The first African-American to walk in space, Bernard Harris was selected for NASA astronaut training in January of 1990. Harris flew as a Mission Specialist on STS-55 and as Payload Commander on STS-63. It was during this flight that Harris performed his history-making spacewalk.

Harris holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Master of Medical Science, an MBA and a Doctorate 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. Harris holds numerous faculty appointments and is the author and co-author of several scientific publications.

Today, Harris is a popular speaker, President and CEO of Vesalius Ventures and the founder of The Harris Foundation which enables youth to develop and achieve their full potential through the support of social, recreational and educational programs for grades K-12. Dr. Harris’s goals in life have been achieved through self-empowerment and self-determination. He believes that education and effort will allow anyone to meet any challenge in life, inspiring others to reach for the stars.