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Medical Toxicology is a unique and complex specialty with ties to Emergency Medicine, Occupational Medicine and Pediatrics.  Only a handful of practicing Virginia physicians are certified as Medical Toxicologists by the American Board of Medical Specialists; the University of Virginia Health System is home to 5 of them. 

Medical toxicologists have the expertise to identify and treat conditions including:

  • Acute and chronic toxicity
  • Adverse drug reactions
  • Envenomations
  • Workplace or environmental chemical exposures
  • Criminal poisoning

The Division of Medical Toxicology at the University of Virginia is comprised of 5 components.

Blue Ridge Poison Center, where specially trained nurses and doctors are available by phone 24 hours every day of the year to offer free, confidential information and advice on poisoning for the general public and for healthcare professionals in all settings.

The Center for Clinical Toxicology provides 24-hour physician consult services and an outpatient clinic for referred patients with complex toxicological problems.

The Medical Toxicology Education Center is comprised of the only Medical Toxicology fellowship program in Virginia; rotation service for residents, fellows, and medical, nursing, or pharmacy students; professional education lectures, inservice presentations, & grand rounds; online courses; and continuing medical education conferences.

The Chemical Disaster Center  works closely with local, state, and federal agencies, including HAZMAT teams, emergency medical service providers, hospitals, and public health departments to protect the public during a disaster. This Center also provides expert evaluation in cases of suspected criminal poisoning.

The Medical Toxicology Research Center, led by 2 PhD researchers, performs a broad range of research including collaborative studies on new antidotes, investigations into criminal poisonings, toxic contamination of products, and  projects studying the use of patient simulators for training.