Vice president for Wales
Dr Olwen Williams OBE was elected RCP vice president for Wales in September 2019. She began her 3-year term on 1 January 2020.
She is a consultant physician in genitourinary/HIV medicine at Glan Clwyd Hospital, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in Wales.
During Olwen’s tenure as Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s chief of staff, she obtained an in-depth understanding of the complexities and challenges of delivering whole-system change across planned, unplanned and community care within the context of targets and financial constraints. As clinical lead for one of the RCP Future Hospital development site projects, she supported the introduction of telemedicine virtual clinics.
In her clinical work, Olwen has striven to ensure the vulnerable have access to high-quality healthcare, establishing services for sexual assault referrals, prison sexual health and virtual outpatients. She has worked closely with the Welsh government throughout her career and advised on development of the Welsh sexual health strategy, HIV delivery and issues regarding sexual assault and domestic violence. Physicians working with socially excluded people need a voice on Council, she believes, especially at times when some services are under local authority control.
She is currently president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV and a member of the RCP Joint Specialty Committee for Genitourinary Medicine (GUM), and co-wrote the specialty’s chapter for the Medical Care website. Olwen is also a member of the RCP Wales strategic committee and the RCP Quality Improvement faculty.
In 2005 Olwen received an OBE for services to medicine.