Following a national search, it is our great privilege and pleasure to announce that Omokhaye Higo, MD, MBA, has been appointed as the inaugural vice-chair for innovation for Washington University’s Department of Anesthesiology, effective June 1, 2022.
As vice-chair for innovation, Dr. Higo will be tasked with leading innovative initiatives in the department by advancing the current perioperative telemedicine platform, with a view to consolidating the Anesthesiology Control Tower (ACT) and Recovery Control Tower (RCT). Dr. Higo will also work closely with departmental leaders and BJC partners, including those in telemedicine ICU, to create synergy among our department’s telemedicine initiatives. Through innovation, Dr. Higo will help drive strategic planning for the department and promote success in all four of our missions: clinical excellence, knowledge advancement, outstanding education, and professional development.
Dr. Higo has trained and practiced internationally at world-class academic medical centers. After graduating as a physician from the University of Ilorin in Nigeria, he worked as a Research Assistant at the prestigious St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, UK. He then completed his residency training in anesthesiology at Cook County Hospital in Chicago and subsequently moved to Scotland to work as an anesthesiologist at Raigmore Hospital. In 1998, Dr. Higo joined our Critical Care Medicine Fellowship program here at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. During the pandemic, Dr. Higo completed his Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) at Washington University’s Olin Business School. He did this successfully while carrying an enormous clinical load. During his EMBA, Dr. Higo gained a true appreciation of leadership. He will be using the skills he acquired in the EMBA program to build a transdisciplinary team focused on disruptive innovation.
Throughout his career, Dr. Higo has practiced in both private and academic settings as an intensivist and OR anesthesiologist and has held numerous leadership positions. Before returning to Washington University, he was the Medical Director in the Division of Anesthesiology at Mercy Hospital in Washington, MO. Based on his experiences across three continents as well as his exposure to multiple models of healthcare, Dr. Higo is uniquely positioned to drive innovation on strong entrepreneurial and operational foundations. In 2020, he became the Clinical Lead for POD 5, one of the busiest and highest acuity surgical PODs at Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH). In addition to the POD 5 leader role, he also currently works as an attending anesthesiologist in BJH operating rooms, as an intensivist in several ICUs across BJC, and as a pioneer in telehealth in the Anesthesiology Control Tower and in the Telemedicine ICU Center.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Higo on his appointment to this key leadership role in our department!
Higo appointed as vice-chair for innovation
