Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh Inaugurates 64th Annual Conference of Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The 64th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine (ISAM) was inaugurated at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM), Bengaluru, by Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh. The two-day conference, held on November 20–21, brought together senior military officers, scientists, aviation experts and aerospace medicine professionals from across India and abroad.

Held under the theme “Innovations in Aerospace Medicine: Infinite Possibilities,” the event focused on emerging needs in flight safety, aircrew performance, medical support for military and civil aviation, and the future of human space missions.

Director General Medical Services (Air), Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja delivered the presidential address, underlining the growing role of aerospace medicine in enhancing operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force and in supporting astronauts during space travel. He noted that advances in medical science, simulation-based training and human systems engineering were key to the future of safe and high-performance aviation.

The conference was attended by representatives of the armed forces, Indian Air Force aircrew, civil aviation pilots, and scientists from DRDO, HAL and ISRO, reflecting the broad national collaboration in aerospace medical research and aircrew safety.

One of the highlights of the event was the prestigious Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee Memorial Lecture, delivered by aviation historian Anshit Gupta in honour of the first Chief of the Air Staff. Over the years, eminent personalities including Dr. Raja Ramanna, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Madhavan Nair, Dr. Naresh Trehan, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma (Retd.) and Syed Kirmani have delivered this memorial lecture.

Another major session was the Air Vice Marshal M.M. Srinagesh Memorial Lecture, named after the pioneer considered the “Father of Aviation Medicine in India.” Air Vice Marshal Deepak Gaur (Retd.) delivered the address this year. Previous invited speakers have included Awais Ahmed, CEO of Pixxel Aerospace, and Captain Dhruv Rebbapragada, Chief of Flight Safety at IndiGo.

Scientific discussions during the conference covered aircrew training and simulation, aerospace physiology, high-altitude challenges, fatigue detection, medical innovation, microgravity research, operational aviation medicine and accident investigation. Case studies included updates from the Axiom-4 mission, advancements in hypoxia training, and evaluation of onboard oxygen generation systems (OBOGS).