Thank You, Dr. Heider

Dr. Heider and Family. April 2020

In March, Dr. Heider’s 21-year tenure of working with us came to an end. Although COVID-19 disrupted our plans for an official farewell party, we hope to celebrate his retirement together soon. Recently, we were able to catch up with him to ask him questions about his career and future plans and have included his answers below. Please join us in thanking this wonderful doctor for his care of so many women and babies in this community.

When did you join the practice?

I joined the practice in March 1999. After graduating from medical school at the Medical College of Virginia in 1985 and completing residency at UVa in 1989, I was hired onto the OB/GYN faculty at UVa and served there for nearly 10 years. My wife and I were thrilled with the opportunity to join Jefferson OB/GYN, which allowed me to go into private practice and remain in our home in Charlottesville.

What were your most memorable moments of your time here?

Seeing new parents get to hold their newborn for the very first time was always special, and never got old. My fondest memories are mostly the relationships built with patients, working with them through sometimes happy, sometimes stressful, and sometimes very challenging experiences.

What will you miss the most?

I will definitely miss seeing those patients with whom I have built trust and relationships over many years and milestones. I will miss working in the Operating Room with talented colleagues in Anesthesia and the Martha Jefferson staff. I will especially miss the joy of working and being associated with the gifted, compassionate, outstanding physicians and nurses and staff at Jefferson OB/GYN--it was truly an honor to work together.

Is there anything you WON’T miss?

I will absolutely not miss 3 AM calls from the Emergency Department, nor will I miss endless hospital committee meetings.

If you hadn’t become an OB/GYN, what would your second career choice have been?

If I were to stay in medicine, I think I could have enjoyed Anesthesia, but I have lots of interests outside of medicine. My father, my primary role model, was an attorney so law could have been a possibility. I grew up around Annapolis and for some time I considered a career in the Coast Guard or Navy. I imagine whatever the field, I would have been involved in some form of service profession.

What are you most looking forward to in retirement? Any big plans?

Well, two months into retirement has not exactly been as I had imagined, but the world has changed dramatically due to COVID-19. For example, my youngest just got married in April, and we had to change a year's worth of plans, but then celebrated a wonderful and intimate wedding in our home living room with just the two immediate families present. Once it is safe to do so, I look forward to some travel with my wife Kathy, hopefully some international as well as domestic trips. I am looking forward to seeing more of my three daughters and their husbands/fiance. I enjoy home repair and projects, so I look forward to developing new skills and pursuing more of these types of opportunities.