IOA Staff

Sharon W. Williams, Ph.D.

Lead, Aging and Diversity Program
Senior Scientist

Dr. Sharon W. Williams is a research scientist with the Institute and program lead for the Institute’s Aging and Diversity Program. She is also an associate professor in The Department of Allied Health Sciences; Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences. Dr. Williams received a BS and MS in Communication Disorders and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies. She completed a gerontology postdoctoral fellowship at The Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Her research focuses on minority aging, family functioning and processes in caregiving families, and end of life communication within families and with health care providers. Her current research projects include the ’Stroke Telemedicine Access Recovery Project' (STAR) which focuses on rehabilitation, secondary prevention, and family functioning of community-dwelling white, African American, and American Indian stroke survivors. Her work has appeared in The Journals of Gerontology, The Gerontologist, Journal of Applied Gerontology, and Journal of Palliative Medicine.

Email: sharon_williams@unc.edu