culoskeletal medicine, spinal and brain injury, and palliative care. She wanted to commit to a field where there was broad clinical need and where her skills and empathy would be valuable to peo- ple at their most difficult moments. in Edison, she realized that by training in the specialty, as an interventional physiatrist, she would be able combine her clinical goals. sor, medical director, and chair, Depart- ment of Physical Medicine and Rehab- ilitation, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Cuccurullo has become a valued mentor, colleague, and cialty," says Dr. Perret. "We all know and support each other." she served as chief resident, Dr. Perret completed a fellowship in the pain medicine program at UCI. A subsequent faculty appointment would include teaching in the very fellowship pro- gram she had just completed. "I'd planned on staying in academics, but when this opportunity came along, I couldn't resist the challenge," she says. Fortunately, she has a gift not only for patient care but also for curriculum and competency development, because Dr. Perret was almost immediately appointed fellowship director, amid infrastructure problems and faculty attrition. "good or better" assessments in all re- quired competencies of the Accredita- tion Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Having similarly assisted with program development for UCI's PM&R residency program, Dr. Perret was garnering success in improvement strategy for the graduate medical education program. Dr. Perret's |