Rebecca J Scharf, MD
Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics
Additional Locations
Bio & Overview
Rebecca Scharf, MD MPH, has always been fascinated by child development. She studied Developmental Psychology during undergraduate years at Wheaton College in Illinois and then attended medical school at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn.
During a pediatric residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, she pursued her interests in caring for children with disabilities around the world as global health resident. She completed a fellowship in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Einstein College of Medicine/Rose F. Kennedy Center for Developmental Disabilities in the Bronx. She completed a Master’s of Public Health Degree in Epidemiology at Columbia University in New York.
Dr. Scharf came to UVA in 2011 to care for children with developmental concerns and to work in the Center for Global Health. She is currently an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology. Here in the UVA Children’s Hospital, she sees patients in five clinics: 1) Myelomeningocele/Spina Bifida, 2) Neuromuscular/Muscular Dystrophy/Spinal Muscular Atrophy, 3) International Child Development/Refugee, and 4) Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Congenital Cardiac Disease, and 5) Cerebral Palsy.
Rebecca Scharf enjoys teaching medical students about childhood disability and global health. Her research focuses on improving child development and nutrition in locations around the world, including Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, and Brazil. She also collaborates with Biomedical Engineering to study ways to improve care for children with neuromuscular disorders. She is the associate program director for the neurodevelopmental pediatrics fellowship program.
Living in Charlottesville has been wonderful for her, her husband and their two daughters, and they still visit NYC frequently as well. They enjoy hiking, visiting the library and traveling together.
Academic Information
- Department
- Pediatrics
- Academic Role
- Professor
- Division
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Gender
- Female
- Languages
- Spanish, English
- Age Groups Seen
- Infants (0-2)
Children (2-12)
- Residency
- Mount Sinai School of Medicine
- Fellowships
- Montefiore Medical Centers - Albert Einstein College of Medi
- Certification
- American Board of Pediatrics (Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics), American Board of Pediatrics (Pediatrics)
Highlights
Meet Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician Rebecca Sharf, MD
My name is Rebecca Scharf. I'm a Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician here at the University of Virginia Children's Hospital. I take care of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. First I get to work in our children's cerebral palsy clinic. I also get to see children in our myelomeningocele or spina bifida clinic. Third, I get to see children in our pediatric neuromuscular clinic. Ever since I was about eight years old, I knew I wanted to be a physician caring for children. As I traveled around the world, volunteering in various contexts, I kept finding that it was children with medical needs or children with disabilities who often needed care and needed access to things like school and equipment, and so it was really my global health experiences that pulled me into working in the field of neurodevelopmental disabilities. I've been very grateful to be able to work with a whole team to provide all the care that a child may need. When children come to our neurodevelopmental clinics, they are often able to see a variety of physicians, as well as therapists, education specialists, nutritionists, et cetera. I've been very grateful to learn from many of my patients. And I really appreciate also being able to learn from their parents about the excellent care that they provide for their children.