Diane Gilbert-Diamond ’98 has been appointed as Allen House’s new house professor and will serve an initial one-year term starting July 1. She succeeds Janice McCabe, associate professor of sociology, who began as Allen House professor in 2017 and served a pivotal role in building connections across the house communities.
When Gilbert-Diamond was an undergraduate student, the house communities, which were established in 2016, were still far on the horizon. Now she will help shape the co-curricular experience for today’s students.
“As an undergraduate at Dartmouth, some of my most meaningful experiences occurred when I had the chance to interact with professors outside of the classroom, such as during the Chinese language noodle hour and biology department gatherings,” says Gilbert-Diamond. “These experiences strengthened my sense of belonging in the broader Dartmouth community and added richness to my academic pursuits.”
A professor of epidemiology and medicine and pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine, Gilbert-Diamond also teaches undergraduate students as an adjunct professor of biological sciences in the School of Arts and Sciences. In her course Mindful Physiology, students explore the science of their own bodies alongside a reflective mindfulness practice. Her academic research explores how early experiences impact long-term health, and she has organized conferences that incorporate mindfulness, creativity, and resilience.
“More recently, I have become increasingly interested in how chronic stress impacts well-being and how we can help students to develop the capacity to better handle stressors and feel happier,” says Gilbert-Diamond. This holistic combination of personal and scholarly interest translates naturally into the house professor role, which aims to foster a closer connection between the residential and academic experience.
Gilbert-Diamond will live in the Allen House professor residence, where programs are hosted for the house community. She’ll be joined by her husband, Solomon Diamond ’97, associate professor of engineering at Thayer, and 11-year-old son, Ezra Gilbert-Diamond, as well as their older children Adam and Sage during their breaks from college.
The search was led by Stacey Millard, associate dean for residential life, and Ryan Hickox, professor of physics and astronomy who also serves as director of house community development and is a former West House professor. Anne Hudak, then-interim dean of undergraduate student affairs, shepherded the process through, making the final selection.
"This year’s search drew an exceptionally strong pool of candidates, and we are excited to welcome Diane Gilbert-Diamond to this role,” Millard says. “She demonstrated a genuine enthusiasm for supporting the kinds of creative, student-led initiatives that build community and help students thrive. Her experience as a Dartmouth undergraduate, combined with her participation as a faculty fellow, makes her well-positioned to foster the intellectual community and house identity of Allen House."
Allen House is one of six house communities, where house professors and professional staff in the Office of Residential Education partner to create an environment where living and learning overlap. Reporting to the dean of undergraduate student affairs, the house professor serves as the intellectual and cultural leader for their house community, fostering intergenerational experiences involving staff, faculty, and graduate students. Working with an assistant director and program administrator, the house community teams shape a slate of activities and outreach that invite students to connect with one another and explore opportunities for personal, social, and intellectual growth.
Since she began as Allen House professor, McCabe has been developing this kind of community partnership. As her research on friendship shows, connecting undergraduate student residents with faculty, staff, graduate students, postdoc researchers, and visiting scholars not only strengthens the undergraduate experience—it also creates opportunities for relationships among all community members.
Janice McCabe meets with students in her role as Allen House professor.
“Professor McCabe’s openness and warmth along with her emphasis on community activities from the very local, such as gatherings on 'Sundays in Streeter’, to larger-scale, such as an alternate spring break trip to New Orleans to aid hurricane recovery, have made Allen House a special place for a generation of students, faculty, and staff,” says Hickox. “Her contribution to the house communities will be essential as they continue to grow and develop into their second decade.”
This year, the house communities are marking their 10th anniversary, a milestone that has prompted reflections on their community impact and what comes next. Events kicked off in February with a Founders Day celebration, followed by HouseFest on May 22, where house communities competed in games for the annual House Cup.
As house communities continue to evolve and current house professors complete their terms, recruitment will begin in fall term for open positions, and faculty will be invited to join the collaboration, which reinforces Dartmouth’s commitment to cocurricular learning and well-being.
Staff, graduate students, and faculty who are not yet affiliated with a house are welcome to join a house community.