UMHS /

    Faculty and Administration

    Williams Crop

    James Williams, Ph.D.

    Chairman, Board of Trustees


    James M. Williams, Ph.D. earned his B.S. in Zoology from The University of Oklahoma and his Ph.D. in Anatomy from the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Williams has held numerous academic positions at Rush Medical College in Chicago, where he has been a pivotal figure since 1984. He has served as a Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Director of the Human Anatomy Laboratory, and Director of the Section of Clinical Anatomy. His contributions to the college also include roles as an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Biochemistry.

    In addition to his academic roles, Dr. Williams has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the Fellows Award from the American Rheumatism Association Central Region and the Nathan Smith Davis Award from the Rush Medical College Alternative Curriculum Class of 2000, which is presented to the faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding teaching ability and dedicated service in the basic and behavioral sciences.

    He has been recognized multiple times for his teaching excellence, being elected to give welcome and commencement addresses by various classes at Rush Medical College and the Physician Assistant Studies Program. Additionally, he has received several Academic Excellence Training awards from the Physician Assistant Studies Program and was honored with the Leonidas H. Berry Faculty Award for Multiculturalism in 2014. His research contributions were acknowledged with the Aircast Award for Basic Science from The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine in 2011. Dr. Williams's dedication to community service was recognized with the RCSIP Community Service Award in 2020 and the RCSIP Hidden Figure Award in 2022.

    Active in professional societies, Dr. Williams is a member of the American Association for Anatomy, the American Association of Clinical Anatomists, and the Central Group on Educational Affairs of the AAMC. He has also been involved with Sigma Xi, serving as a delegate to its national meeting, and has participated in various orthopedic and osteoarthritis research societies. Additionally, he has served on several boards, including the Illinois Arthritis Foundation, the Editorial Advisory Board for Thieme On-Line Dissector, and the Advisory Board for EXPLO.

    Dr. Williams has been actively involved with the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts and Nevis, where he has served on the Board of Trustees since 2015 and was elected Chairman in 2021. His leadership and expertise continue to influence the field of medical education and research.