Patricia Poitevien ’94 MD ’98 will be Brown’s next vice president for campus life effective June 1, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 announced in a campus-wide message on Tuesday morning. Poitevien will replace Interim Vice President for Campus Life Russell Carey ’91, who was appointed in June 2024 after the passing of Eric Estes, then vice president for campus life.
Poitevien is currently the senior associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School and an associate professor in the division of pediatric hospitalist medicine at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.
“I am thrilled to tap into my skills, my experience and my personal love of Brown to lead the Division of Campus Life,” Poitevien wrote in an email to The Herald.
In September 2024, Poitevien was appointed to serve as the interim vice president of Brown’s diversity office after the departure of Sylvia Carey-Butler.
“During her time in that role, Pat thoughtfully and collaboratively provided leadership amid complex challenges in an evolving landscape of federal policy changes affecting both the University and individual community members,” Paxson wrote, adding that this experience “will serve as a strong foundation for her role stewarding the holistic care of our community.”
As the vice president for campus life, Poitevien will collaborate with staff across administrative units and academic departments to “create opportunities” for undergraduate, graduate and medical students, Paxson wrote.
“Pat stood out for her strong knowledge of developmental learning and her deep understanding of health and well-being as integral to student success,” Paxson wrote.
After graduating from Brown’s Program in Liberal Medical Education, Poitevien completed her residency training in pediatrics at New York University Langone Health / Bellevue Hospital Center, and has since spent the past decade in graduate medical education.
Poitevien’s scholarship focuses on alleviating disparities in medical education.
“I have spent my career thinking about developmental growth while examining and designing living and learning communities that promote inclusion and flourishing of learners,” she explained.
Poitevien previously served as the president of the Association of Pediatric Program Directors. She also led the Brown Pediatrics Residency Program at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.
“I have had the extraordinary privilege of being an undergraduate, a medical student, an alumna, a faculty member and an administrative leader at Brown,” Poitevien wrote. “Each role has provided me with rich insight into what makes Brown a transformational place to learn, to teach, to work and to grow.”
Hadley Carr is a university news editor at The Herald, covering academics & advising and student government.
