Faculty

University of Virginia Division of Medical Toxicology Core Faculty and Staff include:
Dr. Christopher Holstege (Chief), Dr. Nathan Charlton, Dr. Avery Michienzi, Dr. Rita Farah, Dr. Heather Borek, Dr. Abigail Kerns, Dr. Andy Baer, Dr. Justin Rizer, Dr. Saumitra Rege

Other instructors who contribute to the Medical Toxicology Fellowship include:
Dr. Leonard Vance, Dr. Gregory Saathoff, Kristy Davis

Chief, University of Virginia Division of Medical Toxicology
Director, Blue Ridge Poison Center

Dr. Holstege is a Professor with tenure in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics.  He joined the University of Virginia faculty in 1999.  In 2002, the Center for Clinical Toxicology was formally recognized under his guidance by the Dean of the School of Medicine with the goal of providing timely and comprehensive care for all poisoned patients.  Dr. Holstege received the 2003 Award for Clinical Excellence from the School of Medicine for his work.  He has also received the Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award from the emergency medicine residents in both 2001 and 2002.  He was awarded the American College of Emergency Physicians’ prestigious National Faculty Teaching Award in 2002.  He was inducted in the School of Medicine Academy of Distinguished Educators in 2010. He actively participates in the education of students and residents from multiple specialties and fields of health care.  He lectures regionally and nationally.  He has published over 200 articles, chapters, and abstracts in the medical literature, and is an editor or author of 10 books.  He pursues research in a number of areas of toxicology and emergency medicine.  He is actively involved in the realm of criminal poisoning and works closely with the Critical Incident Analysis Group (UVA). Dr. Holstege is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology.

Professor of Emergency Medicine
Director, Medical Toxicology Fellowship Program

Dr. Charlton is a Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and serves as the Program Director for the UVA Medical Toxicology Fellowship. He is also Director of the Wilderness Medicine Education Program, an intensive 2 week training course for medical students, involving numerous experts in the region and taking full advantage of the unique placement of the University at the door of the Blue Ridge Mountains. His research interests are in wilderness medicine, serotonin syndrome, and first aid. He also serves as Associate Medical Director of the Blue Ridge Poison Center. Dr. Charlton completed his Medical Toxicology Fellowship at the University of Virginia and joined the faculty at the University of Virginia in 2009.  He received his M.D. from The University of South Florida in Tampa, and completed his residency in emergency medicine at The University of South Carolina/Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia, S.C.  He is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology.

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
Lead Epidemiologist
Medical Toxicology Faculty

Dr. Farah is our department’s first non-physician faculty member. Dr. Farah received her Ph.D. in Clinical Research from Paris-East Créteil University, and her Pharm.D. and Master of Public Health from Lebanese University. She served as epidemiologist at the Ministry of Public Health in Beirut from 2012 to 2020. She served as an instructor at several universities in Lebanon, teaching epidemiology, biostatistics and research methodology between 2015 and 2020. She subsequently completed her international fellowship in clinical toxicology at Emory University School of Medicine. She was hired by the University of Virginia Department of Emergency Medicine – Division of Medical Toxicology in 2022 where she has served as the UVA Health’s Blue Ridge Poison Center’s epidemiologist. She serves a dual role as the lead epidemiologist in the Division of Medical Toxicology and as the lead epidemiologist for the University of Virginia’s Department of Student Health & Wellness. She has a rapidly growing list of publications that have made national news and has a growing international reputation.

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
Assistant Director, Blue Ridge Poison Center

Dr. Michienzi joined the Department of Emergency Medicine faculty in 2024 after her fellowship in Medical Toxicology. She completed her residency in emergency medicine at York Wellspan Hospital in 2020. She graduated from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine in 2017 and received a BS in Genetics and Cellular Biology and Development at the University of Minnesota in 2011. Dr. Michienzi is the Blue Ridge Poison Center’s Assistant Director. She is actively growing the number of her publications. She has been featured in the local, national, and international news for her work.

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
Medical Toxicology Faculty

Dr. Kerns joined the Department of Emergency Medicine after completing her UVA Medical Toxicology fellowship in 2024.  She has served as an emergency medicine instructor in the department since 2022.  She is a graduate of Allegheny General Hospital’s emergency medicine residency, West Virginia University School of Medicine where she received her Doctor of Medicine degree on the Global Health Track, and West Virginia University Eberly College of Arts & Sciences with a BS in Biology. She is currently completing her Master of Public Health Degree from George Washington University. She has a growing number of scientific abstracts and publications and will be further pursuing her interest in poison center management. Dr. Kerns was raised in West Virginia, is avidly engaged in the outdoors, and frequents the wilderness to mountain bike.

Medical Toxicology Faculty

Dr. Baer is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine.  Dr. Baer graduated from the University of Virginia Medical Toxicology Fellowship in 2004.  He also holds a full-time emergency medicine position at Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg.  In 2004, he received the “Consultant of the Year” award from the University of Virginia Department of Emergency Medicine, recognizing his dedication as a consultant in toxicology. Dr. Baer’s interest and expertise in medical toxicology pertains to the visual diagnosis of toxicological diseases.  He is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology.

Medical Toxicology Faculty

Dr. Rizer is a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Emergency Medicine, Division of Medical Toxicology. He completed his Medical Toxicology fellowship in June 2018, following an Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Virginia. He received his medical doctorate from the University of South Florida School of Medicine. He is board certified in Emergency Medicine and board eligible in Medical Toxicology. He also holds a full-time emergency medicine position with Centra Medical Group in Lynchburg. Dr. Rizer’s interests include acute care and medical education.

 Saumitra Rege, Ph.D., is an epidemiologist with a particular interest in epidemiology related to substance diversion and abuse. Dr. Rege graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2014 with a doctoral degree in pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics. Dr. Rege has been recently focused on the application of epidemiological methods to study the patterns, determinants and control of substance misuse in adolescents and adults using state, national and international data. Dr. Rege also has been particularly involved in research within the student health population with a focus on alcohol and substance use as well as mental health issues in this population, conducting epidemiological studies using data linkage methods. Dr. Rege is a member of several national organizations including the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research and the American College of Medical Toxicologists. Dr. Rege is the recipient of The Rufus A. Lyman Award, presented annually to the author(s) of the best paper published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education.

Dr. Vance has served as a faculty member in the School of Medicine at MCV/VCU, as Director of Health Standards at the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and as an Assistant Attorney General of Virginia.  He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Virginia.  He is licensed in the Commonwealth as an attorney and as a Professional Engineer.  Dr. Vance is a Certified Industrial Hygienist, Certified Safety Professional, and Certified Hazardous Materials Manager.  His areas of interest and professional activity include chemical health and safety, asbestos, kepone, lead, and the law and regulation of chemicals.  He has served on numerous federal committees, including federal carcinogen, asbestos, and risk assessment task forces.  In Virginia, he has served on various state boards and legislative commissions.  Dr. Vance remains active in the classroom as a professor teaching in the areas of law, ethics, public health, chemistry and industrial hygiene.

Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine & Public Health Sciences

Dr. Saathoff serves as Executive Director of the University of Virginia’s Critical Incident Analysis Group (CIAG). In this capacity, he directs the operation of the group, which operates as a “ThinkNet” that provides multidisciplinary expertise in developing strategies that can prevent or mitigate the effects of critical incidents.  Since 1996, Dr. Saathoff has served as the Conflict Resolution Specialist to the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group. In this role, he consults with the Crisis Negotiation Unit and the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime.  During the Gulf War, Dr. Saathoff was called from reserve duty and deployed as a medical corps psychiatrist overseas, earning the Army Commendation Medal in 1991. Dr. Saathoff retired from the Army Reserves with the rank of Major. He has written The Negotiator’s Guide to Psychotropic Drugs for the FBI’s Crisis Negotiation Unit, and was a co-author of the FBI’s threat assessment monograph: The School Shooter. In addition to this, he has published in the areas of the personality disorders, police psychiatry, post-traumatic stress disorders, public response to weapons of mass destruction and biologic psychiatry.

Senior Industrial Hygienist

Kristy Davis is an Industrial Hygienist Supervisor in the UVA Office of Environmental Health and Safety.  Kristy graduated with a B.S. from the University of California, Berkeley and obtained a Master’s in Public Health (MPH in Environmental, Occupational Health) from California State University, Fresno.  Kristy’s interest and expertise in industrial hygiene is in the area of ventilation, indoor air quality, and the design of local exhaust ventilation for the purpose of controlling airborne contaminants in the work place.  With nearly 18 years of experience in OEHS, she is intimately familiar with the work environment here at the University and has conducted multiple work place assessments. She is a Board Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) through the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) and a member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). She also serves as a member of the Health Advisory Board for Albemarle County Schools.  Kristy partners with toxicology to provide education on environmental and occupational exposures.