Dr. Afia Wilson was a guest on the Hot Seat at Utica Phoenix Radio 95.5 Fm this past Wellness Wednesday sponsored by First Source. Cassandra Harris-Lockwood was the host of the radio show with Natalie Williams co-hosting. Dr. Wilson has earned a Medical Doctor degree, and a Master’s degree in Public Health. She recently received a Young, Gifted and Black Award for Medical Excellence and Innovation.
The topic on the Hot Seat’s Wellness Show on Wednesday, 3/18/2026, was her journey in becoming a medical doctor. She currently works for the Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) as a colorectal surgeon at Wynn Hospital.
Dr. Wilson described her childhood in Trinidad & Tobago where she was born. She would pretend that she was fixing wounds and hurts on her dolls and discovered that she enjoyed doing activities which involved performing hand to eye coordination. She, to this day enjoys the fact that as a surgeon, she gets to ‘fix the problem’.
Her family moved to Brooklyn, in New York City, where she went to public school and earned high grades. She chose to go to Howard University, a traditional HBC (Historically Black College). After graduation, she spent a year working in medical research. She decided that would be her career path and attended St. Georges Medical School. Dr. Wilson is currently in her fourth year of Medical Residency at the Wynn Hospital.
She advises that the most important thing that a person can do for themselves today is to get a colonoscopy. Colorectal cancer is on the rise in people under 50 years of age; and preventive scoping and removal of any polyps discovered can avert developing cancer later in your life.
Dr. Wilson described the Davinci Surgical machine that she often uses to perform colon resection surgery. She believes that robotic surgery is an innovation which improves the outcome of most surgeries. The four armed machine, which the human surgeon directs, has pin point accuracy and can enter small spaces in the pelvis difficult to access otherwise. Recovery from the robotic operation is quicker because far smaller incisions need to be made.
Dr. Afia Wilson advised young people that those with the academic grades, talent and interest for having a career in the health professions should pursue it. “Medicine is not a career that you go into for the money, but if you really want to help people – You can do it; I did.”
