Dr. Williams, Kelting Professor of Nursing, is a Genetics Nurse Specialist and is a PNP and a Genetic Counselor. She is the Director of the Clinical Genetics Nursing Research Postdoctoral Fellowship program, funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Her research is funded by institutional grants, NINR, HRSA, and the Hi Q Foundation. It focuses on the psychosocial impact of genetic testing on individuals and families, and family caregiving for persons with Huntington disease. Dr. Williams also conducts research on genetic discrimination. Current research projects also include communication with health care providers and families regarding statewide newborn screening programs, and the development of a work function measure for people with prediagnosed Huntington Disease. She is the past president of the International Society of Nurses in Genetics and is a consultant on numerous national and international projects to promote education and practice of nurses regarding genetics. PhD in Educational Psychology, The University of Iowa MA, PNP in Nursing of Children, The University of Iowa BSN, The University of Iowa Diploma in Nursing, Iowa Methodist School of Nursing
Articles
Individual genetic and genomic research results and the tradition of informed consent: exploring US review board guidance (with C. Simon, L. A. Shinkunas, and D. Brandt), Journal of medical ethics (2012)
BackgroundGenomic research is challenging the tradition of informed consent. Genomic researchers in the USA, Canada...
Researcher and Institutional Review Board Chair Perspectives on Incidental Findings in Genomic Research (with Sandra Daack-Hirsch, Martha Driessnack, N. Downing, L. Shinkunas, D. Brandt, and C. Simon), Genetic testing and molecular biomarkers (2012)
Aims: Genomic research can produce findings unrelated to a study's aims. The purpose of this...
Couples' Coping in Prodromal Huntington Disease: A Mixed Methods Study (with N. R. Downing, A. L. Leserman, and J. S. Paulsen), Journal of genetic counseling (2012)
Huntington disease (HD) includes a prodromal phase with behavioral, cognitive, and motor function decline occurring...
Informed consent and genomic incidental findings: IRB chair perspectives (with C. M. Simon, L. Shinkunas, D. Brandt, Sandra Daack-Hirsch, and Martha Driessnack), Journal of empirical research on human research ethics (2011)
It is unclear how genomic incidental finding (GIF) prospects should be addressed in informed consent...
Development of the HD-Teen Inventory (HD-TI) (with Martha Driessnack, J. J. Barnette, K. J. Sparbel, and J. S. Paulsen), Clinical nursing research (2011)
Adolescents, who have a parent with Huntington Disease (HD), not only are at genetic risk...