AAP Past President James M. Perrin, M.D., FAAP, was named the recipient of the 2025 Joseph W. St. Geme Jr., Leadership Award for his impact on child and family health and well-being, as well as his influential research that has shaped improved policies and programs in child health.
The award is given annually by the Federation of Pediatric Organizations (FOPO), which is composed of seven pediatric organizations including the AAP. Dr. Perrin will receive the award at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in Honolulu in April.
“I’m honored to be selected for the 2025 St. Geme award,” Dr. Perrin said. “With a lengthy career helping to build pediatric science and strengthen public programs for children and families, I view this moment in history as calling us to build on the amazing work of many St. Geme leaders who have helped ensure our mission of improving the health and wellbeing of children and families worldwide.”
Dr. Perrin served as AAP president in 2014. He also was chair of the AAP Committee on Children with Disabilities, co-chair of the first attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) practice guidelines committee, co-chair of the Task Force on Pediatric Practice Change and a member of the Committee on Genetics. He currently chairs the AAP Committee on Child Health Financing, focusing on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
He is a professor emeritus of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and founder and former director of the Division of General Pediatrics at Mass General for Children (MGfC) hospital. The division, a longtime partner in the Harvard-wide Pediatric Health Services Research Fellowship, trained numerous fellows who have had distinguished careers in pediatric education and research. He also holds the John C. Robinson Distinguished Chair in Pediatrics at MGfC.
Throughout his career, Dr. Perrin has been a strong advocate for children, youth and families, working to learn from their experiences and develop strategies to improve care and support. His research and advocacy helped strengthen family financial well-being through the Supplemental Security Income program for children with major disabilities. His long-term and ongoing work aims to make Medicaid and CHIP the strong investment necessary to support the best growth and development, and build a strong workforce for the nation.
His research has spanned several childhood chronic health conditions, including asthma, hemophilia, ADHD and autism spectrum disorders, as well as the changing epidemiology of childhood chronic disease. His teams conducted seminal studies of children’s hospitalization patterns, children’s health insurance and public support programs for families with children with chronic conditions.
Dr. Perrin has been active in several FOPO organizations. He was president of the Ambulatory (now Academic) Pediatric Association (APA) and the founding editor of the APA journal Academic Pediatrics, which he led for 10 years. He was a member of the American Pediatric Society Advocacy Committee.
He has received numerous awards throughout his career, including a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Investigator Award in Health Policy Research, the Vince Hutchins Award from Family Voices, a Title V Lifetime Achievement Award from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the Arnold J. Capute Award from the AAP.
