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
Ream Al-Hasani, PhD
Associate Professor, Anesthesiology
Ashley DuBois, CRNA
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Ivan Torres
Assistant Supervisor for Insurance Billing
Muthu Vijayasankar, MD
Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology
Featured Anesthesiology Department Members Archive
Belma Kulovac, MSN, CRNA
Nurse Anesthetist
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: October 2025
Belma Kulovac is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist from Charlotte, NC. Originally from Bosnia, she immigrated to the United States with her family at the age of seven, shortly after the war. Belma’s journey into healthcare began with earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UNC Charlotte in 2012, where she gained valuable experience working in a Level 1 Trauma ICU.
Her passion for anesthesia led her to Wake Forest University, where she earned her Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesia in 2020. During her graduate studies, she met and married her husband, Mirnes, and together they moved to St. Louis after her graduation.
Upon becoming a CRNA, Belma began her career at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, where she has enjoyed working in all the PODs on the main campus and various other BJH sites. This fall, she will transition to a permanent position at BJH West County while continuing to serve at off-site locations.
Outside of work, Belma is an avid foodie with a love for travel and new experiences. Whether exploring nature on a hike or discovering hidden gems at local coffee shops, she enjoys embracing new adventures. Belma and Mirnes are the proud parents of a baby boy, Bilal, and are excited to embark on this new chapter of their lives.
Nic Labbee
Web Developer
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: October 2019
Nic is the web developer for the Department of Anesthesiology. He joined the Department IT group in 2003 as a member of the helpdesk before moving to web developer in 2013. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Southeast Missouri State University. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Jill, and two kids, Emma and Lucas.
Lauren LaChance
Assistant to the Chair
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: October 2025
Lauren joined the department in January of 2023, starting as a Program Coordinator and advancing to her current role as the Assistant to the Chair. Her role is expansive, which keeps things dynamic and different every day. Some of her responsibilities include keeping the Chair’s calendar in check, coordinating faculty appointments and promotions, and facilitating department events. The ability to see the grand scale and inner workings of the department has provided her with a great understanding and passion for supporting all the mission areas that make up the department.
Lauren was born and raised in St. Louis and had the joy of working as a hospice music therapist for nearly 10 years before joining the Department of Anesthesiology. She still lives in St. Louis City with her husband, Will, their 20 month old son, Charlie, cats, Hector and Moira, and dog, Piper. She loves spending time with her family, going to local parks, watching scary movies, and listening to music.
Anand Lakshminarasimhachar, MD
Associate Professor, Anesthesiology
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: September 2020
Dr. Lakshminarasimhachar is an Associate Professor and works in the Cardiothoracic and General Anesthesiology divisions. He is the POD leader in Parkview and also the Director of Resident Education. He grew up in Bangalore, the silicon valley of India, where he went to medical school. After completing my anesthesia residency in India, Dr. Lakshminarasimhachar went on to complete his FRCA from Kings College Hospital, London, where he did his Cardiac and Liver Transplant fellowships. He came to St. Louis in 2004 and has been working in the department for the last 16 years. His current interest is using Point of Care Ultrasound in the perioperative care of patients.
“It has been a wonderful journey and working with the residents and other trainees in our tertiary care center is a very rewarding experience,” said Dr. Lakshminarasimhachar. “The best thing about WashU is that all the specialties are under one roof and it is a one-stop-shop for training. Teaching is my passion, and there is no better place than WashU to teach – there are so many smart and dedicated residents around eagerly willing to learn.”
Dr. Lakshminarasimhachar is blessed with a very caring wife and two wonderful kids. In his free time, he loves to play tennis and listen to Indian classical music. He is also very interested in Indian philosophy and Yoga and has been teaching high school students for the last 2 years at a Sunday School in the Hindu Temple in St. Louis.