Martha Alma Carpenter

Dr. Martha A. Carpenter passed away peacefully surrounded by family in Charlottesville, Virginia on October 13, 2026. A distinguished physician and former J. Francis Dammann Professor of Pediatric Cardiology at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine, Martha was a trailblazer for women in medicine who will be remembered for her contributions to the field of pediatric cardiology, including her impacts to countless children who were able to grow up with healthy hearts and live full lives thanks to her expert care.

Born December 11, 1929 in Baltimore, Maryland to Ose and Lola Carpenter, Martha grew up on a farm in Madison County, Virginia, where her family operated a chicken coop manufacturing factory. Her childhood on the farm was filled with daily chores, including driving the cattle truck as a teenager, that instilled a strong work ethic and love of the outdoors. Her family recalls she was her father’s “best helper.” According to family lore, Martha had one particular chore handled: keeping pests away from the family chickens. From her upstairs bedroom window, shotgun in hand, young Martha reliably took aim at any overnight intruders to the coop.

After graduating from Madison High School, Martha attended Westhampton College at the University of Richmond. A talented athlete, Westhampton was one of few colleges that allowed women to play sports at the time. Martha loved to tell her great-niece--a Duke alum--how she didn’t choose Duke because they didn’t offer women’s sports. Their loss because at Westhampton, she served as captain of the varsity field hockey team (undefeated at the time), played varsity basketball, and was a top-ranked singles and doubles player in tennis. She received recognition for “excellence in athletics, leadership, academics, and citizenship,” and in 1988, was inducted into the University of Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame.

After earning undergraduate degrees in Physics and Mathematics in 1951, Martha initially pursued graduate studies in physics, as women were not encouraged to enter medicine at the time. Yet, realizing her true passion lay in medicine, she made the then controversial choice to pivot and enroll in medical school, later reflecting in an interview to the Daily Progress in 1978: “Basically, I just decided that if I was going to work that hard, it was going to be for something I liked. I’ve never regretted it.”

In 1959, Martha earned her M.D. from University of Virginia School of Medicine and served her residency in pediatrics and fellowship in pediatric cardiology at Boston Children’s Hospital. At Children’s, she treated young patients who came to Boston from all over the world, including then President John F. Kennedy's infant son, Patrick, during his brief life following a premature birth in 1963.

Martha went on to save thousands of lives in her career. In 1964, she returned to the University of Virginia to work in pediatric cardiology. In addition to seeing patients and teaching students at UVA School of Medicine (often as the only female professor), Martha was instrumental in setting up UVA clinics in underserved areas of Virginia to provide diagnostic care for children whose families could not afford to travel. Even as advancements in technology transformed the field of cardiology (and all of medicine) over her career, particularly with the introduction of imaging, Martha’s former colleagues recall being in awe of her consistent ability to correctly diagnose her patients with just her stethoscope.

Outside of her busy schedule as a physician, professor, and mentor, Martha spent as much of her free time as possible on the golf course or the tennis court, where she competed in local tournaments. While she remained in Charlottesville, Martha continued to give back to her undergraduate alma mater. Martha served on the University of Richmond Board of Trustees from 1974 to 2002, and then as a Trustee Emerita until her passing, and also served on the Spider Club Board for Athletics, the Science Advisory Board, Richmond Council, and Westhampton College Alumni Association Board.

What Martha enjoyed most about pediatric cardiology was the ability to fix problems. As she reflected in an interview to the Daily Progress, “We can do something about it and see a sick child looking like a normal, healthy child.” Martha even stayed connected to some of the patients she treated as newborns into adulthood, considering it her greatest reward to watch them grow into healthy adults, start families of their own, and occasionally bring their own children to her care. Despite the challenges of working with sick children, she always maintained a sense of curiosity and humor. A feature article in the University of Richmond Alumni Magazine highlighted her lighthearted nature, quoting her advice to an adult patient she continued to see ahead of her wedding: “I tell my patients, ‘I get their hearts all fixed up...Don’t give it away to some boy.'”

After 7 years as a student and 44 years on the faculty, Martha officially retired from UVA as the J. Francis Dammann Professor of Pediatric Cardiology in 2008 at the age of 78, although she continued to travel around Virginia volunteering in children’s heart clinics into her 80s. In her later years, she shared her household with her late brother-in-law, Bill Jordan. A fellow athlete and Richmond Spider, both enjoyed watching sports and rooting for their alma maters.

Martha was preceded in death by her sisters Fay Kirchman and Nancy Jordan, and her brothers-in-law Bill Jordan and Ed Kirchman. She is survived by her nieces Page Jordan (Susan), Kent Child (Drew), Mary Wharton (Steve), and Ann Dubel; her nephews, Bob Kirchman (Pam), Paul Kirchman (Dabney), and Frank Kirchman (Valerie); as well as numerous grand and great-grand nieces and nephews.