Danielle Perret Karimi

Biography

Danielle Perret Karimi, M.D., is Vice Chair and Health Sciences Clinical Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of California, Irvine, with additional appointments in the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care and the Department of Neurological Surgery. She also serves as Associate Chief Medical Information Officer for Ambulatory Care at UC Irvine Health. Perret Karimi received her M.D. from Rutgers Medical School in 2003, completed her residency in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City where she also served as Chief Resident, and completed a fellowship in Pain Medicine at UC Irvine Medical Center in 2008. She holds board certifications in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Pain Medicine, and Clinical Informatics. Her clinical focus is pain medicine, with expertise assisting patients with chronic disability.

Perret Karimi has held numerous leadership positions at UC Irvine, including serving as Assistant Dean for Resident Wellness, Designated Institutional Officer and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education (2014 to 2016), and Director of the Fellowship Training Program in Pain Medicine (2009 to 2016). She has been an active member of the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) Board of Trustees, also serving on its Public Policy Committee, both since 2013 and has additionally served on multiple national committees, including the National PM&R Workforce Study Task Force and the National PM&R Women in Academic Medicine Task Force. She has been a national representative for PM&R to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Council of Faculty and Academic Societies (CFAS) since 2013.

Perret Karimi's work spans clinical practice, medical education, health policy, and clinical informatics. She has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and 20 book chapters on topics including pain management, the opioid crisis, workforce development in physiatry, and clinical informatics. She serves as Associate Editor for the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and has been a member of its Editorial Board since 2017. Her clinical informatics work includes oversight of ambulatory workflows, electronic health record optimization, and implementation of artificial intelligence tools for clinical documentation and patient communication. She has led major projects including InBasket optimization, AI-powered message management systems, and ambient listening AI scribe workflows. She is a leader/educator for High Reliability Organization (HRO) training for UC Irvine Health.

Education

• MD, Rutgers Medical School (Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, The University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey), 2003
• BA in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 1999
• BA in English, Concentration in American Literature, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 1999
• BA in Biological Sciences, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 1999

Distinctions

• Physicians of Excellence Award: PM&R, Orange Coast Magazine, 2016-2025
• Attending of the Year Award, UCI Department of PM&R, 2023
• Outstanding Service Award, Association of Academic Physiatrists, 2020
• The Picker Institute Challenge Grant, 2010
• Boston Scientific Foundation Fellowship Grant, 2013
• Boston Scientific Foundation Fellowship Gift Award, 2010
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Research Grant & Fellowship Award, 1999
• Phi Beta Kappa, 1999