This announcement was sent on behalf of the President of Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Dr. John Lynch.
After 10 years of dedicated service and leadership, Jackie Martin, MD, MBA, vice president of Perioperative Services for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, will retire next year on April 1, 2027. To allow for a seamless transition, Jason Gillihan, MD, MBA, associate chief medical officer for BJH and chief medical officer for Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, will join Dr. Martin and the executive leadership team at BJH on July 17 and become vice president of Perioperative Services later this fall. Dr. Martin will work with Dr. Gillihan and continue leading the BJC Perioperative Oversight Council until his retirement.
Dr. Martin joined BJH in 2016 after serving as medical director of perioperative services for Johns Hopkins Hospital and professor of anesthesiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. There, his career spanned more than 30 years of clinical expertise in pediatric cardiac anesthesiology and research interest in drug metabolism, chemical pharmacology and toxicology, and immuno-hepatorenal toxicity.
Dr. Martin’s many accomplishments during his tenure at BJH include optimization of block scheduling, leading to more efficient use of the nation’s largest operating room platform, as well as modernization of the ORs. Additionally, Dr. Martin was a founding co-leader of the BJC Perioperative Operating Committee, and he established a planning process that helped anticipate annual room utilization at both the department and surgeon level at BJH.
Developing relationships and enhancing safety has also been vital to Dr. Martin. He strengthened collaboration across perioperative leadership, including with our WashU Medicine surgical colleagues and the Department of Anesthesiology. Additionally, he championed the ongoing development of Perioperative Services culture, implementing a peer support process and working to foster a “safe to speak up” environment.
Outside of BJH, Dr. Martin served as an American Society of Anesthesiologists committee member for the 2000 Subcommittee on Experimental Circulation, Committee on Research, and served on the Scientific Advisory Board.
While leadership transitions bring change, there is also an opportunity to recognize the strength and talent already within our organization. We are fortunate that we were able to look internally to find a highly qualified and respected leader ready to build on this momentum. Dr. Gillihan’s identification as successor is a natural choice and a testament to the impact he has already made across the East Region.
Dr. Gillihan completed his medical degree and internship in internal medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine before his residency in anesthesiology at WashU Medicine. Dr. Gillihan spent time in private practice in southern Illinois before returning to the Department of Anesthesiology at WashU Medicine in 2013. He currently holds the positions of professor of anesthesiology, chief medical officer at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, and associate chief medical officer at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
After returning to the Department of Anesthesiology, Dr. Gillihan focused efforts on growing the department’s Division of Trauma Anesthesia, including establishing the resident rotation in trauma and the trauma anesthesia fellowship. He eventually became section chief of trauma and the associate director of clinical anesthesiology. In 2019, Dr. Gillihan assumed the role of division chief of anesthesiology at BJWCH.
Externally, Dr. Gillihan serves on several committees and boards, including medical advisor for Goldfarb School of Nursing’s Nurse Anesthesia Program, president of the Trauma Anesthesiology Society, and treasurer of the SIU School of Medicine Alumni Board of Governors. Dr. Gillihan also served 23 years in the U.S. Army, both as an enlisted soldier, then as a commissioned officer before retiring in 2016. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn, having served as Battalion Flight Surgeon for 1/140th Combat Aviation Battalion (Assault) stationed at Balad Air Base, Iraq from 2010-2011.
“Jason Gillihan has been an exceptional leader over many years. His impact on WashU Medicine and BJC Health has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Michael S. Avidan, MBBCh, FCA SA, Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor and head of the Department of Anesthesiology. “I am especially grateful for his transformational leadership in Trauma Anesthesiology at BJH and subsequently as Division Chief of Anesthesiology at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital. I have no doubt that Dr. Gillihan will be an outstanding Vice President of Perioperative Services at BJH. He will consider and represent the interests of all stakeholders thoughtfully and dispassionately.”
On behalf of the entire BJH executive leadership team, we are grateful for Dr. Martin’s steady leadership and the impact he has made on our teams, patients, and community. We are also excited to welcome Dr. Gillihan into his new role. We will celebrate Dr. Martin and his amazing career once his retirement date nears; please stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, please join us in both thanking and congratulating Dr. Martin and Dr. Gillihan.