Professor Jennifer Williams
Dean, Professor - Faculty of Medicine and Health
Email: jen.williams@une.edu.au
Twitter: @DrJenWilliams
Biography
Professor Jennifer Williams came to UNE as Dean in February 2022. Jen joined UNE from Griffith University, where she spearheaded the establishment of the Doctor of Medicine program for Griffith University (Sunshine Coast), the region’s first end-to-end medical program.
Commencing her medical education career while still at medical school, Jen worked for a private company running simulation-based education for rural doctors and healthcare teams. She was heavily involved in junior doctor education while undertaking specialist medical training through the Royal Brisbane and Women’s College, and was a Medical Education Fellow at that institution in 2012. Following completion of her Fellowship of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (FACEM), Jen joined Bond University as a Clinical Academic Fellow, where she also completed her Master of Clinical Education. Jen developed niche expertise in health professional assessment and now consults internationally in this field. She moved from Bond to head the clinical phase of the Doctor of Medicine program at the University of Queensland (her alumnus institution) in 2017, and then on to Deputy Head of the School of Medicine and Program Advisor (MD) at Griffith University.
Jen is a highly regarded educator, recognised with several teaching awards across multiple institutions, and an engaging facilitator and speaker. She is an examiner and item writer for the Australian Medical Council and a consultant to the insurance industry.
Jen has held concurrent leadership positions in the health sector, including a stint as Director of Clinical Training for the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, a role that entails educational and pastoral support for prevocational doctors-in-training. Jen has also held several advocacy roles over the course of her career, including as Chair of the Council of Doctors in Training for the Australian Medical Association (Queensland) and state trainee representative for the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. Serving as Non-Executive Director on the Board of UNE Life, Jen enjoys connecting and collaborating with staff and students across the wider UNE community.
Continuing to combine clinical practice (as a specialist emergency physician) and academic work with advocacy and consultancy enables Jen to bring a broad and current perspective to each of these settings.
