Natalie Perry
DGSOM, Office of Inclusive Excellence
Cultural North Star Lead
Point of Contact
Natalie Perry
Cultural North Star Lead
Pronouns: she/her
njperry@mednet.ucla.edu
Bio:
Natalie J. Perry, PhD, leads the Cultural North Star initiative at DGSOM (David Geffen School of Medicine). She holds a PhD in Higher Education from the University of Virginia, an EdM in teaching and curriculum from Harvard University, and a BA in African American and African Studies from Ohio State University. Before joining UCLA, Dr. Perry held leadership roles in higher education, including Associate Dean for Academic Programs at American International College and administrative positions at Dartmouth College and Northeastern University. Her work has centered on institutional effectiveness, organizational culture, program development, and equitable educational experiences for students and faculty. Dr. Perry brings more than a decade of experience to her role, drawing on research, leadership, and change management to support community engagement and inclusive excellence.
Dialogue Experience/Expertise:
As the Cultural North Star Lead at the DGSOM, Dr. Natalie Perry guides efforts to embed shared values like doing what’s right, making things better, and being kind into everyday interactions and institutional practices. The Cultural North Star framework supports dialogue and reflection across the community to strengthen trust, collaboration, and accountability. In this role, she emphasizes empathy, active listening, and inclusive engagement as foundations for meaningful conversations that help bring people together.
