Current WU Scholars

Archana Bharadwaj, MD, MPH, CHES

Archana Bharadwaj, MD, MPH, CHES

Central Michigan University College of Medicine

WU Scholar

Ashton Shaffer, MD, PhD

Ashton Shaffer, MD, PhD

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

WU Scholar

Program Scholars

Heather Acuff, MD, PhD

Medical School: University of Pittsburgh
Residency: WashU Medicine Anesthesiology
Current Role: Duke Medicine – OB Anesthesiology Fellow
Research: Postoperative delirium

What does a normal day-in-the-life as a physician-scientist look like for you?

Currently, I’m completing a dual Obstetric-Cardiothoracic fellowship at Duke University.  During the OB fellowship year, my time is mostly spent on the labor and delivery floor clinically managing patients.  have 3 months of research spread throughout the year such that I have about 1-2 days per week dedicated to research activities. During the CT fellowship year, my time will almost entirely be clinical with the exception of occasional non-clinical/academic days and several weeks of electives throughout the year which can be dedicated to research. After fellowship, I hope to have a career with enough non-clinical time to carry on with my research as well as clinical time that is split between OB and CT anesthesia.

How did the WU Scholars Program help you get to where you are today?

The WU Scholars Program did an excellent job of getting me to where I am today.  Clinically, WashU Medicine provided excellent OB and CT rotations that helped me fall in love with the subspecialties. I had a lot of support from advisors and both divisions as I navigated applying into a unique dual fellowship position. Academically, the WU Scholars Program has a lot of dedicated research time built into the curriculum which allowed me the opportunities to explore new areas of research, be productive throughout residency, and prepare me for future success in fellowship.