By: Chelsea Davis-Bibb, Ed.D.
Born on April 17, 1949, Dr. John Stanford Jr., is known as an American public health professional, bioengineer, and bioethicist. He is the seventh of eight children, and grew up on a farm in rural Eufaula, Alabama. Stanford Jr. was the first of his family, and the second in his community to attend a four-year college.
In 1965, he finished his junior year of high school, and attended Tuskegee Institute (now known as Tuskegee University) summer science training program for gifted students. He forewent his senior year of high school and attended Tuskegee on a 4-year A.P. Sloan Scholarship and a 2-year U.S. Army scholarship.
After graduation, he started his military career in the United States Army. He was also a part of the first class of a Battalion Surgeon’s Assistant Course, which was the forerunner to the current Physician Assistant program. During his 15-month tour of duty in Vietnam, he was a Battalion Surgeon Assistant.
Stanford’s career with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), spanned over 23 years, and he held numerous duties. These duties include a safety and mission assurance engineer, an advanced technologies expert and contract manager on medical research projects, a flight software integration, and a payloads safety and integration lead engineer. In addition, he was a member of the JSC Speakers Bureau, the NASA Community Outreach program, the Institutional Review (IRB) Board, the JSC Benefits of Space Program, an Equal Employment Opportunity Counselor, an Export Control Officer, and a Texas Aerospace Scholars Counselor.
After his retirement from NASA, Dr. Stanford became an entrepreneur and is the founder, owner, and president of MJWJ Global Radio Network, Inc. He is currently the CEO of Foston International Communications, and the services provided range from public relations to advertising, and mixed services as needed.
Dr. Stanford’s education includes a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry, a M.S. in Environmental Management, an M.P.H. in Occupational Health and Aerospace Medicine, a B.S. in Metaphysical Science, a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Human Factors.
