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Ellita T. Williams, PhD, RN

Healthcare & Science Problem Solver

I uncover how sleep and brain health shape recovery and disease — and show how better rest can lead to better outcomes.

    I’m Ellita T. Williams, PhD, RN — a nurse-scientist and problem solver who bridges research, healthcare, and innovation. My doctoral work at the University of Washington focused on how sleep influences recovery after traumatic brain injury, opening doors for more personalized medicine and improved neurological outcomes. Since then, my research and clinical experience have grown into a broader mission: helping people and organizations untangle complex healthcare and science problems. 

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    Core Expertise

    • Neuroscience & Brain Health

    • Translational & Clinical Research

    • Data Analysis & Insight Generation

    • Project & Program Management in Healthcare

    • Patient & Clinician Education

    • Healthcare Strategy & Problem-Solving

    Research & Problem Solving

    My Approach

    My work centers on the link between sleep and brain health — from the acute challenges of traumatic brain injury to the long-term risks of Alzheimer’s disease. Across every project, my goal is the same: turning complex data into insights that matter for patients, providers, and systems.

     

    Key Strengths:

    • Human Subjects Research & Good Clinical Practice

    • Sleep Measurement & Analysis

    • Data Analysis & Molecular Genetics

    • Brain–Immune Pathways in Disease

    • Translating Research into Clinical & System-Level Insights

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    Recognition & Support
    My research has been supported by leading organizations in healthcare and science, reflecting both the rigor of my work and its potential to drive impact:

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    • NIH / NINR – Doctoral Fellowship  (University of Washington)

    • NIH / NCATS – Translational Science Scholar (University of Washington)

    • NIH / NINR – Genomics Research Fellowship (University of Pittsburgh)

    • NIH / NHLBI – Cardiovascular & Population Health Fellowship (NYU Grossman School of Medicine)

    • NIH Summer Genetics Institute – Bethesda MD

    Publications / Research

    My research uncovers how sleep shapes brain health and recovery. I’ve built new tools to measure hospital environments, showing how noise and workflow disrupt rest for patients with traumatic brain injury, and I’ve linked poor sleep to slower recovery. I’ve also shown that sleep disturbance and vascular risk accelerate Alzheimer’s progression, while large-scale studies reveal that aging doesn’t always mean less sleep. Across this work, I treat sleep as both a window into disease and a lever for better outcomes.

    Featured Publications  (first- and joint-first-author work)

    These featured publications highlight how I pair rigorous methods with novel tools and cross-disciplinary teams to demonstrate that sleep is both a window into disease processes and a lever for better outcomes—especially after brain injury and in aging.

    • Williams, E. T., Bubu, O. M., Seixas, A., Sarpong, D. F., & Jean-Louis, G. (2021). Ambient Stimuli Perpetuate Nighttime Sleep Disturbances in Hospital Patients With TBI. Biological Research for Nursing, 23(4), 637–645. doi.org/10.1177/10998004211016060 ​

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    • Williams, E. T., Buchanan, D. T., Buysse, D. J., & Thompson, H. J. (2019). Injury, Sleep, and Functional Outcome in Hospital Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 51(3), 134–141. PMID: 30964844; PMCID: PMC6788776

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    • Williams, E. T., & Thompson, H. J. (2017). Sleep of Intermediate Care Patients with TBI: Role of Nursing Activities during Nighttime Hours. Journal of Nursing Doctoral Students Scholarship, 5, [55–67].

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    • Bubu, O. M., Williams, E. T. (Joint first author), Mbah, A. K., de Leon, M., Rapoport, D. M., Ayappa, I., Ogedegbe, G., Jean-Louis, G., Masurkar, A. V., … Osorio, R. S. (2021). Interactive Associations of NPI-Q Sleep Disturbance and Vascular Risk on Alzheimer’s Disease Stage Progression in Clinically Normal Older Adults. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 13, 763264. doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2021.763264. PMID: 34955813; PMCID: PMC8704133

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    • Williams, E. T., Viera, D., Mullins, A., & Hardin, D. (in progress, 2025). Sleep and Cognition in People with TBI, Concussion, and CTE: A Scoping Review.

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    Collaborative Publications

    Alongside my first-author work, I’ve also contributed to multi-site and population-based studies that link sleep to aging, Alzheimer’s disease risk, and recovery after brain injury. These collaborations range from biomarker-driven analyses of amyloid and hypertension, to large-scale surveys of sleep duration, to clinical and behavioral interventions. Together, they highlight both the breadth of my expertise and the team science required to advance sleep and brain health research.

    • Bubu, O. M., Kaur, S. S., … Williams, E. T., … Osorio, R. S. (2022). Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Hypertension with Longitudinal Amyloid-β Burden and Cognitive Changes. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 206(5), 632–636. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202201-0107LE​

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    • Jean-Louis, G., Shochat, T., Youngstedt, S. D., Briggs, A. Q., Williams, E. T., … Seixas, A. A. (2021). Age-associated differences in sleep duration in the US population: potential effects of disease burden. Sleep Medicine, 87, 168–173. doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2021.09.004

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    • Cheng, C., Chi, N., Williams, E. T., & Thompson, H. (2018). Examining age-related differences in functional domain impairment following traumatic brain injury. International Journal of Older People Nursing, e12208. doi.org/10.1111/opn.12208
       

    • Cheng, C., Chi, N., Williams, E. T., & Thompson, H. (2017). Relationship between pre-injury pain and functional status following traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neurotrauma, 34: A139–140.
       

    • Buchanan, D. T., McCurry, S. M., Eilers, K., Applin, S., Williams, E. T., & Voss, J. G. (2016). Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia in Persons Living with HIV. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 1–18.
       

    • Norris, A. E., Torres-Tomas, S., & Williams, E. T. (2014). Adapting cognitive interviewing for early adolescent Hispanic girls and sensitive topics. Hispanic Health Care International, 111–119.
       

    • Norris, A. E., & Williams, E. T. (2012). Early adolescent Latinas and non-coital sexual behavior: individual, social, and parental variables. UCF Undergraduate Research Journal, 6, 1–9.

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    Scientific Presentations

    I’ve shared my work at national and international meetings in sleep medicine, nursing science, genetics, and implementation research. These talks highlight how sleep, brain health, and health systems intersect—and how translating evidence into practice can improve outcomes. A curated selection is shown here; if you’d like to see the full list, please contact me.

    Implementation & Health Systems 

    • 17th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health, Washington, D.C. (June 2025) Implementation of Fall TIPS and De-implementation of Score-Directed Interventions in a Large Health System: An Explanatory Sequential Study. Peer-reviewed abstract, published in Implementation Science (20, Suppl 1). DOI: 10.1186/s13012-025-02325-4

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    • Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) Annual Research Conference, Indianapolis, IN (March 2025) Identifying Pre-Fall and During-Fall Factors in In-Patient Care Settings: A Descriptive Study. Peer-reviewed abstract, published in Western Journal of Nursing Research (47, Suppl). DOI: 10.1177/01939459251327320​​​​​​​

    SLEEP Conference — 35th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies

    • Similarities of Sleep Macrostructure in Cognitively Normal Elderly and Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury.
      Abstract published in Sleep (Vol. 44, Supplement 2, A311–A312). DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsab072.797
       

    • Reported Restful Sleep Predicting Emotional Distress: Does Exercise (and its modalities) Moderate?
      Abstract published in Sleep (Vol. 44, Supplement 2, A305–A306). DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsab072.782
       

    • Association of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Severity and Novel Plasma Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology.
      Abstract published in Sleep (Vol. 44, Supplement 2, A308). DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsab072.788

    Genetics & Neurobiology 

    • International Society of Nurses in Genetics (ISONG) Annual Conference, Orlando, FL (2018) 

    Methylation of Genes in the OXPHOS Pathway and Functional Outcome Following Traumatic Brain Injury. Peer-reviewed conference abstract.

    Institutional Research Day

    • University of Pittsburgh Sleep and Circadian Science Research Day, Pittsburgh, PA (2018)

    Influence of Traumatic Brain Injury on Sleep and Functional Outcome. Poster presentation.

    Connect
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    Let's solve it
    together.

    I help leaders, researchers, and teams translate complex evidence into actionable solutions. Whether it’s refining a study idea, shaping a grant, or stress-testing a strategy, this is a space to think boldly — with rigor.

    Contact us

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