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astronautix.com Williams Dave
Dr Dafydd Rhys (Dave) Williams Status: Active. Trained as: Astronaut. Profession: Mission Specialist. Sex: Male. Marital Status: Married. Children: Two. Birth Date: 16 May 1954. Birth City: Saskatoon. Birth State: Saskatchewan. Birth Country: Canada. Nationality: Canadian. Degree: MD. Group: 1995 NASA Group. Date Selected: 09 June 1992. Number of Flights: 1. Total Time: 15.91 days.

NASA Official Biography

NAME: Dafydd (Dave) Rhys Williams (M.D.)
CSA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA:
Born May 16, 1954, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Married to the former Cathy Fraser of Pointe-Claire, Quebec. They have one son. Dr. Williams enjoys flying, scuba diving, hiking, sailing, kayaking, canoeing, downhill and cross-country skiing. His mother, Isobel Williams (nee Berger), resides in Williamsburg, Ontario. His father, William Williams, is deceased. Her father, Arthur Fraser, resides in Sechelt, British Columbia. Her mother, Olga Fraser (nee Bardahl), is deceased.

EDUCATION:
Attended High School in Beaconsfield, Quebec. Bachelor of science degree in biology from McGill University, Montreal, 1976.; Master of science degree in physiology, Doctorate of medicine, and Master of Surgery from McGill University, Montreal, in 1983. Completed residency in Family Practice in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa in 1985. Obtained Fellowship in Emergency Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, following completion of a Residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Toronto, 1988.
ORGANIZATIONS:
Member, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Ontario Medical Association, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, the Aerospace Medical Association, the Canadian Society for Aerospace Medicine and the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute. Past affiliations include: the Society for Neuroscience, the New York Academy of Science and the Montreal Physiological Society.

SPECIAL HONORS:
Awarded the Commonwealth Certificate of Thanks (1973) and the Commonwealth Recognition Award (1975) for his contribution to the Royal Life Saving Society of Canada. Academic awards include the A.S. Hill Bursary, McGill University, in 1980; the Walter Hoare Bursary, McGill University, in 1981; the J.W. McConnell Award, McGill University, 1981-1983. He was named Faculty Scholar, in 1982, and University Scholar, in 1983, by the Faculty of Medicine, McGill University. In 1983, he also received the Psychiatry Prize and the Wood Gold Medal from the Faculty of Medicine and was named on the Dean's Honor List by the Physiology Department, McGill University, for his postgraduate research. He was twice awarded the second prize for his participation in the University of Toronto Emergency Medicine Research Papers Program, in 1986 and 1988, and received top honors in that competition in 1987.

EXPERIENCE:
Dr. Williams received postgraduate training in advanced invertebrate physiology at the Friday Harbour Laboratories, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. Subsequently, his interests switched to vertebrate neurophysiology when, for his Master's Thesis, he became involved in basic science research on the role of adrenal steroid hormones in modifying the activity of regions within the central nervous system involved in the regulation of sleep wake cycles. While working in the Neurophysiological Laboratories at the Allan Memorial Institute for Psychiatry, he 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 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, he became an Emergency Physician with the Department of Emergency Services at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre as well as a Lecturer with the Department of Surgery, 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 practicing physicians in cardiac and trauma resuscitation as a Course Director in Advanced Cardiac Life Support with the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation and in Advanced Trauma Life Support with the American College of Surgeons.

From 1989 to 1990, he served as an Emergency Physician with the Emergency Associates of Kitchener Waterloo and as Medical Director of the Westmount Urgent Care Clinic. In 1990, he returned to Sunnybrook as Medical Director of the ACLS Program and Coordinator of Postgraduate Training in Emergency Medicine. Subsequently, he became the Acting Director of the Department of Emergency Services at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Toronto and Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto.

Dr. Williams was selected by the Canadian Space Agency in June 1992. He completed basic training and in May 1993 was appointed Manager of the Missions and Space Medicine Group within the Astronaut Program. His collateral duty assignments have included supervising the implementation of Operational Space Medicine activities within the Astronaut Program, and the coordination of the Canadian Astronaut Program Space Unit Life Simulation (CAPSULS) Project. In February 1994 he participated in a 7-day space mission simulation. During this CAPSULS Project, he was the principal investigator of a study to evaluate the initial training and retention of resuscitation skills by non-medical astronauts. He was also assigned as one of the crew members and acted as the crew medical officer.

He remains active in life science and space medicine research, both as a Principal Investigator and as a Co-investigator. He has recently been appointed as an Assistant Professor of Surgery, McGill University, and is participating in clinical activities at St. Mary's Hospital and at the Montreal General Hospital.

NASA EXPERIENCE:
In January 1995, Dr. Williams was selected to join the 1995 international class of NASA mission specialist astronaut candidates. He reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995 and completed training and evaluation in May 1996. On completing basic training, he was assigned to work technical issues for the Payloads/Habitability Branch of the Astronaut Office. Dr. Williams is currently assigned to the crew of STS-90, a 16-day Neurolab mission dedicated to investigations on the effects of microgravity on the nervous system. Launch is targeted for March 1998.

JANUARY 1997
Flight Log

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