Olajide A. Williams MD

Dr. Olajide Williams obtained his medical degree from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He completed his neurology residency and neuromuscular fellowship programs at the Neurological Institute of New York, Columbia University Medical Center, and received a Master's degree from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. He is an Associate Professor of Neurology at CUMC, Director of Acute Stroke Services at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and currently Chief of Staff/Chief Medical Officer of Neurology at Columbia University.

Dr. Williams is a recognized international leader in stroke education and community-based behavioral intervention research. He is a co-Principal Investigator and co-Director of one of four NIH/NINDS funded SPIRP U54 Centers for Stroke Disparities Solutions awards and the Principal Investigator of an NIH R01-level award, "RCT to improve stroke symptom recognition and response" which evaluates the effectiveness of "Hip Hop Stroke", an innovative multi-media school-based stroke education program he developed, that utilizes children as "transmission vectors" of stroke knowledge to their parents and grandparents.

He is also the Founder of Hip Hop Public Health, a nationally recognized organization that creates and implements multimedia public health interventions that target the youth around the topics of childhood obesity, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke. Dr. Williams teaches a clinical practice course and a neuroscience course to medical students at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and he is a key clinician-educator, a member of the Virginia Apgar Teaching Academy, and mentor of neurology residents.