UVA Pediatrics welcomes doctor with specialty in care of children with bone disorders

Dr. Madhusmita Misra, a renowned researcher, patient-care provider, educator and leader, will chair UVA School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics.

Misra will begin her new position on Dec. 4, 2023, where she will also serve as physician-in-chief for UVA Health Children’s.

“Dr. Misra has an excellent track record of success as a leader who also performs groundbreaking research, provides high-quality patient care, and serves as a caring mentor for colleagues and physicians in training,” Dr. Melina R. Kibbe, dean of the UVA School of Medicine and chief health affairs officer for UVA Health, said. “She is an ideal choice to build upon the strong foundation in our Department of Pediatrics and UVA Health Children’s, which has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 1 children’s hospital in Virginia for three consecutive years.”

Misra joins UVA after serving as chief of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. She is also the director of pediatric research and associate program director at the Massachusetts General Hospital Translational and Clinical Research Center, medical research officer at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate chief for academic faculty Development at Mass General for Children.

With more than 15 years of experience at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Misra also served as the fellowship program director for Pediatric Endocrinology, clinical director for the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and co-chair of the faculty development program at Mass General for Children.

She has held several leadership roles at the national level, including president of the Pediatric Endocrine Society.

Her research efforts include serving as director of the Pediatric Endocrine- Neuroendocrine-Sports Endocrine Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital. Misra’s research has focused on how weight-related conditions from anorexia to obesity affect bones and the body’s hormone system. Her research findings have had a significant impact on the management of low bone density in youth with low-weight eating disorders. More than 200 peer-reviewed original research papers by Misra have been published and she has co-edited two pediatric endocrine textbooks. Her research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other funding agencies since 2004 and she currently serves as principal investigator or multi-principal investigator on three NIH R01 grants and a Department of Defense grant.

“As an exceptional leader, researcher, educator, and clinician at Mass General for Children, Dr. Misra has worked diligently to not only improve care, but to make that care more accessible for children and their families,” Kibbe said. “That experience will be welcome as we work to expand access to care for patients across Virginia, which is a vital element of our 10-year strategic plan.”

Misra specializes in the care of children with neuroendocrine and bone disorders. As chief for the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, she developed several specialty programs, including a multidisciplinary pediatric diabetes program at Mass General for Children that provides comprehensive care for children with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and their families, and expanded the division’s outreach efforts to serve patients at 10 satellite clinic locations.

She earned her medical degree from S.C.B. Medical College at Utkal University in India and a master’s degree in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health. After an internship at S.C.B. Medical College and a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Institute of Medical Sciences in Varanasi, India, she went on to complete a residency in pediatrics at Maimonides Medical Center in New York and a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“I am delighted and deeply honored to serve as the next chair of the Department of Pediatrics at UVA and physician-in-chief of UVA Children’s Hospital. It will be my privilege to serve in these roles and to work with current leadership to take the department and the children’s hospital to the next level,” Misra said.

Misra will succeed Dr. James Nataro, who has served as chair since 2010.

“I want to thank Dr. Nataro for his distinguished tenure as chair and help in making the Department of Pediatrics one of the best in the country,” Kibbe said. “His leadership has been essential in expanding the department’s services and enabling us to provide excellent care for children across Virginia and beyond.”