When Junaid Raja reflects on his journey back to North Carolina, the word that comes up again and again is home. Now joining UNC Radiology as Associate Professor and Chief of the new Pediatric Vascular and Interventional Radiology (VIR) Division—the first of its kind in the state—Dr. Raja is bringing both cutting-edge expertise and a deeply personal sense of purpose to his role.
Raised in Charlotte, Dr. Raja attended the “other school” in the Triangle, and although he went to Duke, he is very much a UNC team player. Dr. Raja’s path has taken him up and down the East Coast, including training at Yale University and several years in Birmingham honing his craft. But the pull of North Carolina—and the opportunity to build something entirely new—proved irresistible. “It’s time to come home,” he says, citing both proximity to family and the rare chance to help develop pediatric VIR services in a region where they have not previously existed.
That opportunity is transformative. Through collaboration with the emerging North Carolina Children’s hospital alliance between UNC Health and Duke Health, Dr. Raja will lead efforts to establish a program that keeps children and families closer to home for highly specialized care—care that has often required travel out of state until now.
For Dr. Raja, medicine has always been about service. Inspired by a family ethos centered on helping others, he found his calling at the intersection of innovation and compassion. Initially trained and board-certified in internal medicine, his journey took a winding path. It was a radiology rotation where he first encountered interventional radiology, which was a turning point for him.
“It was an ‘Aha!’ moment,” he recalls. “You can care for the most vulnerable patients, be creative and innovative, and make a real impact—all through minimally invasive techniques.”
That impact is especially profound in pediatrics. Dr. Raja specializes in procedures that replace large surgical incisions with image-guided, pinhole interventions—treatments that can reduce pain, shorten recovery times, and dramatically improve outcomes for children. His clinical focus will include complex vascular anomalies, pediatric cancers, transplant-related interventions, and blood clot management, among others.
One of his primary goals at UNC is to expand care for children with vascular anomalies—conditions involving abnormal blood vessels that can cause disfigurement, bleeding, or even heart failure. By strengthening partnerships with multidisciplinary teams already in place, Dr. Raja aims to ensure that these patients receive advanced, coordinated care without leaving the state.
Beyond the technical expertise, what stands out most about Dr. Raja is his enthusiasm—for his work, his colleagues, and his life outside the hospital. A self-described “detective at heart,” he thrives on solving complex clinical puzzles, a trait that aligns seamlessly with the diagnostic and procedural challenges of interventional radiology. His best friend might describe him as playful, enthusiastic, and competitive, qualities that carry through from patient care to his family life.
And family, he says, is at the center of everything. “My favorite thing about myself is the people around me,” he shares. “I love being a dad. I love being a husband.” That grounding presence shapes not only who he is, but how he practices medicine, with empathy, connection, and a clear sense of purpose.
From sneaking his little brother into a Duke-UNC rivalry game at Cameron Indoor Stadium to now helping shape the future of pediatric care in the state, Dr. Raja’s journey has come full circle. If his autobiography were written today, he jokes it might be titled “You Did What?”—a fitting nod to both his winding path and the awe-inspiring procedures he performs.
With the launch of Pediatric VIR at UNC, that story is only just beginning. And for the children and families of North Carolina, it promises to be a game-changer.