Three Department of Anesthesiology faculty members — Jessica Nelson, MD; Aysu Salviz, MD; and Rebecca Young, MD — were recently inducted into the Academy of Educators at WashU Medicine, recognizing their contributions to education and their commitment to developing the next generation of healthcare professionals.
The faculty members were formally inducted during the Academy’s annual meeting, Education Day, held Oct. 8, 2026.
The Academy of Educators is an institutional collaboration of educators at WashU Medicine dedicated to fostering a culture of educational excellence and supporting leaders in health sciences education. As the faculty development division of the Office of Education, the Academy provides programs, workshops, grants and awards designed to support educators’ continued growth and development.
In addition to the induction ceremony, current Academy member and associate professor of anesthesiology, Amjad Musleh, MD, was one of three WashU Medicine faculty members honored with the Exemplary Educator Award at this year’s Education Day. Established in 2022, the Exemplary Educator Award recognizes faculty who are actively building a legacy as educators through contributions in educational service, leadership, and scholarship.
Musleh’s recognition in tandem with the induction of Nelson, Salviz and Young highlights the breadth of educational work taking place across the Department of Anesthesiology. Through fellowship training, resident and medical student education, procedural instruction and faculty development, each brings a distinct perspective to the shared goal of strengthening education across the department.
Jessica Nelson, MD
Nelson is an associate professor with joint appointments in the departments of Anesthesiology and Emergency Medicine. She serves as associate program director of the Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine Fellowship, co-director of the Surgical Critical Care Advanced Clinical Rotation and co-director of the SICU Keystone-Integrated Science Course. Through these roles, she contributes to the education of fellows, medical students and other trainees in critical care medicine.
Nelson has been involved in medical education throughout her career at WashU Medicine, including bedside teaching, curriculum development and trainee mentorship. Prior to joining WashU Medicine as faculty in 2018, Nelson earned her medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School followed by an emergency medicine residency at the University of Cincinnati and a critical care medicine fellowship at the University of Colorado.
Emine Aysu Salviz, MD, ESRA-DRA
Salviz is an assistant professor of anesthesiology at WashU Medicine, specializing in regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine.
She joined WashU Medicine in 2021 and has more than 20 years of experience in anesthesiology and academic medicine. Salviz earned her medical degree from Baskent University Medical Faculty in Ankara, Türkiye, and completed her anesthesiology residency at Ankara University Medical Faculty. Following residency, she completed an observership at Papworth Hospital in the United Kingdom and a NYSORA research fellowship in New York City, where she focused on regional anesthesia and analgesia.
Salviz is actively involved in resident and fellow education and serves as associate fellowship director for Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine. She has completed “Teach the Teacher/Instructor” courses and has organized, moderated and presented at national and international meetings, as well as instructed at cadaver and clinical regional anesthesia and analgesia workshops. She also received the department’s Outstanding Teacher Award in 2023.
Rebecca Young, MD
Young is an associate professor of anesthesiology in the Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology and director of the Pediatric Anesthesiology Education Partnership. Her educational work spans fellowship and residency training, medical student education and clinical shadowing experiences for undergraduate and graduate students participating in the department’s Anesthesiology Summer Research (ASSURE) Fellowship Program.
Young has developed and directed several educational initiatives, including the pediatric anesthesiology fellowship curriculum and a hands-on workshop series that prepares fellows with the clinical knowledge and technical skills needed for the specialty. She also directs the pediatric anesthesiology residency rotation and provides bedside instruction and simulation-based training for residents and fellows. Young joined WashU Medicine in 2013 after completing her anesthesiology residency at the University of Kentucky and a pediatric anesthesiology fellowship at WashU Medicine.