Background

Dr. Williams received her PhD in Nursing from Georgia Regents University, a MSN as a Family Nurse Practitioner from Georgia Southern University and a BSN from the Medical College of Georgia.

Research

Dr. Williams leads innovative, community-engaged research that addresses pressing public health challenges, including diabetes prevention, cardiovascular risk reduction, and cancer prevention and control. Central to her work is a commitment to advancing health equity, particularly through partnerships with Community Health Workers and faith-based settings. Her recent NIDDK-funded faith-based trial moves beyond the “one-size-fits-all” model of behavioral interventions by identifying weight-loss non-responders early and delivering tailored, enhanced support to improve outcomes.

Professional Service

• Society of Behavioral Medicine
• Obesity Society
• Academy of Nursing
• Southern Nursing Research Society
• National Black Nurses Association Lifetime Member
• Sigma Theta Tau

Professional Practice

 

Research Studies (selected)

• NCATS Supplement: Exploration of Barriers and Facilitators to Weight Maintenance Among Adults with Overweight/Obesity
• NIMHD P50: Achieving Success in Community-engaged research to Eliminate Disparities (ASCEND)
• NIDDK R0:1 Enhancing the Diabetes Prevention Program to Promote Weight Loss Among Non-responders in a Community based intervention
• NCI Supplement: Using a community health worker model to reach disparate populations in western KY for lung cancer screening (K-CARE)

Publications (selected)

*Karle, E., Cozart, D. , Abu Farsakh, B. , *Afolayan, V., Ebikwo, T., *Brooks, M., Williams, L. B. (2025). Challenges and Lessons Learned While Conducting a Diabetes Prevention Program Among Black Churches During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Health Promotion Practice. 

Yeary, K. K., Allen, J., Arredondo, E., Atemnkeng, J., Buzcu-Guven, B., Day, K., Dicarlo, E., Formagini, T., Kwon, S., McElfish, P., McNeill, L. H., Newton, R. L., Park, C. L.,  Wilcox, S., Williams, L. B., Yusuf, Y., Zoellner, J. (2025) Cancer Interventions with Faith-Based Organizations: A Scoping Review”. Cancer Causes and Control. 

Williams, L. B., *Abu Farsakh, B., Karle, E., *Almogheer, Z., S.  Coughlin, S. , Yeary, K. (2024). How Effective are Church-based Weight loss Interventions among Black Adults: A Systematic Review. J. Obes. DOI.org/10.1002/oby.241151

Williams, L.B., Moser, D.K., Gustafson, A., Waters T. M., Rayens, M. K., Karle, E., Kriska, A. M. (2022). Reaching High-Risk Black Adults for Diabetes Prevention Programming During a Pandemic: The Design of Fit & Faithful a Randomized Controlled Community Trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2022.106973 

Williams, L.B., Shelton, B. J., Gomez, M.L., *Al-Mrayat, Y.D., Mullet, T. Studts, J. L. (2020). Using Implementation Science to Disseminate a Lung Cancer Screening Education Intervention through Community Health Workers. Journal of Community Health 46(1):165-173. doi: 10.1007/s10900-020-00864-2. 1,2