Biography

About Me

Dr. Williams joined CMSRU in 2011, prior to the school's official opening, and was the first faculty member in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Prior to joining CMSRU, she spent 20 years at Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Williams was an Active Learning Group facilitator and course director of Fundamentals. Her research interests are in the area of rheumatic diseases. She has authored over 70 scientific publications and has contributed 10 book chapters to various volumes devoted to the topic. Dr. Williams received NIH and private research grants, and in 2005, was awarded the Stewart J. McCracken Award for Achievement in Rheumatology Research by the National Arthritis Foundation. An international leader in her field, she served on numerous NIH grant review committees and has presented the results of her research at many professional and scientific meetings, including this year's annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. Dr. Williams was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2010.

"I wanted to come to CMSRU to be part of a start-up," Dr. Williams explained. "It's wonderful to see how much we have grown, and I look forward to seeing even more growth in the future."

As Professor Emerita, Dr. Williams continues to make intellectual contributions at CMSRU through voluntary lectures and mentoring students and junior faculty. She will continue doing research at the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as visiting professor for the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Prior to her CMSRU appointment, Dr. Williams was professor of Medicine and Biochemistry/Molecular Biology at Thomas Jefferson University. An educator of both medical and graduate students, she received the Dean's Award for Excellence in Education in 2010. Dr. Williams served on numerous committees of the Jefferson Medical College, and was an active member of the College of Graduate Studies, Master's in Biomedical Science program. Dr. Williams' research interests are in the area of rheumatic diseases. She has authored over 70 scientific publications and has contributed 10 book chapters to various volumes devoted to rheumatic diseases. She has received numerous NIH and private research grants, and in 2005, was awarded the Stewart J. McCracken Award for Achievement in Rheumatology Research by the national Arthritis Foundation. An international leader in her field, Dr. Williams has served on numerous NIH grant review committees and has presented the results of her research at many professional and scientific meetings, including this year's annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. Dr. Williams was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2010.

Dr. Williams received her PhD in Biochemistry from Rutgers University and served as a National Research Service Award post-doctoral fellow from 1983-1985.