Clinical Accomplishments

  • Perioperative care for 126,000 procedural cases
  • Partnership in patient care with all WUSM clinical departments
  • ICU and telemedicine ICU care across the BJC hospitals
  • Extensive pain management across 4 BJC hospitals
  • Preoperative assessment and optimization of 53,600 patients across 3 BJC hospitals
  • Innovative perioperative telemedicine and machine learning decision support
    • Anesthesiology Control Tower helps detect emergencies before they arise (learn more)
  • Medical students and Anesthesiology clinicians reduced the carbon footprint of anesthesia gases by 60% and reduced costs. (learn more)
  • Anesthesiologist volunteers with group that treats Ukrainian pediatric burn patients (learn more)
  • Faculty member appointed Director of Anesthesiology of the Center for Advanced Medicine, South County (learn more)
  • New Division Chief of Progress West Hospital Division of Anesthesiology (learn more)
  • Faculty member elected to Executive Committee of the Faculty Council at the School of Medicine (learn more)
  • CRNA receives Excellence in Nursing Award from St. Louis Magazine (learn more)
  • Faculty member appointed inaugural Director of Clinical Informatics (learn more)

Research Accomplishments


Education Accomplishments

  • 11 specialty fellowships offered.
  • SRNA and APP advanced nursing training programs
  • Robust participation in medical student education
  • For the 10th consecutive year, department faculty lead Pharmacology education at the School of Medicine
  • Improved onboarding and orientation for the incoming PGY1s with expanded resources and educational topics to interns’ orientation to the department
  • Expanded Intern Curriculum in residency program with protected time and topics relevant to new trainees.
  • Protected didactic time for residents expanded from ½-day to full-day curricula
  • Assistant Professor selected as a member of the Academy of Educators at WUSM (learn more)
  • Residency Program welcomed 22 new residents (learn more)
  • Established the annual Pediatric Anesthesia Fellows Bootcamp (learn more)
  • ASAP Trainee selected as 2023 Dean’s Scholar (learn more)
  • Nurse Anesthesia program fully transitioned to a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.
  • 13 department members (7 faculty, 5 fellows, 1 resident) newly certified in Developing Expertise in Clinical Education Certificate Program

People & Culture

  • Talented and eclectic departmental leadership team (learn more)
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • Widespread recognition and impact National of RADAR (Raising Anesthesiology Diversity & Anti-Racism) initiative
    • Coordinated programming with the School of Medicine’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ODEI) for Diversity 1.0 – 4.0 module training, offered to all department members.
    • Launched the ODEI’s Understanding Systemic Racism curriculum for managers and leaders within the executive leadership team.
    • Established Equity Champions across the department (meet the champions)
    • Women of WUDA successfully launched with 120+ participating in inaugural retreat (learn more)
    • Peers in Anesthesiology Supporting a Fair Environment (PIA SAFE) continues to thrive and support its mission.
      • 70 Champions trained in upstanding, peer support and feedback.
      • Three in-person PIA-SAFE training sessions provided.
      • Two 10-wk educational curriculum programs established to train new champions.
      • Launched digital check-in application for department members.
  • Professional Development
    • Offer a cross-disciplinary professional development program, available to all department members throughout the year. Recently concluded its 4th cohort (learn more)
    • Established an internal Professional Development website with better access to department resources and others curated from the University and beyond.
  • Health & Wellness
    • Department leaders continue to establish and advance programs that build and transform our culture (learn more)
    • Established Wellness Champions across the department (meet the champions)
    • Quarterly well-being activities scheduled for all department members. Examples include therapeutic horticulture, group exercises, and sound baths.
    • Bi-monthly Health & Wellness Newsletter established: The Well-being Word
    • Department continues offering Calm resource to all department members
    • Wellness champions awarded with two Wellness Connection grants: one helped establish department fitness rooms and another will be used for a book club and lending library system.
    • New podcast series, the Well-developed Podcast, focused on well-being and professional development
    • Established Take 2 for the Team: a peer-to-peer digital gratitude tool
    • Changed all single-stall bathrooms to gender-neutral within the department to offer safe spaces for all to use.
  • Departmental participation in committee for the School of Medicine’s SAFE Reporting Program
  • Co-Sponsored the WashU Symposium on Women in Medicine and Science
  • Established workshops on trauma-informed care, empowered leadership, communication, professional identify formation, and more.
  • Launched Mayo Clinic Well-Being Index for faculty and clinicians.

Leadership

  • Head of Department elected to National Academy of Medicine (learn more)
  • Faculty member appointed to NIH advisory board (learn more)
  • Njoku named Wise Endowed Chair in Pediatric Anesthesiology (learn more)
  • Moron-Concepcion named Mallinckrodt Professor of Anesthesiology (learn more)
  • Faculty member elected to serve as the vice chair for the SOCCA Service Chiefs’ Advisory Council (learn more)
  • Faculty member appointed Chair-Elect of the Children’s Medical Executive Committee (learn more)
  • Professor and Director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program inducted as Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (learn more)
  • New Co-Executive Director Team announced (learn more)
  • Faculty member selected for AAMC’s Mid-Career Women Faculty Leadership program (learn more)
  • Faculty member serves as Chair of NeuPSIG – the Neuropathic Pain Special Interest group of the IASP, and Scientific Program Committee chair for the 8th International Congress on Neuropathic Pain (learn more)
  • CRNA earns Distinguished Alumni Award from Goldfarb School of Nursing (learn more)
  • Two CRNAs appointed Co-Directors of CRNA Mentorship Program (learn more)
  • Department members accepted into various programs in WashU’s Institute for Leadership Excellence Program:
    • Two APPs accepted into Coaching program (learn more)
    • Staff member accepted into Leadership Excellence and Development Program (learn more)
  • Department leaders visit Mandela exhibition and learn about his transformational leadership approach (learn more)
  • Department leaders participate in retreat focusing on leadership skills and strategic priorities for WUSM and WUDA (learn more)

Department Recognition

  • Six faculty honored with 2023 Dean’s Impact Award (learn more)
  • Two residents join the Missouri Society of Anesthesiologists’ Board of Residents (learn more)
  • Department leadership and several faculty members involved in WashU’s new AI for Health Institute (learn more)
  • Department recognized by the Office of Sustainability with silver award for reducing environmental footprint (learn more)

Other Department Initiatives

  • Anesthesiology Summer Research (ASSURE) fellowship graduates third cohort of students (learn more)
  • New Division of Trauma Anesthesiology established (learn more)