Maria is a specialized research professional responsible for the overall coordination, management, and implementation of behavioral research projects since 2004. She has been the project manager for two studies funded by the National Cancer Institute, including an observational cohort study of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and controls without a history of breast cancer as well as a randomized clinical trial of a culturally tailored, interactive cancer-communication intervention for newly diagnosed African American breast cancer patients. She also recently managed two medical education research studies, one funded by the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Education Affairs to further assess issues of racial/ethnic and gender bias in medical students’ clerkship grades, and another to help identify factors associated with fellows’ decisions to consider a faculty position at the academic medical institution where they trained. Maria currently serves as project manager of a study funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to identify interventions that can increase the diversity of physician-scientists in the biomedical-research workforce (PI: DB Jeffe). She is also a member of the Program Evaluation and Continuous Quality Improvement (PE/CQI) Unit in the Office of Education, providing data management and analysis on a variety of special projects for the advancement of educational programs at Washington University School of Medicine.
Select publications
- Rosen, M.S., Pérez, M., Colson, E.R. et al. Reimagining the Psychiatry Clerkship: The Washington University School of Medicine Story. Acad Psychiatry (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-024-01964-0
- Mason HRC, Pérez M, Colson ER, Jeffe DB, Aagaard EM, Teherani A, Hanson JL. Student and Teacher Perspectives on Equity in Clinical Feedback: A Qualitative Study Using a Critical Race Theory Lens. Acad Med. 2023 Apr 18. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000005248. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37071697.
- Colson ER, Pérez M, Chibueze S, De Fer T, Emke AR, Lawrence SJ, Wilson SA, Zehnder NG, Aagaard EM. Understanding and Addressing Bias in Grading: Progress at Washington University School of Medicine. Acad Med. 2023 Apr 18. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000005247. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37071696.
- Hanson JL, Pérez M, Mason HRC, Aagaard EM, Jeffe DB, Teherani A, Colson ER. Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Clerkship Grading: Perspectives of Students and Teachers. Academic Medicine. 97(11S):p S35-S45, November 2022. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000004914.
- Colson ER, Pérez M, Blaylock L, Jeffe DB, Lawrence SJ, Wilson SA, Aagaard EM. Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Case Study: A Process for Understanding and Addressing Bias in Clerkship Grading. Academic Medicine. 2020 Dec; 95(12S Addressing Harmful Bias and Eliminating Discrimination in Health Professions Learning Environments):S131-S135. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000003702. PMID: 32889929.