The Williams Clinic
Following medical training at Creighton University, Dr. Williams continued to break barriers by serving as St. Bernard Hospital’s first African American physician. Beyond personal accomplishment, Dr. Williams began a lifelong commitment to serving disadvantaged communities at St. Bernard Hospital. This medical facility was founded in 1904 by Father Bernard Murray and 7 catholic sisters to serve the disadvantaged on the south side of Chicago. (citation: https://www.stbh.org/who-we-are/history/ ) To further expand access to care on the south side, the Williams brothers (James, Jaspers, and Charles) partnered to open the Williams Clinic. What started as a relatively small private practice bloomed into a complex that was home to 28 physicians and performed landmark surgeries, such as the first infant to survive a gunshot wound in utero. With the founding of the Williams Clinic, Dr. James B Williams moved beyond practicing medicine. Dr. Williams allowed his advocacy and empathy to lead to the tangible creation of lasting infrastructure that benefited his community for decades.