Associate Professor
Jessica Williams, PhD, MPH, PHNA-BC, FAAN is an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Nursing. She is a board-certified advanced public health nurse with clinical training in both hospital and community settings. Her research focuses on improving the role of the healthcare system in addressing syndemic health outcomes (e.g., chronic pain, HIV, opioid misuse) of interpersonal and gender-based violence and is facilitated through the application of community engagement methodology and dissemination and implementation science. Her research demonstrates how trauma impacts patient-provider communication and access to effective health services. This work highlights the unique difficulties survivors face managing chronic health conditions and how internal resources affect these challenges both positively and negatively. Her most recent research focuses on understanding the contribution of interpersonal violence to chronic pain opioid misuse and factors that promote resiliency among survivors.
Dr. Williams teaches courses in qualitative research methodology and evidence-based practice. She also provides training for health providers focused on screening and responding to interpersonal and gender-based violence within healthcare settings based on current evidence-based practice guidelines. She earned her PhD in 2008 from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.
| 2021 | Induction as Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing |
| 2019–2020 | Journal of Forensic Nursing Education Article of the Year Award |
| 2018–2020 | Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholar, Carolina Center for Public Service, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| 2015 | American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Prize; Member of the award recipient team for the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital at Miami Children’s Health System – Humpty Dumpty Fall Prevention ™ |
| 2014 | Nurse of the Year, Public Health/Ambulatory Care Category, March of Dimes Florida Chapter, Miami-Dade/Monroe Division |
| 2008 | Second Place, Pre-Doctoral Research Award, New Investigators’ Day, Johns Hopkins University, School of Nursing |
| 2006 | Outstanding Young Alumnus, University of Florida, College of Nursing |
| 2005 | Sigma Theta Tau, Nu Beta Chapter Award |
| 2003 | First Place Undergraduate Poster Award, American Public Health Association, Public Health Nursing Section |
Refereed Papers/Articles
(*data-based; †publication with student; ‡senior author):
Original Research
| Role | Title | Total Direct Amount (FTE if available) | Percent Effort | Agency | Dates |
| PI | Longitudinal Prescription Opioid Use among Patients Experiencing Interpersonal Violence | $9,825 | UNC Injury Prevention Research Center | 2020 | |
| PI | Exploring the Mechanisms of Interpersonal Trauma on Opioid Use Patterns | $20,000 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | 2018-2020 |
| Role | Title | Total Direct Amount (FTE if available) | Percent Effort | Agency | Dates |
| Co-Director, Community Engagement, Dissemination, and Implementation Core | Center of Excellence for Health Disparities Research: El Centro, P60 Center Grant | $495,256 (core) | National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities | 2014-2017 | |
| Co-Director, Implementation Core | Implementation Core, Center of Excellence in Precision Medicine and Population Health | $1,077,715 (core) | National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities | 2016-2017 | |
| Program Evaluator | Miami Dade County Human Trafficking Collaborative Project | $30,000 (evaluation component) | US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime | 2016-2017 | |
| PI | Decisions to Disclose and Defining Patient-Centered Outcomes for Victims of Intimate Partner Violence and Human Trafficking during Healthcare Visits | $ 4,420 | 0% | University of Miami, Dean’s Award | 2015-2016 |
| Co-I | Disparities in HIV, STI’s and Testing Among Victims of Intimate Partner Violence | $180,113 | 15% | National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities | 2014-2016 |
| PI | Trauma-Informed Decision-Making Between Providers and Victims of Intimate Partner Violence During HIV Testing: A Qualitative Study | $24,885 | 0% | Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology for Drug Abuse and Sexual Risk Behavior | 2014-2016 |
| PI | Screening for Intimate Partner Violence among Healthcare Facilities in Miami-Dade County | $16,770 | Portion of Summer Salary Support | University of Miami James W. McLamore Research Award in Business and Social Sciences | 2014-2015 |
| PI | Recovery: Increasing Adoption of Patient-Centered Behavioral Health Research by Primary Care and Behavioral Health Providers and Systems | $1,944,004 | 50% | Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality | 2010-2012 |
| Role | Title | Total Direct Amount (FTE if available) | Percent Effort | Agency | Dates |
| Co-Director | Implementation Core, Center of Excellence in Precision Medicine and Population Health | $1,077,715 | 15% | National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities | 2016-2017 |
| Program Evaluator | Miami Dade County Human Trafficking Collaborative Project | $30,000 | 5% | US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime | 2016-2017 |
| Director | Community Engagement, Dissemination, and Implementation Core, Center of Excellence for Health Disparities Research: EL CENTRO | $495,256 | 10% | National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities | 2014-2017 |
| Director | Gender Equitable Access to Essential HIV/AIDS Health Services in Developing Countries | $200,000 | 20% | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Reproductive Health, Applied Sciences Branch and Global AIDS Program | 2011-2012 |
| Director | Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions-Monitoring and Evaluation Field Guides | $624,000 | 25% | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Program Evaluation Branch | 2010-2012 |
| Research Analyst | HIV Program Indicators Analysis Project | $782,735 | 10% | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Program Evaluation Branch | 2010-2012 |
| Research Analyst | Identifying Best Practices in Family Planning | $400,000 | 30% | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Reproductive Health, Applied Sciences Branch | 2010-2011 |
| Director | Implementation Science: An Overview | $10,000 | 75% | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Reproductive Health, Applied Sciences Branch | 2010 |
| Research Analyst | Screening and Treatment for Depression among Women of Reproductive Age – Evidence Tables | $200,000 | 75% | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Reproductive Health, Applied Sciences Branch | 2009-2010 |
| Research Analyst | Medical Expert Panels Program | $2,987,907 | 25-100% | Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration | 2008-2012 |
| Research Analyst | AHRQ Safety and Quality in Healthcare: A Framework for Utilizing and Evaluating Evidence in Evidence-Based Design | $200,000 | 50% | Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality | 2008-2009 |
| PI | Relational Aggression and Dating Violence in Adolescents | $88,088 | N/A | National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research | 2006-2008 |
| Role | Title | Total Direct Amount (FTE if available) | Percent Effort | Agency | Dates |
| Co-Director | Research, Training and Education Core, Center of Excellence for Health Disparities Research: EL CENTRO | $412,527 | 10% | National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities | 2016-2017 |