On March 18, 2022, our department matched with 20 physicians, including three graduates from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, all of whom are eager to begin their anesthesiology residency this summer.
Recruitment faced many challenges this year including the seemingly endless surges of the pandemic and a rapidly changing healthcare landscape. Nonetheless, our department attracted outstanding applicants from excellent medical schools across 12 states as well as a top institution in Columbia, South America.
The incoming class includes:
- 17 categorical residents
- 2 residents in the Academic Scholars Advancement Program (ASAP)
- 1 advanced-track resident (joining as a CA-1 in July 2023)
“The Department of Anesthesiology is thrilled to have delivered a strong Match this year,” says Allison Mitchell, MD, Residency Program Director. “We look forward to watching our new residents grow in their foundational skills and knowledge, and become exceptional anesthesiologists.”
Congratulations to this extraordinary Class of 2026!
Incoming First-Year Residents:
Nathan Achilly, MD, PhD
Baylor College of Medicine
Nathan grew up in New Jersey, and attended Franklin and Marshall College where he majored in neuroscience and art history. After conducting research at the NIH for two years, he enrolled in the MD/PhD program at Baylor College of Medicine and completed his thesis work on Rett syndrome. He is coming to St. Louis with his wife, an incoming hematology-oncology fellow, and his three children.
Archana Bharadwaj, MD, MPH, CHES
Central Michigan University College of Medicine
Archana earned her Master of Public Health in Health Behavior and Health Education with a specialization in health communications from the University of Michigan, and went on to complete her MD at Central Michigan University College of Medicine. She is passionate about research at the intersection of end-of-life care and health disparities. In her clinical career as an anesthesiologist, she intends to bring her interests and experiences together to practice palliative pain medicine. Outside of work, she is an avid foodie that enjoys experiencing new places and cultures as well as practicing yoga.
Brandon DeClouette, MD
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Brandon is originally from the suburbs of Chicago and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin. He is a huge sports fan, especially Chicago sports and fantasy sports. In his free time, he enjoys working out, exploring the city, golfing, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.
Christopher Dimza, MD
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Chris and his wife were both born & raised in St. Louis and are excited to be coming home! They have three children: Maggie (5 yo), Theo (3 yo), and Louie (6 mo). When not working or taking care of the kids, they enjoy sleeping and trying to recreate restaurant fare enjoyed pre-children.
Gabrielle Fernandez, MD
The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences
Gabrielle was born and raised in St. Louis before completing her undergraduate and medical school education in Ohio at Miami University and the University of Toledo, respectively. She is thrilled to be back in her hometown and so close to Forest Park! Her personal interests include language learning, live music & theatre, skiing, and coffee brewing.
Gaurang Gupte, MD
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Gaurang earned his MD at Washington University School of Medicine and has a background in electrical engineering. He has a strong research interest in exploring the neural mechanisms through which anesthetic agents generate unconsciousness. Currently, he is working on the development of a novel EEG spindle detection algorithm and is studying the enhancement of dexmedetomidine-induced anesthesia via closed-loop acoustic stimulation. He has long-term interests in aerospace medicine and the possibility of dexmedetomidine-induced shallow metabolic depression. He is working on attaining his private pilot license.
Lisa Kim, MD
Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine
Lisa was born in South Korea but grew up in Gresham, Oregon, and spent the last 8 years prior to residency in Chicago. She loves playing tennis and cooking (send her your favorite recipes)!
Burk Loelinger, MD
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Burk grew up on the Chesapeake Bay and loves many outdoor activities such as swimming, kayaking, sailing, and hiking. He went to college at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) before attending medical school at the University of North Carolina (UNC). In his free time, he is often exploring the local food scene, traveling, attending live theater, and reading avidly.
Kyle Maryan, MD
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine
Kyle is a Saint Louis native but has spent the last eight years in Columbia, MO. He is an avid Blues hockey fan and attends as many games as possible. He loves cooking on his smoker and backpacking in the wilderness. He’s extremely excited to come back to his hometown and begin his career in Anesthesiology at WashU!
Leighton McCabe, MD
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Leighton is a Missouri native excited to return home after completing his undergraduate medical training in Colorado. His professional interests currently include critical care, cardiac anesthesiology, and medical education. His hobbies include hiking, camping, snowboarding, and film photography.
Arianna Montes de Oca Angarita, MD
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Bogot Facultad de Medicina
Arianna was born and raised in Caracas-Venezuela but went to MD school in Bogota-Colombia, where she met her husband. They moved to the US to pursue residency training, initially to Chicago for a couple of years, and now in St. Louis with their two year -old cockapoo named Lara. She likes running, art, and will never say no to any plan that includes food and/or wine.
Peyton Overstreet, MD
University of Mississippi School of Medicine
Peyton grew up in rural Kosciusko, Mississippi, and completed both his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Mississippi. He is excited about exploring St. Louis and starting his residency at WashU. During his free time he enjoys traveling with his husband, watching sports (especially SEC football), trying new restaurants, and hanging out with his 10 lb Chiweenie, Khloe.
Aashay Patel, MD
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Aashay, “Ash” is from Kansas City, MO. In his free time, he enjoy hiking, playing video games on the PC he built, watching the Kansas City Chiefs, and hanging out with his cat named Dash and two pitbulls, Titan and Xena. As for his professional interests, he is interested in pain management and cardiac anesthesia.
Stephen Renfroe, MD
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Stephen “Chase” is a suburban east coast native who grew up in the DC-metropolitan area, attended undergrad at Yale University, and ultimately ventured out into the Midwest to attend medical school at Washington University in St Louis. Outside of work, he enjoys taking care of his plant and furry companions, gourmet cooking, the performance arts, and long-distance running. Having caught the travel bug through his time with his collegiate a cappella group, the Spizzwinks, he is looking forward to embarking on (a realistically limited number of) cosmopolitan adventures between the abundant educational and patient care opportunities provided by Barnes-Jewish Hospital!
Ashton Shaffer, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Ashton is excited for the transition to St. Louis as a lifelong East Coaster! She and her partner have two kiddos (3 yo and 10 mo), and a dog (6 yo). They are huge fans of table-top and board games and would love to have a game night with anyone who is interested!
Philip Smith, MD, PhD*
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Philip is an aspiring physician-scientist interested in studying interactions between sleep and the neuropharmacology of the brain microenvironment. His scientific interests currently center on understanding how what is going on in the brain at a molecular level can affect and be affected by various factors, including: the pharmacology of neuroactive drugs and anesthetics, normal and disrupted sleep, and neurological injury and disease. Clinically, he is currently interested in neuroanesthesia and critical care. Outside of medicine and science, Philip is passionate about analyzing political geography and elections, running, and 1960s music and pop culture.
Rebecca Speltz Paiz, MD, PhD*
University of Minnesota Medical School
Rebecca graduated from the MSTP program at the University of Minnesota in 2022 with a PhD in Neuroscience. Rebecca’s research centers on the spinal and peripheral mechanisms underlying persistent pain. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys figure skating.
Thomas Van Horn, MD
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
As a native St. Louisan, Thomas is excited continue their training in their hometown at WashU! Thomas is passionate about engaging with communities that are marginalized by the very healthcare system they also deeply rely on, particularly transgender and unhoused people. They believe Anesthesiology is uniquely suited for this work due to the intense human connections we make every day with patients and families experiencing surgery or critical illness. Outside of the hospital, Thomas and their partner Elliott can usually be found trying out a new hiking trail, climbing at a local gym, or searching St. Louis’ many neighborhoods for their new favorite restaurant!
Phillip Yang, MD
University of Michigan Medical School
Phillip grew up in Troy, MI, and graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School. Phillip is excited to explore all that WashU and St. Louis have to offer. In his free time, Phillip enjoys reading, playing a variety of sports, traveling, and flying his drone.
*Participating in the Academic Scholars Advancement Program (ASAP)
*Christopher Lee, Creighton University School of Medicine, is an advanced-track resident joining as a CA-1 in July 2023