Dr. Williams joined the Department of Pediatrics as faculty on May 1, 2023. Dr. Williams received her BS from Virginia Tech in 2007 and completed her medical degree at the Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University in 2012. She was a Pediatric Resident at UNC from 2012 to 2015. Since graduating, she has practiced as a General Pediatrician in New Hampshire. Dr. Williams will be working with the team at UNC Pediatrics at Pittsboro. Welcome back Heather!

We are excited to congratulate Pediatrics department members recently inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA). Election to Alpha Omega Alpha signifies a lasting commitment to scholarship, leadership, professionalism, and service. Membership in the society confers recognition of someone’s dedication to the profession and art of healing. Many congratulations to Laura Rachal, MD, Alhaji Mohammed, MD, and Chris Okorieocha, MD.

Kenya McNeal-Trice, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, has been selected to join the second class admitted to the National Academy of Distinguished Educators in Pediatrics (NADEP). Members are selected after careful peer review. Reviewers congratulated Dr. McNeal-Trice on the depth and breadth of her educational experiences, expertise, and contributions to the field.

Molly Berkoff, MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and Medical Director, Child Medical Evaluation Program, School of Medicine, was recognized with the faculty Bryan Award for significant contributions to creating high-quality services for North Carolina children who have experienced abuse and neglect.

The UNC Department of Pediatrics is pleased to announce that Jasmine Weiss, MD, MHS, FAAP, has been named as a UNC School of Medicine Simmons Scholar. Since its launch in 1994, the Simmons Scholars Program has offered support to faculty members from groups traditionally underrepresented in medicine, while also placing an emphasis on building a community of scholars that spans multiple disciplines.

Martha Perry, MD was promoted to Professor of Pediatrics effective February 1, 2023. Dr. Perry has been a faculty member in General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine since 2017. She is the Director of Outpatient Quality and Safety for UNC Children’s Hospital where she identifies and prioritizes strategic enhancements to outpatient quality and safety.

Emily Vander Schaaf, MD, MPH was promoted to Associate Professor of Pediatrics effective February 1, 2023. Dr. Vander Schaaf has been a faculty member with the Department of Pediatrics since 2016.

Lucien Gonzalez, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, has joined the Addiction Medicine Fellowship program to serve as Associate Program Director. Dr. Gonzales joined the UNC Department of Pediatrics in August 2022.  Prior, Dr. Gonzalez completed a Pediatric Residency at New York Medical Center/Westchester Medical Center in 2008 and completed an Addiction Medicine Fellowship at the University of Minnesota in 2009. Dr. Gonzalez also served for several years as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Congratulations Dr. Gonzalez!

The American Pediatric Society (APS) council members have formally elected Benny Joyner, MD, MPH, and Kenya McNeal-Trice, MD, to Active membership with the society. Active member nominations are accepted for individuals who reside in the United States or Canada who have distinguished themselves as child health leaders, teachers, scholars, policymakers, and/or clinicians and whose important contributions are recognized nationally and/or internationally, as determined by the Council, and who have well-established credentials as teachers, scholars, policymakers, and/or clinicians and whose contributions have advanced child health.

Dr. Adriana Herrera, Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hospital Medicine, and Dr. Jasmine Weiss, Assistant Professor in General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine have been selected to be a part of the 2022-2023 Passing the Torch Cohort. Both are true assets to our health care system and to the UNC Department of Pediatrics!

Passing the Torch is a faculty development program uniquely suited to junior Clinician Educator faculty to develop further patient care and teaching skills with a person-centered model. Supported by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, the Passing the Torch program strives to equip faculty with a variety of humanistic skills through experiential learning methods. As one of twelve participating program sites, the UNC School of Medicine is part of a larger cohort of medical institutions working toward helping faculty become better role models. Sites are in the process of evaluating program outcomes and hope to publish their learnings.

Congratulations Adriana and Jasmine!