Dr. Paris Butler

Dr. Paris D. Butler is an Associate Professor in the Division of Plastic Surgery at the Yale University School of Medicine. He is also the inaugural Yale Department of Surgery Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).  After completing his undergraduate education as a student athlete (basketball) at Roanoke College, he attended medical school at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He completed a general surgery residency at the University of Virginia and subsequently completed his plastic surgery training at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). He is board certified by both the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).  

During his general surgery training, he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Stanford University where he studied keloid biology. Additionally, he obtained a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from Univ. of California-Berkeley in health policy and management with special certificate in minority health. Dr. Butler is nationally recognized for his dedication to reducing healthcare disparities along ethnic lines – something he has approached with research, policy, and teaching in mind. He has used his formal training to explore the underrepresentation of minorities in academic medicine and the affect it can have on disparities; a topic he has published on extensively. 

Prior to being recruited to Yale, Dr. Butler served for 6 years on the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania.  In addition to his clinical appointment,  he also served as the Associate Designated Institutional Official (DIO) of Underrepresented in Medicine (UIM) Affairs in UPenn’s Graduate Medical Education office.

He has received numerous teaching awards in addition to recognition for his work with mentoring residents, medical, undergraduate, and high school students aspiring to enter the field. Dr. Butler has authored over 75 publications in peer-reviewed journals and the lay press. He serves on the American College of Surgeons’ (ACS) Committee on Healthcare Disparities, Society of Black Academic Surgeons’ (SBAS) Membership, Financial, and Health Equity Committees, the American Board of Surgery’s (ABS) Governance Committee, the Association of Academic Surgeons’ (AAS) Diversity Committee, the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons’ (ACAPS) DEI Committee, and is Chair of the American Society of Plastic Surgery’s (ASPS) Diversity and Inclusion Committee.