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Portrait of Heather Felton

Directory Entry For: Heather Felton

Associate Professor of Pediatrics
HSC - Pediatrics - General Pediatrics
heather.felton@louisville.edu
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Academic Profile Norton Children’s Clinical Profile

Biography

Heather Felton, M.D., is a pediatrician with Norton Children’s Medical Group--Germantown.

Dr. Heather Felton received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Kentucky and completed her Pediatric Residency at the University of Louisville, where she joined the faculty in 2013. Her clinical and academic interests center on injury prevention, child passenger safety, and digital health communication.

Dr. Felton is a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician with advanced training for children with special healthcare needs and serves on the Injury Free Coalition for Kids Social Media Committee. She is also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention.

In her role as Director of Communications and Media for the UofL Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Felton uses social and digital media to promote evidence-based pediatric education, public health advocacy, and community engagement. Nationally, she serves as an Official Spokesperson for the AAP and as a member of the AAP Council on Communications and Media, where she helps shape strategies to improve how pediatricians connect with families online.

Research Interests

I am interested in the use of digital media and strategic health communication to improve pediatric health literacy, counter misinformation, and expand access to evidence-based health information for children and families. My work focuses on leveraging social media and public-facing platforms to translate complex pediatric topics into accessible, actionable education while evaluating engagement, reach, and public health impact. Additional areas of interest include injury prevention, vaccine communication, child passenger safety, media literacy, and the integration of digital scholarship into academic medicine and medical education. I am also interested in physician advocacy, public trust in medicine, and the role of healthcare professionals in shaping health communication at local, national, and digital levels.

Degrees and Certifications

BS - Biology
University of Kentucky, 2002-2006
MD
University of Louisville, 2006-2010