David R. Williams

David R. Williams is the Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor of African and African American Studies/Sociology at Harvard University. He chairs the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Previously, he held faculty roles at Yale University and the University of Michigan. His research focuses on social influences on health, particularly race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and racism.

Education: MPH from Loma Linda University, PhD in Sociology from the University of Michigan. Early education in St. Lucia, with undergraduate degrees from the University of the Southern Caribbean and divinity studies at Andrews University.

Research Interests:

• Racial/ethnic disparities in health
• Socioeconomic determinants of health
• Psychosocial stress and mental health
• Health policy and intervention strategies

Articles reflect interdisciplinary focus on racism's health impacts, stress, mental health disparities, and religious involvement. Notable contributions include the Everyday Discrimination Scale widely used in health research.

Scientific Awards:

• Member, National Academy of Medicine (2001)
• Member, National Academy of Sciences (2019)
• World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds (Thomson Reuters, 2014)
• Top Cited Scholar in African/African American Studies (2023)

Advisory Roles: Includes Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Commission to Build a Healthier America, National Academy of Medicine committees, and global health initiatives with WHO and Pan American Health Organization.

Labs/Teams: Directed South African Stress and Health Study (WHO-funded), Lung Cancer Disparities Center at Harvard, and National Study of American Life.