Victoria Leigh Williams, MD

Scholar

  •  Assistant Professor of Clinical Dermatology | University of Pennsylvania
  •  Botswana | Tanzania, United Republic of | Nepal | South Africa | Congo, Democratic Republic of the
  •   Albinism | Healthcare Access | HIV/AIDS | International Medical Education | Technology in Low Resource Settings | Telemedicine

Languages: English (native)

Bio statement

Dr. Williams is a dermatologist with a broad interest in public health, HIV, neglected tropical diseases, albinism, healthcare access, medical education, and eHealth. She has worked in a variety of global health settings in Central/South America, Africa and Asia since 2008. She worked full-time in Botswana from 2016 – 2018 as the Site Director for Botswana UPenn Partnership’s Dermatology Program and Head of Dermatology at Princess Marina Hospital. From 2018 – 2020 she was an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania, Co-Director of the Penn Dermatology Global Health Track and Director of the Botswana UPenn Partnership’s Dermatology Program. Her desire to make a long-term impact on public health has lead to her current position as a Director in Global Regulatory Affairs for Vaccines and Infectious Disease at Merck, where she works on the development of HIV and small molecule antiviral therapeutics. Dr. Williams continues her global health work through clinical, research and educational collaborations and global health organizational roles including Co-Directing the American Academy of Dermatology’s Resident International Grant Program.

Recent global health projects

I received a DermLink Grant to introduce a mobile clinical decision support tool for dermatology to Botswana in 2019. I am a co-Investigator on the study entitled Implementation and pilot evaluation of a mobile clinical decision support tool in Botswana, which seeks to augment and upskill healthcare providers in under-resourced clinics and remote areas of Botswana through the use of an evidence-backed, point of care, mobile clinical decision support resource that is now available for use without internet connection.

I initiated a care program for people living with albinism in Botswana starting in 2016 that includes free sunscreen distribution. This project was awarded a Most Innovative Public Service Award from the Ministry of Health and Wellness of Botswana in 2019.

Selected publications

Williams V, Kovarik CL (2018). Long range diagnosis of and support for skin conditions in field settings. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease Special Issue Skin-Related Neglected Tropical Diseases (Skin-NTDs)—A New Challenge. 2018, 3(3), 84, August 2018. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed3030084.

Williams V, Kovarik C. WhatsApp: An Innovative Tool for Dermatology Care in Limited Resource Settings. Telemed J E Health. 2018 Jun;24(6):464-468. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2017.0197.

Mosojane KI, Sowash M, Williams VL, Kovarik CL. Multifocal verrucous plaques in an apparently immunocompetent female. Int J Dermatol. 2018 Jun 8. doi: 10.1111/ijd.14083.

Rodriguez O, Mosojane K, Sowash M, Williams V. Letters from Botswana: Delayed Diagnosis of Necrotic Leg Ulcerations. Skinmed. 2018 Apr 1;16(2):141-143.

Kelly MS, Zheng J, Boiditswe S, Steenhoff AP, Feemster KA, Arscott-Mills T, Seme B, Ratshaa B, Rulaganyang I, Patel MZ, Mantzor S, Shah SS, Cunningham CK (2017). Investigating mediators of the poor pneumonia outcomes of HIV-exposed, uninfected children. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2017, Nov 20. doi: 10.1093/jpids/pix092. PMID 29165579.

Sowash MG, Mosojane KI, Anderson AR, Kovarik CL, Williams VL. Successful management of congenital/infantile fibrosarcoma presenting as large, non-healing buttock ulceration. Dermatol Online J. 2018 Feb 15;24(2)

Last Updated: 28 January 2022