Rebecca Speltz-Paiz, MD, PhD

Rebecca is a CA-2 resident in the Department of Anesthesiology at WashU Medicine. Originally from Central Wisconsin, she grew up as a competitive ice dancer, training intensively and eventually performing professionally with Disney On Ice. Over her three-year career with Disney, Rebecca toured extensively across the U.S. and Southeast Asia, visiting countries like Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and Malaysia.

Following a sports-related injury that ended her skating career, Rebecca shifted her focus to academics. She earned a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from Hamline University in Minnesota while working as a lab technician and junior scientist in pain research. Her passion for understanding pain mechanisms led her to the University of Minnesota, where she completed the Medical Scientist Training Program, earning both her MD and a PhD in neuroscience with a focus on basic pain research.

Now part of the ASAP training program at WashU Medicine, Rebecca is preparing to begin a fellowship in regional anesthesia in February. She plans to continue her research into pain modulation, specifically examining the spinal cord’s dorsal horn circuitry.