University of Virginia Physicians Group

University of Virginia Physicians Group

UPG was established in 1979 as a physician-led, administratively supported group practice. It operates as a University Associated Organization, distinct from the University of Virginia's own operating finances. The entity supports UVA Health physicians and advanced practice providers across the UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville and at clinical sites throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. As an endowed asset owner, UPG's investment strategy is executed through the UPG Long Term Pool, which is managed by the University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO). This structure gives UPG access to UVIMCO's endowment investment program, which is known for allocations to private equity, venture capital, real assets, and absolute return strategies. The long-term pool serves as the primary vehicle for funding clinical operations and physician compensation. The group's leadership is anchored by R. Craig Wood, a partner at the law firm McGuireWoods LLP, who serves as Chair of the Board of Directors. UPG does not disclose the number of full-time professionals dedicated to the organization or the size of its asset base. The organization operates administrative headquarters at 100 Avon Street in Charlottesville, with additional operational properties including a corporate office on Lewis & Clark Drive and clinical space at Fontaine Medical Office Building 2. It also holds undeveloped land in Albemarle County. UPG's structural differentiator is its role as a parallel employer to the UVA School of Medicine. It functions as the official clinical practice group, dually employing clinical faculty alongside the University. This architecture creates a firewall between the academic mission and physician compensation packages, making it a unique model among U.S. academic medical centers where the practice plan is both an integral operating unit and a legally separate, endowed entity responsible for investing its own reserves.