Loretta 'Alexia' Williams, PhD, RN
Assistant Professor, PhD, RN
874 Union Ave., Room 420
Memphis, TN 38163
901.448.2401
lwilli97@uthsc.edu
Dr. Alexia Williams is an assistant professor who joined the UT Health Science Center College of Nursing faculty in 2014. She earned her associate degree in nursing from Shelby State Community College in 1994, her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Union University in 2010, and her PhD in Nursing Science from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in 2015.
Dr. Williams has practiced in numerous areas of the nursing profession during her 30-year career, developing expertise in medical-surgical and psychiatric-mental health nursing. Her teaching responsibilities include providing didactic instruction for the undergraduate and graduate programs. Her areas of teaching focus include Mental Health Nursing Concepts, Evidence-Based Practice, and Health Care Economics.
Dr. Williams' research interests have focused on health disparities, minority health, and mental health in male caregivers in the context of chronic illness. She has completed both mixed methods and qualitative research projects involving burden, depression, and perceived health in male caregivers of persons with end-stage renal disease and stroke survivors, respectively. Her most recent research activities involve understanding the grief process, depression, and anxiety in RNs working on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Williams’ advocacy for the advancement of the nursing profession is demonstrated in her active involvement in many professional nursing organizations. She served as president-elect (2016-2017), president (2017-2019), and past president (2019-2020) of the Beta Theta At-large Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. She is currently co-chair of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Diversity Symposium Vendors Exhibitors Budget Committee. She is also a member of the following nursing organizations: American Nurses Association, Tennessee Nurses Association, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, and the Southern Nursing Research Society. In addition, she serves on several college and university committees including the Curriculum Committee, Awards and Honors Committee, UTHSC Qualitative Research Interest Group, and the Teaching and Learning CenterFacultyAdvisoryGroup.