Karen Patricia Williams

Dr. Williams leads research and clinical faculty in the College of Nursing at The Ohio State University. Her research interests are in cancer prevention, control, and cardiovascular disease prevention with medically underserved and vulnerable women. She developed the Kin KeeperSM Cancer Prevention Intervention to address, in part, the continuous cancer burden carried by disenfranchised women of color and women with limited resources. Her cancer literacy assessments tools for breast and cervical cancer are available in English, Spanish, and Arabic. Additionally, she has pursued a line of inquiry that investigates the intersection of cancer survivorship and cardiovascular risk. Dr. Williams’ research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Susan G. Komen for the Cure, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and state agencies. She is a former co-chair of the Nursing and Related Clinical Sciences Study Section for NIH Center for Scientific Review. Her work is internationally recognized, and she is a sought-out speaker among various national and international audiences.

In addition, Dr. Williams has worked with various federal funding agencies that support pathway programs for underrepresented undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. She has taught learners at all levels. Her teaching has been guided by adult learning theory – andragogy – which holds that adults are self-directed learners who can be guided by plans or contracts. She has developed research courses and independent study programs for undergraduates, courses for the graduate student, faculty development programs and programs for lay-learners.

She is a graduate of Temple University and Michigan State University. She is a member of Trinity Baptist Church, Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority and The Links, Incorporated