Curriculum Vitae
Websites
Biography
Andrew D. Williams, PhD MPH, is an assistant professor in the Department of Population Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Dr. Williams is a perinatal epidemiologist with an interest in structural inequalities and obstetric and pediatric health outcomes with consequences across the life span. Currently he is leading the Stress and Health in American Indian Pregnancies study, investigating associations between Adverse Childhood Experiences, historic trauma, stress, and infant growth among American Indian women in North Dakota. Dr. Williams was recently awarded an NIH Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research award for his work investigating telehealth use and pregnancy outcomes in North Dakota. In September 2022, the North and South Dakota Perinatal Quality Collaborative (Williams, PI and Executive Director) was awarded a 5-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to implement quality improvement projects at prenatal care sites in the region.
Dr. Williams completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Epidemiology Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He completed his PhD in Maternal and Child Health from the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland in 2017. He earned his M.P.H. in Community Health from New York University and his B.S. in Mass Communications from Minnesota State University Moorhead.
PH 550 Research Methods in Population Health
PH 552 Epidemiology 2
PH 594 MPH Applied Practice Experience
PH 751 Applied Epidemiology
Maternal and Child Health
Pregnancy outcomes
Stress
Racial disparities
Structural Inequalities
Recent peer-reviewed publications
^student/trainee author
1. ^Schmidt L, ^Kanichy M, Njau G, Schmidt M, Stepanov A, Anderson R, ^Stiffarm, A, & Williams AD. “Adverse Childhood Experiences, Domestic Violence and Racial Disparities in Early Prenatal Care in North Dakota (ND PRAMS 2017-2019)”. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. (in press)
2. Williams, A.D., ^Saizy, S., Mendola, P., Grobman, W., Subramaniam, A., Stevens, D., Mumford, S., Larson, K., Chen, Z., Messer, L., Duncan, V., Faye-Petersen, O., Kumar, R., “Prenatal exposure to perceived stress, maternal asthma, and placental size.” Placenta, 139(August 2023), 127-133; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.placenta.2023.06.012
3. ^Kanichy M, ^Schmidt L, Anderson R, Njau G, ^Stiffarm A, Schmidt M, Stepanov A, Williams AD. “Exposure to Domestic Violence and racial disparities in breastfeeding in North Dakota (ND PRAMS 2017-2019).” Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2023, 20(8), 5445; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20085445
4. ^Kim, S. & Williams, A.D. “Roles of income and acculturation in the Hispanic Paradox: Breastfeeding among Hispanic women.” Maternal and Child Health Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-023-03643-2
5. ^Kanichy M, ^Schmidt L, Anderson R, Njau G, ^Stiffarm A, Schmidt M, Stepanov A, Williams AD. “Exposure to Domestic Violence and racial disparities in breastfeeding in North Dakota (ND PRAMS 2017-2019).” Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(8), 5445; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20085445
Recent conference presentations
Oral Presentations
1. Williams, A.D., Schmidt, L., Wilson-Peltier, J., Shropshire, S., Njau, G., Schmidt, M., Stepanov, A., & Anderson, R. “Childhood adversity predicts intimate partner violence among American Indian women.” American College of Epidemiology 2023 annual meeting. Virtual. September 2023.
2. Williams, A.D. “Fetal mortality in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.” 33rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research. Virtual. June 22, 2021.
3. Shenassa, E.D & Williams, A.D. “Synergy between environmental and socio-structural determinants of health.” American College of Epidemiology 2020 Annual Meeting, virtual, September 21-24 2020.
Poster Presentations
^student/trainee author
1. ^Schultz K, Ha S, & Williams AD. “Gestational Diabetes and Subsequent Metabolic Dysfunction: An NHANES Analysis (2011-2018).” Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research 36th Annual Meeting, Portland. June 2023.
2. ^Wilson-Peltier J, ^Schmidt L, Njau G, Schmidt M, Stepanov A, & Williams AD. “Heterogeneity in self-reported hospital experiences in the 2020 North Dakota Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System COVID-19 Supplement.” Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research 36th Annual Meeting, Portland. June 2023.
3. ^Schmidt L, ^Wilson-Peltier J, Njau G, Schmidt M, Stepanov A, Anderson R, & Williams AD. “Racial disparities in Adverse Childhood Experiences and the association with interpersonal violence surrounding pregnancy in North Dakota (ND PRAMS 2017-2020).” Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research 36th Annual Meeting, Portland. June 2023.
4. ^Ingle, C & Williams AD. “Sexual and gender minority status, race/ethnicity, and symptoms of depression and anxiety in the Household Pulse Survey.” Society for Epidemiologic Research 56th Annual Meeting, Portland. June 2023.
5. ^Ross, A., Kim, S., Njau, G. & Williams, A.D. “Breastfeeding information sources and outcomes in North Dakota. Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs 2023 Annual Conference, New Orleans, May 2023.
University of Maryland
Ph.D. Maternal and Child Health
New York University
M.P.H. Community Public Health
Minnesota State University Moorhead
B.S. Mass Communications: Public Relations
Assistant Professor, Public Health Program, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota (September 2019 - present)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health (June 2017 – June 2019)
Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Family Science, School of Public Health, University of Maryland (August 2012 – June 2017)
Project Coordinator, North Dakota Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Center, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota (December 2009 – July 2012)
Current grants support
Extramural funding
North and South Dakota Perinatal Quality Collaborative. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Statewide Perinatal Quality Collaboratives. 1 NU58DP007252-01-00. 2022-Present. My Role: Principal Investigator/Executive Director (4% effort). Award to date: $275,000. Purpose: Build capacity for the North and South Dakota Perinatal Quality Collaborative to implement quality improvement projects. A 5-year award, with a two-year focus on perinatal substance use disorders, then reducing maternal hemorrhage, followed by a project to reduce primary cesarean deliveries, with community and maternal mortality review committees to inform the year-5 project.
COVID-19 Health Disparities. North Dakota Department of Health. G21.255. July 2021 – Present. My Role: Principal Investigator (2% Effort). Award to date: $135,516. Purpose: To examine health disparities in pregnancy outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also examining use of telemedicine services among pregnant women in North Dakota, as well as the impact of COVID-19 hospital policies on social support during delivery and postpartum.
Stress and Health in American Indian Pregnancies (SHAIP) Study. NIH/NIGMS. 1P20GM139759 (sub award: 5898). Principal Investigator: Donald Warne (2021-2022); Jonathan Geiger (interim 2022-current). 2021-Present. My Role: Project Leader (50% Effort). Award to date: $536,320. Purpose: To examine the association between maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences and obstetric and infant health among American Indian women and their infants in North Dakota.
Completed grants support
Internal funding
Maternal stress in pregnancy and placental function. University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. 2020-2021. My Role: Principal Investigator. Total award: $50,000. Purpose: To examine the association between maternal perceived stress during pregnancy and placental function, as measured by placental pathology report and blood plasma analytes collected between 30-32 weeks gestation.
Research-related awards
Telehealth and pregnancy outcomes among American Indian women in North Dakota. NIH/NIMHD. 1 L60 MD017794-01. NIH Loan Repayment Program. My Role: Principal Investigator. Purpose: To determine if telehealth is a mechanism with which AI/AN women in ND can more easily access prenatal care early in pregnancy, thus reducing disparities in early prenatal care and obstetric outcomes in this high-risk population.