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
Catherine Gould, PA-C
Physician Assistant
Parita Jani, MD
ACTA Fellow
Sherry McKinnon
Manager of Clinical Research, Regulatory and Compliance
Andrew Schaffer, MD
Resident Physician
Featured Anesthesiology Department Members Archive
Patrick Yursik
Director of Marketing & Communications
Department of Anesthesiology FAS Employee of the Quarter: September 2020 & March 2022
As the Director of Marketing & Communications, Patrick has dedicated over a decade to WashU, with prior experience at University College (now WashU CAPS). He joined the department in 2019 and in his current role, he leads comprehensive communications and marketing strategies designed to enhance the Department’s visibility and reputation across its clinical, educational, research, and cultural missions.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Patrick is a devoted family man who enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. His hobbies include playing competitive volleyball, gardening, cycling, tackling home improvement projects, and grilling. He has also developed a passion for the St. Louis CITY MLS team and is a music aficionado who frequents live concerts whenever possible. Fun fact: he once dabbled in concert photography—initially as a clever way to secure front-row seats.
Anita Zimmerman, MD
Assistant Professor, Pediatric Anesthesiology
Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: December 2022
Anita Zimmerman is a pediatric anesthesiologist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She grew up in Chicago and graduated with her MD from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Knowing she would end up in pediatric anesthesiology, she completed a preliminary year in pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin before her anesthesiology residency at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. After discovering what a gem the SLCH pediatric anesthesia division was during her fellowship, she decided to stay on as faculty at WashU.
Anita loves taking care of children and especially appreciates the wide variety of cases seen in the pediatric operating rooms. She has special interests in pediatric regional anesthesia and fetal anesthesia. She routinely participates in educational activities including being co-director of the general anesthesiology advanced core rotation for fourth-year medical students, co-leading the pediatric anesthesia oral board review course, as well as providing content for the WashU pediatric anesthesia Instagram page (follow @washu_pedsanest!)
Outside of the hospital, Anita enjoys the foodie scene in St. Louis with her husband, Andrew. They are expecting their first child this December 2022 and their bernedoodle, Kiwi, is not happy about it.