School Notes: Yale Divinity School
May/June 2026

Theologian named new dean of Berkeley Divinity School

The Rev. Dr. Gabrielle Thomas, a noted scholar of fourth-century Christian theology and Anglican studies, will succeed Andrew McGowan and become the 15th dean of Berkeley Divinity School, a seminary affiliate of Yale Divinity School that trains clergy for Episcopal and Anglican ministry. Thomas will also join the YDS faculty as professor in the practice of early Christian, Anglican, and theological studies. 

Thomas comes to Yale from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where she currently serves as a tenured associate professor. “We are happy to have Gabrielle returning in this new role, in which she will continue the standard that Andrew set as a scholar and committed church leader,” YDS Dean Greg Sterling said. Read the dean’s full announcement in the news area of the YDS website. Thomas begins her tenure July 1.

Strengthening connections between religion, psychiatry

A working group led by YDS professor Bruce Gordon with colleagues from the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) has convened an ongoing series of conversations exploring connections between religious practice and mental health care—an effort YSM’s Anna Yusim hopes will serve people “with both the precision of science and the wisdom of spirit.” 

Gordon, the Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History, has been leading the effort with Yusim, a psychiatrist and the author of a book on the science of spirituality, and Christopher Pittenger, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who specializes in brain function and behavior. Over the past two years, the group has met monthly, bringing together colleagues from the Divinity School, YSM’s psychiatry department, and the community. A full story on the collaboration can be found in the news area of the YDS website.