Assistant Professor
Director of the Measurement and Intervention for Neuropsychological Disorders (MIND) Laboratory
Clinical Psychology
Ph.D., Wayne State University

Heyne Building, Room 231C
713-743-2515
MWwilliams2@uh.edu

Dr. Williams will review graduate student applications for the 2025-2026 academic year. Application deadline is December 1, 2024. Please see Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data for details.

Biographical Summary

Dr. Michael W. Williams is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology. He holds a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience from Morehouse College. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology with a focus in Clinical Neuropsychology and Advanced Statistical Methods from Wayne State University. Dr. Williams completed his Clinical Psychology internship on the Behavioral Medicine/Neuropsychology track at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship in the Adult Rehabilitation and Clinical Neuropsychology program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is a licensed clinical psychologist. The goal of his research program is to improve patient centered outcomes for those who have suffered a brain injury. His research examines neuropsychological characteristics (e.g., cognition, mood, pain) that are associated with long-term functional outcomes (e.g., independence, return to work, etc.) to identify novel targets of intervention and to develop tailored interventions for optimizing medical rehabilitation and functional recovery.

Education

• Ph.D., Wayne State University

Research Interests/Areas of Expertise

• Psychological Assessment
• Clinical Neuropsychology
• Rehabilitation Neuropsychology
• Functional Outcomes/ Recovery
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Acquired Brain Injury
• Pain

Teaching

• PSYC 4397: Psychology of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (undergraduate)
• PSYC 6357: Clinical Assessment II (graduate)

Professional Activities

• Member-at-Large, Houston Neuropsychological Society
• Liaison to APA Board of Scientific Affairs, APA Division 22 (Rehabilitation Psychology)
• Member, Domain I (Biological Bases of Behavior) Item Writing Committee, Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards, Examination in the Professional Practice of Psychology (EPPP) Part 1
• Consulting Editor, Clinical Psychological Science
• Consulting Editor, Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (JINS)
• Consulting Editor, Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology (JCEN)

Honors

• Center for Large Data Research & Data Sharing in Rehabilitation Travel Award (2019)

Selected Publications

*Graduate student ^Undergraduate Student

• Williams, M. W., ^Ulrich, N., & Woods, S. P. (2021). Semantic Clustering During Verbal List Learning is Associated with Employment Status in a Community Sample. Perceptual and Motor Skills. 128(3):1235-1251. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512521996875
• Williams, M. W., Rapport, L. J., Sander, A. M., & Parker, H. A. (2020). Pain Anxiety and Rehabilitation Outcomes After Acquired Brain Injury. Brain Injury. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699052.2020.1859614
• Karr, J., Iverson, G. L., Williams, M. W., Huang, S. J., & Yang, C. C. (2020). Complicated versus Uncomplicated Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries: A Comparison of Psychological, Cognitive, and Post-Concussion Symptom Outcomes. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2020.1841118
• Williams, M. W., Li, C. Y., & Hay, C. C. (2020). Validation of the 10-Item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Post Stroke. Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 29(12), 105334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2020.105334.
• Iverson, G. L., Williams, M. W., Gardner, A. J., & Terry, D. P. (2020). Systematic Review of Pre-Injury Mental Health Problems as a Vulnerability Factor for Worse Outcome Following Sport-Related Concussion. The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 8(10), 2325967120950682. https://doi.org/10.1177/2325967120950682
• Vos, L., Williams, M. W., Poritz, J. M., Ngan, E., Leon-Novelo, L., & Sherer, M. (2020). The discrepancy between cognitive complaints and neuropsychological test findings in persons with traumatic brain injury. The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 35(4), E382-E392. https://doi.org/10.1097/HTR.0000000000000557
• Williams, M. W., Rapport, L. J., Hanks, R. A., & Parker, H. A. (2019). Engagement in rehabilitation therapy and functional outcomes among individuals with acquired brain injuries. Disability and Rehabilitation, 35(1), 32-40. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2019.1613682
• Beier, M., Hughes, A. J., Williams, M. W., & Gromisch, E. S. (2019). Brief and Cost-Effective Tool for Assessing Verbal Learning in Multiple Sclerosis: Comparison of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) to the California Verbal Learning Test - II (CVLT-II). Journal of Neurological Sciences, 400, 104-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2019.03.016
• See full bibliography: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/michael.williams.5/bibliography/public/