Raegan Durant, M.D., MPH, has been named to the new role of associate dean for Diversity and Inclusion.
Durant received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2000 and went on to complete his Internal Medicine residency at Duke in 2003. In 2006, he completed a General Internal Medicine Fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. During his fellowship, he also received his Master of Public Health at Harvard. Following fellowship, he joined UAB’s faculty as an assistant professor and has come through the ranks where he now serves as a tenured professor in the Division of Preventive Medicine.
Durant was also named as one of two recipients of the Heersink School of Medicine 2017 Dean’s Excellence Awards for Diversity Enhancement, a prestigious honor that recognizes outstanding contributions made by Heersink faculty.
“As the new associate dean of Diversity and Inclusion, I look forward to leading efforts to operationalize the Heersink School of Medicine’s commitment to achieving excellence through diversity while fostering a campus environment conducive to the success of all students, trainees, and faculty,” says Durant.
Durant studies both health disparities related to chronic disease outcomes and minority participation in clinical trials. He also serves as the medical director at Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority.
In this new role, Durant will work on all strategic and programmatic initiatives related to diversity and inclusion, in coordination with Selwyn Vickers, M.D., FACS, dean of the Heersink School of Medicine and CEO of the UAB Health System and the UAB/Ascension St. Vincent’s Alliance, and the senior associate dean of Diversity and Inclusion, Mona Fouad, M.D., MPH. Some of these include serving as an internal leader and advisor, coordinating and supporting school-wide diversity training initiatives, and developing policies and programs to attract and recruit a diverse workforce.
“I am honored to welcome Dr. Durant into the newly created role of associate dean of Diversity and Inclusion,” says Vickers. “I am confident Dr. Durant will bring his knowledge and expertise to this position as our school continues to build an environment built on diversity and inclusion.”
Durant assumed the role of associate dean for Diversity and Inclusion on Jan. 1.