Dr. James Perrin named president-elect of American Academy of Pediatrics

By Chelsea Conaboy, Globe Staff

Dr. James Perrin, director of general pediatrics at the MassGeneral Hospital for Children, will become president of the American Academy of Pediatrics for a one-year term in 2014. He will take the role of president-elect at the group’s New Orleans conference on Oct. 22.

Perrin is founder and director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Child and Adolescent Health Policy.

“I want to help the Academy address important problems like obesity, asthma, mental health conditions, and developmental disorders, given their growing prominence among children and adolescents,” Perrin said in a press release. “We can help such children develop healthy lives.”

Perrin studied medicine at Case Western Reserve Medical School and trained at Rochester University Medical Center. His research has focused on asthma and other chronic illnesses, disabilities, ear infections, health insurance, and other issues. He leads a program with the national organization Autism Speaks that works on practice guidelines and coordinates research projects.

Perrin has served in various roles with the academy, including leading work groups on mental health, genetics, and developmental disabilities. His wife, Dr. Ellen Perrin, is a professor of pediatrics at Tufts Medical School.