Eliana Perrin

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Eliana Perrin
Alma mater Swarthmore College (B.A., 1993)
University of Rochester (M.D., 1997)
Stanford University (internship, pediatrics residency)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (MPH, 2002)
Scientific career
Institutions Johns Hopkins University
Duke University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Eliana Perrin is an American pediatrician, researcher, and Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Primary Care with joint appointments with tenure in the Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine and in the School of Nursing at Johns Hopkins University. She was elected a member of the American Pediatric Society in 2021.

Contents

Early life and education

Perrin was an undergraduate at Swarthmore College where she specialized in biology and education. [1] She moved to the University of Rochester to study medicine, and graduated with Alpha Omega Alpha honors and with the Janet M. Glasgow Memorial Achievement Award, given to the woman who graduates first in her medical school class. [2] She was a medical resident in pediatrics at Stanford University. During her residency she became interested in medical research and numerous unsolved challenges in children's health. [1] After completing her residency, she moved to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where completed the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars program and earned a Master of Public Health in Health Care and Prevention. [3]

Research and career

Perrin was appointed to the faculty of the University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill, as an assistant professor of pediatrics in 2002, where she served as both clinician and a researcher. She practiced as a board-certified pediatrician in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She became an Associate Professor with Tenure in 2010 and a Professor with Tenure in 2017. [4] She was appointed an Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at UNC in 2014, overseeing the Office of Research Development and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. She also completed the Academic Leadership program in 2012 and won the Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Award for Scholarly and Artistic Achievement (a university-wide award) in 2013 and gave the honorary lecture in 2014. In her time at UNC, she also has served as research director in the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and as the Director of the Child Health Program for the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. [5]

In 2017, Perrin moved to Duke University, where she was appointed Division Chief of the Division of Primary Care in the Department of Pediatrics, [5] and founded and directed the Duke Center for Childhood Obesity Research. [6] She was elected to chair the national Executive Research Committee for the Academic Pediatric Association (APA) for a three-year term from 2018 to 2021. [7] In 2021, Perrin joined Johns Hopkins University as a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor with joint appointments with tenure in the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing. [1] That year she was also elected as a member of the American Pediatric Society. [8]

Perrin's research considers patient-oriented primary care, childhood obesity and health disparities. [9] [10] In the United States, one in three children is overweight or obese. [11] Perrin has developed tools and programs that can prevent and treat obesity. She makes use of both qualitative and quantitative methods to identify causes, correlates, and prevention of obesity, with a particular focus on disadvantaged communities. [9] These include low-income communities who do not have the resources to eat healthily or keep physically active. [1]

In an article named one of 2004's 10 best articles by Contemporary Pediatrics, [12] Perrin wrote that using Body Mass Index (BMI) charts was more helpful for parents to recognize weight problems in children than height and weight charting. [13]

Perrin investigates how pediatricians can make best use of their time during well-child visits to promote health and healthy behaviors. [1] She investigates the role of BMI screening and communication and the relationship between BMI and health. She and colleagues have found severe obesity in children and young adults to be associated with an increased prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors, [14] and that increased weight in children is associated with elevated inflammatory markers. [15] Perrin developed a toolkit using color-coded BMI charts and found that using these increased parental understanding of BMI charts, especially parents with lower numeracy, [16]  as well as impacted short-term dietary and physical activity behavior changes. [17]

Perrin co-created Greenlight, a primary care program that seeks to prevent obesity in young children. [9] Greenlight starts at infancy, and provides dietary, physical activity and screen time advice for parents and caretakers. [9] [18] She tracked almost 900 parent-child groups from their two-month to their five-year check-ups. The next generation of Greenlight includes asynchronous care elements like text messaging goals. [9] [19]

Awards and distinctions

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

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Pediatrics is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the age of 18. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends people seek pediatric care through the age of 21, but some pediatric subspecialists continue to care for adults up to 25. Worldwide age limits of pediatrics have been trending upward year after year. A medical doctor who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician, or paediatrician. The word pediatrics and its cognates mean "healer of children", derived from the two Greek words: παῖς and ἰατρός. Pediatricians work in clinics, research centers, universities, general hospitals and children's hospitals, including those who practice pediatric subspecialties.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is the largest professional association of pediatricians in the United States. It is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, and maintains an office in Washington, D.C. The AAP has published hundreds of policy statements, ranging from advocacy issues to practice recommendations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario</span> Hospital in Ontario, Canada

CHEO, formerly the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, is a children's hospital and pediatric research centre located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. CHEO is also a tertiary trauma centre for children in Eastern Ontario, Nunavut, Northern Ontario and the Outaouais region of Quebec and one of only seven Level I trauma centres for children in Canada. It is affiliated with The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa, and is funded by the provincial Government of Ontario. CHEO first opened its doors on May 17, 1974, and is located at 401 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas Children's Hospital</span> Level I Trauma Center & Pediatric Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH) is a pediatric hospital with a Level I trauma center in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is among the largest in the United States, serving infants, children, teens, and young adults from birth to age 21. ACH is affiliated with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and serves as a teaching hospital with the UAMS College of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics. ACH staff consists of more than 505 physicians, 200 residents, and 4,400 support staff. The hospital includes 336 licensed beds, and offers three intensive care units. The campus spans 36 city blocks and has a floor space of over 1,200,000 square feet (110,000 m2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Childhood obesity</span> Obesity in children

Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or well-being. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of obesity in children and its many adverse health effects it is being recognized as a serious public health concern. The term overweight rather than obese is often used when discussing childhood obesity, as it is less stigmatizing, although the term overweight can also refer to a different BMI category. The prevalence of childhood obesity is known to differ by sex and gender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Growth chart</span> Graphic of child development over time

A growth chart is used by pediatricians and other health care providers to follow a child's growth over time. Growth charts have been constructed by observing the growth of large numbers of healthy children over time. The height, weight, and head circumference of a child can be compared to the expected parameters of children of the same age and sex to determine whether the child is growing appropriately. Growth charts can also be used to predict the expected adult height and weight of a child because, in general, children maintain a fairly constant growth curve. When a child deviates from his or her previously established growth curve, investigation into the cause is generally warranted. Parameters used to analyze growth charts include weight velocity, height velocity, and whether someone's growth chart crosses percentiles. For instance, endocrine disorders can be associated with a decrease in height velocity and preserved weight velocity while normal growth variants are associated with a decrease in height and weight velocity that are proportional to each other. It's important to note that other parameters are more commonly used such as waist circumference for assessing obesity and skin fold difference for assessing malnutrition. Growth charts can also be compiled with a portion of the population deemed to have been raised in more or less ideal environments, such as nutrition that conforms to pediatric guidelines, and no maternal smoking. Charts from these sources end up with slightly taller but thinner averages.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Zuckerman</span>

Barry S. Zuckerman is Professor and Chair Emeritus of the Department of Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center. He started the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine and Boston City Hospital and was one of 12 founders of the Society of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. He was appointed chair of Pediatrics in 1993 and was asked to be First Medical Director of Boston Medical Center when Boston City Hospital merged with University Hospital. He is a co-founder of Reach Out and Read, a national childhood literacy program in the United States, founder of Medical-Legal Partnership, and co-founder of Health Leads, Healthy Steps, and the Nutrition & Fitness for Life pediatric obesity program, all of which have transformed pediatric care for low-income families. Most recently, along with colleagues, he developed a free app for pediatric primary care called "Small Moments, Big Impact" to promote the mother-infant relationship and emotional well-being for low-income mothers from birth through the first six months of their baby's life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obesity in the United States</span> Overview of obesity in the United States of America

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Childhood obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 96th percentile for children of the same age and sex. It can cause a variety of health problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, breathing problems, sleeping problems, and joint problems later in life. Children who are obese are at a greater risk for social and psychological problems as well, such as peer victimization, increased levels of aggression, and low self-esteem. Many environmental and social factors have been shown to correlate with childhood obesity, and researchers are attempting to use this knowledge to help prevent and treat the condition. When implemented early, certain forms of behavioral and psychological treatment can help children regain and/or maintain a healthy weight.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Weder, Annika (2021-05-25). "Pediatric medicine expert Eliana Perrin joins JHU". The Hub. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  2. ↑ "Eliana M. Perrin | Family Resiliency Center". www.familyresiliency.illinois.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  3. ↑ "Eliana Miller Perrin | Duke School of Medicine". medschool.duke.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  4. ↑ Cardillo, Paul (2009-09-19). "Study by HPDP Research Fellow finds color-coded chart improves parents' understanding of body mass index (BMI)". Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  5. 1 2 "Perrin named Chief of the Division of Primary Care | Duke Department of Pediatrics". pediatrics.duke.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  6. ↑ "Current Research | Duke Department of Pediatrics". pediatrics.duke.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  7. ↑ "Perrin elected Research Chair of Academic Pediatric Association (APA) | Duke Department of Pediatrics". pediatrics.duke.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  8. ↑ "The American Pediatric Society announces its new members for 2021". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Primary Care Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, School of Nursing". Johns Hopkins University . 25 May 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  10. ↑ Klass, Perri (2021-01-25). "There's No Easy Fix for Children's Weight Gain". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  11. ↑ "BMI in Children". www.heart.org. Retrieved 2021-07-25.
  12. ↑ "Journal Club: The tip-top 10 of 2004". Contemporary Pediatrics. March 2005. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  13. ↑ Perrin, Eliana Miller; Flower, Kori B.; Ammerman, Alice S. (April 2004). "Body mass index charts: Useful yet underused". The Journal of Pediatrics. 144 (4): 455–460. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2004.01.047. PMID   15069392.
  14. ↑ Skinner, Asheley C.; Perrin, Eliana M.; Moss, Leslie A.; Skelton, Joseph A. (October 2015). "Cardiometabolic Risks and Severity of Obesity in Children and Young Adults". New England Journal of Medicine. 373 (14): 1307–1317. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1502821 . ISSN   0028-4793. PMID   26422721.
  15. ↑ Skinner, A. C.; Steiner, M. J.; Henderson, F. W.; Perrin, E. M. (2010-04-01). "Multiple Markers of Inflammation and Weight Status: Cross-sectional Analyses Throughout Childhood". Pediatrics. 125 (4): e801–e809. doi:10.1542/peds.2009-2182. ISSN   0031-4005. PMC   2909480 . PMID   20194272.
  16. ↑ Oettinger, Matthew D.; Finkle, Joanne P.; Esserman, Denise; Whitehead, Lisa; Spain, Thomas K.; Pattishall, Steven R.; Rothman, Russell L.; Perrin, Eliana M. (September 2009). "Color-Coding Improves Parental Understanding of Body Mass Index Charting". Academic Pediatrics. 9 (5): 330–338. doi:10.1016/j.acap.2009.05.028. PMC   2746871 . PMID   19679524.
  17. ↑ Perrin, Eliana M.; Jacobson Vann, Julie C.; Benjamin, John T.; Skinner, Asheley Cockrell; Wegner, Steven; Ammerman, Alice S. (July 2010). "Use of a Pediatrician Toolkit to Address Parental Perception of Children's Weight Status, Nutrition, and Activity Behaviors". Academic Pediatrics. 10 (4): 274–281. doi:10.1016/j.acap.2010.03.006. PMC   2897945 . PMID   20554259.
  18. ↑ Berry, Diane C.; Gonzales, Cecilia; Montano, Nilda Peragallo; Perreira, Krista M.; Ammerman, Alice S.; Crandell, Jaime; Evenson, Kelly R.; Faith, Myles S.; Waters, Hugh; Linares, Crystal; Cόrtes, Yamnia I. (2019-12-16). "Rationale, design, and methodology for the healthy mothers-healthy children study: a randomized controlled trial". BMC Nutrition. 5 (1): 58. doi: 10.1186/s40795-019-0322-7 . ISSN   2055-0928. PMC   7050912 . PMID   32153971.
  19. ↑ Rothman, Russell (2020-12-23). "Greenlight Plus Study: A Randomized Study of Approaches to Early Childhood Obesity Prevention". Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Duke University, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Stanford University, NYU Langone Health.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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