Eliot Williams, MD, PhD, professor, Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, was one of four faculty members in the School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) to receive a 2017 Dean’s Teaching Award for excellence in medical education. The Dean's Teaching Awards were established in 1992 to honor outstanding contributions in student education in medical school programs. These awards are selected by a committee of faculty members who have previously been honored for their excellence in teaching.

Dr. Williams (shown below, at left, next to Dean Robert Golden, MD, at right) earned his MD degree from Indiana University and  completed his internal medicine residency, chief residency, and fellowship training in hematology and medical oncology at UW-Madison. He directs the UW Health Special Coagulation Laboratory and Adult Bleeding Disorders Program. In addition to his faculty appointment in the Department of Medicine, he is also an affiliate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine.

Chief among his medical education endeavors has been the SMPH second-year Hematology Course, which Dr. Williams has taught for 38 consecutive years and directed for six years. Working closely with Erik Ranheim, MD, PhD, professor (CHS), Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dr. Williams redesigned the hematology course. Innovations included facilitation of small groups, incorporating many computer-based teaching techniques, and adding patient interviews. Student performance and ratings improved dramatically on his watch. As the school transitioned to a new curriculum, Dr. Williams embraced the opportunity to teach hematology-related content and facilitate group discussions.

A student wrote, “Dr. Williams' in-depth explanations, openness to questions, and obvious mastery of his specialty made for truly excellent small groups. He shared scientific bases for tests, symptoms, and pathology, along with real-life clinical insights and advice.” Another observed, “Dr. Williams did a wonderful job interviewing the patients in a kind and professional manner that valued their experience of their disease while also explaining the finer medical points to us.”

Dr. Williams has been ranked consistently for two decades among the “Best Doctors in America” and “Best Doctors in Madison.”  He also directed the Hematology Fellowship for 19 years and mentored many residents and fellows for more than 30 years. His honors include being a three-time recipient of the Department of Medicine Residents’ Teaching Excellence Award , the Department of Pathology’s Golden Microscope Teaching Award, and the American Heart Association’s Clinician Scientist Award and Clinical Investigatorship Award.

Additional SMPH faculty members selected for a 2017 Dean's Teaching Award were William Aughenbaugh, MD, assistant professor, Department of Dermatology; John Beasley, MD, clinical professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health; and Ann O’Rourke, MD, MPH, associate professor, Department of Surgery.