Dear Colleagues-Friends,
As we look forward to celebrating the many accomplishments of our graduating colleagues, we are very pleased to announce that one of our most distinguished alumni and nationally regarded health care leader, Jonathan B. Perlin, M.D., Ph.D., M.S.H.A., M.A.C.P., F.A.C.M.I., president of clinical operations and chief medical officer of HCA Healthcare, will serve as the speaker for our VCU School of Medicine Hooding Ceremony. The ceremony will be held virtually on May 14, 2021, at 3 p.m.
An influential physician executive and health leader, Dr. Perlin oversees Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare’s Clinical Operations Group, which is a specialized team of clinical leaders, data scientists, researchers and improvement experts focused on creating a comprehensive learning health care system.
Before joining HCA Healthcare in 2006, Dr. Perlin was nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate as Under Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the senior-most physician in the federal government and chief executive officer of the Veterans Health Administration. At the VHA, Dr. Perlin directed the care of over 6 million patients annually by more than 250,000 health care professionals at 1,400 sites.
Dr. Perlin is a Master of the American College of Physicians, a Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics and an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, where he co-chairs the Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic and leads the Digital Health Learning Collaborative of the Consortium on Value and Science-Driven Healthcare. In addition, Dr. Perlin was appointed to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission in 2018 and the Congressional Budget Office Panel of Health Advisors. He also serves as chair of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs’ Special Medical Advisory Group and chair of the National Quality Forum.
Dr. Perlin has faculty appointments at Vanderbilt University as clinical professor of medicine and biomedical informatics and at VCU as adjunct professor of health administration. A four-time VCU alumnus, Dr. Perlin earned his Ph.D., from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in 1991, his M.D., in 1992 and completed his residency in internal medicine in 1996 before serving as a member of the department faculty until 1999. He also earned a master’s in health administration from the VCU College of Health Professions in 1997.
Throughout his career, Dr. Perlin has combined the fields of health administration and medicine, and in 2008 he endowed the Seymour and Ruth Perlin Professorship of Health Administration and Internal Medicine, which is held at the MCV Foundation and named in honor of his parents. The current Perlin Professor is Alan Dow, M.D., assistant vice president of interprofessional education and collaborative care for the health sciences.
All faculty and staff are cordially invited to attend the virtual Hooding Ceremony. Attendees uniformly report that this is a memorable event that celebrates our students and the educational excellence of our school. Additional information about the event will be provided later this spring.
I hope you will join us to hear Dr. Perlin‘s inspiring message to our graduating students and celebrate their accomplishments in one of the highlights of our academic year. We understand all the demands on your time and are grateful for your continued support and commitment to our students.
With all good wishes,
