William J. Lee leads Kershaw Talley Barlow’s scientific practice group and supports its nationally recognized mass tort and class action practices. William works at the intersection of epidemiology, law, and policy, collaborating with leading experts to develop scientific and medical evidence, and performing epidemiological and biostatistical analyses as an expert himself, in support of federal and state trial, appellate, and Supreme Court litigations. William also researches and develops new lines of real-world evidence using epidemiological, pharmacological, molecular, epigenetic, and multi-omic real-world data. William routinely serves on court-appointed scientific leadership representing hundreds of thousands of patients in national pharmaceutical and medical device complex litigations including Oral Phenylephrine Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation (MDL No. 3089), Acetaminophen – ASD/ADHD Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 3043), Gilead Tenofovir Cases (JCCP No. 5043), and Essure Product Cases (JCCP No. 4887). In each litigation, William has played an integral role in shaping leadership's pre-trial and trial strategies regarding causation, liability, and notice.

In recent years, William has employed well-controlled, frequentist and Bayesian disproportionality methods to analyze post-market adverse events, and developed new lines of causation and liability evidence, that many courts have not previously considered. For his significant and sustained contributions to the science, practice, and leadership of epidemiology and its application to law and policy, William has been elected Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology (FACE), one of the highest honors in the field of epidemiology. William serves on the American College of Epidemiology’s Ethics and Policy Committee and as President of its Research and Education Foundation. William has also been elected to the International Epidemiological Association, appointed to the Board of the International Network for Epidemiology in Policy, named a Leading American Scientist by Marquis Who’s Who in America, and received an Excellence in Medicine Award from Best in California Magazine. In 2024, William was recognized among the nation's 40 Under 40 Leaders in Health by the National Minority Quality Forum, the nation's leading health equity research, education, and advocacy organization, for utilizing the legal system to reduce patient risk and advance health equity among minoritized and underserved populations. In the same year, William was also recognized as one of the world's Health Innovators to Watch by the Boston Congress of Public Health for his innovative applications of epidemiology in law and policy to improve the health and well-being of underserved communities and populations.

After nearly a decade working in biomedical research, clinical research, epidemiology, and biostatistics, William attended Emory University School of Law for his legal education where he graduated with honors near the top of his class and was inducted into the Phi Delta Phi International Legal Honor Society. Prior to law school, William received his Master of Science Secundi Honoris Academici in Chronic Disease Epidemiology from Yale University and his Bachelor of Science in Cell and Molecular Biology from Duke University. William has worked at a number of high-profile universities and federal scientific agencies including Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, the National Center for Patient Safety, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. William actively publishes his original research and maintains national-level speaking engagements in the scientific and legal communities. An important focus of William’s policy work has been educating lawyers, jurists, epidemiologists, and other scientists about imbalances in the admissibility of expert testimony that negatively affect experts representing patients in litigation. William has critiqued recent federal court decisions that increasingly exclude expert testimony interpreting data outside of the published literature, or based on methodologies not historically used in litigation, even when such methodologies are long-established and well-recognized by the scientific community.

In his spare time, William teaches English to schoolchildren in China and volunteers through his church and alumni networks to give back to the community. William is a member of the Duke Law Club of Northern California and serves as a Board Member and the Sacramento Chair of the Emory Alumni Association. In recognition of his professional achievements, service to the community, and leadership in public health advocacy, William was named to Emory University’s 2024 Class of 40 Under 40 Alumni who are making a difference in the world.

Education

• J.D. with Honors, Phi Delta Phi, Certificate in Transactional Law, Emory University
• M.S. Secundi Honoris Academici in Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale University
• B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology, Minor in Chemistry, Duke University

Previous Affiliations

• Public Health Law Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• National Center for Patient Safety, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Survey Research Methods Group, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice
• Surgical Health Services Research Group, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Professional Associations

• President, American College of Epidemiology Research and Education Foundation
• Elected Fellow, Ethics and Policy Committee, American College of Epidemiology
• Elected Member, International Epidemiological Association
• Board Member, International Network for Epidemiology in Policy
• 40 Under 40 Leader in Health, National Minority Quality Forum
• Health Innovator to Watch, Boston Congress of Public Health
• Leading American Scientist, Marquis Who’s Who in America
• Excellence in Medicine (Epidemiology), Best in California Magazine
• Board Member and Sacramento Chair, Emory SF Bay Area Alumni Network
• 40 Under 40 Alumni, Emory University​

Recent Publications and Presentations

• William J. Lee et al., The Role of Epidemiological Experts in Litigation, Oral Presentation at American College of Epidemiology, Pasadena, CA (September 2025).
• William J. Lee et al., Furtive Changes to Federal Health Data Threaten Admissibility, Expert Analysis Published on Law360 (August 2025)
• William J. Lee, Role of Epidemiology and Science in Mass Torts, Oral Presentation at American Association for Justice, San Francisco, CA (July 2025)
• William J. Lee et al., Reproductive Rights: How National Policy Impacts the Individual, Oral Presentation at Boston Congress of Public Health, by Zoom (October 2024)
• William J. Lee, Addressing Emergent Threats to Public Health Through Mass Tort Litigation, Oral Presentation at Boston Congress of Public Health, by Zoom (September 2024)
• William J. Lee et al., Causal Inference in Epidemiology: Translating Methods and Principles to Stakeholders, Oral Presentation at American College of Epidemiology, Columbus, OH (September 2024)
• William J. Lee, Translating Causation from Epidemiology to Law: Bradford Hill and Beyond, The Litigator, Volume 21, Issue 3, pp. 35-37 (August 2024)
• William J. Lee, Revisiting Daubert: Ensuring Equity and Integrity in the Admissibility of Scientific Testimony, Harvard Public Health Review (HPHR), Edition 85, DOI: 10.54111/0001/GGGG1 (June 2024)
• William J. Lee, ACE in Action: The Role of Epidemiology in Law, Oral Presentation at American College of Epidemiology, by Zoom (May 2024)
• William J. Lee et al., The Role of Epidemiology in Camp Lejeune Litigation, In re: Camp Lejeune Water Litigation (No. 7:23-CV-897), Oral Presentation at American Association for Justice, by Zoom (March 2024)
• William J. Lee et al., How Can We Achieve Equity in Maternal Health for Black Women?, Oral Presentation at Boston Congress of Public Health, by Zoom (March 2024)

Honors and Awards

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