Williams is National Black Nurses Association's Nurse Researcher of the Year

Lovoria Williams, PhD, associate professor in the University of Kentucky College of Nursing, has been named Nurse Researcher of the Year by the National Black Nurses Association at the 47th Annual Conference in New Orleans on Saturday, July 27. The award represents her work to deliver community-based interventions that reduce health disparities among minority and medically-underserved populations by increasing tobacco cessation and cancer screening behaviors and reducing obesity and diabetes.

Prior to joining the University of Kentucky, she was a tenured associate professor and director of diversity in the College of Nursing Augusta University (formerly Georgia Regents University and the Medical College of Georgia) Augusta, Georgia.  She received a PhD in nursing from Georgia Regents University in 2011. Williams’ dissertation examined diabetes predictors among African-Americans in a faith-based setting. Her research focuses on delivering interventions to reduce health disparities among minority and medically-underserved populations. She utilizes community based participatory research methods to deliver behavioral interventions aimed to increase tobacco cessation and cancer screening behaviors and to reduce obesity and diabetes. She is nationally-recognized for developing culturally-adapted interventions for implementation by community health workers. Her work has been funded by the Georgia Department of Public Health, National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented nationally and internationally.

As an active clinician serving the veteran, homeless and nicotine dependent patients, Williams adeptly integrates student teaching and research into her family nurse practitioner role. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors such as Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Phi Kappa Phi, Excellence in Research and Outstanding Published Writing. She is a member of multiple professional organizations such as the National Black Nurses Association, the Obesity Society and the Southern Nursing Research Society where she serves on the Board of Directors.