Ruth T. Perot, M.A.T. is co-founder and executive director/chief executive officer of Summit Health Institute for Research and Education, Inc. (SHIRE).  Ms. Perot also serves as managing director of the National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved which SHIRE serves as its Program Management Office.

Ms. Perot has over forty years of experience and service in a wide range of disciplines and areas of focus, from civil rights activism to health reform advocacy. She currently provides leadership for SHIRE’s campaign to combat childhood obesity in the District of Columbia, works to promote multicultural collaboration, and has helped guide regional efforts in the metropolitan Washington area to promote equitable and accessible primary care. Perot is a graduate of Oberlin College, and received a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is a recipient of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust’s Healthcare Hero Award and Families USA’s Consumer Advocate of the Year Award. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Social Insurance.