Dear colleagues,
We are proud to announce that Jason R. Gillihan, MD, MBA, has been appointed chief medical officer (CMO) of Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital (BJWCH) paired with an Associate CMO role at Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH), where his efforts will be directed to perioperative services. These appointments come at a critical time, as Greg Branham, MD, the current CMO of BJWCH, steps down after seven years of service to the hospital. This also coincides with Angelleen Peters-Lewis, PhD, assuming the role of president of BJWCH from Greg Patterson on July 1, 2024.
Gillihan completed his Medical Degree and internship in internal medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine before his residency in anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where he served as chief resident in his final year of training. Following residency, Gillihan spent time in private practice in southern Illinois, before returning to the Department of Anesthesiology at WashU Medicine in 2013. Upon his return, Gillihan focused his efforts on growing the department’s Division of Trauma Anesthesia, establishing not only the resident rotation in trauma but also the trauma anesthesia fellowship. He eventually became section chief of trauma and the associate director of clinical anesthesiology, partnering closely with Ivan Kangrga, MD, PhD, director of clinical anesthesiology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. In 2019, Gillihan assumed the role of division chief of anesthesiology at BJWCH, leading the move into the sprawling new medical campus in November of that year. Gillihan graduated from Olin Business School in May of 2023 with an Executive MBA and soon after took on the role of co-chair of the Clinical Operations Subgroup of the BJC Perioperative Oversight Committee. He currently holds the positions of professor of anesthesiology and chief of staff-elect of the medical staff at BJWCH, having previously served as treasurer.
“Throughout Dr. Gillihan’s journey in our department, he has been an exceptional clinician, a mentor to many, a transformational leader, and a collaborative colleague,” said Michael S. Avidan, MBBCh, the Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor of Anesthesiology and head of the Department of Anesthesiology. “He has been steadfast in his commitment to promoting a welcoming climate in the perioperative environments.”
Externally, Gillihan serves on several committees and boards, including medical director for Goldfarb College of Nursing’s Nurse Anesthesia Program, vice president of the Trauma Anesthesiology Society, and treasurer of the SIU School of Medicine Alumni Board of Governors.
Notably, Gillihan served 23 years in the U.S. Army, both as an enlisted soldier and then as a commissioned officer, before retiring in 2016. He is a veteran with deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He served as the Battalion Flight Surgeon with the 1/140th Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, stationed at Balad Air Base, Iraq, from 2010-2011. He later served as an Anesthesiologist, assigned to Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from 2013-2014. His military career included command leadership at multiple levels, and he was a recognized with numerous awards and citations across his more than two decades of uniformed service.
Avidan added, “We all wish Dr. Gillihan every success as he embarks on this exciting new leadership path. As we forge ever closer links between WashU Medicine and BJC, leaders like Dr. Gillihan will play seminal roles in contributing to the many successes and accomplishments of both organizations and their communities.”
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Gillihan as he assumes these new roles as chief medical officer of BJWCH and associate chief medical officer at BJH. We look forward to his continued service in the Department of Anesthesiology and to the health system as an executive leader within BJC.
With very warm wishes,
Michael
Michael S. Avidan, MBBCh, FCASA
Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor of Anesthesiology
Head of the Department of Anesthesiology
Professor of Anesthesiology, Psychiatry, and Surgery
Anesthesiologist-in-Chief, Barnes-Jewish Hospital