of Medicine. She looked forward to working in a large, inner-city hospital-- a single, principal clinical training site that could assign each student to as many as five patients. what she calls "the happy specialty," and women's health, but life in Philadel- phia overwhelmed her. "It was a clear case of culture shock," she says. So, al- though Temple's residency director en- couraged her to stay, she made the fam- ily medicine program at Howard Uni- versity College of Medicine, in Wash- ington, D.C., her first choice. When she seeking a less intense urban setting, with the support of extended family and longtime friends nearby. available slot in a smaller residency pro- gram when she learned that Ortho Pharmaceuticals was looking for some- one with a background in biological sci- ences. She applied and was selected. She found herself engaged in two of the skills she most enjoyed: laboratory research and surgery--a favorite part of her OB/GYN training. She subsequently research for prescription products in OB/GYN, Ortho's flagship line, and later served as the division's medical di- rector. "I hadn't been exposed to clinical research as a medical student or intern, but I took to it immediately," she says. "I training to benefit women around the world--many more than I could have served in private practice." fect for me," she says. senior associate dean for quality and safety, UCI. "She devised a very helpful checklist that helps residents manage `handoffs,' where they pass patients on to the next shift," he says. "She made it applicable to many situations--the OR, receive feedback. for young house staff," says Dr. Merrill. "She's young, plugged in, and knows what the residents are going through-- how they don't know what to worry about first. But she makes herself just as directors and chairs; she wants them to in their lives. affairs, UCI, and president and chief executive officer, University Physicians & Surgeons, the UCI faculty practice group. Dr. Porto, who previously served as pro- fessor and chair, Department of Obste- trics and Gynecology, UCI, was already familiar with Dr. Perret's skills in pain management when he learned she had been appointed to the faculty. "She's a breath of fresh air--a great speaker and teacher, and she's been a wonderful addi- tion to the faculty," he says. "She energizes youthful, contagious enthusiasm. She has a passion for ensuring the educational Cuccurullo. "She's not just a highly organized administrator," says Dr. Cuccurullo. "She's also thoughtful, com- passionate, and wants things done well and fairly." While handling the nuts and bolts of the graduate programs, Dr. Cuccurullo says, Dr. Perret remains focused on the trainees themselves. the graduate programs and to the school as a whole," adds Dr. Cuccurullo. "She's a well-known RWJMS graduate, and we all can be very proud of her." |