Karla Lavin Williams, DrPH

Karla Lavin Williams, DrPH

Program Director, Associate Professor

Dr. Lavin Williams is a full-time faculty member and Program Director for the Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration Program, positions she has held since the program’s inception in 2010. Her healthcare industry background spans over 25 years.  She has skillfully held a variety of positions with emphasis in sports medicine, allied health, healthcare administration, health education, emotional intelligence and executive and wellness coaching.

As the Program Director, Dr. Lavin Williams is responsible for facilitating the student application, selection and enrollment processes; student advising, mentoring and coaching; professional certification, regional accreditation and assessment; local and international program promotion and advancement; and curriculum development and online course creation and instruction.  Additionally, she serves on the SAHP Faculty Development Team, the LLU Distance Learning Committee, the LLU Online Formative Peer Assessment team and the LLU Program Review Committee.  Her research interests include faculty and student development, leadership, emotional intelligence, executive and wellness coaching, sustainability, resilience, and education.

Previously, Dr. Lavin Williams was the Project Manager for two federally-funded disaster/telemedicine projects at the Loma Linda University Medical Center and the Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer of CARE, a nonprofit research and health education company.  In both positions, she contributed to the fields of mass casualty and public health research and to advancements that benefited local, state, and federal agencies.

Education

  • DrPH, Health Promotion and Education, Nutrition Cognate, Loma Linda University
  • MPH, Health Administration, Loma Linda University
  • B.S., Kinesiology, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Professional Certificates

  • October 2019, Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Wellcoaches School of Coaching
  • November 2016, Certified Professional Coach, College of Executive Coaching
  • February 2014, Certified Emotional and Social Competency Inventory Coach,

    Hay Group
  • February 2010, Reproductive Health, Loma Linda University

Research Experience

  • Research that transforms experiential learning theory into practice utilizing emotional intelligence assessment tools and coaching sessions to enhance emotional intelligence competencies among undergraduate college students. The initial pilot studies began in 2014, data collection and synthesis remain in progress.
  • Dissertation: Perceived Parent-Child Relationship and High-Risk Behaviors Among Christian College Students, 2011.

Selected Presentations and Publications 

  • Lavin Williams, K., Rumani, S. (2022, February). Harnessing emotional intelligence to improve resilience and enhance leadership skills II. Elective workshop presentation at the Program for Educators in Health Professions Elective Session, Harvard Macy Institute, Boston, MA.
  • Savino, P. and Lavin Williams, K. (2021, September). WRAP-EM Community Regional Response to COVID-19: Lessons Learned and Best Practices Intra-Action Report. Virtual presentation for the California Hospital Association's Disaster Preparedness Conference 2021
  • Lavin Williams, K., Vaa Stelling, B., Rumani, S. (2021, February). Harnessing emotional intelligence to improve resilience and enhance leadership skills. Elective workshop presentation at the Program for Educators in Health Professions Elective Virtual Session, Harvard Macy Institute, Boston, MA.
  • Davis, C., Alipoon, L., Lavin Williams, K., & Hopp Marshak, H. (2021). Measuring Emotional Intelligence in Undergraduate Populations. In Meuter, R. (Ed). Positive Psychology in Practice, Chapter 9. Kindle Book.
  • Davis, C., Lavin Williams, K., Alipoon, L., Hopp Marshak, H. (2020, March). Teaching Positive Psychology Concepts and Emotional Intelligence to Undergraduate Healthcare Students. Poster presented at the 31st World Summit on Positive Psychology, Mindfulness, Psychotherapy and Social Sciences Conference, Barcelona, Spain.
  • Alipoon, L., Davis, C., Lavin Williams, K., Hopp Marshak, H. (2020, February). Evaluation of Teaching Methods Employed in an Undergraduate Allied Health Course on Emotional Intelligence and Leadership. Poster presented at the Association of Collegiate Educators of Radiologic Technology 45th Annual Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada.
  • Lavin Williams, K., Alipoon, L., Davis, C., Hopp Marshak, H. (2019, October). The effect of emotional intelligence education and individual coaching on pre and post EQi 2.0 assessment results. Poster presented at the Coaching in Leadership and Healthcare, Annual Conference of the Institute of Coaching at Harvard, Boston, MA.
  • Davis, C., Lavin Williams, K., Alipoon, L., Hopp Marshak, H. (2019, October). An Examination of the impact of emotional intelligence (EI) and well-being construct education and coaching on pre and post MHS EQi-2.0 assessment results among undergraduate allied health professional students. Poster presented at the Positive Psychology in Practice, 2nd Annual Conference, Utrecht, Netherlands.
  • Lavin Williams, K., Vaa Stelling, B., Rumani, S. (2019, May). Transforming experiential learning theory into practice: Employing emotional intelligence competencies to enhance resilience and thrive in health professions environment. Elective workshop presentation at the Program for Educators in Health Professions Elective Session, Harvard Macy Institute, Boston, MA.
  • Rumani, S., Pratt, D., Willetts, G., Chen, D., Mostwin, J., Lavin Williams, K. (2019, May). Moving beyond numbers: Applying qualitative methodology to expand the scope of scholar projects. Half-Day elective workshop presentation at the Program for Educators in Health Professions Elective Session, Harvard Macy Institute, Boston, MA.
  • Alipoon, L., Davis, C., Lavin Williams, K. (2018, February). The use of emotional intelligence in the management of acute and chronic stressors in academia. Workshop presentation at the Loma Linda University Faculty Development Showcase, Loma Linda, CA.
  • Alipoon, L., Davis, C., Lavin Williams, K. (2017, March). The anatomy and physiology of patient communication. Workshop presentation at the Loma Linda University Homecoming Course Series, Loma Linda, CA.
  • Lavin Williams, K. (2015, May). Integrating emotional and social intelligence competencies within faculty and student development initiatives. Elective workshop presentation at the Program for Educators in Health Professions Elective Session, Harvard Macy Institute, Boston, MA.