Sharifa Z. Williams

Sharifa Z. Williams, Dr.P.H., is an Assistant Professor at the Bloustein School of Rutgers University. She joined in 2022 with expertise in biostatistical methods applied to health disparities, structural adversity, and public health policy. Her work examines longitudinal trends in psychosocial exposures and their impact on health outcomes, particularly focusing on racial discrimination and socioeconomic disadvantage. She holds a DrPH in Biostatistics from Columbia University and is a Douglass College alumna.

• Education: DrPH (Biostatistics, Columbia), MS (Biostatistics, Columbia), MPH (Health Policy, Columbia), BA (Economics, Rutgers)
• Key Research Areas: Mental health disparities, allostatic load, overdose prevention, Bayesian modeling, structural racism impacts

Her research often involves methodological collaboration, refining study designs and analytic frameworks for public health projects. Notable contributions include exploring police expenditures’ impact on suicide rates and analyzing telemedicine’s role in behavioral healthcare accessibility during the pandemic.

Recent work addresses opioid overdose prevention strategies in rural areas and evaluates CIT training for law enforcement stigma reduction. She frequently publishes in interdisciplinary journals, integrating statistical rigor with policy implications.

Williams advises on grant applications and collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to advance health equity. Her training manual on health collaborations and early work on pediatric dental care reflect long-standing commitments to community-based interventions.