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David R. Williams (scientist)

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This article is about the St Lucian-American public health scientist. For the Canadian astronaut and physician who also goes by David R. Williams, see Dafydd Williams.
David R. Williams
SLMM
Born
David Rudyard Williams

(1954-06-12) June 12, 1954 (age 70)
Aruba raised in Saint Lucia
CitizenshipSt Lucian, American
Alma materCaribbean Union College (B.Th. Hons.), Andrews University (M.Div.), Loma Linda University (M.P.H.), University of Michigan (M.A., Ph.D.) [1]
Known forResearch on race and health
Awards2004 Decade of Behavior Research Award
Scientific career
FieldsSociology
Public health
InstitutionsHarvard School of Public Health
Harvard University
University of Michigan
Yale University
ThesisSocioeconomic Differentials in Health: The Role of Psychosocial Factors (1986)
Websitescholar.harvard.edu/davidrwilliams
External videos
video icon "Covid-19: Why race matters for health", Knowable Magazine, 06.03.2021
video icon How racism makes us sick, TEDMED, November 2016
video icon HGP10 Symposium: Genomics and Disparities in Health and Health Care - David Williams, April 30, 2013

David Rudyard Williams SLMM (born 1954 in Aruba)[2] is the Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, as well as a professor of African and African American Studies and of Sociology at Harvard University.

Education

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Originally educated in theology and ministry at Caribbean Union College and Andrews University, Williams then studied public health and sociology. Williams holds a Master of Public Health from Loma Linda University and an MA and PhD in sociology from the University of Michigan.[3][1]

Career

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From 1986 to 1992, Williams taught at Yale University, where he held appointments in both sociology and public health.[4] In 1992, Williams joined the faculty of the University of Michigan, where his positions included Harold Cruse Collegiate Professor of Sociology, a senior research scientist at the Institute of Social Research, and a professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health.[3][4]

In 2006, Williams joined Harvard as the Norman Professor of Public Health.[5][4] Williams was a senior research advisor for the 2008 PBS documentary series "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick". His 2016 TED Talk entitled "How Racism Makes Us Sick" has been translated into 18 languages and has been viewed over 1 million times.[6]

Research

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Williams' research focuses on how social factors such as education, income, and race affect physical and mental health.[5][7][8] He is also known for his research on the health effects of racial discrimination.[9][10]

Honors and awards

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In 2001, Williams was elected a member of the Institute of Medicine (later the National Academy of Medicine).[11] In 2007, he became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[12] He is also a member of the American Sociological Association,[13] the American Public Health Association, and the American Psychological Association.[1] In 2019, he became a member of the National Academy of Sciences.[4]

In 2009, Williams was named the most highly cited black scholar in the social sciences by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.[14] He was one of the world's most influential scientific minds as listed by Thomson Reuters in 2015.[15]

In 2004, Williams was a recipient of one of the inaugural Decade of Behavior Research Awards from the American Psychological Association.[13] In 2011, he received the Leo G. Reeder Award for Distinguished Contributions to Medical Sociology from the American Sociological Association.[16] In 2013, Williams received the Stephen Smith Award for Distinguished Contributions in Public Health, New York Academy of Medicine.[17] In 2014, he was the recipient of the Lemuel Shattuck Award for Significant Contributions to the Field of Public Health, awarded by the Massachusetts Public Health Association.[18] In 2015, he received the Distinguished Leadership in Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association.[19][20] In 2017, he was the recipient of the Leonard I. Pearlin Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Sociological Study of Mental Health.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Curriculum Vitae David R. Williams" (PDF). Harvard University. January 28, 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  2. ^ "Williams, David R. (David Rudyard), 1954-". Library of Congress. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b "David R. Williams's Faculty Website". Harvard School of Public Health. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d "David R. Williams". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  5. ^ a b "David Williams". Harvard Magazine. May 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  6. ^ "David R. Williams (1954- ) •". BlackPast. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Poorer mental health for black Caribbeans". UPI. 5 January 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  8. ^ Cooper, Kenneth J. (March 14, 2016). "The costs of inequality: Faster lives, quicker deaths". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  9. ^ Martin, Michel (October 28, 2017). "Racism Is Literally Bad For Your Health". All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  10. ^ Williams, DR; Mohammed, SA (February 2009). "Discrimination and racial disparities in health: evidence and needed research". Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 32 (1): 20–47. doi:10.1007/s10865-008-9185-0. PMC 2821669. PMID 19030981.
  11. ^ "David R. Williams". Department of African and African American Studies, Harvard University. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  12. ^ "David R. Williams". Scholars at Harvard. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  13. ^ a b Ebner, Johanna (January 2004). "Williams Receives "Decade of Behavior" Award". Footnotes. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  14. ^ "JBHE's Annual Citation Rankings of Black Scholars in the Social Sciences and the Humanities". Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  15. ^ "The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2015" (PDF). Thomson Reuters. p. 106. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Reeder Award Papers: Journal of Health and Social Behavior". SAGE Journals. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  17. ^ "The Stephen Smith Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Public Health | New York Academy of Medicine". www.nyam.org. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  18. ^ "David Williams honored by Massachusetts Public Health Association". Harvard School of Public Health. 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  19. ^ "Committee on Socioeconomic Status (CSES) Leadership Awards: Emerging and Distinguished Psychologists". American Psychological Association. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  20. ^ "David Williams honored for leadership in psychology". Harvard School of Public Health. 2015-07-27. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  21. ^ Pearlin, Leonard I. (September 1989). "The Sociological Study of Stress". Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 30 (3): 241–256. doi:10.2307/2136956. ISSN 0022-1465. JSTOR 2136956. PMID 2674272.
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