Jay A. Perman, MD, became the sixth president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) in July 2010.  A pediatric gastroenterologist, Perman continues to practice medicine through his weekly President’s Clinic, where he teaches team-based health care to students of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, law, and social work.

His commitment to community engagement and urban renewal is manifest in his prolific civic service. With Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Perman co-chairs the UniverCity Partnership, an effort to redevelop and revitalize Baltimore City's Westside.  He chairs the board of directors of the Downtown Partnership, dedicated to creating a vibrant city center.  Moreover, he serves on the boards of the Greater Baltimore Committee, the Hippodrome Foundation, and Baltimore’s Promise, a group committed to advancing the health, safety, and success of the city's youth.  In 2013, Perman established the Center for Community-Based Education and Learning to enhance UMB’s engagement with children and families in West Baltimore.  He subsequently inaugurated the Office of Community Engagement to coordinate UMB's ample outreach projects — again, with special emphasis on West Baltimore — and to leverage resources so that the University may respond quickly and effectively to identified community needs.

Prior to his current position, Dr. Perman chaired the Department of Pediatrics in the University's School of Medicine (1999‒2004), and then served as dean and vice president for clinical affairs at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine (2004‒10).  Perman first came to Baltimore to work at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1984-96), serving as a professor of pediatrics and head of several divisions.