As a pioneer in clinical regenerative medicine, Dr. Perin performed the first stem cell injection in a patient with heart failure in 2001 and subsequently published the first clinical trial to evaluate stem cell therapy in heart failure patients. As the founding Medical Director of the Stem Cell Center at THI in 1998, he has led multiple clinical trials of stem cell therapy, focusing on the treatment of heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, refractory angina, and peripheral arterial disease.

Under his leadership, THI's Stem Cell Center has become recognized as a worldwide leader in clinical research in stem cell therapy. Moreover, Dr. Perin serves as a founding member and Principal Investigator in the NHLBI Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network, which is a consortium of 7 sites funded by the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute and charged with advancing the use of cell therapy for treating heart disease.

Dr. Perin has provided leadership at The Texas Heart Institute for over 25 years and is an alumnus of The Texas Heart Institute Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology Fellowship programs. He is a world-renowned cardiologist known for his leadership in the development of stem cell therapies for cardiovascular diseases. He currently serves as the Director of the Center for Clinical Research, Director of the Stem Cell Center and the Medical Director of THI appointed by the Board of Trustees.