Our success is intimately linked to the accomplishments of each and every member of our department.
Each month, four members are nominated and featured to celebrate their commitment to patient care, education, and research.
Current Featured Anesthesiology Department Members
Andrew Griesbaum, ACNP
Nurse Practitioner
Qin Liu, PhD
Professor of Anesthesiology
Jake Meinkoth
Clinical Informaticist
Sydney Tyler, MD
Resident Physician
Featured Anesthesiology Department Members Archive
Nicole Durko, MD
Director of Obstetric Anesthesiology, Missouri Baptist Hospital
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: July 2021
Nicole was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. She completed her residency at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in 2005 and followed her husband to St. Louis, where she completed her Obstetric Anesthesiology fellowship under Dr. Barbara Leighton in 2006. After fellowship, Nicole left St. Louis for two years and returned to our department in 2008. She spends her clinical time at Missouri Baptist Hospital, which she often refers to as “her home away from home.” In 2015, Nicole was appointed director of obstetric anesthesiology at Missouri Baptist.
Nicole and her husband George have a 13-year-old son, Drake, who attends Chaminade College Preparatory School and an 11-year-old daughter, Nina, who attends Oak Hill School. They spend their family time outdoors in Forest Park, playing tennis and golf at Norwood Hills, and traveling with their son Drake’s hockey team. The Durkos also love dining out and discovering new local places to enjoy with friends and family.
Daniel Eddins, CRNA
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: April 2023
Daniel Eddins is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) with over 15 years of experience in healthcare. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine (Exercise Science) from Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis, where he played soccer all four years. After his first bachelor’s degree, Dan obtained his BSN at Barnes Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing in St Louis. He then matriculated to Goldfarb’s CRNA program from 2017 to 2019.
During his career, he completed the Barnes Jewish Nurse Residency Program and was named Rookie of the Year in 2014. He was awarded the Tsugie Watanabe Award for outstanding CT SRNA in 2019. He also maintains his Critical Care Registered Nurse Certification. In addition to his professional achievements, Dan was named a Missouri Baptist University Athletics NAIA Champion of Character in 2008-2009 and received the NAIA Academic All-American award in soccer in 2008 and 2009.
In 2020, Dan joined the Washington University in St. Louis Department of Anesthesiology as a CRNA where he continues to provide anesthesia care to patients primarily in vascular, thoracic, and the cardiac procedure center.
Outside of his work, Dan enjoys watching and playing soccer, running, listening to music, and spending time with his family and friends. He has been married to his wife Christina for eight years and they have a beloved golden retriever. He truly loves providing anesthesia for his patients and is thankful for the opportunity to work at a world-class institution.
Jacob Edwards, MD
Resident Physician, Class of 2028
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: April 2025
Jacob (Jake) is a first-year anesthesiology resident at WashU Medicine. A Missouri native, he grew up in Cape Girardeau, just 100 miles south of St. Louis, where he spent many weekends at Busch Stadium cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Vanderbilt University and completed medical school at the University of Colorado. Thrilled to return to Missouri, Jake values the opportunity to continue his medical education at a top institution close to friends and family.
Jake’s medical interests include sustainability within anesthesiology, focusing on reducing environmental impact while delivering high-quality patient care. While keeping an open mind about subspecialties, he is developing an interest in cardiothoracic anesthesia.
Outside of medicine, Jake stays active through cycling, tennis, and discovering new coffee shops around St. Louis. This spring, he and his wife are working on starting a vegetable garden. A devoted Cardinals fan, he never misses a chance to catch a live game and aims to visit every Major League Baseball stadium—he’s already checked off 12 of 30!
David Eisenbath, CRNA
Director for CRNA Activities
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: June 2020
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.”