Ishan Williams, UVA School of Nursing

Ishan C Williams, PhD, FGSA

Professor of Nursing
Department
Nursing Research
Office
McLeod 5009
Phone
(434) 924-0480

Biography

Dr. Ishan C. Williams, is a tenured Professor at the University of Virginia (UVA), School of Nursing. The broad theme guiding her research concentrates on using an equity approach to understanding their needs and improving the health of older adults with dementia and or Alzheimer’s disease and their care partners within social, cultural, and geographical contexts. Her research further examines quality of life, health promotion, and culturally appropriate community-based interventions. Her research has been published in various peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, Journal of Applied Gerontology, Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health), and she is an associate editor for the Journal of Applied Gerontology.

Dr.  Williams was also recently the president of the Southern Gerontological Society, who teaches health policy, evidence-based practice, health promotion and population health, and culture and diversity courses – studies quality of life and healthcare among older adults and their family caregivers, with a particular eye on minoritized and under-resourced populations. Her current research focuses on recruitment science to raise awareness and increase accessibility to those most at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. She also collaborates with colleagues on work focused on understanding the ethical and trust concerns with artificial intelligence (AI) in medical care, while helping to ensure the data has appropriate representation and as little bias as possible.

Williams earned a degree in psychology at UNC Chapel Hill, a MS and a PhD in human development and family studies at UNC Greensboro before completing a postdoctoral fellowship at UNC Chapel Hill’s Institute on Aging. A member of the National Hartford Centers for Gerontological Excellence, a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, one of AARP’s Public Policy Institute Roundtable members, and Williams currently serves on the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia’s Research Commission for the Virginia Department of Health (2024-2027).

Honors and Awards

Research Focus

Conducting culturally relevant and sensitive research among vulnerable populations, such as rural and minority populations, around the areas of chronic illness and mental health among older adults and their caregivers.

Teaching Focus

Culture and health; health promotion and health behavior research; qualitative and quantitative methods

Publications

Advance Online Publications

Williams, L. A., Terhorst, L., Williams, I. C., Skidmore, E., & Lingler, J. H. (2025). Perceived risk of Alzheimer's disease: Insights into the Black and African American male perspective. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 104(4), 1028-1035. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/13872877251317151

Wiese, L. K., Williams, I. C., Holt, J. K., Williams, C. L., Lingler, J., Galvin, J. E., & Schoenberg, N. E. (2023). Testing the ‘Faith Moves Mountains model to increase Alzheimer’s disease awareness, detection, and diagnosis among rural, racially, and ethnically diverse older adults. Aging & Mental Health. Advance online publication.

Zhao, H., Kulbok, P. A., Williams, I. C., Manning, C., Logan, J. G., & Romo, R. D. (2023). Exploring Experiences of Pain Management Among Family Caregivers of Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Dementia. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Advance online publication.

Online Journals

Reilly, S., Gallagher, V., Thompson, R. C., Williams, I. C., & Manning, C. A. (2024). The effective strategies program for dementia care partners (ESP‐C): A pilot study. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 20. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.086321

Journal Articles

Zhao, H., Kulbok, P. A., Williams, I. C., Manning, C., Logan, J. G., & Romo, R. D. (2024). Exploring experiences of pain management among family caregivers of community-dwelling older adults with dementia. The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care. 41 (8), 927-933. https://doi.org/10.1177/10499091231210290

Seo, S., Mattos, M. K., Reilly, S., Williams, I. C., & You, W. (2024). The relationship between social relationships and sleep quality in older adults: Loneliness as a mediator and cognitive status as a moderator. Geriatric Nursing, 60, 628-635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2024.10.036

Wright, Q. C., Wiencek, C. A., & Williams, I. C. (2024). Utilizing a tailored approach to standardized screening of health-related social needs. Journal of Nursing Care Quality. 39 (2), 114-120.

Epps, F., Gore, J., Flatt, J. D., Williams, I. C., Wiese, L., Masoud, S. S., & Franks, N. (2024). Synthesizing best practices to promote health equity for older adults through community-engaged research. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 17(1), 9-16. https://doi.org/10.3928/19404921-20231205-01

Rogers, C. C., Jang, S. S., Tidwell, W., Shaughnessy, S., Hauck, F. R., Williams, I. C., & Valdez, R. S. (2024). Expanding human factors/ergonomics to address social determinants of health: A patient ergonomics approach to birth justice. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 99(2024), 1035281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2023.103528

Davis, K. D., Marrs, S. A., Williams, I., Zimmerman, K., Coogle, C. L., Ansello, E. F., Parsons, P. L., Slattum, P. W., & Waters, L. H. (2023). An interprofessional geriatrics faculty development program: Exploration of the barriers and facilitators of capstone projects. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 2023, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2023.2243844

Fields, N., Xu, L., Williams, I. C., Gaugler, J., Cipher, D., Cassidy, J., & Feinhals, G. (2023). The Senior Companion Program Plus: An innovative training approach for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. Healthcare, 11(13), 1966. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11131966

Rogers, C. C., Jang, S. S., Tidwell, W., Shaughnessy, S., Milburn, J., Hauck, F. R., Williams, I.,... & Valdez, R. S. (2023). Designing mobile health to align with the social determinants of health. Frontiers in Digital Health, 5(2023), 1193920. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1193920

Robinson, R., Liday, C., Lee, S., Williams, I. C., Wright, M., An, S., & Nguyen, E. (2023). Artificial Intelligence in Health Care—Understanding Patient Information Needs and Designing Comprehensible Transparency: Qualitative Study. JMIR AI, 2(2023), 46487. https://doi.org/10.2196/46487

Formanack, A., Doshi, A., Valdez, R., Williams, I., Moorman, J. R., & Chernyavskiy, P. (2023). Race, Class, and Place Modify Mortality Rates for the Leading Causes of Death in the United States, 1999–2021. Journal of general internal medicine, 1-9, 0. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08062-1

Xu, L., Fields, N. L., Williams, I. C., Gaugler, J. E., Kunz-Lomelin, A., Cipher, D. J., & Feinhals, G. (2023). The Senior Companion Program Plus. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(7), 5380. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075380

Campbell, C. L., Williams, I. C., & Campbell, L. C. (2023). Church Matters: Education About Advance Care Planning and End-of-Life Care in Black Churches. Family & Community Health, 46(3), 176-180. https://doi.org/10.1097/FCH.0000000000000365

Mattos, M. K., Gibson, J. S., Wilson, D., Jepson, L., Ahn, S., & Williams, I. C. (2023). Shared decision-making in persons living with dementia: A scoping review. Dementia (London, England), 22(4), 875-909. https://doi.org/10.1177/14713012231156976

Weise, L., Abel, K., Park, J. Y., & Williams, I. (2022). Perceptions about discrimination in a rural, older, racially and ethnically diverse older cohort. Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care, 22(2), 3-28. https://doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v22i2.712

Gallagher, V., Reilly, S., Williams, I., Mattos, M. K., & Manning, C. (2022). Patterns of sleep disturbances across stages of cognitive decline. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 38(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.5865

Ejem, D., Atkins, G. C., Perkins, M., Morhardt, D. J., Williams, I. C., ... & Clay, O. J. (2022). Stressors and acceptability of services among Black caregivers of persons with memory problems. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 48(6), 13-18. https://doi.org/10.3928/00989134-20220505-01

Anderson, J. G., Jabson Tree, J. M., Flatt, J. D., Gross, A. L., Williams, I. C., & Rose, K. M. (2022). A comparative analysis of family quality of life between heterosexual and sexual minority caregivers of people with dementia. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 41(6), 1576-1584. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648221079496

Wiese, L. K., Williams, I., Williams, C. L., & Galvin, J. E. (2021). Discerning rural Appalachian stakeholder attitudes toward memory screening. Aging & Mental Health, 25(5), 797-806. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2020.1725739

Wiese, L. K., Williams, I. C., Schoenberg, N. E., Galvin, J. E., & Lingler, J. (2021). Overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic for dementia research: Engaging rural, older, racially and ethnically diverse church attendees in remote recruitment, intervention, and assessment. Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine, 7, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/23337214211058919

Williams, I. C. (2021). Inclusive aging research within the context of social determinants of health. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 40(2), 119-120. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464820974653

Williams, I. C., & Mattos, M. K. (2021). We’re still here: Addressing the diverse healthcare needs of older adults in rural areas. Public Policy & Aging Report, 31(4), 126-128. https://doi.org/10.1093/ppar/prab017

Lee., M., Ryoo, J., Crowder, J., Byon, H., & Williams, I. (2020). A systematic review and meta-analysis on effective interventions for health-related quality of life among caregivers of people with dementia. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(2), 475-489. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14262

Lee, M., Ryoo, J., Hollen, P., Campbell, C., & Williams, I. (2020). The impact of performing medical/nursing tasks at home among caregivers of individuals with cognitive impairment. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 39(11), 1203-1212. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464819879014

Lee, M., Ryoo, J. H., Chung, M., Anderson, J. G., Rose, K., & Williams, I. C. (2020). Effective interventions for depressive symptoms among caregivers of people with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Dementia, 19(7), 2368-2398. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218822640

Epps, F., & Williams, I. (2020). The importance of religiosity to the well-being of African American older adults living with dementia. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 39(5), 509-518. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464818820773

Scott, C., Clay, O. J., Epps, F., Cothran, F., & Williams, I. (2020). Associations of knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss and employment status with burden in African American and Caucasian family caregivers. Dementia, 19(3), 847-860. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218788147

Williams, I., Clay, O., Orvalle, F., & Crow, M. (2020). The role of perceived discrimination and other psychosocial factors in explaining diabetes distress among older African American and Caucasian adults. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 39(1), 99-104. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464817750273

Lee, M., Ryoo, J. H., Campbell, C., Hollen, P. J., & Williams, I. C. (2019). Exploring the challenges of medical/nursing tasks in home care experienced by caregivers of older adults with dementia: An integrative review. Journal of clinical nursing, 28(XXIII-XIV), 4177-4189. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15007

McCants, K., Reid, K. B., Williams, I., Miller, D. E., Rubin, R., Dutton, S. (2019). The impact of case management on reducing readmission for patients diagnosed with heart failure and diabetes. Professional Case Management, 24(4), 177-193. https://doi.org/10.1097/ncm.0000000000000359

Williams, I. C. & Anderson, W. A. (2018). Personal growth attributed by nursing students to a diversity class. Nursing Education Perspectives, 39(4), 235-237. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000266

Moss, K. O., Deutsch, N., Hollen, P., Rovnyak, V., Williams, I., & Rose, K. (2018). End-of-life plans for African American older adults with dementia. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 35(10), 1314-1322. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049909118761094

Moss, K. O., Deutsch, N., Hollen, P., Rovnyak, V., Williams, I., & Rose, K. (2018). Understanding end-of-life terminology among older African Americans. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 44(2), 33-40. https://doi.org/10.3928/00989134-20171002-02

Valdez, R., Guterbock, T. M., Fitzgibbon, K., Williams, I. C., Wellbeloved-Stone, C., Bears, J., & Menefee, H. (2017). From loquacious to reticent: Understanding patient health information communication to guide consumer health IT design. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 24(4), 680-696. https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocw155

Williams, I. C., Park, M., Tsang, S., Sperling, S. & Manning, C. (2017). Cognitive function and vascular risk factors among older African American adults. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 0, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0583-7

Sperling, S., Tsang, S., Williams, I. C., Helenius, I., & Manning, C. (2017). Subjective memory change, mood, and cerebrovascular risk factors in older African Americans. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 30(6), 324-330. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891988717732153

Tsang, S., Sperling, S., Williams, I. C., & Manning, C. (2017). Blood pressure variability and cognitive functioning among older African American adults. Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, 30(3), 90-97. https://doi.org/10.1097/wnn.0000000000000128

Brunk, D.R., Taylor, A.G., Clark, M.L., Williams, I.C., & Cox, D.J. (2015). A culturally appropriate self-management program for Hispanic adults with type 2 diabetes and low health literacy skills. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 2015, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659615613418

Kim, H., Rose, K., Netemeyer, R., Merwin, E., & Williams, I. (2014). A secondary data analysis of Internet use for caregivers of persons with dementia. Nursing Open, 1(1), 15-22. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.2

Valdez, R. S., Guterbock, T. M., Thompson, M. J., Reilly, J. D., Menefee, H. K., Bennici, M. S., Williams, I. C., & Rexrode, D. L. (2014). Beyond traditional advertisements: Leveraging Facebook’s social structures for research recruitment. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 16(10), e243. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.3786

Cary, M., Merwin, E., Oliver, N., & Williams, I. (2014). Inpatient rehabilitation outcomes in a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries with hip fracture. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 33, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464814541325

Williams, I. C., Utz, S. W., Hinton, I., Yan, G., Jones, R., & Reid, K. (2014). Enhancing diabetes self-care among rural African Americans with diabetes: Results of a two-year culturally tailored intervention. The Diabetes Educator, 40(2), 231-239. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145721713520570

Moss, K. S. & Williams, I. C. (2014). End-of-life preferences in Afro-Caribbean older adults: A systematic review of the literature. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 69(3), 271-282. https://doi.org/10.2190/OM.69.3.c

Fahs, P. S., Pribulick, M., Williams, I. C., James, G. D., Rovynak, V. G., Seibold-Simpson, S. M. (2013). Promoting heart health in rural women. Journal of Rural Health, 29(3), 248-257. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-0361.2012.00442.x

Rose, K., & Williams, I.C. (2011). Family matters: Family quality of life in dementia. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 37(6), 3-4.

Williams, I. C., Utz, S. W., Jones, R., Hinton, I., Steeves, R., & Alexander, G. (2011). Recruitment of rural African Americans for research projects: Lessons learned. Southern Online Journal of Nursing Research, 11(1), Retrieved from http://www.resourcenter.net/images/SNRS/Files/SOJNR_articles2/Vol11Num01Art08.html.

Williams, I., Rose, K. (2010). Family quality of life in dementia: Preliminary results. The Gerontologist, 50, 1-232.

Williams, I., Utz, S., Jones, R.A., Hinton, I., Steeves, R., & Alexander, G. (2010). Recruitment of rural African Americans for research projects: Lessons learned. Southern Online Journal of Nursing Research, 11(1), 1-17.

Campbell, C., Williams, I.C., & Orr, T. (2010). Factors that impact end-of-life decision making in African Americans with advanced cancer. The Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, 12(4), 214-224.

Stern, S., Merwin, E., Hauenstein, E., Hinton, I., Rovnyak, V., Wilson, M., Williams, I. & Mahone, I.H. (2010). The effects of rurality on mental and physical health. Health Services and Outcomes Research Methodology, 10(1), 33-66.

Jones, R.A., Steeves, R., & Williams, I. (2010). Family and friend interactions among African American men deciding whether to have a prostate cancer screening. Urologic Nursing, 30(3), 189-194.

Hinton,I., Howell, J., Merwin,E., Stern, S., Turner, S., Williams, I., and Wilson, M. (2010). The educational pipeline for health care professionals: Understanding the source of racial differences. Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 45, No.1, p. 116-156.

Jones, R.A., Steeves, R. & Williams, I. (2009). Strategies for recruiting African American men into prostate cancer screening studies. Nursing Research, 58(6), 452-456.

Jones, R.A., Steeves, R., & Williams, I. (2009). How African American men decide whether or not to get prostate cancer screening. Cancer Nursing, 32(2), 166-172. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCC.0b013e3181982c6e

Utz, S.W., Williams, I.C., Jones, R., Hinton, I., Alexander, G., Yan. G., Moore, C., Blankenship, J., Steeves, R. & Oliver, M.N. (2008). Culturally-tailored intervention for rural African Americans with type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Educator, 34(5), 854-865.

Alexander, G.K., Utz, S.W., Hinton, I., Williams, I., & Jones, R. (2008). Culture brokerage strategies in diabetes education. Public Health Nursing, 25(5), 461-470. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1446.2008.00730.x

Book Sections

Williams, I. C., Epps, F., & Lee, M. (2020). Caregiving. In J. Giddens (Ed.), Concepts in nursing (3rd ed., pp. 0). Mosby Elsevier.

Williams, I. C. (2020). Diversity in health and illness. In E. E. Friberg (Ed.), Conceptual foundations: The bridge to professional nursing practice (7th ed., pp. 238-251). Elsevier, Inc.

Williams, I. C., Williams, D. J., Pelligrino, A., & Warren, J. C. (2012). Providing mental health services for racial, ethnic, and sexual orientation minority groups in rural areas. In B. Smalley, J.C. Warren, & J. Rainer (Eds.), Rural Mental Health (pp. 233-257). Springer Publishing Co.

Columns, Editorials and Op-Eds

Williams, I. (2019, Sping). Was I ready to talk race: Belonging. Virginia Nursing Legacy Magazine. Retrieved from https://magazine.nursing.virginia.edu/flipbooks/vnl-magazine-2019-spring/.

Williams, I. C. (2019, June 12). There is a huge disparity in diagnosing Alzheimer’s in Black Americans. The Hill. https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/448240-there-is-a-huge-disparity-in-diagnosing-alzheimers-in-black-americans. .