We are pleased to announce the appointment of Kate Gurba, MD, PhD, as the Director of Acute Pain in the Pain Management Division.
Dr. Gurba is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where she earned her MD and her PhD in Neuroscience. She completed her anesthesiology residency in our department (2014-2018) as a part of the WU Scholars Program, during which, she focused her research on preclinical models of non-opioid drug development. She then continued into a 2-year combined clinical/research fellowship in Pain Management at Washington University, where she continued to thrive as both a researcher and clinician.
As a 2-year fellow, she worked as a researcher, attending anesthesiologist and clinical pain fellow. During this time, she distinguished herself as a leader among her peers through consistent commitment to her patients and colleagues, clarity of thought, and her ability to coordinate complex staffing and patient care needs. Following her fellowship, Dr. Gurba joined the faculty of the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University as an Assistant Professor in 2020.
Dr. Gurba has made significant contributions to the Acute Pain Service as a fellow, and even more so with her work as an attending on the service over the past year. She consistently demonstrates dedication to resident education and wellbeing, commitment to patient care, and skill as a researcher. She has identified opportunities to reinforce and advance current acute pain care, expand services, and improve staffing.
Dr. Gurba’s appointment as Director of Acute Pain Management will be effective immediately. Please join us in congratulating her on her new role.
Lesley K. Rao, MD
Interim Chief of the Division of Pain Management
Department of Anesthesiology
Robert W. Gereau IV, PhD
Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor of Anesthesiology
Vice Chair for Research, Department of Anesthesiology
Director, Washington University Pain Center
Michael S. Avidan, MBBCh, FCASA
Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor of Anesthesiology
Head of the Department of Anesthesiology
Anesthesiologist-in-Chief, Barnes-Jewish Hospital