Debra A. Schwinn was named the ninth president of Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida. She will assume her new duties on May 4, 2020.
The university in West Palm Beach, enrolls more than 2,800 undergraduate students and about 850 graduate students, according to the latest U.S. Department of Education data. Women make up 63 percent of the undergraduate student body.
In accepting the appointment, Dr. Schwinn stated that “it is my firm belief that great Christian liberal arts universities such as Palm Beach Atlantic hold a unique and important place in today’s society. PBA offers students the opportunity to examine and deepen their faith while pursuing a rigorous academic path, arriving at graduation prepared to be servant leaders. I am honored to walk on the journey with our students.”
Dr. Schwinn has served as associate vice president for medical affairs, dean of the Carver College of Medicine, and professor of anesthesiology, pharmacology, and biochemistry at the University of Iowa. Prior to her positions at the University of Iowa, Dr. Schwinn served in senior leadership roles at the University of Washington and Duke University, where she was director of cardiovascular genomics in the Center for Genomic Medicine.
Dr. Schwinn holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of Wooster in Ohio. She earned a medical degree at the Stanford University School of Medicine.