Don Willis, who has been with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) since 2020, has joined the U of A's human development and family sciences program as an assistant professor.

HDFS is part of the School of Human Environmental Sciences in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

"I'm excited to be joining the U of A, HESC and the HDFS program," Willis said. "I look forward to collaborating with the outstanding faculty here and helping students get excited about studying health, families and the many ways our social environments shape both."

Beginning in the spring, Willis will teach Research in HDFS - Methodological Approaches.

Willis previously served as an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UAMS-Fayetteville where he provided subject matter expertise on social determinants of health, health disparities and survey research methodology. His responsibilities included research design, data analysis and dissemination of findings through peer-reviewed publication and presentations at conferences or to community members.

At UAMS, Willis played key roles in designing and managing three random sample statewide surveys, a national online survey and multiple surveys distributed through clinical and community organizations. He also worked with colleagues to support COVID-19 contact tracing reported to the Arkansas Department of Health during the height of the pandemic.

"I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Don Willis to our HDFS faculty," said Donna Graham, director of the School of Human Environmental Sciences. "He brings a remarkable track record of high-impact research and successful grantsmanship, with a focus on health equity and the social determinants of health affecting individuals and families. His scholarship is matched by a heartfelt commitment to improving lives — a passion that deeply resonates with our values."

Before joining UAMS, Willis was an assistant professor of sociology and coordinator of poverty studies in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (2018-20). His research during that time focused on the intersections of poverty, food, families and health. He taught courses including Senior Capstone, Poverty and Place, Urban Sociology and Introduction to Sociology.

Recent Grants

• Co-investigator, $700,000 NIH grant (Arkansas Community Engagement Alliance Against 3-C Disparities)
• Co-investigator, $17.5 million PCORI grant (Delivering HOPE - Helping Women Optimize Prenatal Equity)
• Co-principal investigator, $253,000 NIGMS grant (Understanding Hesitant Adopters Project)
• Co-investigator, $1.5 million NIH CEAL grant (COVID-19 PREVENT - Partnership for Rapid Engagement to Enhance Vaccine Uptake for Everyone)
• Co-investigator, $715,000 NIMHD grant (NIH RADx - CoNNECT to Achieve Equity)

Recent Honors

• 2023 Most Cited Article award, Clinical and Translational Science
• 2023 Top Cited Article award, Sociology of Health and Illness
• 2022 Clinical and Translational Science Award, American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics
• 2022 Most Downloaded Article in Clinical and Translational Science
• 2021 Astounding Apprentice Award, Translational Research Institute

Willis earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Central Arkansas (2010), master's degree from the U of A (2013) and Ph.D. from the University of Missouri (2018), all in sociology.

He is a member of the Society for Education and the Advancement of Research in Connected Health (SEARCH), the American Sociological Association (ASA) and the ASA's Medical Sociology section. He also serves on the editorial board of Discover Social Science and Health and as a review editor for Frontiers in Environmental Health in the Housing Conditions and Public Health section.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.