Dave Williams, MD

President and Chief Executive Officer, Southlake Regional Heath Centre
Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto

Canadian Astronaut and Physician, Dr. Dave Williams, is the President and CEO for Newmarket-based Southlake Regional Heath Centre and Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto. Prior to joining Southlake in July 2011, Dr. Williams was the Director of the McMaster Centre for Medical Robotics at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and a Professor in the Department of Surgery of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine (2008-2011).  Dr. Williams also previously held the position of Chief Medical Officer of Quality and Safety at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (2010-2011). During 2007, Dr. Williams served as a NASA mission specialist on STS-118, partaking part in three of the four spacewalks, and setting a Canadian record for 17 hours and 47 minutes outside. Dr. Williams was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and graduated from McGill University, with a Bachelor of Science, Major in Biology (1976). He obtained a Master of Science from the Physiology Department, a Doctorate of Medicine and a Master of Surgery from the Faculty of Medicine, McGill University (1983). He was awarded honourary degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, McGill University, the University of Wales, and Queen’s University.