KINGSTON, R.I. — Dec. 20, 2023 — The University of Rhode Island has named noted health education leader, scholar, and pediatrician Patrick Vivier, M.D., Ph.D., as the next dean of the College of Health Sciences. Vivier is a member of the Tufts University School of Medicine senior leadership team and currently serves as interim chair of the Tufts public health and community medicine department; director of the public health program; and professor of public health and community medicine, and pediatrics.
“The University of Rhode Island is enhancing the health of individuals and communities locally and globally,” said Barbara E. Wolfe, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Patrick’s vast experience in both academic and clinical settings, and his leadership of innovative, interdisciplinary public health programs will accelerate our work and enhance the positive, lasting impact of our faculty, clinicians, and researchers on the health and well-being of people of all ages.”
As interim chair at Tufts, Vivier led a process to reimagine the public health department, expanded strategic partnerships with the university’s undergraduate campus and professional schools, and provided leadership for academic programs. As director of Tufts’ public health program, he led an accreditation process and curriculum innovations for the Master of Public Health program.
“It is an exciting time to be joining the University of Rhode Island,” Vivier said. “I am honored to be able to serve as the dean of the College of Health Sciences. Addressing the world’s health challenges requires innovative, interdisciplinary approaches. With outstanding departments of communicative disorders, health studies, human development and family science, kinesiology, nutrition and food science, physical therapy, and psychology, as well as the clinical neuroscience program, the College of Health Sciences is well positioned to impact health in Rhode Island and beyond. I look forward to working with faculty, staff, students, and community partners to build and enhance education, research, clinical services, and community-based health sciences programs.”
Vivier’s appointment as dean at URI is a homecoming of sorts. Prior to his tenure at Tufts, which began in 2022, he served on the faculty at Brown University for more than 25 years and was a pediatrician at Rhode Island’s Hasbro Children’s Hospital.
At Brown, Vivier was the founding director of the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute. He helped establish an interdisciplinary team of faculty and staff spanning the Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, and Women and Infants Hospital that engaged in interdisciplinary research. He led the development and implementation of a strategic plan that included a focus on key childhood health issues and developed partnerships with state government agencies in support of public health initiatives.
Vivier also served as director of several Brown programs, including the interdisciplinary education programs in public health, the clinical and translational research training programs, the Master of Public Health program, and the community health clerkship. At Hasbro Children’s Hospital, he served as director of the division of general pediatrics and community health.
A board-certified pediatrician, Vivier was a professor of pediatrics at Brown and Tufts. He is the recipient of several awards, including the Royce Family Associate Professorship in Teaching Excellence from Brown, the Healthy Housing Award from the Rhode Island Department of Health, and the Robert Wood Johnson Generalist Physician Faculty Scholar Award.
Vivier earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in medical anthropology and a Doctor of Medicine degree from Brown, and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. He performed his residency in pediatrics at Brown, Rhode Island Hospital, and Women and Infants Hospital; and a fellowship in health services research with a focus on primary care at Johns Hopkins.
Vivier has served on several national committees, including a current role as chair of site visit teams for the Council on Education for Public Health. He is a member of the American Pediatric Society, the Society for Pediatric Research, the Academic Pediatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Vivier succeeds Deborah Riebe, who has led the college as interim dean since January. “I want to thank Deb Riebe, who graciously stepped into the role of interim dean, for her leadership of the college over the past several months,” Wolfe said. Riebe, a member of the URI faculty for nearly 30 years, will return to her position as associate dean and professor. Wolfe noted that Riebe “will continue her important research around the development of physical activity interventions for a variety of populations.”
Vivier’s appointment follows a comprehensive and competitive national search. His tenure at URI will commence on Jan. 16, 2024.
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