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
Whitney Payne
Grant Specialist I
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: September 2022
Whitney started at WashU in the Department of Anesthesiology pre-pandemic in 2020 as an Administrative Coordinator in the Division of Clinical and Translational Research. With the transition to working remotely, she began helping out in other parts of the department, finding a home with the research administration team, and she now has a shared role as a Grant Specialist I.
Whitney has worn many hats, from bartending to dog grooming to teaching. Most interestingly, she is, what she calls, a recovering archaeologist, and has her masters in bio-archaeology from Ole Miss. She spent this time excavating prehistoric and historic sites in the southeastern United States and doing stress-fueled rewrites of her thesis over and over.
Outside of work, Whitney enjoys hanging out with her husband, their one-year-old son, and their mutt, Baloo. When life is less chaotic, she likes to get outdoors for a hike with her hiking group, the Ladies of the Wilderness, and she is looking forward to her annual fall hiking trip.
Tiffany Peppers-Boster
Senior Administrator of Department/Division Operations
Department of Anesthesiology – FAS Employee of the Quarter: March 2024
Tiffany started working at WashU in 2009 at the Barnes-Jewish West County Pain Management office and in 2012 transferred to Pediatric Anesthesiology where she is currently the Senior Administrator of Department/Division Operations. Some highlights of her job include creating the faculty call schedules, onboarding new faculty, helping with daily scheduling, and making sure the office is running smoothly. Her favorite part of her job is working with her “Peds Family” and helping facilitate all the moving parts in the division.
She is married to her husband Tom and they have 3 children, Kennedy, Kayla, and James. She has two very spoiled fur babies (Gnocchi & Penne). She loves to travel, try new restaurants, go to Battlehawk games, read, and spend time with family and friends.
Tiffany hopes to continue growing in her role and to continue advancing her leadership skills. She is honored to work for such a supportive department!
Sarah Perez, CRNA
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist; Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology; Scheduling Coordinator for the Nurse Anesthesia Program
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: August 2024
Sarah began her educational journey at WashU earning her bachelor’s degree in biology. While at WashU, she played for the women’s soccer team receiving Offensive Player of the Year in 2001. She then received her master’s degree from DePaul University, MSN in anesthesia from Barnes-Jewish College, followed by a DNP from Chatham University. Sarah has been with the Department of Anesthesiology for 16 years serving as a CRNA, Assistant Professor, and Scheduling Coordinator for the Nurse Anesthesia Program.
On a personal note, Sarah was born and raised in St. Louis in a large family with five brothers. She is a very active mother of three children, ages 15 (Maddie), 13 (Gabbie), and 5 (William). In her free time, you’ll find her at dance competitions, soccer/basketball games, coaching youth soccer, boating at the lake, or driving carpools. Her soccer career was inspired by her dad, who at 70 still coaches youth soccer with her. Fun fact: Sarah played tennis in high school and won the Missouri State Championship all 4 years including the doubles championship for which she was recently inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame!
Ryan Pieterick, MD
Resident Physician, Class of 2023
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: April 2021
Ryan Pieterick, M.D. is a current CA-2 anesthesiology resident. Ryan is originally from Arvada, Colorado, and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, earning B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biomedical Sciences. He worked for an environmental engineering firm prior to attending the University of Colorado School of Medicine. During medical school, he was accepted to the selective South Africa Emergency Medicine Foundation and worked in a high volume, underserved trauma center in Khayalitsha, South Africa, for several months. After graduation, he completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Legacy Health in Portland, Oregon.
Ryan and his wife, Maggie, are avid outdoor enthusiasts and enjoy backpacking, skiing, surfing, hiking, camping, rock climbing, and traveling any chance they get. In addition, Ryan is a guitar player and singer/songwriter, and writes music in his free time. He was drawn to WashU by the diverse population, high volume of complex cases, and renowned critical care and trauma experience. In addition, his wife, an architect, is originally from St. Louis.
Ryan currently lives in the Tower Grove neighborhood of St. Louis, where he enjoys reading, spending time with his wife and friends, and playing fetch with his dog, Wooly. After graduation, he plans to join a private practice as a general clinical anesthesiologist.