b'NEW TRAILSHIGH EXPECTATIONSWilliams didnt enter the field with the intention of becoming the first Indigenous Canadian forensic pathologist, but that title has become hers regardless. In the beginning, she admits to feeling the pressure. The expectations were really high, and they were coming from both sides, she recalls. My colleagues in the death investigation system were saying, We finally have someone from First Nations who is going to fix anything that has to do with First Nations or Indigenous people, while people from the Indigenous community were saying, Finally, we have somebody who under-stands our issues, will listen to us, and fix all our problems!This pressure was amplified by Canadas high-profile Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womens inquiry. Williams found herself onC OV I D - 1 9the receiving end of many questions and even more expectations. It was a lot of weight to carryespecially since I was fresh out of the gate as a junior forensic pathologist and had so much toT H E I M PA C Tlearn. Also, Im just one person, she says. On some level, I felt humbled because people were putting so much trust in me. I just kept praying that I was saying and doing the right things, whichDr. Kona Williams, Canadas first Indigenous forensic was hard because there wasnt anyone to ask.pathologist, says contending with a global health crisis like While the stress was ever-present, so was the sense of pride inCOVID-19 is something that impacts her day-to-day work her work and her desire to excel. Williams has since grown intoas a lab director for Health Sciences North in Sudbury. her role and enjoys opening opportunities for others in the field,COVID-19 has greatly impacted my role, says Williams. including Indigenous youth looking to pursue a medical careerSupporting the lab in getting testing for the virus ensures themselves. The best decision I made was to take on Indigenouspatients get tested in a timely and accurate manner. students interested in medical school or pathology and share whatMaintaining all the other tests and procedures that have I had learned, reflects Williams.to happen has been challenging. Its been busier in the Asked for the best advice shes given those students, she says:morgue, and we have been mindful of the amount of Dont be afraid to make mistakes because theyre going topersonal protection equipment we require to do our work happen. Failure has been the greatest teacher Ive ever had, sosafely. Its a marathon!while it can hurt, it can also ground you and make you stronger for the next time.BLAZING NEW TRAILS Provincial Forensic Pathology Unit, where she mentored under the facilitys chief forensic pathologist. It was an incredible oppor-Williams initially wanted to become a PhD researcher, with an aimtunityI was working with some of the best minds in pathology in to immerse herself in lab work. With this in mind, she earned anthe world, she says. For the first six months, I was just a sponge. Honours B.Sc. at Dalhousie University in Halifax in biochemistryI asked questions, learned as much as I could, and had a wonderful and molecular biology. Soon, however, a research career started totime exploring my options.lose its luster. I remember working in the lab and watching my PhD researcher write grant applications all day long. She didntIt was also during this time that Williams learned she was on spend any time in the lab, and that made me realize I wanted to betrack to becoming a Canadian-first in her field. The chief forensic more hands-on, Williams recalls.pathologist called me to his office and asked, How come you never told me youre First Nation? Do you understand what that Williams decided to shadow a nearby physician, and this piquedmeans? she recalls. He said there are a lot of challenges to the her interest in medicine. That experience opened my eyes, shedeath investigation system, and weve done a lot wrong when it says. I saw that you could do a lot of hands-on things, be a scien- comes to Indigenous people, so I could do a lot of important work tist, and make things happen. It was absolutely amazing, so I knewas the first Indigenous forensic pathologist in Canada.I needed to apply for medical school. But, of course, no pressure, she jokes.After numerous applications and late-night MCAT study sessions, Williams was accepted to medical school in Ottawa. While there,Williams would go on to prove herself, and then some. In addition she met a pathology professor whose passion for the field inspiredto her work at Health Sciences North, she is now pursuing a masters her further. I got really interested in pathology because it gavein medical studies through the Northern Ontario School of Medicine me a back-door insight into all of medicine, says Williams.(NOSM), where she will be conducting important research in Working with that professor in the morgue and on forensicforensic pathology and toxicology.autopsies exposed me to things most of my classmates had never seen outside of textbooks. [While] I did flirt with other specialties,She has certainly proven her worth as a valuable addition to the I kept gravitating back to pathology. countrys forensic pathology profession and, in doing so, has silenced her detractors. More importantly, Williams lights the With her studies completed, Williams began a five-year residencyway for others to follow in her footsteps to make a difference in at the University of Ottawa, where she was introduced to pathol- the lives of Indigenous women, families and communities. She ogys forensic side. Following this, she was accepted for one ofunderstands how her work impacts better health outcomes for the the first fellowship opportunities at the University of Torontospeople she serves and this is her driving force.Ontario Native Womens Association25'