Laura Shaffer was born and raised in Beaufort, South Carolina. She attended Duke University and then taught middle and high school in rural South Africa for a year before going on to graduate school in Colorado. She received her doctorate in clinical child psychology from the University of Denver.  

Dr. Shaffer’s specialties include working with children and adolescents with chronic illness and developmental disabilities. After graduate school, she completed an internship/residency in child clinical and pediatric psychology at Children’s National Medical Center and then conducted a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in prevention research and adolescent health promotion at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She has been on faculty at UVA since June 2015, and serves as the chief of the pediatric psychology section at UVA Children’s Hospital.  

Outside of work, Dr. Shaffer enjoys yoga, cycling, hiking, trying new recipes and spending time with friends and family.