HSR&D Center for Health Information and Communication (CHIC)
Linda S. Williams, MD
Core Investigator, VA HSR&D Center for Health Information and Communication
Professor of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine
Research Scientist, Center for Health Services Research, Regenstrief Institute, Inc.
Linda S. Williams, M.D. is the Co-PI of the VA EXTEND Quality Enhancement Research Initiative, a senior investigator of the VA HSR&D Center for Health Information and Communication (CHIC) and the Regenstrief Institute, and Professor of Neurology at Indiana University School of Medicine. She is nationally and internationally recognized as a neurology health services researcher working to implement evidence to improve stroke and neurological care quality and outcomes. Her work has focused on development of a stroke-specific quality of life scale, assessment and treatment of post-stroke depression, and on measuring and improving the quality of stroke care from a system perspective. Most recently, with the EXTEND QUERI, she is implementing and investigating telehealth technologies to improve access and quality of outpatient neurology care.
As Director of the VA Stroke QUERI, which preceded the current EXTEND QUERI group, Dr. Williams has been instrumental in leading a portfolio of research, and operational projects, and partnerships that have led to significant nationwide improvements in VA stroke organization and care. This work includes the development of a VA national quality measurement system for stroke care, evaluation of the VA National TeleStroke Program, which is currently providing acute stroke treatment to Veterans at more than 50 hospitals that lack stroke specialty care, and implementation and evaluation of the VA National Teleneurology Program, an outpatient teleneurology implementation. Dr. Williams is committed both as a researcher and as a clinician to improving the quality of care for Veterans with stroke, and to advancing the science of implementation by testing implementation intervention strategies in real world settings.
Dr. Williams completed medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine in 1991 and her neurology residency at the University of Rochester in 1995. She also completed fellowship training at Indiana University in Cerebrovascular Disease and in Health Services Research. She is actively engaged in clinical care, research, and teaching of medical students, residents, fellows and junior faculty at Indiana University School of Medicine.
