Meet Dr. Estell Williams, ’13, an emergency surgeon, community builder, dedicated mentor and the UW’s 2026 honoree for Black History Month.
From the first grade, Dr. Estell Williams knew she wanted to be a doctor. The self-described science nerd isn’t quite sure where that came from, but she’s got a few guesses.
Maybe it’s the fact that she had a Black pediatrician growing up, one whose office walls were plastered with photos of Black patients and their families, making it look like a relative’s living room. Or all those times she tagged along with her cousin to nursing classes at a local community college, taking copious and detailed notes, even as a child. But ultimately, when Williams attended a summer program designed to introduce her to health careers as a teenager, she knew medicine was her calling.
The California native eventually found her way up to Seattle for medical school at the University of Washington — and hasn’t left. Today, Wiliams is an emergency surgeon and associate professor at the UW School of Medicine, while also serving as executive director for the Center for Workforce Inclusion and Healthcare System Equity (WIHSE) and vice chair for diversity, equity and inclusion for the surgery department. Together with her spouse, Assistant Dean and UW Associate Teaching Professor Edwin Lindo, she co-founded Estelita’s Library, a social justice bookstore and community hub in South Seattle.