Keynote SpeakersDr Kevin Fong OBE is a renowned medical doctor, broadcaster, and science communicator.
His diverse career spans frontline emergency medicine, space exploration, and public engagement.
He is a physician with the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) UK team who provides critical care to patients in high-pressure environments.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kevin was seconded to NHS England’s Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response team, which was pivotal in managing the national crisis.
With academic qualifications in astrophysics, medicine, and engineering, Kevin embodies the modern Renaissance spirit. His work with NASA’s human spaceflight programme in Houston has given him unique insights into science, technology, exploration, and the limits of human performance—perspectives he shares with global audiences through compelling and thought-provoking talks.
In 2015, he delivered the prestigious Royal Institution Christmas Lectures.
Broadcaster:
Dr Kevin Fong is also an acclaimed broadcaster. On television, he has co-presented Astronauts: Do You Have What it Takes? and Operation Goldrush with Dan Snow, and fronted several BBC Horizon specials including We Need to Talk about Death, Cyber Attack, Back from the Dead, and How to Avoid Mistakes in Surgery.
His other TV credits include Extreme A&E for Channel 4 and the documentary Space Shuttle: The Final Mission.
On the radio, Kevin has written and presented award-winning programmes such as Game Changer: Fortnite on 4 and Trauma Medicine: The Fight for Life for BBC Radio 4.
He is the creator and host of 13 Minutes to the Moon, the acclaimed BBC World Service podcast chronicling the Apollo space missions. The series won Best Factual Podcast at the 2019 AIB Awards and featured an original score by Hans Zimmer.
More recently, Kevin hosted The NHS: Who Cares? and co-hosted The Artificial Human with Aleks Krotoski. In 2024, he launched 16 Sunsets, a 10-part podcast series exploring the dramatic story of NASA’s Space Shuttle programme, told through the voices of those who lived it.
As an author, Kevin Fong wrote Extremes, an exploration of human survival in hostile environments, which won an American Association for the Advancement of Science Award in 2015.
In recognition of his services to science, medicine, and healthcare, Dr Kevin Fong was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2019
Dr Kevin Fong – Keynote Speaker:
As a popular health, medicine, risk, space, science, and inspirational keynote speaker, Kevin’s talks include:
The Anatomy of Hope
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Kevin Fong was seconded to NHS England’s national response team. He gained a rare frontline perspective on one of our time’s most significant public health challenges.
He witnessed the rapid rollout of vaccine trials and the extraordinary efforts of NHS staff under immense pressure.
In this talk, Kevin Fong shares powerful lessons on leadership, decision-making in crisis, and the vital role of hope. It’s a compelling reflection for anyone leading through change, highlighting the value of expertise, agility, and resilience.
13 Minutes to the Moon – Lessons in Life from Outer Space
More than 50 years ago, Apollo 11’s final descent to the Moon pushed the limits of human skill and nerve.
In just 13 minutes, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin navigated a series of critical failures, narrowly avoiding disaster to achieve one of history’s most remarkable feats.
In this talk, Dr Kevin Fong breaks down those tense moments to reveal leadership, teamwork, and real-time risk management lessons.
Apollo 11 remains a blueprint for operating under pressure and a powerful guide for tackling complex challenges on Earth.
Decision Point
Dr Kevin Fong has spent his career embedded with elite, high-performance teams. These include NASA and the British Military in Afghanistan, NHS frontline units, and helicopter emergency medical services.
The stakes have been real in every role, and the decisions critical. In this talk, Kevin explores how top teams operate under extreme pressure, make tough calls, and learn from failure to keep improving.
In a world of uncertainty and rapid change, his insights offer essential lessons for anyone leading through risk and complexity.
