Alvin Poussaint, HMS professor of psychiatry and associate faculty dean for student affairs, received the Herbert W. Nickens Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) at a ceremony in November. Poussaint was one of 10 leaders honored by the AAMC in its 2010 national awards for contributions to academic medicine and the global community. The Nickens Award recognizes individuals who have made exemplary contributions to promote justice in medical education and health care equality.
Poussaint was a key leader of the School’s affirmative action program in the late 1960s, and his model for recruiting and retaining minority students has been replicated nationwide. “His imprint is ubiquitous,” said Jeffrey S. Flier, dean of the Faculty of Medicine. Poussaint joined the HMS faculty in 1969 as associate professor of psychiatry and became the School’s first African-American dean, serving as faculty associate dean and director of the Office of Recruitment and Multicultural Affairs.
During his long tenure at HMS, he has promoted diversity in medical education and has addressed children’s mental health needs and social justice. Both federal agencies and media groups seek Poussaint’s counsel on these issues. Notably, he served as a consultant to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare during the Nixon administration and as an adviser to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of State and the White House for several decades. He has also served as an adviser for many television and film projects, including The Cosby Show and PBS’s NOVA.
