Damani Piggott to become Assistant Dean for Graduate Biomedical Education and Graduate Student Diversity

To school of medicine faculty, staff and students

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to announce that Damani Piggott will become assistant dean for graduate biomedical education and graduate student diversity effective Sept. 1.

Dr. Piggott was born in Trinidad and Tobago and came to the United States as an international student to attend Morehouse College, where he graduated summa cum laude as the class valedictorian. Dr. Piggott received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University, where he studied immunobiology and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Following residency training in internal medicine and pediatrics at Yale, Dr. Piggott came to Johns Hopkins, where he completed his fellowship training in infectious diseases, with a research fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In 2013, he joined the faculty in the Department of Medicine, where he is now an assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, with a focus on inflammation and HIV research. Of note, Dr. Piggott was recently named a Harold Amos Scholar by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and will examine biological precursor pathways to frailty in order to promote healthy aging outcomes in HIV-infected individuals during the award period.

Dr. Piggott has been active in diversity efforts throughout his time at Hopkins, serving on the Department of Medicine's Diversity Council and as chair of the department's Myron L. Weisfeldt Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Diversity Committee. In 2016, his efforts were acknowledged by receipt of the University's Diversity Leadership Council Diversity Recognition Award. In addition, Dr. Piggott has been involved in mentorship and career advising for high school, college, medical and graduate students. He has worked with the Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program and Medical Education Resources Initiative for Teens Baltimore high school programs, and provided mentorship in the SNMA Families Program.

As assistant dean for graduate biomedical education and graduate student diversity, Dr. Piggott will serve as an advisor, advocate and role model for graduate students, supporting their academic achievement and career development. He will work to strengthen the recruitment and success of a diverse graduate student community at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Piggott will also implement initiatives designed to create a culture that values inclusion, diversity and the well-being of graduate students.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Piggott and welcoming him as assistant dean.

Sincerely,

Roy C. Ziegelstein, M.D., M.A.C.P.
Sarah Miller Coulson and Frank L. Coulson, Jr., Professor of Medicine
Mary Wallace Stanton Professor of Education
Vice Dean for Education, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Peter Espenshade, Ph.D.
Professor of Cell Biology
Associate Dean for Graduate Biomedical Education