Timothy J. Williamson

Assistant Professor of Psychology | Psychological Science Loyola Marymount University

  • Los Angeles CA

Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts

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Loyola Marymount University

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Biography

Dr. Williamson is a clinical health psychologist with research interests in stress, stigma, and health. In his research, Dr. Williamson uses qualitative and quantitative methods to understand how some psychological and social factors (e.g., stigma, social adversity) can increase risk for negative mental and physical health outcomes, whereas others (e.g., self-compassion, mindfulness) can promote resilience in the face of profoundly stressful experiences, including chronic medical diseases such as cancer.

Dr. Williamson is also a licensed clinical psychologist with additional training in psychosocial oncology and public health. As part of his clinical training, Dr. Williamson taught mindfulness and delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to individuals and couples in hospitals and community-based mental health clinics. Dr. Williamson has worked in a variety of behavioral medicine settings, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Weill Cornell Pediatric Sleep & Breathing Disorders Center, and the UCLA Cystic Fibrosis Center.

Dr. Williamson teaches courses at LMU in health psychology, psychopathology, and statistical methods for psychology. Dr. Williamson is committed to mentorship and providing students with learning experiences that promote self-reflection and deep understanding.

Education

University of California,

Ph.D.

Clinical Health Psychology

2019

Weill Cornell Medicine/New York-Presbyterian Hospital,

Predoctoral Internship

2019

University of California,

M.A.

Psychology

2014

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Areas of Expertise

Lung Cancer
Mindfulness
Stress and Coping
Psychosocial Oncology
Clinical Psychology
Health Psychology
Public Health
Stigma
Self-Compassion
Shame

Accomplishments

Deborah J. Bowen Early Career Investigator Award | Society of Behavioral Medicine

2025-03-27

The Deborah J. Bowen Early Career Investigator Award recognizes an early career individual’s total career achievements so far, including a review of a representative published paper.

Ascending Scholar Award | Loyola Marymount University

2024-04-17

The LMU Ascending Scholar Award recognizes a pre-tenure faculty member whose scholarship or creative activity exemplifies LMU’s standards of excellence.

Languages

  • English

Media Appearances

"The Shadow of Shame: Addressing the Stigma Associated with Cancer"

Cancer Today Magazine | The American Association for Cancer Research  print

2025-06-11

Interviewed and quoted for an article on stigma and shame in cancer care.

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"Teaching: A meeting menu, Instagram, and other ways to seem less scary"

The Chronicle of Higher Education  online

2023-09-14

Interviewed and quoted for a teaching-focused newsletter on how to increase student engagement and participation in office hours

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Research Focus

Description of the PRRISM Research Lab:

The Psychosocial Risk & Resilience In Stress & Medicine (PRRISM) Research Lab focuses on a central theme of understanding how to reduce stress, stigma, and social adversity and improve health and well-being. Dr. Williamson and other members of the PRRISM lab study how some psychological and social factors can increase risk for poor health outcomes, whereas others can promote resilience in the face of stressors, including chronic medical diseases such as cancer.

Active lines of research include: 1) understanding and reducing the stigma experienced by adults with lung cancer; 2) characterizing and improving lung cancer screening uptake; 3) testing the experimental effects of self-compassion and mindfulness on outcomes such as distress, shame, and social disconnection; 4) clarifying the biobehavioral pathways through which stress and stigma confer risk for negative mental and physical health outcomes; and 5) using large-scale secondary datasets (e.g., HINTS) to investigate cancer-related beliefs and engagement in preventive care, with an emphasis on identifying social drivers of health and healthcare engagement disparities among minoritized groups.

Articles

Quitting smoking after a cancer diagnosis corresponds with reductions in stigma and anxiety: A longitudinal mediation analysis

Stigma and Health (2025)

Williamson, T. J., Park, E. R., Warner, E. T., Rasmussen, A. W., & Ostroff, J. S. (2025). Quitting smoking after a cancer diagnosis corresponds with reductions in stigma and anxiety: A longitudinal mediation analysis. Stigma and Health, 10(1), 73-82. https://doi.org/10.1037/sah0000461

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Mindful Self-Compassion for Lung Cancer (MSC-LC): Incorporating perspectives of lung cancer patients, clinicians, and researchers to create an adapted intervention to reduce lung cancer stigma

Translational Behavioral Medicine (2025)

Williamson, T. J., Brymwitt, W. M., Gilliland, J., Carter-Bawa, L., Mao, J. J., Lynch, K. A., Emard, N., Omachi, S., Jacobs, R. L., Tefera, M. Y., Reese, M. T., & Ostroff, J. S. (2025). Mindful Self-Compassion for Lung Cancer (MSC-LC): Incorporating perspectives of lung cancer patients, clinicians, and researchers to create an adapted intervention to reduce lung cancer stigma. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 15(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibae074

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Empathic communication skills training to reduce lung cancer stigma: Study protocol of a cluster randomized control trial

Contemporary Clinical Trials (2024)

Banerjee, S. C., Malling, C. D., Schofield, E. A., Carter-Bawa, L., Bylund, C. L., Hamann, H. A., Parker, P. A., Shen, M. J., Studts, J. L., Williamson, T. J., & Ostroff, J. S. (2024). Empathic communication skills training to reduce lung cancer stigma: Study protocol of a cluster randomized control trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 145, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2024.107669

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