Francesca Arielle Williamson

Francesca Arielle Williamson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Learning Health Sciences at the University of Michigan Medical School and a Faculty Associate at the Research Center for Group Dynamics, Institute for Social Research. She is an interdisciplinary social scientist and qualitative methodologist specializing in social interactional research, equitable learning systems, and health equity.

Her educational background:

• BS from Washington State University
• PhD from Indiana University, Bloomington
• Postdoctoral fellowship at Butler University Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability (2021)

Williamson employs ethnomethodology and conversation analysis to investigate healthcare interactions in contexts like pediatric oncology and urology, focusing on emotional responses, decisional dilemmas, and trust dynamics. Her research examines how health, learning, and research practices impact equity within learning health systems, with the goal of advancing humanizing systems of care through the HEiRS Lab she leads.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Putnam Scholar, Academy of Communication in Healthcare

Williamson directs the HEiRS Lab, a research collective analyzing real-world practices that enable or hinder justice in health and learning ecosystems beyond traditional clinical settings.