People

Medical School: A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine (KCOM)

Residency: Naval Medical Center San Diego

Medical School: Louisiana State University
Internship: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: August 2023

Elvira Sayfutdinova, MSN, CRNA, was born and raised in Kazan, Russia. Before immigrating to the U.S. in 2011, she majored in English and Chinese for three years with the goal of becoming a translator. Her initial plan was to come to the U.S. for three months to improve her English and then go back to Russia to finish her education. A 19-year-old Elvira landed in Newark airport and got her first job on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. After three months, she decided to stay in America and moved to St. Louis to continue her undergraduate education. Elvira changed her major and earned her BSN in Nursing from Maryville University in 2016. She worked at St. Joseph’s Health Center in St. Charles as an ICU nurse before pursuing her career in anesthesiology. Elvira earned her MSN in Nurse Anesthesia at Goldfarb School of Nursing in 2020. She has been practicing as a CRNA with the Department of Anesthesiology since February of 2021. Her educational and clinical interests include adult and pediatric anesthesiology. Elvira practices at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Barnes Jewish Hospital, and Children's Specialty Care Centers. Outside of her clinical duties, Elvira co-directs the WashU CRNA Mentorship Program. She is passionate about health and wellness, longevity, and lifelong learning. When not at work, you can find Elvira at the gym or traveling to a new destination!

Medical School: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: April 2026

Dr. Schaffer moved frequently while growing up, relocating nine times before spending most of high school in San Antonio, TX. In 2014, he moved to St. Louis, where he played soccer for the WashU Bears and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry. He later went on to earn his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Outside of medicine, he enjoys playing soccer, reading, history, and spending time with his wife and dog. He plans to pursue a critical care fellowship after residency and hopes to remain in St. Louis for training before fulfilling his service commitment with the U.S. Navy through the Health Professions Scholarship Program.

Meet Elizabeth Schappe, one of our Wellness Champions and CRNA pod leaders in PVT. Elizabeth serves the PVT ORs and the OB anesthesia team. She recently won a grant from the Washington University Wellness Program for exercise equipment for the department and hopes to have an exercise room in PVT by the end of 2022.

Aside from work, Elizabeth spends most of her free time exploring the outdoors with her husband and three children.