Dr. Pernar is an assistant professor of surgery at Boston University School of Medicine. She serves as associate program director of the Boston Medical Center general surgery residency program. Dr. Pernar completed her general surgery residency and an advanced minimally invasive and bariatric surgery fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). During her residency she was awarded numerous teaching awards, including the American College of Surgeons Resident Award for Exemplary Teaching. She completed education research fellowships in the BWH Department of Surgery and through the Academy at Harvard Medical School, gaining exposure to quantitative and qualitative research methods relevant to surgical education.
Dr. Pernar’s research is devoted to surgery education with a specific focus on teaching and developing independence in residency training. She has developed and administers a resident-as-teacher curriculum that is used at BMC to educate residents on their role in the academic surgical setting.