About the Williamson Institute

The David G. Williamson, Jr. Institute for Healthcare Leadership (formerly known as The David G. Williamson, Jr. Institute for Health Studies) was founded in 1987 and is housed in the Department of Health Administration. In early years from 1987-2001, the Williamson Institute had focused on enhancing the research mission of the Department through improvements in research infrastructure, fostering faculty collaborations and develop partnership relationships with other organizations to develop innovative research projects. During this time period, the Williamson Institute and its faculty had conducted federally funded research, state-funded research and service projects, and privately funded field studies.

Research culture of the Department of Health Administration is well established and is driven by the research and scholarly interest of individual faculty members. Thus, in 2001, the Williamson Institute shifted its focus to leadership education and  development and changed its name to ‘The David G. Williamson, Jr. Institute for Healthcare Leadership’. While the change in the name does not alter the basic mission of the Institute, it does provide the change in its primary focus on leadership development through national and International educational programs. 

About David G. Williamson, Jr. (1929 – 1986)

David G. Williamson, Jr., was born February 20, 1929, in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He received a diploma in 1952 and a master's in Health Administration from the Medical College of Virginia in 1957.

Williamson was appointed administrator of Lee Hospital in Roanoke, Virginia in 1961. In 1968, Lewis-Gale Hospital became the third member of the Hospital Corporation of America network-an affiliation that marked the beginning of Williamson's career with HCA.

In 1974, Williamson moved to corporate headquarters in Nashville to become the company's first vice president of government relations. He was promoted to senior vice president of domestic development in 1976 and to executive vice president of development in 1979. In 1985, Williamson was named vice chairman. He held this position until his death in November 1986.
Williamson served as president of several professional organizations, including the Federation of American Hospitals, the Virginia Hospital Association, and the Medical College of Virginia Health Administration Alumni Association.