Alvin F. Poussaint, professor emeritus of psychiatry at Harvard University, passed away on February 24. He was 90 years old.
After a stint as chief resident of psychiatry at the University of California Los Angeles Neuropsychiatric Institute, Dr. Poussiant moved to Jackson, Mississippi in 1965 to serve as the southern field director for the Medical Committee for Human Rights. In this role, he provided mental health services to civil rights activists and worked to desegregate hospitals throughout the Southern United States.
In 1967, Dr. Poussaint joined the faculty at Tufts University Medical School, where he directed a psychiatric program for low-income housing development. He soon transitioned to Harvard Medical School, where he remained for the next five decades. A full professor of psychiatry, he served as associate dean for student affairs and founding director of the medical school’s Office of Recruitment and Multicultural Affairs.
Throughout his long career, Dr. Poussaint was dedicated to advocating for mental health, advancing Black representation in medicine, and reducing racial disparities in healthcare. He was the author of several books, including Come on People: On the Path from Victims to Victors (Thomas Nelson Inc, 2007) and Lay My Burden Down: Suicide and the Mental Health Crisis Among African Americans (Beacon Press, 2000).
A native of East Harlem, New York, Dr. Poussiant received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University. He received his medical degree from Cornell University, where he was the only Black student in his class.
