People

Medical School: Duke University School of Medicine

Residency: WashU Medicine

Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology

Michelle joined the Department of Anesthesiology in 2015 as a nurse practitioner (NP) with critical care medicine. Her NP career initially began in 4400 Surgical/Burn/Trauma ICU but with the growth of the division, her career also expanded to 7800 SICU, eICU, Memorial Hospital Belleville, 8200 COVID ECMO, and a small amount of time at Christian Hospital Northeast to provide additional support during the COVID pandemic. Additionally, in 2019 she accepted an APP Leadership position at Memorial Hospital, Belleville.

Michelle says she is “grateful for the opportunity to take care of patients and families during some of the darkest days of their lives”, citing this as “a constant reminder that both humbles and inspires me to be grateful for everything I have each day.”

Within our department, she finds great joy in the expansion of our critical care APP group, citing these new opportunities to learn and work alongside such a diverse group of highly intelligent, culturally diverse, and engaged colleagues as a personal motivator to continue to improve her practice each day.

Michelle was named the Q2 2023 APP of the Quarter! Her nominator says, "Michelle is a great teammate, leader, patient advocate, and friend. She truly cares about our ICU as one that not only delivers quality care to our patients, but that's great to work in as well."

Outside of work, Michelle is engaged with her spouse, young family (children ages 8, 5, 2), and dog.  She has newly adopted yoga as a daily practice both to challenge her body physically and to release some of the emotional stress brought on by caring for critically ill patients.

Fun fact, Michelle grew up in a small town in southern Illinois - so small that the entire town’s population is less than half that of the BJH patient bed capacity.

Department of Anesthesiology APP of the Quarter: June 2023

Michelle joined the Department of Anesthesiology in 2015 as a nurse practitioner (NP) with critical care medicine. Her NP career initially began in 4400 Surgical/Burn/Trauma ICU but with the growth of the division, her career also expanded to 7800 SICU, eICU, Memorial Hospital Belleville, 8200 COVID ECMO, and a small amount of time at Christian Hospital Northeast to provide additional support during the COVID pandemic. Additionally, in 2019 she accepted an APP Leadership position at Memorial Hospital, Belleville.

Michelle says she is “grateful for the opportunity to take care of patients and families during some of the darkest days of their lives”, citing this as “a constant reminder that both humbles and inspires me to be grateful for everything I have each day.”

Within our department, she finds great joy in the expansion of our critical care APP group, citing these new opportunities to learn and work alongside such a diverse group of highly intelligent, culturally diverse, and engaged colleagues as a personal motivator to continue to improve her practice each day.

Michelle was named the Q2 2023 APP of the Quarter! Her nominator says, "Michelle is a great teammate, leader, patient advocate, and friend. She truly cares about our ICU as one that not only delivers quality care to our patients, but that's great to work in as well."

Outside of work, Michelle is engaged with her spouse, young family (children ages 8, 5, 2), and dog.  She has newly adopted yoga as a daily practice both to challenge her body physically and to release some of the emotional stress brought on by caring for critically ill patients.

Fun fact, Michelle grew up in a small town in southern Illinois - so small that the entire town’s population is less than half that of the BJH patient bed capacity.

Critical Care Division

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: November 2025

Kara began her career in healthcare at Retina Specialists after moving from central Illinois to Missouri following college. There, she worked as a certified ophthalmic scribe and research coordinator. During that time, she discovered her passion for working with medical trainees—particularly retina fellows—which led her to join WashU Medicine in February 2020, just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kara now serves as the Fellowship Coordinator for Anesthesiology Critical Care, with her role also extending into Surgery Critical Care—and she proudly claims those six surgery fellows as her own.

She finds her work deeply rewarding and often says she’s making an impact by helping to train the next generation of ICU physicians. Known affectionately as the “mom” of the ACCM and SCC fellows, Kara is recognized for her kindness, encouragement, and practical wisdom. As she likes to say, “Everyone needs someone rooting for them, no matter how old they are.”

Outside of work, Kara stays busy with her two sons, ages 10 and 8, who are active in multiple sports—especially wrestling, where both have earned state medals at a young age. At home, her family also fosters pets in need, and they currently care for a foster cat through The Cat Network STL. Kara encourages anyone looking for a furry companion to consider adopting through the organization.