Richard Allen Williams
{{Short description|American physician (born 1936)}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Richard Allen Williams
| workplaces ={{plain list|
- Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Harvard Medical School
- Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital
- David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA}}
| alma_mater = {{plain list|
| birth_place = Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1936}}
}}
Richard Allen Williams (born 1936) is an American physician who is founder of the Association of Black Cardiologists. He previously served as the President of the National Medical Association.
Early life and education
Williams was born in Wilmington, Delaware, to a family of eight children. He was educated in a segregated community, and attended an all-Black school until 12th grade.{{Cite book|last=Williams|first=Richard Allen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HbjwYGawcRYC&q=drew+sickle+cell+richard+allen+williams&pg=PR23|title=Healthcare Disparities at the Crossroads with Healthcare Reform|date=2011-03-23|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-4419-7136-4|language=en}} He attended Howard High School of Technology, where he graduated top of his class.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Dr. Richard Allen Williams|url=https://blackcaucus.legislature.ca.gov/sites/blackcaucus.legislature.ca.gov/files/hli/DrWilliamsBio.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-21|website=CLBC}} Williams was awarded a full scholarship to attend Harvard University, which he graduated cum laude.{{Cite web|date=2017-05-17|title=About the Founder|url=http://mhinst.org/about-us/about-the-founder/|access-date=2020-08-17|website=Minority Health Institute|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Aetna: African American History Calendar: 2002: Richard Allen Williams, M.D.: Biography|url=http://www.aetna.com/foundation/aahcalendar/2002williams_bio.html|access-date=2020-08-17|website=www.aetna.com}} He was the first African American from Delaware to join Harvard, and the first cohort of students to live in segregated dormitories. He studied medicine at the State University of New York and graduated in 1962.{{Cite web|last=downstatealumni|date=2016-10-07|title=Richard Allen Williams, MD '62, Named 117th President of National Medical Association|url=https://downstatemedicalalumni.wordpress.com/2016/10/07/richard-allen-williams-national-medical-association/|access-date=2020-08-17|website=SUNY Downstate Medical Alumni|language=en}} He completed a cardiology fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Keck School of Medicine of USC. From his teen years, Williams has been an accomplished jazz trumpeter.{{cite web |title=Richard Allen Williams |url=https://www.nmanet.org/page/President_Elect/Richard-Allen-Williams-M.D..htm |publisher=National Medical Association |access-date=27 March 2021}}
Research and career
Williams joined the Harvard Medical School as an instructor in cardiology. While there, he established a Central Recruitment Council for hospitals in Boston. The council increased the representation of Black medical trainees at Harvard University, Boston University and Tufts University. The council worked to have Peter Bent Brigham Hospital accept its first Black trainee to complete an internship at this precursor of the current Brigham and Women's Hospital.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Courageous Conversations {{!}} Richard Allen Williams: A Lifetime Dedicated to Diversity, Inclusion|url=https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2019/08/18/24/42/courageous-conversations-richard-allen-williams-a-lifetime-dedicated-to-diversity-inclusion|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-17|website=American College of Cardiology}}
Williams moved to California, where he helped to open the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in 1972. He worked with David Satcher to establish the King-Drew Sickle Cell Center, and was appointed the Director. Williams moved to West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, where he was made Chief of the Heart Station. He was the first Black physician to become Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Dr. Richard Allen Williams|url=https://blackcaucus.legislature.ca.gov/sites/blackcaucus.legislature.ca.gov/files/hli/DrWilliamsBio.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-21|website=CLBC}}
In 1974, Williams founded the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC), and served as President for ten years.{{Cite journal|last1=Bailey|first1=Rahn K.|last2=Saldana|first2=Adrienne M.|last3=Saldana|first3=Andrea M.|date=2020-07-06|title=Richard Allen Williams, M.D.: a Career Fighting Disparities and Fostering Equity|journal=Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities|volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=566–569 |language=en|doi=10.1007/s40615-020-00813-8|issn=2196-8837|pmc=7338106|pmid=32632825}} The ABC established the Richard Allen Williams Scholarship in 1980, which provides financial support to Black medical students. In an essay for the Harvard Medical School alumni association, Williams remarked that he established the ABC because "Blacks were being misunderstood by whites in medicine". ABC looks to eliminate disparities in cardiovascular disease through advocacy and education, and started a patient-focussed platform that offers free digital health guides.{{Cite web|title=ABC-Patient|url=http://www.abc-patient.com/|access-date=2020-08-17|website=www.abc-patient.com}} He also launched the Minority Health Institute, which looks to take on racism in healthcare and improve the health of minorities.
Awards and honors
- 2001: American Heart Association Louis B. Russell Jr. Memorial Award{{Cite web|title=Physician honored for work with minorities|url=http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-06/aaft-phf062801.php|date=June 28, 2001|access-date=2020-08-17|website=EurekAlert!|language=en}}
- 2004: Harvard Medical School Lifetime Achievement Award{{Cite web|title=Williams Gala|url=https://amafoundation.org/williams-gala/|access-date=2020-08-17|website=AMA Foundation|language=en-US}}
- 2009: National Minority Quality Forum Achievement Award{{Cite web|author=Staff Writer|date=2019-06-22|title=AMA Honors Dr. Richard Allen Wiliams[sic] » Cardiology2.0|url=https://cardiology2.com/ama-honors-dr-richard-allen-wiliams/|access-date=2020-08-17|website=Cardiology2.0|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702080139/https://cardiology2.com/ama-honors-dr-richard-allen-wiliams/ |archive-date=2020-07-02 |language=en-US}}
- 2017: Elected President of the National Medical Association{{Cite web|title=National Medical Association Installs its 117th President - National Medical Association|url=https://www.nmanet.org/news/311181/National-Medical-Association-Installs-its-117th-President.htm|access-date=2020-08-17|website=www.nmanet.org}}
- 2018: American College of Cardiology Pioneering African American Physician{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Harold on History {{!}} Black History Month and Pioneering African American Physicians|url=https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2018/02/13/14/42/harold-on-history-black-history-month-and-pioneering-african-american-physicians|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-17|website=American College of Cardiology}}
- 2018: UCLA Black Alumni Association Jackie Robinson Award{{Cite web|date=2017-12-21|title=Dr. Richard Williams To Receive Jackie Robinson Award|url=http://mhinst.org/264-2/|access-date=2020-08-17|website=Minority Health Institute|language=en-US}}
- 2019: American Medical Association Testimonial Dinner
- 2019: American College of Cardiology Distinguished Award for Leadership in Diversity and Inclusion
- 2020: Harris County Medical Society John T. McGovern Compleat Physician Award{{Cite web|date=January 24, 2020|title=Dr. Richard Allen Williams receives Compleat Award|url=http://ourweekly.com/news/2020/jan/24/dr-richard-allen-williams-receives-compleat-award/|access-date=May 1, 2021|website=Our Weekly}}{{Cite web|title=About Us|url=https://www.hcms.org/tmaimis/HARRIS/About/About_Us.aspx?WebsiteKey=0a784a46-1152-4b41-8e5d-3545a059ff7f&=404%3bhttps%3a%2f%2fwww.hcms.org%3a443%2fmcgovern-award%2f|access-date=2020-08-17|website=www.hcms.org}}
Selected works
- {{Cite book|last=Williams, Richard Allen, 1936-|title=Blacks in medicine clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic correlations|date=2020|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-030-41960-8|oclc=1153038118}}
- {{Cite book|last=Williams, Richard Allen.|title=Healthcare disparities at the crossroads with healthcare reform.|date=2014|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-4899-8786-0|oclc=902763811}}
- {{Cite book|title=Textbook of Black-related diseases|date=1975|publisher=McGraw-Hill|others=Williams, Richard Allen, 1936-|isbn=0-07-070560-7|location=New York|pages=|oclc=1288411}}
References
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Category:American cardiologists
Category:Harvard College alumni
Category:Harvard Medical School faculty