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
Léa Becker, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Marissa Caruso, AGACNP
Nurse Practitioner
Paul Knocke
Division Administrator
Hero Robles, MD
Resident Physician
Featured Anesthesiology Department Members Archive
Meredith Fenley, CRNA
POD 3 CRNA Leader
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: July 2024
Meredith joined the department in 2018 after Graduating from the Goldfarb School of Nursing with her master’s degree in anesthesia. Meredith is currently a pod leader in Pod 3 with the cardiothoracic and vascular teams.
Meredith grew up in St. Louis and returned home after graduating from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where she played field hockey. She currently lives in Webster Groves with her husband, son, and 2 dogs. In her free time, outside of work, Meredith is an avid boxer and golfer, and loves to travel with her family!
Daniel Fernandez, MD
Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: September 2023
Dr. Daniel Fernandez is an Assistant Professor in the Divisions of Regional & Ambulatory Anesthesiology and General Anesthesiology in the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine.
Dr. Fernandez is a proud St. Louis native, returning after attending Southern Methodist University for his undergraduate studies in chemistry and biology before completing medical school at Indiana University. He graduated from the Washington University School of Medicine Anesthesiology Residency Program in 2020 and stayed to complete his fellowship in Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain in 2021. He joined as faculty, and divides his time between the academic campus downtown and many of the community sites. He is also a Pod Leader in the ORs at the academic campus focusing on orthopedic, general, trauma, and plastic surgery working with surgeons and perioperative partners to improve patient care. He is passionate about bedside teaching, especially regional anesthesia.
Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Michelle, and their dog, Buster. His hobbies include cooking, brewing beer, relaxing with video games (he swears it helps with his ultrasound guided blocks), and 3D printing.
Gabrielle Fernandez, MD
Resident Physician, Class of 2026
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: August 2024
Gabrielle is a CA-2 anesthesiology resident and was born and raised in St. Louis. She earned her BA at Miami University in Oxford, OH, studying psychology and Spanish linguistics. She then earned her MD at the University of Toledo. She is enjoying making connections and delving deeper into the field of anesthesiology here at WashU Medicine.
Outside of work, Gabrielle spends much of her time between her kitchen and Tower Grove Park. She enjoys concerts and traveling, and she is teaching herself how to grow tomatoes and speak Italian.
Katherine Fesler, CRNA
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: June 2020
Katie was born and raised in St. Louis. She went to undergraduate school at Mizzou and graduate school at Webster University. Katie has been with the department since 2011. Initially, she rotated between adults and pediatrics, but PEDs has been her home for the last 8 years. She lives in Brentwood with her husband Adam, their two kids Ethan (5), Addie (3), and their golden retriever, Truman. She and her family enjoy traveling, biking, spending weekends at her family lake house, and cheering on the Cardinals.