We are excited to announce that Laura Cannon, MD and Priyanka Rao, MD will join the education team as Associate Program Directors. They were chosen from a pool of excellent candidates, highlighting the strength of educators in the Department of Pediatrics.
Dr. Cannon is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Rheumatology. Dr. Cannon earned her undergraduate degree from Duke University and her medical degree here from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. She remained at UNC to complete Pediatric Residency training and then served as a Chief Resident. She then returned to Duke University for Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship before joining the UNC Pediatric Rheumatology team in August 2021. Throughout her career, Dr. Cannon has received numerous honors and awards for her skills as an educator. In addition to serving on the Pediatric Intern Selection Committee, she works closely with medical students as a Case Based Learning Facilitator and Career Goal Advisor for 4th year students applying into pediatrics.
Dr. Cannon spends time away from work with her partner Adam and embracing the chaos of her house with three young kids – Mac, Maggie, and Patrick.
Dr. Rao is an Associate Professor in the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Dr. Rao earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her medical degree with distinction in Service and Global Health at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. She then completed Pediatrics Residency at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and served as a Chief Resident. Dr. Rao remained at the University of Michigan as a Clinical Instructor before joining UNC Division of GPAM in 2020. She has a long-standing interest in resident education and currently serves on the Pediatric Residency Clinical Competency Committee and the Pediatric Intern Selection Committee. She has recent scholarly work exploring the effects of the pandemic on resident training and the future workforce in pediatrics.
Away from work Dr. Rao loves to spend time with her partner Amit and kids Navi (6) and Mira (4). They love outdoor adventures, cooking, and travel.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Cannon and Dr. Rao!