Division Of General Pediatrics Team

James R. Roberts, M.D., MPH
Interim Division Chief - General Pediatrics

Dr. James Roberts, Professor of Pediatrics, is the Director of the South Carolina Pediatric Practice Research Network (SCPPRN). He joined the MUSC faculty in 1997 and has been conducting clinical research since 1996. He completed a General Academic Pediatric fellowship and earned a Master of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He currently serves as the Director of Frontiers in Pediatrics, MUSC Department of Pediatrics' annual CME program. His research interests include children's environmental health hazards, environmental triggers of asthma, pesticide toxicity, and the management of lead toxicity in children. Additional research activities in the SCPPRN include vaccine delivery, quality improvement, environmental tobacco smoke exposure, obesity, and vitamin D deficiency.

Angela Allevi, M.D.
Dr. Angela Allevi is a board-certified general pediatrician who treats children from birth through age 18. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.  She completed her pediatric training in New York at Babies and Children’s Hospital of Columbia University. Dr. Allevi enjoys seeing patients of all ages.  Her approach to care centers on being a good listener, getting to know not just the patient but the family, and partnering with the patient and family to provide the best evidence-based care for each baby, child, and adolescent. 

Michelle Amaya, M.D., MPH
Dr. Amaya is the Medical Director of the Newborn Nursery at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and an Associate Professor in the Division of General Pediatrics. She is board certified in child abuse pediatrics and general pediatrics and has over 30 years of pediatric experience. Dr Amaya is originally from Durham, NC. She received her MD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, MPH from University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health and trained in pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She completed a fellowship in General Academic Pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She works with resident and student learners in the Newborn Nursery and Pediatric Primary Care clinic in Rutledge Tower. Her clinical and research interests include newborn care, breastfeeding, child mental health, and child and family safety.

Erin Balog, M.D.
Dr. Erin K. Balog is a general pediatrician. She grew up on the coast, just south of Boston, MA. After attending Bowdoin College in Maine, she worked in a hospital-based lab focused on cancer genetics for three years before attending medical school at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine. During medical school, she accepted a Navy scholarship, and completed her training in Pediatrics at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. Her initial duty station after residency was at the Naval Hospital in Charleston, SC where she took care of service member dependents, active duty and retired, for three years. She then accepted a teaching assignment at the military medical school, USUHS, in Bethesda, MD where she was stationed for eight years. Upon leaving the military, she returned to Charleston with her family, and has been working in private practice before joining the General Pediatrics team at MUSC. Her professional interests include evaluating and treating pediatric mental health conditions, newborn medicine and breastfeeding, and medical education.

Kristina K. Gustafson, M.D., MSCR, FAAP
Dr. Kristina Gustafson, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, is the Medical Director of the MUSC Pediatric Primary Care (PPC) clinic and an Associate Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Program. She earned her M.D. from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, affiliated with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She completed the Academic Generalist fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina, earning a Master of Science in Clinical Research. She works as an outpatient pediatrician. She received special recognition as a Master Educator by the pediatric residents and was selected as one of the first members of the MUSC Pediatric Education Scholars Academy. She currently serves as the Academic Pediatric Association Region VIII Co-Chair and is a member of the South Carolina Pediatric Practice Research Network. She is the site investigator for the SC DHHS CHIPRA Quality Demonstration Grant: Quality through Technology and Innovation in Pediatrics (QTIP). Her research interests include quality improvement and education, resident education, preventive medicine, and PCMH.

Kathleen Head, M.D., MS, MPH

 

 

Timothy Horgan, D.O.
Dr. Tim Horgan is a board-certified general pediatrician who treats children of all ages, from newborns to age 18. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Horgan earned his Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Suwanee, Georgia. His clinical interests include general outpatient pediatrics, ADHD, sports medicine, and complex care. Before returning to school to earn his medical degree, Dr. Horgan spent three years in the financial sector, but he always knew he wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. After completing several volunteering opportunities, he was confident that pediatrics was his specialty. From 2018 – 2022, Dr. Horgan served as the Flight Commander and a pediatrician on active duty in the air force. He says it was truly an honor to care for the children of active duty parents and/or retirees.

Kathryn King Cristaldi, M.D., MHS

 

 

Timothy Lukenbill, M.D.
Dr. Lukenbill is a board certified general Pediatrician in Charleston, South Carolina who specializes in treating children from birth through adolescence. His clinical interests include well child care, mental health, and preventative medicine. He strives to create an environment where patients and families feel informed and empowered in order to make decisions on their health based on evidence-based medicine and trust in their healthcare team. He grew up in Rochester, New York, and attended Villanova University where he received a Bachelor of Science and majored in biology. He received his medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and completed his pediatric training at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Following residency, he completed an academic fellowship and his Master of Public Health degree at MUSC. He developed a love for the Charleston area during his time as a fellow and is thrilled to have the opportunity to serve the families of the greater Charleston community.

Claire MacGeorge, M.D., MSCR
Claire MacGeorge, MD, MSCR is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medical Director of the School-based telehealth clinics. Her main clinical and research focus is leveraging telehealth for the care of ADHD and asthma. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona and medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She completed her pediatric residency followed by an Academic Generalist Fellowship, while concurrently earning a Masters of Clinical Research, all at the Medical University of South Carolina. She joined the faculty in 2016 and participates in telehealth research, teaching of medical students and residents, as well as clinical care in the outpatient and nursery settings.  Currently, she is a junior investigator in the Idea States Pediatric Clinical Trial Network and has a subaward under MUSC’s designation as a Telehealth Center of Excellence to improve the care of children with ADHD using a remote monitoring platform.

James McElligott, M.D., MS
James T. McElligott, M.D., MSCR, is the Executive Medical Director for Telehealth at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and an Associate Professor in the Division of General Pediatrics at MUSC Children’s Hospital. Dr. McElligott has clinical duties in outpatient pediatric practice, newborn nursery and school-based health care.  Additionally, he oversees the activities of the MUSC Center for Telehealth and is Co-Chair of the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance. Under his leadership the MUSC Center for Telehealth has been designated a National Center for Excellence and the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance received the American Telemedicine Associations’ 2019 Presidents Award. His personal awards include the 2020 South Carolina State Champion Award for Telehealth, MUSC’s 2020 Physician of the Year Award, the 2020 MUSC Innovator Award, and the 2020 Margaret Jenkins Pediatric Teaching Award.Dr. McElligott currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Advisory Council of the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance, which received the American Telemedicine Association’s President’s Award in 2019. Dr. McElligott received his undergraduate education at the UNC Chapel Hill, earned his M.D. at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and completed his pediatric residency and academic generalist fellowship at MUSC.

J. Routt Reigart, M.D.
Dr. Reigart, Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Division of General Pediatrics, has conducted university affiliated clinical trials since 1971. His research interests include children's environmental health issues, general pediatrics, and toxicology (lead poisoning prevention and education activities since 1972; state wide screening initiatives since 1975; CDC chair for the Childhood Lead Poisoning Advisory Committee, and the USEPA chair for the Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee; member of USEPA/USDA/Tolerance Reassessment Advisory Committee and the FIFRA Science Advisory Panel). He is an active participant in the Prioritization Committee for the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children program.

Sara Ritchie, M.D.
Dr. Sara Ritchie is a board-certified general pediatrician who treats children of all ages, from newborns to age 18. Dr. Ritchie earned her medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. After graduating, she stayed at MUSC to complete her residency as well. Dr. Ritchie's clinical interests include breastfeeding medicine, complex medical conditions, and treatment of ADHD. Dr. Ritchie's approach to patient care is to meet patients where they are and to apply the latest updates and guidelines in evidence-based medicine to their treatment for the most successful patient outcomes. Dr. Ritchie is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and is happy to help new mothers and their newborns with breastfeeding issues. Dr. Ritchie is fluent in English, speaks conversational Spanish, and is working diligently on improving her medical Spanish.  

Christine San Giovanni, M.D.
Dr. SanGiovanni is an obesity medicine specialist and sees patients in MUSC Children's Health Wellness Works program.  She is a diplomat of the American Board of Obesity Medicine and has specialized in how to help children and adolescents develop healthy lifestyles as well as help them manage obesity and its comorbidities, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and prediabetes.

General Pediatrics Extended Faculty

David Bundy, M.D., MPH
Dr. David Bundy, Professor of Pediatrics, joined the MUSC Department of Pediatrics faculty as the Vice Chair for Quality and Safety in 2012.  He received his MD from the University of Michigan Medical School, his MPH from the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, and he trained in pediatrics at the Seattle Children’s Hospital at the University of Washington.  In his current role, Dr. Bundy leads quality and safety initiatives across the MUSC Children’s Hospital, involving teams from numerous pediatric medical and surgical subspecialties.  His research focuses on the quality and safety of pediatric healthcare, with an emphasis on Medicaid-insured children and those with chronic conditions, with a particular emphasis on the care of children with sickle cell disease.

Ellen Maher, M.D.
Ellen, originally from Cleveland, OH, obtained her undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology and Chemistry from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Prior to medical school she pursued basic science research in South Carolina and published work on vaccines for Ebola, Dengue and Marburg. She then transitioned to the Department of Pharmacology at The Medical University of South Carolina where she worked with g-protein coupled receptor proteins of the immune system. She became a 200-hour certified yoga teacher in 2008 and taught regularly in Charleston. In 2011, she entered medical school at MUSC with the hope of integrating science and her passion for preventive health practices. During Medical school she completed research in STIs and cervical dysplasia in HIV positive women, as well as kinship care in children with high adverse childhood experience (ACE) scores.

Nathalie Simone Malcom, M.D.
Dr. Nathalie Malcolm is originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she received both her undergraduate and medical degrees at Louisiana State University. She completed her residency training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in the combined specialty of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics (Med-Peds).After her residency, Dr. Malcolm joined the Dantzler Internal Medicine and Pediatrics clinic affiliated with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in North Charleston, SC. As a dual-board certified pediatrician and internist, she cares for patients of all ages and backgrounds- from newborns to senior citizens. Dr. Malcolm takes pride in her role as a preceptor to the medical residents at MUSC who are lucky enough to learn from her. She is a member of the American College of Physicians and is board-certified in internal medicine and pediatrics. Special medical interests include pediatric and adult hypertension, obesity medicine, and fitness. She also counsels patients on various forms of birth control, including administration of Nexplanon. (Note, intrauterine devices are not inserted at this practice.) Dr. Malcolm enjoys reading, discussing pop-culture factoids, and travel in her spare time.

Rachael T. Zweigoron-Sabbagh, M.D.

 

 

Research Staff

Shannon Cabaniss
Elizabeth O'Brien, RN