Donald Lee Holmquest

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Donald Lee Holmquest [NASA]

Donald Lee Holmquest (MD, Ph.D.)

PERSONAL DATA:

Born in Dallas, Texas, on 7 April 1939. Married. One daughter. He enjoys skiing and handball.

EDUCATION:

Attended Roger Q. Mills Elementary School and is a 1957 graduate of W. H. Adamson High School in Dallas, Texas; received a bachelor of science degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University in 1962 and doctorates in Medicine and Physiology from Baylor University in 1967 and 1968, respectively. Has completed specialty training in Nuclear Medicine and is a Diplomat of the American Board of Nuclear Medicine. Received the Juris Doctor degree from University of Houston in 1988.

ORGANIZATIONS:

Member of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, American College of Nuclear Physicians, the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. Dr. Holmquest holds a faculty appointment as Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

EXPERIENCE:

After receiving his medical degree and his doctorate in Physiology from Baylor College of Medicine, and completing his internship in internal medicine at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, Dr. Holmquest served as a scientist/astronaut with NASA. There, he earned Air Force Wings and worked in the Apollo and Skylab programs. He logged 750 hours flying time in jet aircraft prior to resigning from NASA in September 1973.

Dr. Holmquest was selected as a scientist-astronaut by NASA in August 1967. After completing initial academic training and a 53-week course in flight training at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, he worked on Skylab habitability systems and medical experiments for a period of 1 1/2 years.

Dr. Holmquest then returned to Baylor to train in nuclear medicine, and then assumed the role of Chief of Nuclear Medicine at Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston. He established the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Eisenhower Medical Center in Palm Desert, California, and then took the post of Associate Dean of Medicine at Texas A&M University, where he was instrumental in developing A&M's new College of Medicine.

While pursuing his legal education, Dr. Holmquest also maintained a successful private practive in medicine. He received his juris doctorate cum laude from the University of Houston, and after serving as a senior partner at Wood, Lucksinger & Epstein until its dissolution, he established the firm of Holmquest & Associates, dedicated to the health care industry. He now practices medicine and law on a full-time basis.