2025 Annual Business Meeting

Officers

President: Roberta L. DeBiasi, MD ’92

Roberta L. DeBiasi, MD, MS is chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and the Robert H. Parrot Endowed Professor of Pediatric Research at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. Dr. DeBiasi holds appointments as tenured professor of pediatrics and microbiology, immunology and tropical medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine as well as principal investigator in the Center for Translational Research within Children’s Research Institute.

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Boston University, she received her Doctorate in Medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and completed pediatrics internship and residency at the University of California, Davis Medical Center. She completed her fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Colorado/Denver Children’s Hospital and served on the faculty for 10 years in Denver, prior to joining Children’s National/GWU in 2005.

Dr. DeBiasi treats normal and immunocompromised children hospitalized with severe infections at Children’s National Hospital, as well as providing outpatient referral consultation services in DC, Annapolis, and Frederick Maryland. She is designated as a Top Doctor for Northern Virginia and by Washingtonian Magazine. She co-led the CNH Emerging and Highly Contagious Infectious Disease Task Force (including Ebola, COVID-19, MIS-C, and acute flaccid myelitis). She co-leads the CNH Congenital Infection Program (including focus on CMV and Zika virus), interfacing with regional, national and international authorities in these roles.

Dr. DeBiasi’s research expertise includes basic science as well as clinical/translational research. She serves as principal investigator for multiple projects and clinical trials focusing on congenital and emerging viral infections and Lyme Disease. Research awards have included the Infectious Diseases Society of America Young Investigator Award, as well as the John Horsley Prize from UVA. She co-leads Zika-focused research in the US and South America in pregnant women and infants. She is the institutional lead of the Lyme Clinical Trials Network and principal investigator for a study focused on long-term outcomes in children with all stages of Lyme Disease. She leads COVID-19 and MIS-C research at Children’s National and is principal investigator for a six-year comprehensive follow up study of children with COVID-19 and MIS-C in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. DeBiasi has authored over 125 original peer-reviewed research, review articles, and book chapters. She greatly enjoys teaching and mentoring graduate and medical students, residents, and fellows in the classroom, the hospital wards, and in research. She is also actively engaged in continuing medical education for community physicians, outreach to the community, and educating the public via media appearances on NPR radio, local and national newspaper, and television.

President-Elect: Keith W. Warren, MD ’88

Dr. Keith Warren is a third generation Washingtonian who attended St. John’s College High School. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Dayton. After leaving Dayton, he entered the University of Virginia School of Medicine (SOM). His initial tenure at the University was brief due to poor academic performance. After being asked to withdraw from the SOM, Dr. Warren began working at the NIH in the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. After four years at the NIH, he was re-admitted to the SOM after successful completion of a pilot summer program for minority students. With a wife (they met at UVA!) and new baby in tow, he re-entered the SOM in 1984. At the SOM, he served as president of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), student representative to the American Medical Association (AMA), and a student member of the Admissions Committee.

Upon graduation in 1988, Dr. Warren completed his residency in ophthalmology at the Medical College of Virginia where he was selected to serve as chief resident. He completed fellowship training in Medical and Surgical Retina at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary. Dr. Warren began his career at the University of Kansas as full-time faculty and residency program director. He was promoted to professor and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology in 2000 and served KU in that capacity until 2005.

In 2005, Dr. Warren left full-time academics and founded Warren Retina Associates in Overland Park, Kansas. He remains clinical professor at the University of Kansas. He is an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, National Medical Association, The Retina Society, The American Society of Retinal Specialists (ASRS), and the Sports Ophthalmology Society of the Americas. Dr. Warren serves on the Board of Directors for the American Board of Ophthalmology and The University of Virginia Medical Alumni Association. He also founded and served as the inaugural chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the ASRS.

Dr. Warren’s most rewarding accomplishment has been watching his family grow and blossom. He and his wife have three children and three grandchildren. His youngest child is a Virginia grad (Wahoowa!) who is in academic practice at the University of Chicago as a… retina specialist!! His passions remain family first, then continued learning, travel, ophthalmology and KU basketball in no particular order.

Treasurer: Nicole F. Parkerson, MD ’97

Dr. Nikki Parkerson graduated from Mary Baldwin College in 1992 and the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1997. After earning her MD at UVA, she completed a residency in pediatrics also at UVA.

As a board-certified pediatrician, she was a managing partner of Raleigh Pediatric Associates (RPA) for 19 years. While at RPA, she also served as the vaccine coordinator and led the practice to achieving and maintaining several quality initiatives. In addition, Dr. Parkerson was associate faculty for the UNC School of Medicine and taught medical students in her practice. Dr. Parkerson was also a board member for Key Independent Physicians Association, a clinically-integrated network of 300 primary care physicians dedicated to quality improvement, as well as an advisory board member for Cigna Healthcare. She has also enjoyed serving on several medical mission trips to Haiti with Mission of Hope.

In 2019, Dr. Parkerson followed her passion for vaccine science and joined Merck Vaccines as a medical director. In 2022, she transitioned to Merck Research Labs as a distinguished scientist in Global Safety for Vaccine and Infectious Diseases where she spent 18 months before assuming a national medical director role in Global Human Health. In this role, she engages in scientific discussions around vaccines, implementing vaccine initiatives, and increasing vaccine confidence.

Dr. Parkerson divides her time between Charlotte, NC and Bluffton, SC with her husband Michael and their two Brittanies, Tucker and Scout. They have two daughters, Amelia, 26 and Ainsley, 21. Ainsley is currently a third-year undergraduate at UVA. In her free time, Dr. Parkerson loves to travel. She is an avid history buff and volunteers with the National Brittany Rescue Organization.

Secretary: Danielle Jude Carroll, MD ’16

Dr. Danielle Carroll is a general/robotic surgeon, pilot, and space health technology engineer. Dr. Carroll earned her B.A. with dual majors in bioethics and Italian through the Echols Program at the University of Virginia (CLAS ’05) and was then commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force. She flew jets on active duty, later transitioned into the Reserve to attend medical school back at UVA (SMD ’16), and then completed general surgery residency at UC San Diego and Eastern Virginia Medical School, where she served concurrently with her Air National Guard unit.

Alongside her surgical training, Dr. Carroll served as the first NASA/TRISH Space Health Innovation Fellow, completed dual master’s degrees at the University of Colorado Boulder in aerospace engineering (bioastronautics) and engineering management, served as P.I. on a NASA space health consulting grant, and completed a fellowship in wilderness medicine. She holds several patents for spaceflight-relevant medical devices with terrestrial applications. Throughout her medical and surgical training, Dr. Carroll has remained an active flight instructor.

Dr. Carroll currently works as an acute care general/robotic and trauma surgeon at Aspen Valley Hospital in Aspen, Colorado. She also serves part-time as an aerospace physician and general surgeon in the Air National Guard. In Summer 2024, she deployed on a NATO mission in Morocco, where she served as an expeditionary general surgeon at a U.S. Army field hospital. On the civilian side, Dr. Carroll makes ongoing contributions as a global surgeon, providing surgical care in extreme, resource-constrained rural settings, including robotic, laparoscopic, and breast surgery programs in North and East Africa, as well as in Central and South America. She actively contributes her expertise as visiting faculty at the University of Global Health Equity and with Global Surgical Expedition, educating surgeons in Rwanda and Belize most recently on minimally invasive surgical techniques. She is a founding member and past president of the Space Surgery Association and currently leads the organization a second time in the role of president for the 2024-2025 year.

In her free time, she enjoys traveling, teaching flying, and running with her boyfriend and rescue pup.

Members of the Board

Tovia M. Smith, MD ’06

Dr. Tovia Martirosian Smith, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale University, where she played varsity field hockey as an All-American for the Bulldogs. She earned her medical degree from the University of Virginia in 2006 and was elected to the Gold Humanism Honor Society for Compassion in Medicine. Dr. Smith trained in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Virginia (Housestaff ’10). She then pursued a specialty fellowship in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery (urogynecology) at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Dr. Smith is a urogynecologist in Richmond and a partner at Virginia Women’s Center (2016), a large independent physician group including OB/GYNs, primary care physicians with women’s health focus, and advanced practice providers. As a side note, this is the same physician group that delivered her as an infant, years ago.

Dr. Smith has served on the Board of Directors of her practice and numerous charitable boards and committees, including St. Catherine’s School, the Virginia Repertory Theater, and the Richmond Ballet, including serving as co-chair for the 2024 Ballet Gala. She has served in many capacities with the Medical Society of Virginia and the Richmond Academy of Medicine, including its specialty medical charity, AccessNow. Her recent contributions in medical education include as preceptor for students of the UVA School of Medicine.

Dr. Smith is grateful for the opportunity to care for patients in her hometown, where she resides with her fellow UVA alumnus husband, Steven C. Smith, MD’06 , PhD ‘08. Known for both her medical expertise and compassionate approach, she has been honored with Richmond Magazine’s peer-voted selection as a Richmond Top Doc annually since 2015. She also currently serves as the president of the Richmond Academy of Medicine.

John W. Sperling, MD ’94, MBA, MS

John W. Sperling MD, MBA is a professor of orthopedic surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Sperling graduated from Groton School and then received his undergraduate degree (1990) and medical degree (1994) at the University of Virginia. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency and received a master’s degree in biomedical sciences at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Sperling then completed a fellowship in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Dr. Sperling is an internationally recognized expert in primary and revision shoulder surgery and has the largest practice worldwide for shoulder replacement surgery. Dr. Sperling performed the first robotic shoulder replacement in the world in 2024. He is actively involved in clinical, biomechanic, and artificial intelligence research at the Mayo Clinic, with more than 300 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Sperling is regularly invited nationally and internationally to share his insights on treating challenging shoulder problems and has extensive experience designing continuing medical education conferences.

Dr. Sperling completed a master’s degree in business administration and is deeply interested in analyzing the impact of new technology and medical devices on healthcare institutions. He has served in numerous leadership roles within Mayo Clinic and nationally, evaluating technologies across medical and surgical specialties. He currently chairs the Mayo Clinic Surgical Device, Supply, and Technology Committee, which reviews requests for new technology across all surgical specialties within the Mayo Clinic ecosystem.

Dr. Sperling has extensive experience developing and commercializing medical devices, with patents issued worldwide for novel implant designs. He has collaborated with a wide range of healthcare companies, from start-ups to large corporations, to develop medical devices and associated technology.

Dr. Sperling was a Lawn resident as an undergraduate at UVA and received the Gratton Alexander Litz, III Award from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 1994 and the Walter Reed Distinguished Achievement Award from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 2014.

Dr. Sperling is married to a UVA graduate, Rebecca (Becky) Sperling. They have a son, Jack, who studies biomedical engineering and computer science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a younger son, William, who attends Woodberry Forest School. Dr. Sperling enjoys traveling, playing golf, and fly fishing.

Deepak R. Talreja, MD ’97

Dr. Deepak Talreja, a practicing cardiologist in his hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is the clinical chief of cardiology at Sentara Health. He is a structural and interventional cardiologist and serves on the faculty of Eastern Virginia Medical School. He is a double Hoo having attended the University of Virginia from 1990 until 1997 where he earned his Bachelor of the Arts in biology with a minor in philosophy and then his medical degree.

Dr. Talreja went on to train in internal medicine at Vanderbilt University and then to Mayo Clinic in cardiology and interventional cardiology. He is active in cardiology research and volunteering. He keeps UVA and Charlottesville close to his heart, often visiting his two children who are blessed to be earning their undergraduate degrees from UVA.

Dr. Talreja served as president of his class from 1993 until 1996 and then in his fourth year served as president of the Mulholland Society. Since that time, he has served as the alumni representative for the Class of 1997. While getting a medical degree from UVA has been one of the highlights of his time in Charlottesville, his fondest memory is of meeting and going on to marry his medical school classmate, Dr. Hyeon Choi, a practicing pediatrician, who keeps him on track.