Cristina Pelaez-Velez, M.D., FAAP
Dr. Cristina Pelaez-Velez joined the USF faculty as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in 2010. She is originally from Colombia where she completed her medical school in 1998. Thereafter, she completed a year of general surgery and research in Pediatric Orthopedics at San Antonio at the University of Texas Health Science Center. Subsequently, she was accepted at the University of South Florida were she completed her Pediatric Residency in 2005. She graduated with honors with the award of “Pediatric Resident Teacher of the Year”. After her graduation Dr. Pelaez worked for 5 years, helping the underserved population, in one of the largest community health centers in Manatee County, Parrish, Florida. Dr. Pelaez is on the Executive Board of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics since 2007. She was appointed in 2009 as executive member of the American Academy of Pediatrics at the national level in the Section of Young Physicians. Due to her interest in education and community outreach, Dr. Pelaez was appointed in 2010 as an executive member of the CME Committee of All Children’s Hospital, where she participates as a liaison between the focus young physician’s conference - Pediatrics of Tomorrow and Suncoast Annual conference. Dr.
Pelaez has a particular interest in preparing residents to be young physicians of the future and also in the development and implementation of the Medical Home as the future model to practice medicine.
Education & Training
| M.D. | Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud (CES), Medallin, Columbia; 1998 |
| Pediatric Residency | University of South Florida, 2005 |
