Dr. Brian H. Williams discusses gun violence, racism, and his new book “The Bodies Keep Coming”

In this Front Porch Conversation, Rev. Dr. Daniel Kanter talks with Dr. Brian H. Williams about his new book “The Bodies Keep Coming: Dispatches from a Black Trauma Surgeon on Racism, Violence, and How We Heal.”

Dr. Brian H. Williams led the trauma team that treated police officers ambushed by a sniper in Dallas, Texas, on July 7, 2016, the largest loss of life for US law enforcement since 9/11. At a press conference days later, his heartfelt comments about the tragedy touched thousands, and Huffington Post named it one of the most memorable television moments of 2016. With more than two decades of experience treating urban gun violence victims in Tampa, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, and Chicago, Dr. Williams has served as a congressional health policy advisor and now serves as a professor of trauma and acute care surgery at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Williams graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. After six years on active duty, he enrolled at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and then completed a general surgery residency at Harvard Medical School and a fellowship in trauma and surgical critical care at Emory University. After the Dallas shooting, Dr. Williams became an international spokesperson for racial justice. In 2017 Mayor Rawlings appointed him chair of the Dallas Citizens Police Review Board. His leadership helped unite the Dallas Police Department, community activists, police associations, and City Council to revamp the role Dallas civilians play in police oversight.