housestaffspotlight
What has your experience been like as a
resident at UVA?
It's been wonderful. I love our faculty and
my co-residents. It's a tremendous team
atmosphere, which is the main reason I
wanted to stay at UVA.
Do you have a favorite memory as a
resident so far?
Bann Al-Shammaa, MD '11
Resident in Pediatric Medicine, '15
• University of Virginia
School of Medicine:
2011
• University of Virginia
College of Arts and
Sciences: 2007, BA,
Psychology
Tell us a little about yourself – where you're
from, your educational background, etc.
I grew up in Farmville, VA, and went
to UVA for both undergrad and medical school. I graduated in 2007 with a
degree in psychology and graduated from
the School of Medicine in 2011.
What field are you specializing in and why
did you choose it?
I am a pediatric resident. I'm in my third
year now and looking forward to being
chief resident next year. I chose pediatrics
for several different reasons, but what
I've grown to love most is the range of
interactions you get on any given day
-- from consulting a surgeon to reassuring
an anxious family to getting a teenager
or a 3-year old to warm up to you. It's
impossible not to have an interesting day!
32
Vitals Fall 2013
One of the most vivid memories I have is
my first day as a resident on call at night
in the NICU. As I was getting signed out
from the day team, the neonatal code
bells went off and we all rushed to the
delivery room. Thankfully the baby did
fine, but it was definitely a memorable
introduction to residency.
Tell us about your life in Charlottesville.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
My interests are pretty quintessentially
Charlottesville. I like to run, cook and
bake, and support the local food scene.
Have you participated in any of the MAA's
events for alumni and residents? And how
important is it to you to have these kinds of
activities with your co-residents?
I've been to the Housestaff Spring Fling
at Blue Mountain Brewery the past two
years. It's a great event that the MAA
puts on and gets us together outside the
hospital, which I think is extremely important. My residency class spends a lot
of time together outside of the hospital
and I love that. It makes work much
more fun when you know each other
and have that relationship.
