Please help us welcome our new team members, including hires from November 2018 – 2019. We are so happy you are here!
Sarah Burnett, DNP, CPNP – AC/PC
Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Nephrology
Q. What is your proudest achievement outside of professional realm?
A. My proudest achievement is when I traveled to Ghana in 2013 and 2014. I had the opportunity to help run a health clinic and provide the families of rural communities with resources such as water filtration systems and public health education. I loved my time in Africa and hope to return one day to provide healthcare to more communities.
Q. What are you usually doing on the weekend or during time off?
A. On the weekends my husband and I are usually playing with our two dogs, Marley and Bailey. We recently adopted Bailey from the SPCA and we love helping her acclimate to a home where she is safe and has room to run around. We love to take them hiking and bring them around town with us whenever possible.
Q. What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
A. The best advice I have received is simply to “work hard, do the best I can, and everything will work out”. For as long as I can remember this has been a moto in my household and it is applicable to so many parts of life. It is often a nice reminder not to put too much pressure on myself and to believe that everything works out in the end.
Q. What about you would surprise us?
A. One thing that many people don’t know is if I am not working or hanging out with my family, you can find me behind a sewing machine. My favorite hobby is to make quilts. I love the process of designing the color scheme and picking the materials. I am often trying new patterns and different stitches.
Michael Engel, MD, PhD
Karen Jargowski Professor of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Q. What is your proudest achievement outside of professional realm?
A. This one is easy…raising my children with my lovely wife, Jeannine. If we do nothing else in our lives but having raised Lauren, Ben and Jack, then we did alright. They are truly exceptional people, and each far more talented and kind than I could ever hope to be.
Q. What are you usually doing on the weekend or during time off?
A. Until Jeannine joins me in Charlottesville next year, I am on my own most weekends. Beyond getting my cleaning and grocery shopping done, I use my time exploring around Charlottesville and getting to know my new community. I particularly like going for a drive on backroads after washing my car…I drive roadsters as a hobby.
Q. What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
A. Also easy…. Work hard, serve others, be authentic.
Q. What about you would surprise us?
A. I was the quarterback of my high school football team.
Susan Gray, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, General Pediatrics (Adolescent)
Q. What is your proudest achievement outside of professional realm?
A. My children are my proudest achievement. A distant second is having knitted an Aran Irish fisherman sweater.
Q. What are you usually doing on the weekend or during time off?
A. Driving to my children’s activities—Irish dance and baseball!
Q. What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
A. Don’t get good at doing something you don’t want to do.
Q. What about you would surprise us?
A. I am fluent in French and almost became a French professor instead of going to medical school.
Sara Groff Stephens, PhD, LCSW
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Q. What is your proudest achievement outside of professional realm?
A. Marrying my spouse and starting a family.
Q. What are you usually doing on the weekend or during time off?
A. Hiking, spending time with my spouse and friends, and trying new restaurants.
Q. What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
A. “Choose hope over fear.”
Q. What about you would surprise us?
A. I’ve been doing CrossFit for a number of years and it’s my favorite stress reliever!
John Hemler, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Respiratory Medicine
Q. What is your proudest achievement outside of professional realm?
A. Visiting 20 countries by age 30.
Q. What are you usually doing on the weekend or during time off?
A. I enjoy spending lots of time with my beautiful fiancé, visiting my family, traveling, hiking, playing golf, and playing guitar. I’m also active in my church, and like to watch football and cheer on my Tennessee Titans.
Q. What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
A. “Always be very careful about what you put in an email. You never know what could end up on the front page of the New York Times.” —My high school headmaster in the year 2000
Q. What about you would surprise us?
A. I lived in Saudi Arabia for a number of years growing up (this picture is from the Rub’ al Khali desert from a recent family trip there this past March) and I also was lead singer & backup guitarist of a rock band in medical school here at UVA.
Jennifer Louis-Jacques, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, General Pediatrics
Q. What is your proudest achievement outside of professional realm?
A. Hmm that’s a tough one. Besides being proud of my dog-child, I think I am proud that I was able to help my cousin achieve her dream of opening up a permanent shop for her business in Brooklyn, NY. I can’t wait to see the space when it opens.
Q. What are you usually doing on the weekend or during time off?
A. Since I just moved here almost 2 months ago, my weekends still include some home decorating/organizing. Otherwise, I’m hanging out with my dog, Neko, going for a long run, or taking a yoga class. I just signed up for the Charlottesville 10 miler in March, so I will be doing a lot more running come January. I also love to use my vacation to travel abroad so am thinking about where I want to go next. I was just in Dubrovnik, Croatia in September and highly recommend it.
Q. What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
A. My uncle once said that if more than one person is saying the same thing it’s probably true and not a conspiracy. For some reason, that has always stuck with me.
Q. What about you would surprise us?
A. The first time I ever got on a plane was the summer before my junior year in high school. I went to China for 3 weeks. It was definitely a crash course in travel for me.
Samantha Minnicozzi, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
Q. What is your proudest achievement outside of professional realm?
A. I am SCUBA certified for advanced open water, wreck, and mixed air dives.
Q. What are you usually doing on the weekend or during time off?
A. Typically on weekends my husband and I like to go on hikes with our dog or relax on the couch and catch up on Netflix shows.
Q. What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
A. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Q. What about you would surprise us?
A. I’ve been diving in the Caribbean with sharks, and it was one of the coolest dives I’ve done. My hope is someday to go diving with Great White Sharks off the coast of South Africa.
Jessica Murray, RN, MSN, PNP
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Digestive Health
Q. What is your proudest achievement outside of professional realm?
A. Being a mom to my 7 month old daughter would have to be my greatest achievement outside the professional realm. I really feel that being a parent is such a privilege and the challenges and rewards that parenthood brings makes every day fulfilling.
Q. What are you usually doing on the weekend or during time off?
A. My family and I try to spend as much time as we can enjoying the outdoors. On the weekend you can usually find me hiking with my husband, daughter, and dog. We also enjoy the local brewery scene and spending time enjoying all the great things Charlottesville has to offer.
Q. What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
A. Several people in my life have reminded me of the importance of taking a quiet moment every day to appreciate where you’ve been, where you are now and where you’re going. I think following this advice helps to keep things in perspective and to appreciate and learn from all of life’s moments.
Q. What about you would surprise us?
A. I was in a Japanese drumming group in college and love acapella. I don’t think anyone appreciates my own singing though, except maybe my daughter.
Christina Peroutka, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Medical Biochemical and Clinical Genetics
Q. What is your proudest achievement outside of professional realm?
A. Learning Spanish – I started in high school, and in college I studied in Argentina for 6 months where I took classes in art, literature, and history. It was one of the best experiences of my life and opened my eyes to how another culture sees and experiences the world. I even learned to tango!
Q. What are you usually doing on the weekend or during time off?
A. I’m gardening or keeping up my indoor plants. I’ve had a Meyer lemon tree now for 12 years that makes lemons in the summer and blossoms all winter! I also really love to try new recipes from my Southern Living magazines. If I’m not at home, I’m outdoors seeing new sites in my new home state of Virginia!
Q. What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
A. Keep your eye on the prize! Make a goal and stick with it until you achieve that goal!
Q. What about you would surprise us?
A. I’m an amateur flutist!
Filed Under: Features