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Dr. Irene Duhart Long was the first female and the first minority to hold the position of chief medical officer at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as well as the first African American female to serve in the Senior Executive Service at the center. These distinctions were only two of many firsts in her 31-year-long career at NASA.<\/p>\n
While she broke barriers in her own life, she also advocated for others to have more opportunities. She helped create the Spaceflight and Life Sciences Training Program at Kennedy, in partnership with Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, a program that encouraged more women and minority college students to explore careers in science. She also motivated and mentored her coworkers, taking a strong interest in their trajectory at NASA.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the admirable qualities of Irene Long was her inclusion mentality regarding women in the workplace,\u201d Kennedy Employee Assistance Counselor Patricia Bell said. \u201cShe was a front runner in advocating for women.\u201d Long helped coordinate an educational women\u2019s forum, focused on health, mental well-being and other topics of interest for women.\u00a0Long died Aug. 4, 2020, at age 69.<\/p>\n
For Womens Equality Day, read more about Dr. Long\u2019s legacy at NASA.<\/p>\n