Deborah F. Perry, PhD is the Director of Research and Evaluation and a professor at the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development. She also serves as the director of research for the Georgetown University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and the Health Justice Alliance. In these roles, Dr. Perry provides leadership on a broad portfolio of applied research and rigorous program evaluation projects that span the life course and seek to reduce disparities for vulnerable families. Her own research focuses on preventive interventions, beginning in pregnancy, that mitigate risk and improve well-being. Dr. Perry's work is driven by a commitment to a utilization-focused participatory approach, where state and local partnerships are formed and data are collected that can be used to improve the quality of life for children and families with and at risk for disabilities.

Dr. Perry has a Ph.D. in maternal and child health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a master's degree in psychology from the New School for Social Research. She also served as the Director of the Women's and Children's Health Policy Center at Johns Hopkins and as the director of maternal and child health for the National Governors' Association. She has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed and scores of translational publications.