College of Public Health and Health Professions names interim dean

June 14, 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Michael G. Perri has been named interim dean of the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, effective June 18.

Perri succeeds PHHP Dean Robert Frank, who has taken the position of senior vice president of academic affairs and provost at Kent State University in Ohio.

“As associate dean for research, Dr. Perri had a broad view of the challenges facing the college, and he has been intimately involved in all aspects of the college’s management. He has strong support from the chairs and leadership group,” said Douglas J. Barrett, M.D., senior vice president for health affairs. “Mike also has a keen appreciation for the issues facing the college as the public health initiative is integrated with the traditionally strong health professions components of the college.”

Perri was appointed the college’s associate dean for research in 2004. He joined the college’s faculty in 1990 as a professor in the department of clinical and health psychology and also served as director of the psychology internship program from 1992 to 2004. He has contributed to more than 100 professional and scientific publications and his research on diet and exercise has been funded for 25 years by grants, awards and contracts from public and private sources, including the National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Administration Merit Review Research Program. His current research, funded by the NIH, focuses on treating obesity in underserved rural settings.

Perri is a diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology and a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity. He has served on the editorial boards of numerous behavioral science journals and on scientific review panels for the Institute of Medicine; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases; the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office; and the American College of Sports Medicine.

“Over the past decade, our college has experienced a period of exceptional growth,” Perri said. “I look forward to working with our talented faculty and dedicated staff to accomplish the ambitious academic agenda set by Dean Frank.”