Biography

Richard I. Williams, M.D. is a fellowship-trained, orthopaedic specialist who focuses on non-operative patient care, including assessment and management of sports injuries and other orthopaedic conditions.

Dr. Williams is a Cum Laude graduate of Dartmouth College and after obtaining an MS in Human Genetics and Microbiology from Indiana University, he graduated from the Indiana University School of Medicine, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Dr. Williams completed an orthopaedic residency at the University of Cincinnati, followed by a Sports Medicine Fellowship with Kentucky Sports Medicine in Lexington. During his training, he gathered extensive experience on the sidelines for high school, collegiate and professional teams--including the Indianapolis Colts, the University of Cincinnati, and Eastern Kentucky University.

Dr. Williams has served as the head Team Physician for Tennessee Tech University athletic programs since 1995. In 2006 he was named "Sports Medicine Person of the Year" by the Tennessee Athletic Trainers Society. He also functions as the Athletics Health Care Administrator at TTU, and is a long-time member of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.

Education

Undergraduate:
- Dartmouth College, 1980 (Biology), Cum Laude

Graduate:
-Indiana University, 1986 (Medical and Molecular Genetics)

Medical School:
-Indiana University School of Medicine, 1989

Surgical Internship:
-University of Cincinnati Hospitals, (1989-1990)

Orthopaedic Residency:
-University of Cincinnati Hospitals, (1990-1994)

Fellowship:
-Kentucky Sports Medicine, Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship, ACGME accredited, (1994-1995)

Research

Publications and Presentations:

• Comparison of open versus arthroscopically-assisted anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with autogenous patellar tendon. KD Shelbourne, GT Hardin, AC Rettig, RI Williams. Presented (Dr. Hardin) at AAOS annual meeting, Anaheim, CA (February 1991).
• Miniarthrotomy versus arthroscopic-assisted anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with autogenous patellar tendon graft. KD Shelbourne, AC Rettig, GT Hardin, RI Williams. Arthroscopy 9:72 (1993).
• Manuscript editor, "Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries" by KD Shelbourne and PA Nitz in Sports Medicine: The School-aged Athlete. B Reider, Ed. (WB Saunders, Philadeplphia, 1991).
• Shoulder Impingement Syndrome. Presented to UC Sports Medicine Conference (June 1992).
• Management of the Upper Extremity in Patients with Multiple Osteocartilaginous Lesions. Presented to Cincinnati Hand Surgery Consultants (June 1992).
• Aggressive Fibromatosis in Children--Cincinnati Children's Hospital Experience. Orthopaedic Grand Rounds, UC. (May 1993).
• Hemophilia, Charcot Arthropathy and Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis. Orthopaedic Pathology Conference, UC. (June 1993).
• Articular Surface Lesions of the Knee. UC Sports Medicine Conference. (October 1993).
• Chondrosarcoma. Orhopaedic Pathology Conference, UC. (November 1993).
• A Prospective Comparison of MRI and CT-arthrography, with Arthroscopic Confirmation, in the Diagnosis of Patients with Shoulder Pain. Chief Resident Disputation, UC. (April 1994).
• Patellofemoral Disorders. Presented to Kentucky Sports Medicine staff. (October 1994).
• Foot Injuries. Presented to Kentucky Sports Medicine staff. (November 1994).
• Elbow Anatomy (live, video-taped cadaveric dissection). Central Baptist Hospital/KSM Fall Sports Medicine Symposium, Lexington. (November 1994).
• Case-oriented Review of Tumors in Sports Medicine. Central Baptist Hospital/KSM Fall Sports Medicine Symposium, Lexington. (November 1994).
• Foot Injuries (part of a Foot and Ankle Symposium). Southeast American College of Sports Medicine meeting, Lexington. (February 1995).
• Utilization of Sports Medicine Services at the 1990 Olympic Sports Festival. SEC Sports Medicine Symposium, Atlanta, GA. (March 1995).
• Elbow Anatomy. SEC Sports Medicine Symposium, Atlanta, GA. (March 1995).
• Physical Exam Skills for Athletic Trainers (Two-session seminar). Eastern Kentucky University. (March 1995).
• PCL Injuries (slide/video presentation). Kentucky Sports Medicine. (May 1995).
• In-season Shoulder Pain in a Collision-Sport Athlete. RI Williams, ML Ireland, B Barton. Case report presented (Dr. Barton) at NATA Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN. (June 1995).
• Hiking Safety and Fitness. Presented to the Tennessee Trail Association Fall Meeting, Beersheba Springs, TN. (October 1995).
• Shoulder Injuries: Assessment Skills for Athletic Trainers. Presented at the Tennessee Athletic Trainers Society annual meeting, Nashville, TN. (January 1996).
• Wilderness Management of Fractures, Dislocations and Bites. Presented at the Wilderness Medicine Symposium, Baptist Hospital Conference Center, Nashville, TN. (February 1996).
• Hip Pain in a Soccer Athlete. ML Ireland, RI Williams. Case report presented (Dr. Ireland) at American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting, Cincinnati, OH. (May 1996).
• "Knee Injuries" Co-authored book chapter with Dr. Mary Lloyd Ireland and Dr. Mark Hutchinson for The Injured Athlete. DH Perrin, Ed. (Third edition, J.B. Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1999).
• "Degenerative Arthritis" Co-authored book chapter with Dr. Mary Lloyd Ireland for Diagnostic and Operative Arthroscopy. JR Andrews and LA Timmerman, Eds. (WB Saunders, Philadelphia, 1997).
• Knee Injuries: Physical Exam Skills. Upper Cumberland PA Society. Cookeville, TN. (January, 1997).
• Wilderness Management of Fractures, Dislocations and Bites. Presented at the Wilderness Medicine Symposium,
• Tremont Institute, Townsend, TN. (March 1997).
• ACL Injuries: Diagnosis and Treatment. Upper Cumberland Medical Society. Fairfield Glade, TN. (June 1997).
• Shoulder Impingement: Diagnosis and Management. Kentucky Sports Medicine Fall Symposium. Lexington (November 1997).
• Patellofemoral Disorders--Differential Diagnosis. Kentucky Sports Medicine Fall Symposium. Lexington (November 1997).
• Elbow Evaluation. TATS Winter Meeting, Nashville, TN. (January 1998).
• Wilderness Management of Orthopaedic Injuries. (Lecture and Field Workshop). Wilderness Medicine Symposium, Tremont Institute, Townsend, TN. (March 1998).
• Upper Extremity Injuries in Skeletally Immature Athletes. Kentucky Sports Medicine Fall Symposium. Lexington (November 1998).
• Sideline Decision-Making (Panel Discussion). Kentucky Sports Medicine Fall Symposium. Lexington (November 1998).
• Sports Medicine for the Aging Weekend Warrior. Cookeville Rotary Club, Cookeville, TN. (January 1999).
• Wilderness Management of Orthopaedic Injuries. (Lecture and Field Workshop). Wilderness Medicine Symposium, Tremont Institute, Townsend, TN. (March 1999).
• Shoulder Injuries in the Skeletally Immature Athlete. Kentucky Sports Medicine Fall Symposium. Lexington (November 1999).
• Injury Scenarios in Intercollegiate Athletics. Kentucky Sports Medicine Fall Symposium. Lexington (November 1999).
• Selected Injuries in Climbing, Paddling and Skiing. Wilderness Medicine Symposium, Tremont Institute, Townsend, TN. (March 2000).
• Sports Medicine Q & A. 'Housecalls' television program, WCTE-TV, Cookeville, TN. (April 2000).
• ACL Reconstruction. Tennessee Orthopaedic Physician Assistant Society meeting, Cookeville, TN. (May 2000)
• Sideline Decision Making (Panel Discussion). Kentucky Sports Medicine Fall Symposium. Lexington (November 2000).
• Sudden Death and Serious Injuries in Athletes (Panel Forum). Kentucky Sports Medicine Fall Symposium. Lexington (November 2000).
• Injuries Which Are Not What They Seem. (Panel Forum). Kentucky Sports Medicine Fall Symposium. Lexington (November 2000).
• Primary ACL Reconstruction Using Contralateral Patellar Tendon Graft. Tennessee Athletic Trainers Society, Nashville, TN. (January 2002).
• "Knee Injuries" Co-authored book chapter with Dr. Mary Lloyd Ireland and Dr. Mark Hutchinson for The Female Athlete. ML Ireland, Aurelia Nattiv, Eds. (WB Saunders, Philadelphia, 2003).
• The Healthy Student--Mind and Body. Teacher in-service program organized and presented to Upper Cumberland area school teachers, June 2-3, 2003. Lectured on ACL Injuries and Shoulder Injuries.
• Sports Medicine Overview. 'Housecalls' television program, WCTE-TV, Cookeville, TN. (April 2006).
• Steroids in Athletes. 'Housecalls' television program, WCTE-TV, Cookeville, TN. (April 2008).
• Common Shoulder Problems. Lecture given to TTU Interdisciplinary Studies class. November 2013.
• Posterior Sternoclavicular Joint Dislocation in a Division I Foortball Player: A Case Report. MF Cruz, J Erdeljac, R Williams, M Brown, L Bolgla. IJSPT 10:700 (2015).

Awards

Sports Medicine Person of the Year. Awarded January, 2006 by the Tennessee Athletic Trainers Society

Memberships & Associations

Alpha Omega Alpha (medical honor society).

American Academy of Orthodpaedic Surgeons (inducted February 2001).

American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (admitted July 2001).

State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Company

Licensed to practice medicine, Kentucky (July 1994).

Licensed to practice medicine, Tennessee (September 1995).

DEA number issued (September 1994).

Team Physician

Head team physician, Tennessee Tech University athletics (1995-present)