Madhusmita Misra

Madhusmita Misra, currently the Benjamin Armistead Shepherd Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, has been named chair of the Edward Mallinckrodt Department of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and pediatrician-in-chief at BJC HealthCare’s St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She will begin her new roles on Jan. 4, 2027. A pediatric endocrinologist, Dr. Misra researches hormonal changes and bone loss associated with anorexia nervosa and exercise-induced amenorrhea, the loss of menstrual periods caused by intense training combined with inadequate nutrition.

Dr. Misra previously spent nearly 25 years at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where she held several leadership positions, including chief of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology. At UVA, she has led the Department of Pediatrics and served as physician-in-chief of UVA Health Children’s Hospital. Her research examines how nutritional and hormonal changes affect bone health, metabolism, and brain function in children, adolescents, and young adults. She also served as president of the Pediatric Endocrine Society from 2021 to 2022.

Dr. Misra earned her medical degree from S.C.B. Medical College at Utkal University in India and a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University. She completed a pediatrics residency at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn and a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital.