellness Program, City Council Chambers, Brevard, NC. October, 2010.
Healthy as an Astronaut? Aeromedical Perspectives. David F. Ward, MD. Western North Carolina Pilots Association, Members Training and Education Program, Asheville Regional Airport, Asheville, NC March, 2005.
- Inflight Medical Support Activities for the Mir-18 Mission. D.F. Ward,M.R. Barratt, G. Kobzev, O. Anoshkin, and I.B. Goncharov. Aerospace Medical Association 67th Annual Scientific Program, May, 1996.
- Preflight Medical Support Activities for the Mir-18 Mission. M.Barratt, D.Ward, O.O.Ryumin. Aerospace Medical Association 67th Annual Scientific Program, May, 1996.
- Validation of Parabolic Flight Microgravity CPR Animal Model. Johnston, Campbell, Billica, Ward, Norfleet, Eichstadt, Robinson, Jennings, Kucharz, Rouse, Simmons, Lloyd, Beck, Barratt, Doursout. Aerospace Medical Association 67th Annual Scientific Program, May, 1996.
- Microgravity Performance and Evaluation of Advanced Cardiac Life Support Procedures Utilizing an Animal Model. Johnston, Campbell, Billica, Ward, Norfleet, Eichstadt, and Robinson. Aerospace Medical Association 64th Annual Scientific Program, May, 1993.
- Microgravity Performance of Advanced Trauma Life Support. Campbell, Johnston, Billica, Norfleet, Ward, and Eichstadt. Aerospace MedicalAssociation 64th Annual Scientific Program, May, 1993.
- Failure of Promethazine to Cause Sedation During Space Flight. Twelfth Frontiers of Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacology Beyond Earth’s Boundaries. James P. Bagian, M.D. and David F. Ward, M.D., May, 1992.
- Simulation of the Fluid Retention Effects of a Vasopressin Analog Using the Guyton Model of Circulation. R.S. Srinivasan, K. Simanonok, S. Fortney, J. Charles, Ack. D.F.Ward. 14th Annual Meeting of the IUPS Commission on Gravitational Physiology, Berlin, Sept.,1992.
- The Effects of Lypressin on Hemodynamic Responses to Head-Down Tilt and Orthostatic Stress. D.F. Ward. Aerospace Medical Association 63rd Annual Scientific Program, May, 1991.
- Computer Simulations for Modeling Physiologic Responses to Spaceflight. Ohio Academy of Sciences, Centennial Symposium, 1991.
- Cellular Mechanisms of Hyperbaric Oxygen Use and Toxicity on Red Blood Cells: Implications for Blood Product Storage. USAF Hyperbaric Medicine Course, 1990.
- Mathematical Models of Physiology, East Tennessee State University College of Medicine, Student Papers, 1988.