Williams named first Boise State Foundation Board Endowed Professor of Health Sciences

The Boise State College of Health Sciences named Nate Williams ('02 and '04), currently an associate professor in the School of Social Work, as the Boise State Foundation Board Endowed Professor of Health Sciences, marking a milestone for health sciences in Idaho.

This endowed professorship, made possible through the vision and generosity of the Boise State University Foundation Board and matched by the foundation itself, reflects a strong, shared commitment to Boise State's future and its Unbridled fundraising campaign. Williams' professorship is one of four endowed professorships the foundation board has established. The position is a five-year appointment to begin Jan. 1, 2026.

Williams' research is transforming the systems that care for children's mental health by showing how organizational leadership can save young lives. His studies have shown that the biggest barriers to effective mental health treatment aren't a lack of proven therapies, they're breakdowns in how community agencies and schools support the people who deliver them.

Through large-scale trials in real-world clinics, his team has shown that training leaders to foster positive, data-driven climates can double or triple clinicians' adherence to evidence-based practices and significantly improve children's recovery rates.

For example, in the multi-state WISDOM trial, clinics whose leaders participated in the "Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation" program achieved seven times greater fidelity to measurement-based care and clinically meaningful reductions in youth symptoms.

His group has also demonstrated that strong leadership and supportive workplace culture help agencies retain skilled therapists and sustain effective practices over time. This line of work is helping communities translate scientific advances into everyday practice, ensuring that children across diverse settings receive the most effective care possible.

"Nate's contributions to our School of Social Work - and to the college as a whole - are truly profound," College of Health Sciences Dean Joelle Powers said. "He is forging a research path that will benefit our students, our programs, and the field for years to come. His meaningful work touches the community by helping social workers and counselors enhance their practice, ultimately leading to better support and outcomes for the individuals and families they serve."

The College of Health Sciences' Office of Research has been instrumental in supporting faculty and students, Williams said, and the endowed positions signal the university community's commitment to sharing Blue Turf Thinking even more broadly.

"I think it's huge," he said. "It's important and it helps Boise State play at the highest levels. It signals a major commitment.

"It creates opportunities to bring students into research from the pilot stage all the way through the research process, and that helps build the pipeline for future researchers and post-docs. Funding these endowed positions creates those openings."

"As a nationally-recognized expert on implementation science, Nate is absolutely deserving of this recognition," School of Social Work Divisional Dean Tony Roark said. "Researchers from the most prestigious universities across the country regularly seek his expertise and partnership on high-profile projects. His work has had positive impacts on the profession of social work, our students, and the community.

"The School of Social Work is incredibly proud to have Nate named as the Foundation Board Endowed Professor of Health Sciences."

Major projects and awards

As an implementation scientist, Williams' research has focused broadly on improving the quality and effectiveness of mental health services, with a special emphasis on enhancing the uptake, implementation and sustainment of evidence-based practices in mental health settings that serve youth.

His research portfolio at Boise State includes a career total of $4.9 million in research grants and contracts from federal and state sponsors. He has led an U.S. National Institute of Mental Health-funded R01 effectiveness-implementation trial testing implementation strategies in mental health clinics in Idaho, Oregon and Nevada and has partnered with colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania on another National Institute of Mental Health R01 addressing the implementation of evidence-based practices in mental health clinics in Philadelphia and Texas. He has also collaborated with colleagues at the University of Washington on a trial testing implementation strategies for positive behavior interventions and supports in schools.

His work has resulted in 78 peer-reviewed research articles, an impressive 32 of them as first-author, in top journals in the fields of implementation science, psychiatry, psychology and social work, and numerous invitations to serve as an expert faculty in National Institute of Mental Health-funded training programs at top-tier U.S. universities, including the University of Pennsylvania and Washington University in St. Louis.

Williams has been invited to serve on multiple national and international scientific review panels for the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, among other honors. He has substantive expertise in issues related to organizational culture, climate and leadership. Throughout his career, he has stayed involved with local, partner-engaged research, including work with policymakers and families of children who experience emotional and behavioral disorders in Idaho.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science and Master of Social Work from Boise State University, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Social Work, with a minor in statistics, from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is the recipient of multiple awards including a National Institute of Mental Health Ruth L. Kirschstein individual pre-doctoral fellowship and a National Institute of Health translational research scholar award through the Institute for Translational Health Sciences at the University of Washington.

Plans for the professorship

During the five-year endowment period, Williams intends to expand on his implementation research work focused on developing strategies to improve the delivery of evidence-based practices in mental health settings, exploring transformation of the field through the use of innovative artificial intelligence tools.

He expects to conduct pilot work that generates preliminary data necessary for submission of an R01 focused on testing AI tools and training protocols, deployable in graduate research training, leading to sustained practitioner competence and mastery in the delivery of measurement-based care with children and their families. He will develop competence and collaborations with investigators who have requisite AI expertise, conduct a scoping review of the AI training and implementation science literatures to outline gaps, develop prototypes of AI tools and training procedures and pilot test AI tools and training procedures.

"I've been doing the implementation work for some time now," he said. "Part of it for me is, we need to do better with what we have. That's what I've become convinced of.

"The AI piece really creates the opportunity to go through the steps of training therapists quickly and effectively, to practice, get feedback and improve at all stages of the therapeutic process. There are just so many ways AI can make the training scalable in ways that haven't been possible before."

Call to action

In May 2025, the Boise State University Foundation Board of Directors announced that it had fully funded an endowed professorship in its efforts to support Unbridled: The Campaign for Boise State University. Funding came directly from board members themselves. Their philanthropy was then matched by the foundation.

The Provost's Office decided to award the first endowed position to the College of Engineering; Williams' is the second of the endowed professorships.

"The Foundation Board realized this was a great opportunity for us to step up and address a critical need," Bruce Mohr, foundation board chair, said at the time. "Endowed professorships supplement salaries, fund research, equip laboratories, pay for travel and hire graduate students. That's where the magic happens, and I'm proud that we could help in a way that has such a profound impact on faculty - and our students."

Endowed professorships also create ongoing support and a career path for professors, researchers and instructors, helping them deliver the best possible experience for students, break ground in their fields and empower Boise State to attract and retain talented faculty.

"Endowed professorships are critical for Boise State," said Argia Beristain, foundation CEO. "Their impact is felt across the university and across generations. I am grateful for the Board's leadership and commitment to ensuring faculty members like Professor Williams can do their best work here."

The College of Health Sciences, Boise State University and the Boise State University Foundation invite philanthropic partners to join in supporting this critical work and other innovative research and teaching across the university. Endowed faculty roles ensure that future generations of Idahoans and Bronco leaders have the mentorship, academic resources, and support they need to thrive. Faculty research and support are a key pillar of the Unbridled campaign, which aims to raise $500M by 2028. For more information on faculty endowments, please visit the giving website. For more information on Unbridled, visit unbridled.boisestate.edu.

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