Emeritus Professor David Williams | University of Southampton

Research interests

Global oral health inequalities and social determinants of health.

Integration of oral health into universal health coverage and noncommunicable disease prevention frameworks.

Oral healthcare workforce development and integration into primary care.

About

Professor Williams has been an Emeritus Professor in the University of Southampton since 2011, prior to which he was Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences and Professor of Pathology at the University of Southampton between 2004-10 and Vice Provost between 2010-11.

He was Professor of Global Oral Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London between 2011-2023 and subsequently appointed Professor Emeritus. He is also the immediate past Academic Lead of the Centre for Dental Public Health and Primary Care.

He has been a Member of the Expert Advisory Group of the Global Self-Care Federation since June 2020 is also a member of the HALEON Strategic Advisory Council.

Research

Research interests

Global oral health inequalities and social determinants of health.
Integration of oral health into universal health coverage and noncommunicable disease prevention frameworks.
Oral healthcare workforce development and integration into primary care.

Current research

British Council ‘Going Global’ Partnership Grant funded project to develop an integrated course for undergraduate healthcare professionals on ‘Understanding Health and Oral Health inequalities among Vulnerable Children’. This project is a collaboration between the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India and the Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi, currently ranked as the Best Dental Institution in Inda. The course is focused on raising awareness of the oral health needs of underserved and vulnerable children and developing an understanding the impact of oral health inequalities on overall health

The project outcomes are:

The orientation of Medical, Dental and Nursing undergraduate students to the oral healthcare needs arising from oral health inequalities among vulnerable children in low-income countries.
Promotion of Research at undergraduate level in Oral Health Inequality among Vulnerable Children

The current initiative is targeted on the capacity building of 30,000 Medical graduates, 26,000 dental graduates and 60,000 Nurses each year, initially in India. However, it is the intention that the course will subsequently be implemented across South Asia and other low-income countries.

Biography

During his time as Dean of the Faculty at Southampton Professor Williams was also a Non-Executive Director of the Southampton University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Board between 2005-2011. Subsequently he was a Non-Executive Director on the South-Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust Board between 2011-2018, where he chaired the Quality and Safety Committee.

Significant national contributions include membership of the General Dental Council (GDC) between 1998–2003 and Chairmanship of the Registration Sub-Committee between1999–2003. At the GDC he was also a member of the Health Committee, the Education Committee and the Professional Conduct Committee. He has been a member of the Health and Science Committee of the British Dental Association since 2014 and in 2024 was awarded the John Tomes Medal, which honours members of the dental profession and of scientific eminence for their outstanding service to the dental profession or the Association.

Between 1999-2001 he was a member of the Clinical Dentistry Unit of Assessment Panel for the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) 2001 Research Assessment Exercise. Subsequently, between 2004-2008, he was a Member of Main Panel C and Chair of the Dentistry Sub Panel for the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. In 2009 he was a member of the HEFCE Expert Advisory Group that informed the 2014 Research Excellence Framework process.

He was President of the International Association for Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Research (IADR) between 2009-10 and is one of the founders of the IADR Global Oral Health Inequalities Research Network. He was President of the Network from 2014-17. He received the IADR Experimental Pathology Distinguished Scientist Award in 1996 and in 2021 he was awarded the IADR Gold Medal, the highest recognition bestowed by the IADR.

He was a member of the Science Committee of the World Dental Federation (FDI) between 2015-2023, Vice Chair from 21015-2018 and Chair from 2020-2023. He was Co-Chair of the FDI Vision 2030 Working Group from 2018-2023. The influential report from this group, “Delivering Optimal Oral Health for All”, has set the strategic direction of the organisation. He has also been a member of numerous FDI Task Teams, including being Joint Chair of the Project Team that developed the Standard Set of Adult Oral Health Outcome Measures, the result of a collaboration between FDI and the International Consortium for Healthcare Outcomes.