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Dr. Steven Perlman
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"We’re not only in the business of sports, but we’re in the business of changing people’s lives…"
Dr. Steven Perlman, Founder of Healthy Athletes
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Dr. Steven Perlman, associate clinical professor of pediatric dentistry at the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, has devoted 30-years of his career, private practice and teaching to the treatment of individuals with intellectual disabilities. He worked with the Shriver Family as they struggled to find adequate dental care for Rosemary Kennedy, sister to U.S. President John F. Kennedy, due to her intellectual disability. Dr. Perlman’s concerns about health disparities, highlighted by Rosemary Kennedy, prompted the research and studies that launched the Special Smiles® Program from his Lynn, MA dentist office in 1993. The program later became the Healthy Athletes Program®, part of the Special Olympics Global initiative to providing better health care and a better quality of life for athletes.
The Healthy Athletes® initiative is dedicated to providing health services and education to Special Olympics athletes, and changing the way health systems interact with people with intellectual disabilities. Through free health screenings, training for healthcare professionals, and evaluation of the health status, Healthy Athletes® has become a powerful public health organization worldwide.
"Special Olympics works diligently each day to provide a better way of life through sports training, programs and events for individuals with intellectual disabilities. We are grateful for the contributions to the organization by professionals like Dr. Perlman which give us the tools to provide longer, stronger lives,” states Robert Johnson, President and CEO of Special Olympics Massachusetts. “Sporting events act as a conduit to assisting us in offering free health screenings that educate athletes on healthy lifestyle choices and ways to improve their personal well being."
Dr. Perlman’s work and dedication has provided extended and better quality living to many and has created additional revolutionary opportunities. In December of 2008, SOMA and the University of Massachusetts Medical School signed a groundbreaking Affiliation Agreement that created one of the first formal relationships between a disability services agency and a school of medicine. This relationship and the help of dedicated volunteers is helping expand the Healthy Athletes® movement; more than 150 Special Smiles events take place annually in every state in the United States and in 40 countries.
Dr. Perlman currently serves as a global clinical adviser for the Healthy Athletes® Program. He was recognized in 2007 for his diligence and innovative work at an event during the Shanghai Special Olympics World Summer Games. Along with 11 other extraordinary individuals, he was awarded the Special Spirit in China Awards of Excellence for his commitment to the Special Olympics movement for more than 10-years. Perlman has received numerous accolades for his distinguished work in dentistry and within the intellectual disabilities community. He was the first dentist in Massachusetts to receive the Exceptional Physician Award.
Since Dr. Perlman screened his first athlete in the early 1990’s, Special Olympics has worked to expand the availability of Healthy Athletes® screenings. Currently, the program has a presence at almost all Special Olympics athletic events and free screenings are offered in five of the seven Healthy Athletes® Disciplines. Dr. Perlman’s work has enabled Special Olympics to serve athletes for more than 10-years through free health screenings and health information at local, regional and World Games.
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