Plant-based Prevention Of Disease

Kim A. Williams, Sr., MD MACC MASNC FAHA FESC completed his MD at University of Chicago (UC) Pritzker School of Medicine, and a medical residency in the Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, after an undergraduate biology degree and three year number one singles varsity tennis competition at the College of UC.  He returned to UC for fellowships in cardiology, clinical pharmacology and nuclear medicine, and has been an Illinois board certified physician and surgeon for multiple decades, with his credentialed areas of practice encompassing internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases, nuclear medicine, nuclear cardiology and cardiovascular computed tomography.  He now serves as the Chair of the University of Louisville Department of Internal Medicine, Louisville KY, the Legacy Foundation of Kentuckiana Endowed Professor of Health Equity, the Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention, and the Chief of the Medicine Service at University of Louisville Hospital.

Dr. Williams is a Past President of the 49,000-member American College of Cardiology, an organization he has served in dozens of offices and capacities since the early 1990s, and from 2013 to 2022 he held appointments as James B. Herrick Professor and Chief of the Division of Cardiology at Rush University Medical Center, where he also became Associate Dean for Faculty Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.  He previously served as Chair of the Division of Cardiology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and from 1986 to 2010 had served as Assistant Professor, then Associate Professor, then Professor, of Medicine and Radiology at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

Dr. Williams was selected annually for 10 years as one of “America’s Top Doctors”, and has been honored as a Master of the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (of which he was a founding member), and as a Fellow of the Association of Black Cardiologists, the American Heart Association Cardiovascular Radiology Council and the American College of Chest Physicians.  Second year medical students at the University of Louisville chose him in 2024-25 as Medical Student Champion.  He served for many years as a reviewer for the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Journal of Nuclear Cardiology and Journal of Nuclear Medicine, and for periods of time was a Guest Editor or Editorial Board member for the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Cardiology Today and US Cardiology.  He has been the author or co-author of 59 original articles in peer-reviewed research journals, 178 review articles or position statements or editorials, 16 monographs or textbook chapters, and 103 abstracts.

Dr. Williams personally began following a vegan diet in 2003, and his strong professional focus upon the prevention of cardiovascular disease has incorporated recommendations to patients about pursuing plant-based approaches to eating.  His career has focused on advocacy for national nutrition education, eradication of national and international health care disparities, improved healthcare access, overall health system reform, sustainable health care financing and increased access to advanced cardiac imaging, and he was active on the Task Force advising the 2022 White House Conference on Nutrition, Health and Hunger.  He has screened over 1,200 people in underserved areas for chronic disease risks, including as founder of the Urban Cardiology Initiative in Detroit, and as the driving force behind two "H.E.A.R.T." initiatives, Helping Everyone Assess Risk Today at Rush University and Helping Everyone Address Risk Today at University of Lousiville.