Category: News

Dr. Hoekstra joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Instructor on July 21, 2025. She received her BA from Boston College in 2011. She earned her medical degree at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 2018. Dr. Hoekstra completed a pediatric internship at the UPMC Children's Hospital...

Dr. Espaillat joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Instructor on July 21, 2025. He received his BS from the University of Florida in 2013. He remained in Gainesville and earned his medical degree in 2018. Dr. Espaillat completed his pediatric residency at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston,...

Dr. Crenshaw joined the Department of Pediatrics as an Assistant Professor on July 15, 2025. She received her BA from Davidson College in 2013. She earned her medical degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020. She completed her residency in Pediatrics - Medical Genetics &...

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.

With the goal of creating a brighter future for our children, North Carolina Children’s Health (NC Children’s) has chosen a location in Apex for its campus, which will include the only freestanding, independent children’s hospital in the Carolinas. NC Children’s, a partnership between UNC Health and Duke Health, will be...

Sahal Thahir, MD joined the Pediatric Division of Infectious Diseases as a Research Instructor on July 7, 2025. Dr. Thahir received his MD from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA. He completed his pediatric residency at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and remained at UNC...

Erin Plosa, MD joined the Pediatric Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine on July 1, 2025. Dr. Plosa completed her medical degree in 2005 at Wake Forest University. She was a Pediatric Resident between 2005 and 2008 at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She remained in Nashville and completed her subspecialty training...

Michael Kulis, PhD was promoted to Professor of Pediatrics effective July 1, 2025. Dr. Kulis has been a faculty member in Pediatric Allergy-Immunology since 2012. Dr. Kulis works as part of the UNC Food Allergy Initiative. He earned his PhD in Biochemistry, from the Georgia Institute of Technology and completed...

Joseph “Joey” Tyron Bell, MD, passed away on June 16, 2025. Dr. Bell was the first Lumbee pediatrician and the first American Indian pediatrician in North Carolina. He dedicated his life to improving the health of Native children and providing culturally sensitive care to Native communities in North Carolina. Dr....

New knowledge of these protein functions will help researchers develop new drug targets for chronic pain, autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, migraines, and other neurological conditions.