Three African American Men Appointed to New Academic Positions

E. Albert Reece has been bestowed with the title of Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore. He currently serves as the CARTI Endowed Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Services, director of the Center for Advanced Research Training and Innovation, and senior scientist for the Center for Birth Defects Research. He recently stepped down from a 16-year tenure as executive vice president and dean of the School of Medicine.

Dr. Reece completed his undergraduate education at Long Island University in New York. He holds a medical doctorate from New York University, a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of the West Indies, and an MBA from Temple University in Philadelphia.

Duane Watson has been appointed vice provost for special initiatives for the College of Connected Computing at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. A member of the university’s faculty since 2016, he currently holds the title of Frank W. Mayborn Chair in Psychology and Human Development and serves as director of the Communication and Language Lab.

Dr. Watson holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Steven Starks has been appointed to a one-year term as speaker of the American Psychiatric Association Assembly of District Branches. For the past five years, he has served as a clinical assistant professor in the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine at the University of Houston.

Dr. Starks received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Houston, a medical doctorate from Louisiana State University, and an executive MBA from Yale University.

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