Welcome to the Department of Anesthesiology

 
The Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is one of the most successful and innovative anesthesiology programs in the U.S. We have a long and rich history of excellence in the multi-faceted missions of collaborative patient care, education, and research.

We invite you to explore our department website and join our vibrant community. 

Train here,
thrive anywhere.™

Our training programs prepare tomorrow’s leaders in clinical and academic medicine.

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#6 in the
Nation

10 fellowship programs

High-quality
simulation training

 

number 4 in NIH anesthesia funding

Groundbreaking Research

The department is heavily funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and has ranked among the top five anesthesiology departments in NIH dollars for over 15 years.

Learn about our research

Committed to providing exceptional patient care

We work collaboratively with our partners at Washington University School of Medicine and the nationally ranked Barnes-Jewish Hospital system to continuously improve the health and well-being of the people in our community.  We take pride in being leaders in the rapidly-advancing field of anesthesiology – encompassing perioperative medicine, peripartum and critical care, and pain management.

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Featured Anesthesiology Department Members

Dave EisenbathDavid Eisenbath, CRNA

David was raised on his family’s farm near Troy, MO, (about an hour northwest of Barnes-Jewish hospital), and his parents still live on the farm planting crops and raising cattle. David had a great childhood playing lots of sports, working around the farm, and spending time with family – all things he still enjoys. David followed in the footsteps of his brother and two sisters and attended the University of Missouri. After a short stint as a respiratory therapist, he attended Saint Louis University for his BSN and then, ultimately, on to Goldfarb School of Nursing for the Nurse Anesthesia program. David joined the CRNA group in 2009 after his graduation and considers it one of the best decisions of his life because of the great people he has met and worked with. He recently took on the role of Director of CRNA Activities, which he considers an honor and a privilege. The other best decision of his life was marrying his wife Kahra and having three wonderful kids: Owen (11), Helene (9), and Barrett (6). He spends much of his free time with his family and coaching three of his kids’ sports teams. He loves being active and being outside and looks forward to lighting the grill every Sunday afternoon for his weekly “meal prep.”

Karen FreyKaren Frey

Karen is a Senior Research Coordinator in the Division of Clinical and Translational Research (DoCTR). She has worked for Washington University for 19 years, starting as a research assistant with the Department of Psychiatry. She joined DoCTR in 2008, with a dual appointment in Neurology, and transitioned to DoCTR full-time in 2012. Karen specializes in the use of Quantitative Sensory Testing for pain management studies and is currently coordinating a study to prevent chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy. She enjoys spending time outside of work with family and friends, at the batting cage with her nephews, and cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals. She hasn’t missed a home opener in 10+ years so you know where she will be on April 2nd. GO CARDS!

Mike HavenarMike Havenar, ACNP

Mike is the Compliance and Outreach Lead Nurse Practitioner with the Critical Care Division of the Department of Anesthesiology, and he has been with the department for 11 years. He was born and raised in central Illinois but moved to the St. Louis area for college and completed his undergraduate training at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and graduate training at Saint Louis University. Before going to grad school, Mike was a travel nurse for three years and lived in Arizona, South Florida, and Southern California. Outside of work, Mike has a passion for international travel, SCUBA diving, hiking, cooking, and spending time with family, friends, and his dog, Leo.

Jiaxin-Huang, MDJiaxin Huang, MD

Jiajia is currently a CA1 resident. She was born in Beijing, China and moved to Michigan when she was 3 years old. She completed her undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and then came to St. Louis shortly after. She was very happy to start residency at WashU. So far her CA1 year has allowed her to work with many wonderful faculty on challenging cases and has exposed her to exciting potential career paths. Outside of work, she loves traveling to new places. Over the last year, she was able to go hiking in the French Alps and also spent a week in Barcelona, Spain. She enjoys playing tennis, watching movies at the local Chase Theater, and exploring St. Louis restaurants with her co-residents.
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Department Updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Our department is closely monitoring the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). See the latest departmental updates and resources on the coronavirus page.

 

Latest News

Finding the silver lining

Finding the silver lining

May 11, 2020
COVID-19 has affected us in many different ways, but we have found many silver linings in the strength of grassroots efforts, the power of simple acts of kindness, and the resilient spirits of our community.
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