Richard Villegas, MD

“I chose St. Louis to be closer to family. My wife grew up in Chesterfield and we were able to purchase a lovely home close to her old elementary school and high school. St. Louis is a hidden gem of a city with lots to offer including festivals, great food, and diverse, friendly people. It’s centrally located with easy access to the West Coast, Northeast, and the South.

I chose St Louis Children’s Hospital to do my pediatric anesthesiology fellowship because I wanted my last year of training to be at a busy transplant center, with robust cardiac rooms, and a nationally recognized pediatric intensive care unit. St Louis Children’s Hospital is a quaternary referral center on Washington University Medical Campus which has provided the support I need to continue my pediatric burn research that I originally started in Texas. Most importantly, it has some of the most experienced, knowledgeable, and nicest pediatric anesthesia staff I have met. Being able to experience tough, challenging cases in a friendly teaching environment was very important to me and SLCH definitely supports this culture.

This is my eleventh year of post-graduate training and I have worked in multiple children’s hospitals. If you want to come to a big city with a small-town vibe, learn pediatric anesthesia in a robust clinical hospital, and have fun while doing it, I believe St Louis Children’s Hospital has it all.  After my fellowship, I intend to practice both pediatric intensive care medicine and pediatric anesthesiology.“