Aetna
   <  Back to the African American History Calendar main page
Calendar IntroductionDisparities in Health CareProfilesCalendar MonthsRelated LinksCalendar FeedbackAetna.comDiversity at AetnaAfrican American History CalendarsProfileDecemberBio2002 Calendar Home

<< Bios >>

Lucille C. Norville Perez, M.D. - President, National Medical Association, August 2001 - August 2002HIV / AIDS
Photo of Lucille C. Norville Perez, M.D.'As we decode the human genome, we find that we are 99.9 percent alike. Thus, the disease disparities spring from things not directly related to medical and clinical issues. As we eliminate health disparities, HIV disease riddled with stigma will impact how we address everything else.'
When Lucille C. Norville Perez, M.D., graduated from New York Medical College in 1979, the disease that consumes her professional life was still unknown. Dr. Perez is the 102nd president of the National Medical Association. She also is a pediatrician who specializes in HIV disease and AIDS. She serves as the associate director of the government's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and directs the HIV Prevention Initiative in Rockville, Maryland.

"Those things that put us at risk of HIV disease, such as substance abuse," says Dr. Perez, "are things we do when we self-medicate. That self-medication comes from not wanting to deal with a particular situation we are in." She educates other physicians and the general public in treating and preventing AIDS. Among her many awards are the Congressional Black Caucus' Special Achievement Award and the Secretary of Health and Human Services' Distinguished Service Award.

We want you to know. Aetna.