Iréne P. Mathieu
Dr. Irène P. Mathieu is a general pediatrician at the University of Virginia, where she serves as director of the pediatric department’s Equity and Inclusion Committee and affiliate faculty in the Center for Health Humanities and Ethics. She is a graduate of the College of William & Mary (BA, International Relations) and Vanderbilt University (MD), and completed her residency in general pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she was selected as a Global Health Track resident. She is currently a candidate for a Master’s degree in Public Health at Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Mathieu has received research fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, and Vanderbilt University’s Medical Scholars Program. She has engaged in multiple patient advocacy and health research projects in the United States, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and elsewhere.
Dr. Mathieu is also the author of three poetry collections – Grand Marronage, which was selected as Editor’s Choice for the Gatewood Prize and runner-up for the Cave Canem/Northwestern book prize; orogeny, which won the Bob Kaufman Book Prize; and the galaxy of origins. She serves as a poetry book reviewer for Muzzle Magazine and an editor for the Journal of General Internal Medicine’s humanities section, and has developed curricula utilizing poetry to teach medical students and residents about social determinants of health, trauma, and resilience. Irène has received creative writing fellowships from Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. With local poet Valencia Robin, she leads a poetry workshop for area high school students at New City Arts, and serves on the board of Creciendo Juntos. She is currently working on her debut middle grade novel, for which she is represented by Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
Dr. Mathieu’s creative and advocacy work has been featured on NPR, Washington Post, LA Times, Doctors Who Create, #MedHumChat, Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Philadelphia Inquirer, KevinMD, and many other media outlets and publications.