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The Â鶹´«Ã½ schools of the health sciences appointed Carl Lawson as the new associate vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion, effective Feb. 5. In this capacity, Lawson will be responsible for leading efforts to foster an inclusive environment for students, trainees, staff and faculty of all races, ethnicities, genders and religions across Pitt’s six health sciences schools.

Lawson joins Pitt from Rosalind Franklin University (RFU) of Medicine and Science in North Chicago, where he served as director of diversity, equity and inclusion for Chicago Medical Â鶹´«Ã½ and director of interprofessional global health for RFU. At the medical school, he designed initiatives to advance faculty and students from groups underrepresented in medicine and worked to increase knowledge of diversity and equity issues in academic medicine.

As a professor, Lawson has taught courses in issues such as global health, health disparities, health care inequities, LGBTQ+ patient care and structural racism in medicine. He also served as RFU’s global health director, a role in which he forged relationships with medical schools, hospitals and other organizations based outside the U.S.

A proud veteran, Lawson served as a commissioned officer with the U.S. Public Health Service while at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Center for Global Health. In this role, he managed international infectious disease program operations for CDC satellite offices in multiple countries, worked as the administrator for a global quarantine reporting system, and contributed to public health emergency response efforts. He also volunteered with the U.S. Peace Corps in Gambia.

Lawson earned his Master of Public Health from the Tulane University Â鶹´«Ã½ of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, a Master of Arts from the University of Kent Brussels Â鶹´«Ã½ of International Studies, and his PhD in peace and conflict studies from the United Nations’ University for Peace. He also recently completed the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Healthcare Executive Diversity and Inclusion Certificate, an intensive academic program aimed at training leaders to drive diversity as a core component of excellence in health care.