David Rudyard Williams SLMM (born 1954 in Aruba)[2] is the Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, as well as a professor of African and African American Studies and of Sociology at Harvard University.
Originally educated in theology and ministry at Caribbean Union College and Andrews University, Williams then studied public health and sociology.
[5][4] Williams was a senior research advisor for the 2008 PBS documentary series "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick".
[6] Williams' research focuses on how social factors such as education, income, and race affect physical and mental health.
[16] In 2013, Williams received the Stephen Smith Award for Distinguished Contributions in Public Health, New York Academy of Medicine.