Brianna Williamson

Dr. Brianna Williamson is a palliative care doctor who works with patients with serious illnesses. She focuses on understanding and prioritizing what is most meaningful to individuals so that she can support them in precious moments and times of medical decision-making. She aims to partner with her patients to reduce the emotional and physical suffering that can accompany illness and impact quality of life.

In research, Williamson has studied the roles of hope and demoralization in serious illness, psychotherapeutic approaches in palliative medicine, the impact of companioning medical trainees in challenging situations, and sport as a lens for reintegration of child soldiers back into society.

Williamson earned her medical degree at Wright State University. She completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Arizona, where she was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society and received their Golden Heart Award. She completed a fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at UCSF.

Williamson is passionate about addressing inequities in the health care system. She is interested in exploring how culturally sensitive, language-concordant care (when providers and patients speak the same language) can improve outcomes for people of diverse backgrounds and belief systems. She is particularly interested in global palliative care and the psychological underpinnings that lead to an overall sense of wellness. She is a member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

In her free time, Williamson enjoys escaping into nature, belly-laughing with loved ones, and focusing on the present moment.