Our program is lead by an incredible team of leaders and supported by numerous Med-Peds trained Faculty in the inpatient and ambulatory setting. These people are invaluable resources to our residents and the program graduates. They have created quite a legacy that we hope to continue to build!
Michael Contarino, MD
Residency Program Director
Dr. Mike Contarino graduated from Duke University in 1999 with a degree in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering. From there, he spent four years as an officer in the United States Navy with the Civil Engineers Corps traveling and gaining leadership experience. After his Navy career, Dr. Contarino returned to North Carolina to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and also completed residency training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at UNC. Following this, he joined the faculty at WakeMed as an internal medicine and pediatric hospitalist, focusing on resident and medical student education in addition to helping lead a system wide healthcare communication initiative.
Following four years as an Associate Program Director for Internal Medicine at WakeMed, Dr. Contarino was selected to lead the UNC Med-Peds Residency Program in September 2018. He currently attends on both inpatient Medicine and Pediatric services, and also precepts in our Med-Peds resident continuity clinic. Among other duties and volunteer activities, Dr. Contarino enjoys collaborating to build supportive and inclusive environments, improving resident education, and fostering wellness for our residents. He has won several teaching awards throughout residency and his time as a hospitalist, including the Robert L Ney Award, Harvey J Hamrick Excellence in Teaching Award, and the WakeMed Faculty Teaching Award.
Dr. Contarino has varied interests that range from travel, guitar and Spanish language, to skiing, hiking and college basketball. He most enjoys spending time with his wife and 2 children.
Ria Dancel, MD
Associate Program Director
Dr. Dancel graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency program. Her area of clinical interest and quality improvement research focuses on point of care ultrasound (POCUS) as a diagnostic tool and an instrument to increase patient safety during invasive bedside procedures. She is involved in resident education and also teaches POCUS on a regional and national level. Her major quality improvement focus is simulation training for diagnostic and procedural POCUS. Other quality improvement work has been in developing individualized and advanced care plans for patients with end-stage liver disease, improving transitions for hospitalized children, and developing a protocol to evaluate adults seeking treatment for alcohol dependence.
Jenn McCauley, MD
Continuity Clinic Director
Dr. McCauley graduated from the University of Southern California Medical School (now known at Keck School of Medicine) and completed her residency at the Harvard Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency. She initially chose to become a physician in order to best combine her desire to help people with her interests in the health sciences. She continues to work in primary care because she thoroughly enjoys the privilege of being able to help others navigate the health care environment, allowing them to achieve the best health possible. Her general approach to patient care is to work as a team with her patients towards their health goals and to be present to support them in any time of need. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, exercising and staying as active as she can.
Maggie Fennell, MD
Current Chief Resident
Dr. Maggie Fennell (she/her) hails from Upstate New York. She graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Government, a minor in English and plans to study law. After working as a litigation paralegal, she completed the post-baccalaureate program at Bryn Mawr College. She returned to Upstate to enroll in the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry where she was a member of the Medical Education Pathway, a leader of UR Well (Rochester’s student-run, free clinic), and active in Rochester’s Medical Students for Choice chapter. She graduated from University of Rochester as a member of AOA. At UNC she has continued to pursue her passion for medical education and developed a new interest in point-of-care ultrasound.
In her spare time, you’ll find Maggie baking, learning to cross stitch, going to concerts with co-residents, watching every British TV show she can find, and trying all the best food the Triangle has to offer.
Olivia Hardy, MD
Rising Chief Resident
Dr. Hardy joins us from USF and truly appreciates the Med-Peds sense of community and has taken a special interest in caring for vulnerable youth. She chose UNC for her residency training because it had the perfect combination of everything that she was looking for —exceptional all around training, a well-established Med-Peds clinic, a clear mission to provide compassionate care to all people, and a location that appealed to both her and he partner. What she loved most about UNC was all of the people she met during her interview who made her feel comfortable and at home.
She grew up on a farm in central Pennsylvania, and she loves anything that gets her outside. While here, she has found more than ample opportunity to explore the areas around UNC and has taken advantage of the wonderful weather this region has to offer! She is also a big women’s soccer fan and has enjoyed getting to support UNC’s team as well as the NC Courage.
Robin Howard
Program Coordinator
Robin Howard was born and raised in Sanford, NC and is now completing her undergraduate degree part-time at the University at North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has worked at UNC-Chapel Hill over 22 years and loves working with the Internal Medicine and Pediatric Residency Program. Her greatest joy is being able to see each resident push through life’s challenges while pursuing their career to serve to be able to serve others. Her nieces and nephews are her hearts and are the very reasons she presses forward everyday. When Robin is not serving in her church, she loves taking in a movie, event planning, journaling or relaxing at the beach or “hiking” at the mountains.
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