BIOGRAPHY
Vernon B. Williams, MD, is a sports neurologist and founding director of
the Center for Sports Neurology and Pain Medicine at the prestigious Cedars-Sinai
Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, CA.
Dr. Williams was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Cass
Technical High School, where he was a four-year varsity letterman, 3-year
varsity football captain and was elected “Most Athletic” student
in addition to earning wide-ranging academic honors. He is a graduate
of The University of Michigan’s prestigious Inteflex Accelerated
Pre-Medical/Medical Program, completing undergraduate and Medical School
diplomas in 7 years. He received his Medical Doctorate from the University
of Michigan in 1992 and in 1993, completed an internship in Internal Medicine
at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI. Dr. Williams underwent residency
training in Neurology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore in 1996
and rounded out his training with an Interventional Pain fellowship at
The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD in 1997. Since that time,
Dr. Williams has established his private medical practice in the Los Angeles
area and provides for a wide-range of neurological needs to his patients,
including concussion prevention, treatment and management, neurological
sports performance, and pain management.
Dr. Williams was appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to the Governor’s
Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being in 2022. He
serves as a neurological medical consultant to local professional sports
organizations, and assists local collegiate and numerous high school and
youth sports/club athletic teams in this capacity. Dr. Williams also serves
as an inaugural member of the Peloton Health and Wellness Advisory Council.
Dr. Williams is a former Commissioner for the California State Athletic
Commission (appointed for two consecutive terms by Governor Brown) and
former two-term Chair of the American Academy of Neurology Sports Neurology
Section. Dr. Williams is a member of multiple professional medical societies
including the American Academy of Neurology, the American College of Sports
Medicine, the North American Neuromodulation Society, and the American
Society of Interventional Pain Physicians. He has received numerous public
accolades including designation as a Super Doctor in Sports Medicine and
Neurology for a consecutive 3-year period, since 2016.
Dr. Williams became a contributor to
U.S. News and World Report in 2017, covering a range of brain health, sports performance, and chronic
pain-related topics in the publication’s online Health Care/For
Better section. Dr. Williams is also a frequent medical expert contributor
to mainstream media publications and news outlets, including the Los Angeles
Times, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and Huffington Post and local and national
television news outlets including CBS, NBC and ABC television affiliates
as well as Ivanhoe National Broadcast News.
Dr. Williams’ wife, Brenda, is also from Detroit and is a graduate
of the University of Michigan’s MBA program. She is the founding
CEO of First Steps Consulting and a philanthropic leader in their community.
They are both avid sports fans and enjoy travel, church activities, music
(Jazz, Opera), and dining out (all activities frequently enjoyed with
their son Brandon, an aspiring actor and filmmaker).