Inside The Academy:
Profiling Dr. Cheryl L. Perry    

Robert J. McDermott, PhD
Inside The Academy, Editor  

In this issue, Inside the Academy profiles Dr. Cheryl L. Perry, Professor, Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Dr. Perry earned a Ph.D. in 1980 from Stanford University and has held a faculty appointment at the University of Minnesota since that same year.

Dr. Perry currently is the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on approximately 10 federally-funded projects B nine from branches of the National Institutes of Health, and one from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration. The projects have a broad range of objectives but focus on her primary research area, adolescent health behavior. These projects and ones that date back to the late 1970s demonstrate a continuous history and chain of inquiry into health issues surrounding adolescence, especially substance use, and early life antecedents of chronic disease. Much of her work has had a major impact on what we know of the behavioral antecedents in youth that give rise to cardiovascular-related disorders. Between 1985 and 1995, Dr. Perry was the co-director of the doctoral and postdoctoral training program concerning behavioral aspects of cardiovascular disease at the University of Minnesota. Her funded work has taken her to many corners of the globe, with such diverse peoples as those found in Australia, Chile, Norway, and Swaziland. Recently, she has been an expert witness in the much publicized court case of State of Minnesota v. Philip Morris et aL

Over her academic career, Dr. Perry has authored or co-authored more than 170 papers in the professional literature. Included in this repertoire of publications are some of the most prestigious journals, not only in health education and health behavior, but in psychology, medicine, public health, and other fields of endeavor.

Although the American Academy for Health Behavior is pleased to have her counted among those researchers who have attained "Fellow" status, the AAHB is certainly not the first organization to recognize her vast professional contributions. Among Dr. Perry's formal accolades, in April 1998, she was the recipient of the John P. McGovern Award in Health Promotion given by the University of Texas- Houston. The award recognizes distinguished researchers who have made outstanding contributions to the development, implementation, and evaluation of health promotion programs. In 1997, the American Association for Health Education honored her with its Distinguished Scholar Award. She also is a multiple-time recipient of the John B. Hawley Health Promotion Award (1984-88, 1995-96), given by the University of Minnesota. The American School Health Association cited her in 1990 with its Research Council Award for her long-term contributions to school health research. Her talents are far from being strictly research focused, as evidenced by her recognition as recipient of the Minnesota School of Public Health's Leonard M. Schuman Excellence in Teaching Award (1990).

In summary, by means of some truly groundbreaking research, Dr. Perry has advanced our knowledge of the health behaviors of children and youth, as well as our ability to craft responsive programmatic interventions. In case one is interested in the possible route that brought Dr. Perry to have such insights about adolescent health behavior, the answer may be found in her early professional life B a teacher (1972-75) in the Davis and Sacramento Joint Unified School Districts, followed by the role of vice principal (1975-76). Dr. Perry has reached a true mark of excellence among health behavior researchers, and we are proud to acknowledge her achievements Inside the Academy.