People

Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: April 2025

Jacob (Jake) is a first-year anesthesiology resident at WashU Medicine. A Missouri native, he grew up in Cape Girardeau, just 100 miles south of St. Louis, where he spent many weekends at Busch Stadium cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from Vanderbilt University and completed medical school at the University of Colorado. Thrilled to return to Missouri, Jake values the opportunity to continue his medical education at a top institution close to friends and family.

Jake’s medical interests include sustainability within anesthesiology, focusing on reducing environmental impact while delivering high-quality patient care. While keeping an open mind about subspecialties, he is developing an interest in cardiothoracic anesthesia.

Outside of medicine, Jake stays active through cycling, tennis, and discovering new coffee shops around St. Louis. This spring, he and his wife are working on starting a vegetable garden. A devoted Cardinals fan, he never misses a chance to catch a live game and aims to visit every Major League Baseball stadium—he’s already checked off 12 of 30!

Admin: Wendy Knirr

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: June 2020

David was raised on his family’s farm near Troy, MO, (about an hour northwest of Barnes-Jewish hospital), and his parents still live on the farm planting crops and raising cattle. David had a great childhood playing lots of sports, working around the farm, and spending time with family – all things he still enjoys. David followed in the footsteps of his brother and two sisters and attended the University of Missouri. After a short stint as a respiratory therapist, he attended Saint Louis University for his BSN and then, ultimately, on to Goldfarb School of Nursing for the Nurse Anesthesia program. David joined the CRNA group in 2009 after his graduation and considers it one of the best decisions of his life because of the great people he has met and worked with. He recently took on the role of Director of CRNA Activities, which he considers an honor and a privilege. The other best decision of his life was marrying his wife Kahra and having three wonderful kids: Owen (11), Helene (9), and Barrett (6). He spends much of his free time with his family and coaching three of his kids' sports teams. He loves being active and being outside and looks forward to lighting the grill every Sunday afternoon for his weekly “meal prep.”

LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine

Medical School: University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Medicine

Residency: Penn State — Anesthesiology; Ohio State — Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology