Dr. Nitza Margarita Cintrón (b. 1950s) – Biochemist and Chief of Space Medicine at NASA
Nitza Margarita Cintron was born in the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1950.
As a child, she lived across Europe while her father served in the U.S. Army. When he retired,
the family returned to Puerto Rico, settling in the vibrant barrio of Santurce, San Juan. There, she
attended both elementary and high school, where her natural talents in science and mathematics
quickly set her apart.

In 1979, Cintrón became the founder of the Biochemistry Laboratory at the Johnson Space
Center, marking the beginning of a distinguished career in space science. From 1979 to 1985, she
served as the project scientist for the Space Lab 2 mission, which was launched aboard the Space
Shuttle Challenger in 1985. Over the years, Cintrón held several prestigious positions at NASA,
including Chief of the Biomedical Operations and Research Branch in the Medical Science
Division, as well as Managing Director of the Life Sciences Research Laboratories. In 2004, she
was appointed Chief of NASA’s Space Medicine and Health Care Systems Office at the Johnson
Space Center, a role she still holds today.

After decades of service to NASA, Cintrón’s journey took another remarkable turn when she was
sponsored by the agency to attend the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. She
graduated in 1995 with an M.D. degree, later becoming a board-certified specialist in internal
medicine. Cintrón’s exceptional contributions have been recognized with numerous prestigious
awards, including the JSC Director’s Commendation and Innovation Award, NASA’s
Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, and induction into the Hispanic Engineer’s National
Achievement Awards Conference (HENAAC) Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2006, she was named
one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States by Hispanic Magazine.

A trailblazer for both women and Hispanics, Cintrón credits the women’s rights movement with
helping her break down gender barriers. She hopes her success will inspire others, saying, “I feel
my contribution is doing the best I can on the job.”