As I look back on the past year, I am filled with gratitude for the chance to lead such an extraordinary department. Transitioning to a new institution after 25 years at another was a leap into the unknown. I can still remember the mix of emotions my husband and I felt as we packed up our life in Newton, MA, and set out for Charlottesville, a city we barely knew and into a house my husband hadn’t even seen!

Fast forward a year, and Charlottesville, the medical school, and—most importantly—this department have completely captured my heart. It’s remarkable how quickly this place has come to feel like home, while Boston is a much loved but distant memory.

I owe so much of this to you. Over this past year, I have had the privilege of getting to know you—listening to your stories, understanding your challenges, and working together to embrace new opportunities. Your dedication and passion for our mission inspire me every single day.

What you do goes far beyond medicine. You build trust and empathy, provide comfort, and create a sense of hope and healing for children and families. The way you work together, your professionalism, and your unwavering focus on patient care are what make this department truly exceptional.

I also want to take a moment to thank Dr. Jim Nataro (and the Chairs before him) for laying the foundation that we continue to build on today. Their leadership and vision have left an enduring impact that guides us forward.

It’s an honor to be part of this team, and I look forward to everything we will accomplish together as we continue to deliver exceptional pediatric care and advance all mission areas. Thank you for welcoming me so warmly and for the incredible difference you make each day.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Madhu Misra, MD, MPH

Benjamin Armistead Shepherd Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, UVA

Physician-in-Chief, UVA Children’s Health

Here are some of the gains for the Department of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital over the past few months:

• The Department will host a reception at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting (PAS 2025) in Honolulu on April 26th at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. RSVP here to join us.
• We have now filled all of our Vice and Associate Chair roles and are excited to see the work and impact of the incumbents.
• Vice Chair for Academic Affairs - Susan Gray, MD
• Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs - Ann Kellams, MD
• Vice Chair for Education - Anshu Gupta, MD
• Associate Chair of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion - Emily Gonzalez, PhD
• Associate Chair for Community Engagement - Serwa Ertl, MD
• Associate Chair for Clinical Innovation - Jeff Vergales, MD
• Chief Quality Officer for Children's Service - Jon Swanson, MD
• Chief Operating Officer - Elizabeth Shifflett, MBA
• Research Scientific Director - Casey Hoffman, PhD
• Research Administrative Director - Alex Torres

Clinical

      UVA Health Children’s Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Health

The UVA Health Children’s Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Health space continues to be on track to open in December 2024. Planning is beginning on the adjacent space that will house primary care and specialty pediatrics (pediatric endocrinology, pediatric pulmonology, pediatric gastroenterology, and Teen Health).

Thank You for Participating in the 2024 CDC mPINC Survey

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all who participated in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) 2024 Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) survey. As one of 2,070 hospitals across the US and its territories that responded, your commitment to improving maternity practices and supporting optimal infant nutrition is truly commendable.

Our hospital's 2024 mPINC Hospital Report is now available, highlighting strengths, opportunities for improvement, and a comparison of your practices with those of similarly sized hospitals regionally and nationwide. Please note that results from the 2024 survey are comparable only to 2018, 2020, and 2022 due to updates made to the mPINC questionnaire in 2018.

We encourage you to share your report with key hospital leaders, including Nurse Managers of the Mother-Baby and Labor and Delivery units, Directors of Pediatrics and Obstetrics, and your Director of Quality Improvement.

Additionally, the CDC has developed the mPINC Ten Steps Assessment Tool, which aligns survey items with the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. This resource is designed to support hospitals in implementing breastfeeding-friendly practices and prioritizing quality improvement efforts.

Looking ahead, the next mPINC survey will launch in January 2026. To stay informed, we invite you to join the mPINC-update listserv for periodic updates. For questions or to join the listserv, email mpinc@cdc.gov.

Thank you again for your participation and for your ongoing efforts to promote quality maternity care and infant nutrition practices.

Pediatric Interventional Cardiac Catheterization Service

Since 2014, UVA Health has been a part of the multi-center Quality Improvement database, Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Project on Outcomes (C3PO), alongside 19 top institutions, including many of the nation’s best pediatric and congenital cardiac programs.

Key achievements from UVA’s 2023 annual report include:

• The lowest Serious Adverse Event Ratio (SAER) among all participants, with moderate adverse events occurring at only 40% of the expected rate.
• A 17% increase in case volume from 2022, handling complex cases on par with larger institutions.
• Despite representing just 3% of the total case volume, UVA accounted for 14% of atretic valve perforations and 7% of neonatal aortic valvuloplasties in the database.
• UVA surpassed national averages with high risk hemodynamic vulnerability scores, procedure times 20-30% shorter than the median, and patient radiation exposure 10-40% lower across all procedure categories.

This remarkable success is thanks to the combined efforts of UVA’s nurses, technicians, physicists, physicians, and a dedicated research team. With such impressive results, UVA stands as one of the leading programs for children with congenital heart disease in the U.S.”UVA stands as one of the leading programs for children with congenital heart disease in the U.S.

Research

Education

The Third Annual Nancy McDaniel Lectureship on Women in Leadership to Feature Renowned Academic Leader

The Department of Pediatrics proudly hosted the Third Annual Nancy McDaniel Lectureship on Women in Leadership on October 28, 2024, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Miriam A. Bredella, Associate Dean for Translational Science at NYU Langone Health. In her lecture, “Pathways to Progress: Advancing Women’s Careers in Academic Medicine,” Dr. Bredella shared her expertise in faculty development and mentorship, highlighting strategies for supporting women in academic medicine. The event honored the legacy of Dr. Nancy L. McDaniel, a trailblazing pediatric cardiologist and former Vice Chair of the department, whose career at UVA was defined by her dedication to mentorship and excellence. A reception followed, fostering meaningful conversations among attendees.

Martha Hellems, MD was honored at the AMIA 2024 Annual Symposium with a prestigious award recognizing her outstanding contributions to the field.

The conference provided an excellent opportunity to connect with colleagues and celebrate her achievements. A special thank you goes out to AMIA for their support as a Corporate Partner, fostering connections and innovation within the community.

Congratulations, Dr. Hellems, on this well-deserved recognition! 

Community Engagement

Global Impact: George McDaniel's Dedication to Teaching and Advancing Pediatric Cardiology in Africa

Doctor George McDaniel's passion for teaching and global health has led to meaningful collaborations with physicians across Africa. Over the past several years, he has cultivated relationships with medical professionals to strengthen local expertise in pediatric cardiology.

In July, Dr. McDaniel joined a group of cardiologists on a mission to Tanzania with Madaktari Africa, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing expertise in Cardiology and Neurosurgery in sub-Saharan Africa. Using their "Train-Forward" model, the organization focuses on empowering local medical personnel through hands-on training and education. As the only pediatric cardiologist on this trip, George trained a local cardiologist in placing a pacemaker in a child with congenital heart disease, a skill that will have a lasting impact on the region's healthcare.

Last month, George embarked on his fifth trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was once again invited to lecture at the South African Heart Congress, the nation’s premier cardiology conference. During his visit, he taught residents and fellows at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital—the largest hospital in Africa and the seventh largest globally. Alongside his South African colleague, Dr. Adele Greyling, the only pediatric electrophysiologist in sub-Saharan Africa, George tackled several complex cases.

The collaboration between George and Dr. Greyling continues year-round through telemedicine, ensuring that children in sub-Saharan Africa receive the specialized care they need. His commitment to teaching and fostering global partnerships exemplifies the transformative power of knowledge-sharing in improving healthcare outcomes worldwide.

Fundraiser Event in Memory of Dr. Jim Plews-Ogan

The Department of Pediatrics hosted a special event in memory of Dr. Jim Plews-Ogan. Thank you to all who joined us and offered your unwavering support, helping to transform the gathering into a meaningful tribute to Jim’s remarkable legacy and the profound impact he had on our department and community. It was truly moving to see so many come together to celebrate his life, share cherished stories, and raise a glass in his honor.

With participation and generosity, we successfully raised $1,760 for the Hummingbird Fund, a cause that Jim held dear. Everyone's dedication to continuing his legacy of compassion and service strengthens the bonds that make our community so unique.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Michael Shaps Wineworks for their partnership in making this event possible.

Please continue to be proactive about nominating your colleagues for these and other awards. Also, if you would like to be nominated for an award, please let Dr. Gray or me know so we can look into this.

Administration

• Madhu Misra, MD, MPH, was awarded the Benjamin Armistead Shepherd Professorship in Pediatrics.
• Senior leadership recently had a Hard Hat Tour of the new Riverside Neurobehavioral and Mental Health Center.

Adolescent

• Susan Gray, MD, and Teen Health Education Coordinator Mary Sullivan are featured locally and in Roanoke discussing teen mental health.

Allergy

• Our allergy team's paper, "Early age peanut oral immunotherapy is safe and effective at achieving desensitization in 27 pediatric patients with peanut allergy" was published in Pediatric Allergy & Immunology this month!

Cardiology

• Tom L'Ecuyer, MD, was awarded the J. Francis Dammann Professorship in Pediatric Cardiology

CHRC

• Ariel Gomez, MD, & Maria Luisa, MD's, work has been published in today’s issue of Circulation Research. It is Manako Yamaguchi's first author manuscript in Circulation Research. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.124.325305
• Circulation Research article was featured on UVA Today https://news.virginia.edu/content/how-blood-pressure-drugs-damage-kidneysand and UVA Health News https://newsroom.uvahealth.com/2024/11/18/blood-pressure-kidney-damage/
• Their article has been accepted in Clinical Science (Portland Press, London), which is already available online https://portlandpress.com/clinsci/article/doi/10.1042/CS20242089/235269/Piezo-Channels-in-JG-cells-do-not-Regulate-Renin
• Maria Luisa, MD, applied to the APS “Women in Physiology Committee” but was offered instead to be part of a more prestigious and selective Committee (Publications) composed of members who have served as editors or associate editors of scientific journals.

Endocrinology

• Congrats to our RN-CC team for being recognized for re-designing the insulin pump class, demonstrating how UVA Medical Center responds to challenges and how they made life better for our diabetes patients and families.

Gastroenterology

• Carrie Cowardin, PhD, has been accepted into the Society for Pediatric Research.

Hematology/Oncology

• We’d like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Laura Lee and Dr. Curtis Kovaleski for their dedication in leading the pediatric mock code session in IR. This hands-on training provided invaluable experience for the team, and it was clear just how much confidence it instilled in everyone involved. Dr. Lee has been conducting these annual sessions for many years, helping to ensure our team remains well-prepared for real-world scenarios. Thank you, Dr. Lee and Dr. Kovaleski, for your commitment to excellence in pediatric care and education!
• We are honored to announce a $19,000 gift from the Carter-Meyer Automotive Group, generously contributed through their “Fuel the Fight” campaign. This incredible donation supports families of children with cancer, helping cover travel expenses to and from our Children’s Hospital—often over long distances.

Infectious Disease

• Jeff Donowitz, MD, and Carrie Cowardin, PhD, successfully submitted their joint R21 on small intestine bacterial overgrowth.

NETS

• UVA Medical Transport Network, Charlottesville, is a finalist for Program of the Year (Association of Air Medical Services or AAMS)

Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics

• Lisa Letzkus, PhD, AC-PNP, RN, is now a Certified Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination Trainer.
• Stephanie McNerney, PNP, recently won the DEI Award
• Anna Jesus, MD, is the new chair, of the Complex Care Committee, AACPDM
• Emily Gonzalez, PhD, was Selected to serve on the Presidential Task Force for Protection of Children Affected by Violence in the Middle East. 

Neonatology

• Jon Swanson, MD, MSc, MBA, was appointed to the State Child Fatality Review Team by the Governor’s office

Primary Care Pediatrics

• Irene Mathieu, MD, UVA School of Medicine, discusses whether organic foods are better for us. 
• Amy Wrentmore, MD, received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching

Psychology

• Emily Gonzalez, PhD, was appointed to the Editorial Board for the Journal of Latinx Psychology

Urology

• Sean Corbett, MD, has been awarded as one of the 2024 Patient Experience Award Recipients

WAYS Lab

• The WAYS Lab - and Pediatrics' very own Dr. Haley Stephens, too - are featured in the current issue of the UVA Medical Alumni Magazine, Virginia Medicine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/wqkbp/ejzs/#p=1

New & Upcoming Additions

• Julia (Julie) Lovin, 12/1/2024, joined as Assistant Professor - Ped Cardio 
• Aaron Misakian, 12/1/2024, joined Endo as clinical faculty
• Emily O'Gorman, 12/1/24, joined Allergy as clinical faculty
• Seth Morrison, 11/1/2024, Faculty joined Gastroenterology (75% research)
• Anshu Gupta, 10/12/2024, Faculty joined Endocrinology and a Vice Chair for Education