City lands astronaut; Takes research role at Mac, St. Joe's

[SteelTown]

City lands astronaut Takes research role at Mac, St. Joe's

April 14, 2008
Dana Brown
The Hamilton Spectator

An internationally renowned Canadian astronaut has landed in Hamilton, The Spectator has learned.

Dr. Dafydd (Dave) Williams, 53, has been recruited as a physician scientist for McMaster University and St. Joseph's Healthcare.

He will conduct research and work primarily out of a new, undefined, operation. The official announcement will be made this morning.

"It shows that the kind of hard work that's being done at Mac and in both of our hospital systems here in Hamilton is world-renowned," said Hamilton Centre New Democrat MPP Andrea Horwath.

Williams retired from active astronaut status March 1, after more than a decade at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

He holds the record for the most spacewalks on a single mission (three during a mission last summer) and the Canadian record for most time spent outside in space (17 hours, 47 minutes).

"It's been a great career of participating in the astronaut program," Williams recently told The Canadian Press. "Now I think it's time to transition to the next phase."

In 1992, the Canadian Space Agency chose Williams to train as an astronaut.

Three years later, he joined an international class at NASA, where he eventually became the first non-American to hold a senior management position within the organization in 1998.

He holds a master of science in physiology, a master of surgery and a doctorate of medicine.

Before becoming an astronaut, Williams worked at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto and briefly in Kitchener-Waterloo. He's also been affiliated with the University of Toronto and McGill University in teaching capacities.

There's speculation Williams's research in Hamilton could have something to do with remote patient care. In 2004 and 2006, he took part in underwater experiments using remote surgical technologies and techniques. The crew was guided by Dr. Mehran Anvari, director of the Centre for Minimal Access Surgery, a McMaster centre located at St. Joe's.