About
Dr. Nancy E. Williamson is an adjunct associate professor in the Gillings School of Global Public Health with more than three decades of experience in programmatic research and teaching in demography and reproductive health.
A special interest for her has been adolescent reproductive health. In this capacity, she directed an international youth project, YouthNet, at FHI360. A previous international program, the Women's Studies Project, focused on the impact of family planning on the lives of women (and men).
Dr. Williamson began her international career by working on a family planning project in India right after college. Her subsequent work took her to the Philippines, Bangladesh, Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria and many other countries. She taught at Brown University and worked at FHI360, the Population Council and USAID. She has also served as a consultant for WHO and UNFPA, among other organizations.
Teaching Interests
Dr. Williamson has taught the following courses:
University of North Carolina (2009-2014): Monitoring and Evaluation of MCH Programs (International and Domestic)
Nepal Family Planning Association: Monitoring and Evaluation of Family Planning Programs
Brown University (1972-1976): Statistics, Population and the Environment, Sex Roles
Research Activities
Dr. Williamson has a long-standing research interest in parental preferences for sons or daughters. She wrote a book on this topic and has published papers. She conducted research in this area in Singapore, Taiwan and Korea.
Other strong research interests have been breastfeeding, contraceptive technology, adolescent reproductive health and gender. A theme in Dr. Williamson's research has been how reproductive events influence women's lives.
Service Activities
Dr. Williamson served on the board of the local Planned Parenthood for 3-4 years. She has also taken on board responsibilities with the Carolina Friends School, Quaker House and the Benzie Area Symphony Orchestra. She currently volunteers for Project Connect in Chapel Hill; this organization originally served the homeless but, in recent years, has focused on low-income families in general.
Practice Activities
In a previous consultancy, Dr. Williamson prepared the UNFPA State of World Population Report for 2013 and evaluated their youth programs. She also reviews research proposals for the Society for Family Planning.
Education
- Postdoctoral program, Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1991
- PhD, Sociology, Harvard University, 1973
- MS, Demography and Human Ecology, Harvard School of Public Health, 1969
- BA, Sociology, University of Michigan, 1966
