This year’s match results show that only 91.8% of pediatric residency slots were successfully filled by programs compared to a higher percentage in years past. This ongoing outcome has many physicians in the field worried about the declining interest in pediatric subspecialties. Katherine Jordan, MD, and Priyanka Rao, MD, at the UNC School of Medicine wrote a JAMA perspective piece asking, “Where are all the pediatricians?”

Rollyn Ornstein, MD joined the Pediatric Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine on June 28, 2024. Dr. Ornstein will serve as the new Section Head of Adolescent Medicine. Dr. Ornstein earned her medical degree at the New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, completed her pediatric residency at Babies and Children’s Hospital of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, and her fellowship in adolescent medicine at the Schneider Children’s Hospital of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, New Hyde Park, NY.

Dr. Ornstein is a Board Certified Adolescent Medicine physician who is also a nationally renowned expert in eating disorders. With an active career in academic medicine for almost 20 years, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the division.

She was previously a Professor of Pediatrics at Penn State University, where she also served as Interim Division Chief of Adolescent Medicine. Most recently, Dr. Ornstein was the Director of Pediatrics and Adolescent Services at the Veritas Collaborative in Durham, North Carolina.

We are thrilled to have Dr. Ornstein’s experience and leadership in our growing Adolescent Medicine section!

Emily Vander Schaaf, MD, MPH, Associate Professor in the Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, has been awarded the Medical Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professorship by the Academy of Educators. Congratulations!

Priyanka Rao, MD was promoted to Associate Professor of Pediatrics effective June 1, 2024. Dr. Rao has been a faculty member in Pediatrics since August 2020. Dr. Rao received her undergraduate degree from UNC Chapel Hill in 2008 and earned her medical degree in 2013 from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in Iowa City, Iowa. Before returning to UNC, she served as a Neonatal Hospitalist at the University of Michigan C.S., Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Congratulations Priyanka!

Dr. Kenya McNeal-Trice will be serving as an American Pediatric Society (APS) representative to the AMSPDC Pediatrics Workforce Initiative for a  three-year term, beginning June 1, 2024.

We are excited to recognize our faculty and trainees for their recent Academy of Educator (AOE) accomplishments.  We are so grateful for their enthusiasm, dedication, and talents as UNC AOE educators. Founded in 2006, the Academy of Educators is designed to emphasize teaching and support faculty development both in Chapel Hill and across the state.

Dr. Brittany Raffa, Assistant Professor in General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, has been named to the School of Medicine’s Physician Scientist Training Program. Congratulations!

Dr. Jessica Young, Assistant Professor in General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, has been named a UNC School of Medicine Simmons Scholar. Congratulations!

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was one of four academic medical centers on the study, which shows that an intervention program developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics can dramatically reduce injuries in young children.

Emily Vander Schaaf, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, has been awarded the Academic Pediatric Association Public Policy and Advocacy Developing Award for 2024. Congratulations!