Susan Perrine, PhD

Susan M. Motch Perrine, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, and Anthropology. She is a developmental biologist whose research examines how genetic, cellular, and biomechanical processes shape the developing head and how disruptions to these processes contribute to craniofacial disorders.

Dr. Perrine leads and contributes to interdisciplinary research combining three-dimensional imaging, geometric morphometrics, developmental biology, and artificial intelligence. Her work focuses on craniofacial growth and dysmorphology, including craniosynostosis, Pierre Robin sequence, achondroplasia, development of the lower jaw, and cancers of the head and neck. She also collaborates with surgeons, radiologists, computer scientists, and other clinical investigators to develop imaging-based and computational approaches that address challenges in head and neck disease, surgical planning, and patient care.

Through the Center for Advancing Health Equity in Rural and Underserved Communities, Dr. Perrine also conducts community-engaged research and outreach focused on cancer prevention, specialty-care access, and improving health outcomes in rural Pennsylvania. She mentors undergraduate, graduate, medical, and postdoctoral trainees and is committed to translating interdisciplinary research into meaningful clinical and community impact.