Ira M Helenius, MD

Dr. Helenius is medical director of University Medical Associates. Her passion is providing excellent primary care to her patients, training future internists and improving outpatient practices. She also acts as co-physician lead of the primary care service line for UVA Medical Center.

Dr. Helenius was born in Finland, spent part of her childhood in Germany and then settled with her family near New Haven, Connecticut. She attended undergraduate and medical school at Brown University, followed by a residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

After residency, Dr. Helenius completed a general medicine fellowship and received her master’s in public health at Mount Sinai. Her research focus was women's health and methods of teaching evidence-based medicine.

In 2011, Dr. Helenius relocated to Charlottesville from New York to join the UVA General Medicine faculty. She, her husband and her middle school-aged daughter are happy to have found a home in Charlottesville. When not spending time with her family, Dr. Helenius enjoys training for and racing sprint triathlons in the beautiful Virginia landscape.

• 2015-2018 Best Doctors in America® List