We are pleased to announce Perdita Permaul, M.D. FAAP, FAAAAI has been named Section Chief of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Weill Cornell Medicine, effective July 1, 2023. Dr. Permaul, an expert in pediatric asthma, will provide strong leadership and oversight for the Division’s activities, including liaising with Department administration and supporting the Department’s vision and missions in patient care, research, and education as well as quality, diversity, and inclusion. Dr. Permaul, who has been serving as Interim Section Chief, will continue to serve as Director of Pediatric Research at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens.
As Section Chief of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology in the Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergy & Immunology, Dr. Permaul will focus on expanding the clinical practice to include a broader range of special drug allergy testing, building the Pediatric Food Allergy program, increasing access to mental health and nutrition services to provide a holistic approach, and developing a biologics program for asthma and other atopic disorders in collaboration with the Pediatric Asthma Program. As a designated New York State Department of Health Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (NYS DOH SCID) referral center, Dr. Permaul will oversee the growth of the Clinical Immunology Program and all clinical, education, and research aspects of the Allergy and Immunology section of the Division. Dr. Permaul looks forward to strengthening collaborations with our affiliate hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
In her new role, one of Dr. Permaul’s priorities is expanding the Allergy and Immunology research enterprise. As Director of Pediatric Research, Dr. Permaul is developing a robust pediatric research infrastructure at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and creating connections for pediatric investigators across the NewYork-Presbyterian enterprise, Institutional Review Boards, Joint Clinical Trials Office, and the Theresa and Eugene M. Lang Center for Research at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens. As Section Chief, Dr. Permaul will continue to facilitate the expansion of pediatric research studies and trials, including NIH and foundation grant-funded projects, and coordinate clinical research efforts at NewYork-Presbyterian clinical sites in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens drawing on our exceptionally diverse patient population.
Dr. Permaul is an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergy and Immunology and the Caryl and Israel A. Englander Clinical Scholar in Children’s Health at Weill Cornell Medicine, where she is also a member of the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children’s Health. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania, her medical degree at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and her pediatric residency at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She then pursued Allergy and Immunology fellowship training at Boston Children’s Hospital. During her three-year fellowship, Dr. Permaul served as a research fellow in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital where she participated in the development and execution of asthma clinical trials. Upon completing fellowship, Dr. Permaul continued on as a pediatric allergist and immunologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School until her return to Weill Cornell Medicine in 2019. On a national level, Dr. Permaul serves as Vice Chair of the Environmental Exposure and Respiratory Health Committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and was selected to be a National Ambassador for the American Board of Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Permaul is also very active in the New York Allergy and Asthma Society as an Executive Board member.
Dr. Permaul’s experience as a clinician and clinical researcher has inspired her deep commitment to improving our understanding of respiratory health in children. She has authored several scientific papers, reviews and book chapters on original research showing how indoor allergen exposures affect asthma outcomes in urban children with asthma, both in school and home environments. Her current clinical/translational asthma research is supported by grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the interactions between childhood obesity, the environment, and asthma morbidity in an established cohort of inner-city children with asthma. Ongoing work has focused on studying how obesity related systemic inflammation contributes to the development of severe asthma in children through profiling of cytokines and other inflammatory and immune mediators. Dr. Permaul is also a co-investigator of NIH funded multi-center pediatric asthma clinical trials focused on early interventions to prevent the development of asthma.