Brian Williams, M.D., FACS

Brian Williams is a professor of trauma and acute care surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine, the founding program director of the adult surgical critical care fellowship, the co-director of the surgical intensive care unit, and an instructor of racial disparities in health care at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. As a frontline clinician, medical educator, and public speaker, Williams is a nationally recognized leader in racial justice, gun violence, and health equity.

Williams has excelled in several leadership roles in the military, academic medicine, public health, and public policy. He began his career serving as a United States Air Force officer, directing classified research and developmental test programs. Since transitioning to medicine, he has had extensive experience as a trauma surgeon at some of the busiest urban centers in the country. Williams gained national prominence after leading the team that cared for police officers ambushed on July 7, 2016, in Dallas, Texas. Recognizing his commitment to service, the mayor of Dallas appointed Williams as chair of the Citizens Police Review Board. His leadership and expertise in public health and safety helped unite the Dallas Police Department, community activists, police unions, and the city council to reform the role civilians served in police oversight.

Williams received his BS in aeronautical engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, graduating with military honors. He received his MD from the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa; completed general surgery residency training at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and completed two fellowships, trauma surgery and surgical critical care, at Emory University/Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.