Dr. Chad A. Perlyn is president of Nicklaus Children’s Pediatric Specialists (NCPS), the physician-led group practice of Nicklaus Children’s Health System. In this role, Dr. Perlyn provides leadership related to the development of the vision and strategic growth of the health system’s more than 250 employed physicians, 26 pediatric specialty practices and outpatient care centers. He is also a practicing pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgeon.
Since joining Nicklaus Children’s Health System as a pediatric plastic surgeon in 2009, Dr. Perlyn has served in various leadership roles, including medical director of Surgical Services for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, chief of the NCPS Section of Plastic Surgery and a member of the NCPS board of directors, and chairman of the board of the Nicklaus Children’s Ambulatory Center.
As a pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Perlyn’s practice is dedicated solely to caring for children and young adults with congenital or acquired anomalies and injuries. His clinical interests are in cleft lip and palate, congenital anomalies, macroglossia, and vascular lesions.
After receiving his undergraduate degree in English literature from Northwestern University, Dr. Perlyn attended medical school at the University of Miami where he graduated with honors. He then completed his general surgery and plastic surgery residencies at Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital in Saint Louis, one of the country’s oldest and most established plastic surgery training programs. During his residency, Dr. Perlyn was the recipient of an American College of Surgeons Fellowship, allowing him to spend three years at the University of Oxford in England completing a doctorate degree in craniofacial molecular biology. While at Oxford, Dr. Perlyn studied why children are born with particular facial birth defects, and as a result of his efforts, he received several national and international awards. Following the completion of his plastic surgery training, Dr. Perlyn went on to study craniofacial and pediatric plastic surgery as a fellow under the tutelage of Dr. Jeffrey Marsh in St. Louis. He also completed his MBA degree from the University of Miami Herbert Business School.
Dr. Perlyn is also a leader in the field of global health. He serves as the Co-chair of the Children’s Surgery group of the G4 Alliance, is a member of the UN’s Surghub educational team, and has recently been appointed a technical advisor on congenital birth defects to the pediatric society of Rawanda. Over the last 15 years he has worked extensively in Haiti and Peru where he has helped build surgical capacity through service, training and resource mobilization.
Dr. Perlyn is board certified in plastic surgery. He has published numerous scientific papers and articles, lectured nationally and globally, and frequently provides commentary to the media as a subject-matter expert on physician leadership, the delivery of pediatric healthcare, and pediatric plastic surgery.
