John Williams is Professor of Health Services Research at the College of Medicine, Swansea University, and Consultant Gastroenterologist at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board.  From 2002-07 he was Director of R&D for Wales, a post in which he established the Clinical Research Collaboration in Wales (CRC Cymru).  His research interests are focused on better diagnosis, treatments and services, particularly in gastroenterology, and more patient involvement in the process.  He has researched novel ways of delivering outpatient services, changing roles in gastrointestinal endoscopy and is presently the Chief Investigator of a large, multicentre trial in ulcerative colitis.  He is a member of the NIHR Health Services Research Board.

He has a long-standing interest in improving information systems that support patient care and set-up, and directs the Health Informatics Unit at the Royal College of Physicians of London.  He has evaluated the use of routinely collected data to support research, audit and professional appraisal.  This work has highlighted the need for standardisation of the structure and content of patients’ records from a clinical perspective and, at the Royal College of Physicians, he has led the development of evidence- and consensus-based standards for hospital admission records and communications.  This work was supported by NHS Connecting for Health and the standards have been endorsed by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.  He presently chairs a Board Subgroup for the UKCRC, to raise public awareness of the benefits of patient data being used for research, and is a member of the OSCHR e-Health Board.