Welcome from Our Chair & Program Directors

Among the many things we do well at the UVA Children’s Hospital, nothing makes me prouder than our ability to train the next generation of truly outstanding pediatricians.  Our excellent residents are trained by an equally outstanding faculty, who come to UVA because we value education and we value educators.  Education is in our DNA.

Our residents are prepared to deliver care to children in the new millennium.  This means that they are as comfortable with highly complex critical care as they are with population and preventive health.  Our residents learn to make their own decisions, yet we have an outstanding group of sub-specialists on whom they can rely for expert mentorship.

I cannot imagine a better setting for pediatric residency.  We have outstanding clinical services, a commitment to education, and we live in one of the country’s most beautiful settings.  Come see for yourselves!

Welcome to the University of Virginia! It is a privilege and joy to serve as the program director for the UVA pediatric residency program. I feel grateful to be in a position where I am able to help guide our residents and watch them grow into fantastic pediatricians. I am also a pediatric hospitalist with a deep interest in medical education. My interest in medical education led to the development of our Clinical Educator Track which I co-direct with one of the associate program directors, Dr. Linda Waggoner-Fountain. This track provides residents with additional training and mentored practice to facilitate early success in careers as clinical educators. Being a part of this track has inspired me as an educator!

I was born and raised in Wisconsin, but once I moved to Virginia, I never looked back. You might hear people say that in Charlottesville, “the streets are paved with glue.” If you spend even a small amount of time here, you will see why. In my free time, you will likely find me, my husband, and our two school-age children engaging in an outdoor activity —whether it be hiking, kayaking, swimming, biking, or fishing—all of which are accessible right outside our back door. I look forward to meeting you and hope to one day see you in Charlottesville as a resident!

Welcome to UVA Pediatrics! I am thrilled to join this talented group as one of the associate program directors. I am a general pediatrician and split my time between outpatient general pediatrics and newborn medicine.

A bit about me– I was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia to parents from the Dominican Republic and Brazil. I spent my college years in Massachusetts (Amherst College) and then lived/worked in New York City for 2 years prior to starting medical school at UVA. I also completed my residency and chief residency at UVA, and joined the faculty in 2020. Having had both the trainee and faculty experience, I can confidently say that our faculty are passionate about and committed to resident education. Our residents receive thoughtful and thorough training that allows them to excel in any career.

Outside of my clinical duties, my interests lie in medical education, global health, and community outreach. As a bilingual pediatrician, I also have a special interest in caring for our Spanish-speaking patients. When not at work, I love traveling, spending time with family/friends, and staying active outdoors.

Welcome to the University of Virginia. It is truly one of the joys of my career to serve the residents as an Associate Program Directory. I am a critical care pediatrician and medical educator, dividing my time evenly between both. My educational interests include developing clinical reasoning skills and running the “bespoke” PedsCOACH program – a Department based team of educators who work individually to coach residents who want (or need) extra help during residency education. I love living in Charlottesville, and the UVA Pediatrics Residency Program is truly a gem – you have all the bread and butter pediatrics of a medium-sized hospital along with the complexity and specialty of a regional referral center. Residents here become excellent general pediatricians, and many of them choose to go on to competitive fellowships. The opportunity to see the best of pediatrics in such a beautiful setting is truly unique – and the local food and beverage scene is fantastic. Our residents and faculty work hard and have fun inside the children’s hospital, and have even more fun in Charlottesville and the marvelous region beyond.

My name is Linda Waggoner-Fountain and I am here at the University of Virginia to help you maintain being an excellent student, grow into a great pediatric resident and become a superb pediatrician! I practice pediatric infectious diseases and I am actively involved in medical student and pediatric resident education. I have my Master in Medical Education and am currently a doctoral student in higher education at the University of Virginia. I have the great opportunity to help residents develop their individualized learning plans and map their careers. I also get to help our residents learn more about themselves as learners and how to become better teachers. As program director for over 20 years, I can assure you we have a commitment to your education. I am so fortunate that I get to teach new pediatricians while caring for children and their families. I hail from Iowa (Go Hawkeyes!), am married to a physician who I adore and we have two adult children (who we also adore) who are both in graduate school.