- Dr. Dafydd R. Williams
- Astronaut/Physician
NASA Johnson Space Center
Dave Williams pursued postgraduate studies in advanced invertebrate physiology at the Friday Harbour Laboratories at the University of Washington, Seattle, but his interests shifted to vertebrate neurophysiology when, for his Master’s thesis, he became involved in basic science research on how adrenal steroid hormones modify the regulation of sleep–wake cycles. While working in the Neurophysiological Laboratories at the Allan Memorial Institute for Psychiatry, Williams assisted in clinical studies of slow wave potentials within the central nervous system.
His clinical research in emergency medicine has included studies evaluating the initial training and skill retention of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills, patient survival from out–of–hospital cardiac arrest, the early identification of trauma patients at high risk, and the efficacy of tetanus immunization in the elderly.
In 1988 Williams became an emergency physician with the Department of Emergency Services at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, while also lecturing with the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto. He served as a member of the Air Ambulance Utilization Committee with the Ministry of Health in Ontario, both as an academic emergency physician and later as a representative of community emergency physicians. In addition, he has trained basic ambulance attendants, paramedics, nurses, residents, and practising physicians in cardiac and trauma resuscitation with both the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation and the American College of Surgeons.
From 1989 to 1990 Williams served as an emergency physician with the Emergency Associates of Kitchener, Waterloo and as the medical director of the Westmount Urgent Care Clinic. In 1990, he returned to Sunnybrook as medical director of the Advanced Cardiac Life Support Program and also as the coordinator of postgraduate training in emergency medicine. Subsequently, Williams became the director of the Department of Emergency Services at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre and assistant professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto. He is currently an adjunct professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and McGill University.
In June 1992 the Canadian Space Agency selected Williams as one of four successful candidates from a field of 5330 applicants to begin astronaut training. He completed basic training, and in May 1993, was appointed manager of the Missions and Space Medicine Group within the Canadian Astronaut Program. His assignments included supervising the implementation of operational space medicine activities for the Canadian Astronaut Program Space Unit Life Simulation (CAPSULS) Project. During this seven–day simulated space mission, which was conducted at the Defence R&D Canada — Toronto (Formerly DCIEM), Williams was the principal investigator of a study to evaluate the initial training and retention of resuscitation skills by non–medical astronauts. He was also one of the crew members and the crew medical officer.
In January 1995 Williams was selected to join the international class of NASA mission specialist astronaut candidates. He reported to the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in March 1995 for a year of training and evaluation. Following his successful completion of this training in May 1996, he was assigned to the Payloads and Habitability Branch of the NASA Astronaut Office. As a representative of the Office, he participated in the JSC Institutional Review Board and Science Merit Review Committee, the Independent Advisory Team for the International Space Station Crew Health Care System (CHeCs)
