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
Maureen Flanagan, RN, MSN
Nurse Practitioner
Department of Anesthesiology – APP of the Quarter: December 2022
Maureen Flanagan (She/Her) is a nurse practitioner from Dallas, Texas. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 2014 and went on to earn her RN and MSN from Yale University in 2017. She has been practicing in the Surgical ICUs here at BJH since her graduation in 2017. In her free time, she loves exploring new places around the world, cooking new pasta recipes, and spending time with her dog, Luka.
Maureen was named the Q4 2022 APP of the Quarter! Her nominator says, “Maureen works hard in difficult situations and goes above & beyond to provide great care for her patients. She’s smart and is a true team player.”
Catherine Foster, MD
Resident Physician, Class of 2020
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: September 2019
Cat is a resident physician in her final year of training with the Department of Anesthesiology. She’s currently looking forward to the excitement of the upcoming resident recruitment season. Outside of work, she enjoys adding to her laps of Forest Park, and exploring the vastly underrated hiking trails of Missouri.
Vinny Francio, MD
Clinical Instructor, Division of Pain Medicine; WashU Pain Center
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: March 2025
Vinny Francio is a clinical instructor in the Division of Pain Medicine at the Department of Anesthesiology at WashU Medicine. Born and raised in Brazil in an Italian family, he, like most kids in Brazil, first dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player. When that didn’t work out, he pursued music with hopes of becoming a rockstar, but that path also took a different turn. His journey eventually led him to healthcare, first as a chiropractor before moving to the U.S. 15 years ago to further his education. He earned a Master’s in Clinical Research and completed his residency and pain fellowship at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Now specializing in the comprehensive management of spine and chronic pain disorders, Dr. Francio takes a multidisciplinary approach while incorporating advanced minimally invasive procedures. Since joining WashU Pain Center in October 2024, he has introduced innovative pain interventions to enhance patient care and advance medical education. Passionate about academic medicine, he values the opportunity to combine clinical practice, research, and teaching while mentoring the next generation of pain specialists.
Beyond medicine, Dr. Francio enjoys traveling and frequently lectures at national and international pain conferences, combining his love for education and traveling. When not in clinic, in procedures, or in the OR, he finds time to indulge his lifelong passions—playing soccer, guitar, and drums in his spare time. He also enjoys spending time with his wife and their two horses, supporting her equestrian hunter-jumper activities.
Benjamin French, MD
Resident Physician, Class of 2021; Chief Resident, 2020-2021
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: November 2020
Ben is one of the chief residents in the Department of Anesthesiology. He completed his undergraduate training in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, got his Masters in the History of Medicine from Oxford University, and received his MD from Columbia University.
He spent a year working for the CDC in Botswana after graduating from college and before receiving his Masters, where his research focused on novel ways to diagnose tuberculosis in HIV positive patients. Ben and his wife Hannah (OBGYN) couples matched at Washington University and have made a very happy life here, meeting some of their best friends in their respective residencies and thriving in the rich and challenging clinical environment at WashU.
Ben has served on the Resident Education Committee for the past three years and is passionate about resident education. He plans to pursue a fellowship in cardiothoracic anesthesiology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts next year.
In his spare time, Ben is an avid runner and has run numerous marathons and half marathons. He also enjoys cycling, spending time with his outstanding co-residents, and reading. He is currently on a Civil War and early American History bender and would love any recommendations!