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
Christy Boyle, CRNA, DNP
Nurse Anesthetist
Jeff Goff
Research Technician
Jena Isaacson
Clinical Informaticist
Andrew Wilkey, MD
Resident Physician
Featured Anesthesiology Department Members Archive
Cody Bailey, MD
Resident Physician, Class of 2027
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: January 2025
Cody is a CA-1 resident in the Department of Anesthesiology at WashU Medicine. A Southern Illinois native, he earned his bachelor’s degree in physiology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and his medical degree from the SIU School of Medicine.
In his free time, Cody enjoys swimming, playing video games, and hanging out with his cat, Iroh. A fun fact about Cody: he spent eight years coaching summer league, club, and high school swimming while completing his undergraduate and medical studies.
Amy Barrett, CRNA
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: December 2025
Amy grew up in central Illinois and received her BSN from Millikin University. After college, she moved to St. Louis where she worked at Saint Louis University Hospital in the trauma/surgical ICU. She earned her MSN from Webster University and started working for WashU Medicine as a CRNA in 2010. She floated to all of the OR pods and did OB anesthesia at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Missouri Baptist for several years before ultimately choosing POD 1 as her home. In 2022, she transferred to Barnes-Jewish West County and is one of the core CRNAs at the surgery center.
Outside of work, Amy enjoys traveling, reading, trying new restaurants, staying active, and spending time with friends and family.
Andy Benckendorf, MD
Resident Physician, Class of 2028
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: March 2025
Andy is currently an intern in the Department of Anesthesiology. A St. Louis native, he grew up in south city before completing both his bachelor’s degree at WashU and Medical Doctor at WashU Medicine, and joining the residency program in 2024. Andy is passionate about education and equitable access to care, himself a product of WashU’s medical education outreach programs. He is still open to many subspecialty paths, and has developed a particular interest in pediatric anesthesiology. He is certain, however, that medical education will remain a large part of his career, and is involved with projects in anesthesiology education at WashU and UM.
Outside of the hospital, Andy tries to stay active and outdoors – favorites include biking, hiking, skiing, and taking walks to look at historic architecture. He has been a member at the Missouri Botanical Gardens for two decades and religiously attends its events. Andy has 2 cats, bakes sourdough bread, and is a tea snob. He and his partner enjoy spending time with family, especially their niece and nephews.
Richard Benzinger, MD, PhD
Interim Vice Chair for Education
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: July 2024
Richard Benzinger, MD, PhD, currently serves as Interim Vice Chair for Education for the Department of Anesthesiology. He grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, where he learned to drive cars with manual transmissions on hilly streets. He received his BS in biology from the California Institute of Technology in 1993, followed by a PhD in neurobiology and an MD from the University of Chicago. He joined our department as a resident in 2001, couples-matching with his wife Tammie, who is now the Hugh Wilson Professor of Radiology. Dr. Benzinger has made invaluable contributions to our team, including serving as Chief Resident, the William Owens Research Fellow in Anesthesiology, and the residency program director from 2011 to 2018. Clinically, he is a member of the liver transplant team and works in the CPAP clinic. Outside the OR, he enjoys working on his house, traveling, and caring for his collection of geriatric cats.