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
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.
Jeff Piontek, CRNA
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: November 2024
Jeff is a nurse anesthetist at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, primarily working with Labor and Delivery (L&D). He earned his nursing degree from Saint Louis University and graduated as a CRNA from Goldfarb School of Nursing in 2000. Jeff has been with the WashU Medicine Department of Anesthesiology since 2007, spending 12 years at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital before transferring to L&D.
Jeff lives in Lake St. Louis with his wife, Amy, and their cat, Bob Ross. In their free time, they enjoy traveling to visit their three children in Chicago, North Carolina, and Kirksville, MO. Jeff is also an avid supporter of Chelsea FC and a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.
A fun fact about Jeff: he met Chuck Norris in New Orleans during Mardi Gras in 1994 and can confirm that he’s a nice guy.