Dr. Deborah Dyett Desir has been named to the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Desir is Associate Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology) in the Section of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology in the Department of Internal Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. 

Dr. Desir also serves as Medical Director of the Yale Rheumatology Clinic in Hamden and has deep roots within the New Haven region coupled with an unwavering commitment to achieving greater diversity among professionals in her specialty and throughout the medical community.

“Healthcare providers should reflect the population we serve,” she explains. “I became a physician to help people, but it can be challenging to get patients the services they need. The Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center model – where medical and behavioral health care is provided within the neighborhoods where it’s most needed – can help break down those barriers. I look forward to being part of this effort.” 

A Woodbridge resident, Dr. Desir has earned numerous awards, honors, and recognitions throughout her distinguished career. These include being named to “Top Doctors” listings by Connecticut Magazine (2017, 2021, 2022, 2023) and Castle Connolly (2022, 2023) and receiving a Leadership Award from the New Haven County Medical Association (2022). 

Her community contributions have been honored by, among others, the Connecticut Arthritis Foundation, the Southern Connecticut Black Nurses Association, and the West Haven Black Coalition. When she becomes the 2023-2024 President of the American College of Rheumatology, she will join a mere handful of women to have filled that office – and the first woman of color to have done so. 

“Dr. Desir is a remarkable person with an extraordinary commitment to the medical profession and our New Haven community,” said Board Chair LindyLee Gold. “Her knowledge, experience, and passion for making a difference in people’s lives will bring an important perspective to the work of our Board in advocating for the mission of Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center. We are extremely fortunate to have her with us.” 

The CS-HHC Foundation, established last year, includes leaders across Greater New Haven.  The Board is led by Chair LindyLee Gold, Senior Specialist, State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development; and President Michael R. Taylor, the CEO of CS-HHC. Board members include Paul McCraven, Chief Operating Officer of ConnCORP; Gladys Soto, President and CEO of Sunset Shores, Inc.; Joshua Bird, MBA, Chief Financial Officer of the Housing Authority of the City of Hartford; Len Suzio, President of Suzio York Hill Companies; 

and Andrea Lobo, Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center Chief Human Resources Officer. 

The establishment of the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center Foundation last fall came as public interest in supporting the range of health care services being provided has been steadily growing - particularly during the pandemic - recognizing the escalating need in New Haven and throughout the region. CS-HHC has more than doubled in size over the past several years and now serves more than 55,000 people annually. The number of patient visits in 2022 exceeded 300,000. 

“Dr. Desir is an extraordinary medical specialist with a deep reservoir of expertise and unrelenting determination to help people. She is widely recognized and highly regarded for her professional acumen and giving generously of her time and talent to strengthen the Greater New Haven community,” said Michael Taylor, President of the Board and CEO of CS-HHC. “I look forward to collaborating with her and our colleagues on the Board to amplify support for the care we provide.” 

Dr. Desir’s professional and community service includes an array of boards, committees, and associations. Most recently, the organizations she has worked with and advocated on behalf of include the American College of Rheumatology, New Haven County Medical Association, New Haven County Medical Association Foundation, the Connecticut State Medical Society, International Festival of Arts & Ideas, New Haven Chapter of Links, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Theta Epsilon Omega Chapter, the Garden Club of New Haven and the Quinnipiac University Board of Trustees.

After completing her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at Harvard University (Cum Laude), she earned her medical degree at Yale University School of Medicine (Cum Laude, Alpha Omega Alpha honor society) in 1980. She interned and completed her residency at Yale New Haven Hospital in 1983. She completed a fellowship in Rheumatology at Yale University School of Medicine in 1987. She is certified in Rheumatology and Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. 

The first community health center in Connecticut, established in 1968, CS-HHC celebrates “55 years of health equity in action” in 2023. CS-HHC is among the nation’s leading community health centers, ranked in the top 3% in the United States. CS-HHC provides health care services to residents of New Haven, West Haven and towns in the Lower Naugatuck Valley - Ansonia, Seymour, Shelton, Naugatuck, and Oxford – with 27 clinical sites and school-based health centers in the region. The 55th Anniversary of Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center will be celebrated with a special community-wide event in support of CS-HHC to be held on September 21, 2023. 

CS-HHC began construction last fall of a Recovery & Wellness Center which will offer a safe, short-term therapeutic living environment and outpatient services for people in treatment for substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health illnesses, impacting individual lives, families and communities. When it opens early next year, it will be among the largest in South Central Connecticut, and part of a comprehensive CS-HHC campus in New Haven. 

CS-HHC is a Joint Commission accredited institution, accountable to the highest standards and best practices in safe and effective care, providing state-of-the-art, integrated care with a clear mission: “To measurably improve the health and well-being of the communities they serve by providing excellent and compassionate care, accessible to all.” The mission of the Foundation, 

a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is “To support Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center in promoting the health and well-being of the communities it serves.” 

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Media Contact: Carlah Esdaile-Bragg, Director, Marketing and Community Relations 

cesdaile@cornellscott.org, 203-503-3276