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."