Dr. Perlman has been a primary investigator in numerous industry and government-sponsored pharmaceutical research studies. He received his medical degree from the University of Illinois and completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Northwestern University. He received his undergraduate degree in bioengineering from the University of Illinois. He holds 2 patents for a “Habit Cessation Aide” to assist people in quitting smoking. Earlier, Dr. Perlman was active in health promotion when he joined the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill as Assistant Professor of Medicine and was appointed Medical Director of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.