Dr. Brian H. Williams led the trauma team that treated police officers
ambushed by a sniper in Dallas, Texas, on July 7, 2016, the largest loss
of life for US law enforcement since 9/11. At a press conference days
later, his heartfelt comments about the tragedy touched thousands, and
Huffington Post named it one of the most memorable television
moments of 2016.
He has more than two decades of experience treating urban gun violence victims in Tampa, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, and Chicago, and has served on the trauma faculty at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and at the University of Chicago. Williams graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. After six years on active duty, he enrolled at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and then completed a general surgery residency at Harvard Medical School and a fellowship in trauma and surgical critical care at Emory University. After the Dallas shooting, Williams became an international
spokesperson for racial justice. In 2017 Mayor Rawlings appointed him chair of the Dallas Citizens Police Review Board. His leadership helped unite the Dallas Police Department, community activists, police associations, and City Council to revamp the role Dallas civilians play in police oversight.
In addition to his role as a trauma surgeon, Williams served as a congressional health policy advisor in the US Senate and the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, is a guest commentator on CNN, keynote speaker, opinion writer featured in the Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, and Newsweek, and host of the podcast Race, Violence & Medicine. Williams and his wife of 17
years are raising a strong-willed 12-year-old daughter and two lovable dogs.
