Janice Valerie Meck (born 1948, also published as Jan Meck, Janice M. Sprenkle, Janice M. Fritsch, Janice M. Yelle, and Janice M. Fritsch-Yelle) is an American physiologist and an expert on the effects of

zero gravity Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight, i.e., zero apparent weight. It is also termed zero g-force, or zero-g (named after the g-force) or, incorrectly, zero gravity. Weight is a measurement of the fo ...

on the

cardiovascular system In vertebrates, the circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the body. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, that consists of the heart a ...

, including cardiac rhythm problems during spaceflight, and spaceflight-induced

orthostatic intolerance Orthostatic intolerance (OI) is the development of symptoms when standing upright that are relieved when reclining. There are many types of orthostatic intolerance. OI can be a subcategory of dysautonomia, a disorder of the autonomic nervous ...

and its treatment.

Education and career

Meck is originally from Virginia, where she was born in 1948. After a 1969 bachelor's degree from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

, and 11 years out of school raising a child, Meck received a master's degree in biology from

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

in 1982, and became a researcher there in cardiovascular physiology. There, her work included joint research with

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

, and she moved to NASA's

Johnson Space Center The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight in Houston, Texas (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight controller, flight control are conducted. ...

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

in 1991. She directed the

Cardiovascular Laboratory from 1992 to 2007, while working towards a Ph.D. in

pharmacology Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur betwee ...

from the

University of Texas Medical Branch The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is a Public university, public Academic health science centre, academic health science center in Galveston, Texas, United States. It is part of the University of Texas System. UTMB includes the olde ...

, which she received in 2000 with the dissertation ''Influence of gender on individual susceptibility to orthostatic hypotension''. After stepping down as director of the laboratory she became a human health countermeasures element scientist at the Johnson Space Center. Meck retired from NASA, and moved to

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

in 2011. There, she has worked at the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center and as a docent at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. She coauthored a book about Emily Winfree, a former slave and freedwoman in Richmond: ''The Life and Legacy of Enslaved Virginian Emily Winfree'' (Arcadia Publishing, 2021, with Virginia Refo).

Recognition

Meck received the

Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) is the highest honor bestowed by the United States federal government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers. T ...

in 2000, and the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement in 2001. Virginia Commonwealth University gave her their Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998, and named her as an "alumni star" in 2001. She was named as an honorary member of

Graduate Women in Science Graduate Women in Science (GWIS), formerly known as Sigma Delta Epsilon (ΣΔΕ), is an international professional organization for women in science. It was established as a scientific women's fraternity in 1921 at Cornell University, United State ...

in 2008.

Selected research publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meck, Janice 1948 births Living people American physiologists American women physiologists Michigan State University alumni Virginia Commonwealth University alumni University of Texas Medical Branch alumni NASA people