Patricia Poitevien ’94 MD’98 will become the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity interim vice president following Sylvia Carey-Butler’s upcoming departure from the position.
Poitevien, the senior associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion for the Division of Biology and Medicine, will take office Nov. 1, according to a Today@Brown announcement from President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20.
Greg Hirth ScM’87 PHD’91, a professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, was also recently appointed as interim vice president for research.
Poitevien, a graduate of Brown’s Program in Liberal Medical Education and associate professor of pediatrics, has served as the senior associate dean at the Medical School’s Office of Belonging, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion since 2022. Her duties included liaising between the OIED and the medical school.
Paxson described Poitevien as “an expert in disparities in medical education and health care” in the announcement.
Poitevien formerly served as the president of the Association of Pediatric Program Directors, receiving the Barbara Ross-Lee Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award during her tenure. She also led the Brown Pediatrics Residency Program at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.
Poitevien did not comment by press time.
Hirth, who received his masters degree and PhD from Brown, previously chaired the EEPS department. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Geophysical Union. He is also a member of the Office of the Vice President for Research’s Research Advisory Board.
“Working as a scientist for four decades, I have learned a lot about the process of conducting research in a University environment — and view this opportunity as a way to leverage these experiences to advance research efforts in the University,” Hirth wrote in an email to The Herald.
“Greg will advance Brown’s mission and impact by supporting faculty and students in all aspects of their research activities — from the conception of new ideas through the dissemination of the knowledge they create,” wrote Provost Francis Doyle in a Today@Brown announcement.
The University continues to conduct searches for people to fill both Poitevien and Hirth’s interim positions permanently.
Anisha Kumar is the senior editor of community and standards of The Herald's 135th editorial board. She previously served as a section editor covering University Hall and international student life. She is a junior from Menlo Park, California concentrating in English and Political Science who loves speed-crosswording and rewatching sitcoms.
