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.
David R. Williams | |
|---|---|
| Born | David Rudyard Williams June 12, 1954 Aruba raised in Saint Lucia |
| Citizenship | St Lucian, American |
| Alma mater | Caribbean Union College (B.Th. Hons.), Andrews University (M.Div.), Loma Linda University (M.P.H.), University of Michigan (M.A., Ph.D.) [1] |
| Known for | Research on race and health |
| Awards | 2004 Decade of Behavior Research Award |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Sociology Public health |
| Institutions | Harvard School of Public Health Harvard University University of Michigan Yale University |
| Thesis | Socioeconomic Differentials in Health: The Role of Psychosocial Factors (1986) |
| Website | scholar |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 "Covid-19: Why race matters for health", Knowable Magazine, 06.03.2021 | |
| How racism makes us sick, TEDMED, November 2016 | |
| HGP10 Symposium: Genomics and Disparities in Health and Health Care - David Williams, April 30, 2013 |
Education
editOriginally 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
editFrom 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
editWilliams' 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
editIn 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
edit- ^ a b c "Curriculum Vitae David R. Williams" (PDF). Harvard University. January 28, 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "Williams, David R. (David Rudyard), 1954-". Library of Congress. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ^ a b "David R. Williams's Faculty Website". Harvard School of Public Health. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d "David R. Williams". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
- ^ a b "David Williams". Harvard Magazine. May 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ^ "David R. Williams (1954- ) •". BlackPast. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "Poorer mental health for black Caribbeans". UPI. 5 January 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ^ Cooper, Kenneth J. (March 14, 2016). "The costs of inequality: Faster lives, quicker deaths". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
- ^ Martin, Michel (October 28, 2017). "Racism Is Literally Bad For Your Health". All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "David R. Williams". Department of African and African American Studies, Harvard University. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "David R. Williams". Scholars at Harvard. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
- ^ a b Ebner, Johanna (January 2004). "Williams Receives "Decade of Behavior" Award". Footnotes. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds 2015" (PDF). Thomson Reuters. p. 106. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "Reeder Award Papers: Journal of Health and Social Behavior". SAGE Journals. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
- ^ "The Stephen Smith Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Public Health | New York Academy of Medicine". www.nyam.org. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
- ^ "David Williams honored by Massachusetts Public Health Association". Harvard School of Public Health. 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
- ^ "Committee on Socioeconomic Status (CSES) Leadership Awards: Emerging and Distinguished Psychologists". American Psychological Association. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "David Williams honored for leadership in psychology". Harvard School of Public Health. 2015-07-27. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
- ^ 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.