In Brief

In December, UVA Health Children’s opened the doors of its new Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Health Clinic in partnership with Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital. The clinic combines the expertise of developmental pediatricians, child psychologists, child psychiatrists, and integrative medicine specialists in one location. Staffed by UVA Health Children’s providers, this new community resource is supported by a substantial investment from Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital and generous gifts from private donors. The new clinic is available to treat patients regardless of their insurance coverage or their family's ability to pay. Services include: 

• Care for youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities such as autism and ADHD. 

• Evidence-based therapies for children with mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression. 

• Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, a behavioral parent training therapy to address behavior concerns in early childhood. 

• Integrative health practices such as mindfulness and meditation, along with one of the first pediatric medical yoga clinics in the United States. 

“Starting care early is critical to addressing the mental health and developmental health needs of children,” said Madhusmita Misra, MD, MPH, physician-in-chief for UVA Health Children's and chair of the Department of Pediatrics. “Our goal with this clinic is to make sure that vital care is as easy to access as possible.”

Linda J. Groves (Nurs ’77) made a commitment through her estate to benefit the Schools of Medicine and Nursing. When realized, the Linda J. Groves Research Fund will support research into early detection of pancreatic cancer, and the Linda J. Groves Scholarship Fund will support underrepresented undergraduate nursing students.   

An anonymous donor made a new commitment to the Translational Orphan Blood Cancer Research Initiative Fund to benefit UVA School of Medicine and UVA Cancer Center. These expendable funds will support translational research focused on rare, often neglected (orphan) blood cancers and the development of new drugs for these diseases.  

The Cecil and Irene Hylton Foundation made a commitment to upgrade and expand the Hylton Family Women’s and Children’s Center at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center. This investment will help elevate mother-baby facilities, support educational programming, and secure state-of-the-art equipment for specialized care of high-risk pregnancies and complex deliveries. 

The Manning Family Foundation renewed its commitment to support the LaunchPad for Diabetes program over the next five years. This collaborative research initiative is dedicated to investigating novel methods of diagnosing, treating, and curing diabetes.  

Gib and Lynn Stevenson made a commitment through their estate to establish the Gib and Lynn Stevenson Professorship in Cardiovascular Research. When realized, this endowed fund will help advance leading-edge research in cardiovascular medicine.  

Douglas G. Stewart has established three expendable funds to benefit the School of Medicine’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and UVA Cancer Center. Stewart’s generosity will support the department’s novel research in oral cancers, fuel faculty recruitment and retention efforts, and provide critical assistance to patients receiving treatment at UVA Cancer Center.  

In August, 38 of North America's best baseball players aged 13 and under raised more than $42,000 for UVA Health Children’s.  

The players were selected to participate in the Perfect Game 13U Select Baseball Festival. The four-day tournament was an East-West matchup held at Davenport Field at Disharoon Park, home of the University of Virginia Cavaliers baseball team. With the help of UVA Health’s Get Involved crowdfunding platform, the players leveraged the occasion as a fundraising competition. After the games, they spent time with UVA Health Children’s patients and families. Check out these video highlights from the event!