I'm Dr. Ruth Perry
As an emergency room physician in Philadelphia, Dr. Ruth Perry saw patients return often for minor ailments that just needed a doctor, as well as, for chronic illnesses like diabetes that were not managed effectively.
Twenty-five years later, the same problems exist in city emergency rooms, but this time, Dr. Perry is bringing about more holistic change. As program director of The Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC), Dr. Perry leads PCDC’s Performance Improvement practice. This role offers consulting, training, and coaching services designed to support a high-quality primary care system. She promotes population health, clinical excellence, and patient-centeredness, through clinical improvements, care coordination and care management, and health information exchange. She blends her physician background with corporate leadership experience to confront the primary care health challenges confronting citizens.
With a Bachelor’s Degree from Swarthmore College and Doctor of Medicine Degree from Temple University, Dr. Perry spent seven years working long hours at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. After the birth of two daughters, she left the hospital for the chemical manufacturing company Rohm and Haas, where she remained for more than 15 years, focusing on product safety, implementation of best practices and change management. She retired rather than relocate when the company was acquired by Dow Chemical, headquartered in Michigan, cared for her parents.
Dr. Perry, as the first Chief Program Officer for The Primary Care Development Corporation in New York City, NY, this role satisfies her desire to join the nonprofit sector and allows her to put both her business and medical skills.to work. Since becoming program director in July 2016, she has begun catalyzing excellence in primary care through strategic community investment, capacity building, and policy initiatives to achieve health equity. PCDC has helped over 1,000 primary care practices improve delivery of care and leveraged over $750 million on projects that enhance capacity in low-income communities.
Outside of work, she is a gifted musician, photographer and gardener. She plans to use her musical talent to help traditionally underserved communities in New York and New Jersey. A classical pianist who also sings, hopes to use the arts to engage the homeless. One of her ideas is to perform in soup kitchens.