Dr. Williams succeeds C. Michel Harper Jr., M.D. (I ’83, N ’86), who will transition out of his role as executive dean, Mayo Clinic Practice, at the end of the year. They will work together in the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition.
Since joining Mayo Clinic in 1990, Dr. Williams has held numerous leadership positions while managing significant inpatient and outpatient clinical responsibilities. She is a member of the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors and Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees, chair of the Department of Medicine, professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and faculty member in the Division of Hypertension and Nephrology.
Dr. Williams also is a member of the Executive Operations Team, the Center for Regenerative Medicine Executive Committee, and the 2030 Facilitation Team. She is medical director of the Eisenberg Dialysis Unit and the Rochester Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Executive Committee.
Previously, she served as medical director of hospital operations for Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, chair of the Hospital Practice Subcommittee, and co-chair of the Mayo Clinic Midwest Hospital Executive Group. She received the Doctors Mayo Society Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 for her contributions to improving the care of patients, enhancing the practice, and championing the career development of all physician staff.
Dr. Williams also serves on the board of directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine and participates in an Association of Professors of Medicine initiative to address sexual harassment in health care.
“Dr. Williams has significant leadership experience and a passion for patient care and creating thriving careers for staff,” says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D. (I ’91, GI ’94), Mayo Clinic’s president and CEO. “She brings to her role a vision to better serve patients and to support staff by using Mayo Clinic’s innovative spirit, culture, values and people to drive the cures, connections and transformation that are needed to achieve Mayo Clinic’s 2030 vision.”
“We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Harper for his exceptional contributions to Mayo Clinic,” Dr. Farrugia says. “Dr. Harper brought focus, structure and innovation to his role over the years, and the Practice has flourished under his leadership. His legacy is a foundation that will serve Mayo Clinic well in the years to come.”
Dr. Harper will transition out of his role at the end of the year. Dr. Williams will work with enterprise leaders and the leadership team in the Department of Medicine in the coming weeks to establish a transition plan for her current role as chair of the Department of Medicine.