William G. Hawkins is a 1987 graduate of West Babylon High School. He received his MD from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and completed a surgical research fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Dr. Hawkins completed a residency in surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and a surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. In 2005, he joined Washington University in the St. Louis School of Medicine, where he specializes in complex cancer surgery for primary and metastatic lesions of the pancreas, liver and stomach.
Dr. Hawkins is a lead investigator for pancreatic and liver cancer research as well as other cancers at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. He has a number of publications to his credit and several patents relating to his cancer research. He has received numerous grants towards his research, the largest being over 1.5 million dollars from the U.S. Government from 2006–2011.

Some of the many distinguishing honors that Dr. Hawkins has received are as follows:
PanCan “Light Up the Night with Hope Award” awarded for dedication to pancreas cancer research and patient care; American Cancer Society Mentored Research Scholar; American Cancer Society Young Investigator Award; Samuel Stroum PanCan-AACR Young Investigator Award; and Upjohn Overall Excellence as a Medical Student Award (Valedictorian). Bill is also the Medical Student Education Coordinator at the University/Hospital. In addition, he is a member of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B(CALGB), GI-Surgery Advisory Committee and a member of the National Advisory Board, National Comprehensive Cancer Network NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines for Pancreatic Cancer.

Bill, his wife Michelle, and three children, Caitlin, William and Patrick live in Olivette, Missouri. He and his family are very active in local community and church activities.