Heather Williams
MSN, RN, ASN, SANE-A, FN-CSp, IVSE-C
Heather Williams is a Master's prepared registered nurse (RN) with 28 years of nursing experience in emergency medicine, orthopedics, hospice care, and education. Williams obtained her post-graduate degree and earned her Master’s in Science of Nursing (MSN) with an emphasis in Education from Regis University in 2013. She served in a clinical facility position for five years at Southeastern Technical College Associate in Science in Nursing (ASN) program. Additionally, Heather is a board-certified SANE-A and certified FN-CSp.
Understanding the potential lethality factor of strangulation that is often seen in sexual assault cases as well as domestic violence assaults, Williams expanded the Refuge SANE program services to include Non-Fatal Strangulation focused assessments for patients in her community. She attended the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention four-day Advanced Course on Strangulation in 2019. In 2020, she attended the Strangulation Training Institute's Master's Summit, and the Expert Witness Course on Strangulation Prevention in February of 2023. With this training, she has had the opportunity to educate agency partners and her community about the dangers of strangulation and advocate for appropriate patient assessment and treatment necessary after a strangulation event. Additionally, she has served in the legal system, consulting and testifying in non-fatal strangulation cases as an expert witness. Her most recent certification is the Interpersonal Violence Strangulation Evaluation (IVSE-C) Micro-Certification through the Forensic Nursing Certification Board.