Dr. Irène P. Mathieu (she/her) is an academic pediatrician, writer, and public health researcher who has lived and worked in the United States, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Peru, and elsewhere. Her work is focused on community-engaged and mixed-methods research, medical education, and health equity.
Irène is the author of Grand Marronage (Switchback Books, 2019), which was selected as Editor’s Choice for the Gatewood Prize and runner-up for the Cave Canem/Northwestern book prize; orogeny (Trembling Pillow Press, 2017), which won the Bob Kaufman Book Prize; and the galaxy of origins (dancing girl press, 2014). Other honors include Yemassee Journal‘s Poetry Prize, Honorable Mention and Editor’s Choice in the Sandy Crimmins National Poetry contest, and three Pushcart Prize nominations. Her poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Narrative, Boston Review, Southern Humanities Review, Los Angeles Review, Callaloo, Foundry, TriQuarterly, and elsewhere. Irène is a poetry book reviewer for Muzzle Magazine and an editor for the Journal of General Internal Medicine‘s humanities section.
She holds a BA in International Relations from the College of William & Mary and a MD from Vanderbilt University. Irène completed her residency in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she was selected as a Global Health Track resident. She has received fellowships from the Fulbright Program, Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop, and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Currently a candidate for a Master’s degree in public health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Irène is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Virginia. There she serves as Director of Equity & Inclusion for the Department of Pediatrics and affiliate faculty of the UVA Center for Health Humanities & Ethics. With Valencia Robin, she leads the Poetry of Power workshop for high school students in Charlottesville, VA, and serves on the board of Creciendo Juntos.
Irène has been featured in the LA Times, Richmond Magazine, NPR, and more. She is represented by Patricia Nelson of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
Irène Mathieu 