Dr. Michelle Williams

Biography

Michelle A. Williams, SM ’88, ScD ’91, is a renowned epidemiologist and award-winning educator, recognized as an academic leader. She served as the Dean of the Faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health for seven years, stepping down in June 2023. Prior to her deanship, Professor Williams was the Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard Chan School and the Program Leader of the Population Health and Health Disparities Research Programs at Harvard’s Clinical Translational Sciences Center. In January 2025, she will take a position as Professor of Epidemiology in Population Health at Stanford University while remaining an adjunct professor at the Harvard Chan School. She previously had a distinguished career at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Her research emphasizes reproductive, perinatal, pediatric, and molecular epidemiology, and she has published more than 520 scientific articles. In 2016, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. In 2020, she received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and was recognized as one of PR Week's top 50 health influencers of the year.

Research Interests