Profiled

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: October 2019

Nic is the web developer for the Department of Anesthesiology. He joined the Department IT group in 2003 as a member of the helpdesk before moving to web developer in 2013. He earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from Southeast Missouri State University. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Jill, and two kids, Emma and Lucas.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: October 2025

Lauren joined the department in January of 2023, starting as a Program Coordinator and advancing to her current role as the Assistant to the Chair. Her role is expansive, which keeps things dynamic and different every day. Some of her responsibilities include keeping the Chair’s calendar in check, coordinating faculty appointments and promotions, and facilitating department events. The ability to see the grand scale and inner workings of the department has provided her with a great understanding and passion for supporting all the mission areas that make up the department.

Lauren was born and raised in St. Louis and had the joy of working as a hospice music therapist for nearly 10 years before joining the Department of Anesthesiology. She still lives in St. Louis City with her husband, Will, their 20 month old son, Charlie, cats, Hector and Moira, and dog, Piper. She loves spending time with her family, going to local parks, watching scary movies, and listening to music.

 

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: September 2020

Dr. Lakshminarasimhachar is an Associate Professor and works in the Cardiothoracic and General Anesthesiology divisions. He is the POD leader in Parkview and also the Director of Resident Education. He grew up in Bangalore, the silicon valley of India, where he went to medical school. After completing my anesthesia residency in India, Dr. Lakshminarasimhachar went on to complete his FRCA from Kings College Hospital, London, where he did his Cardiac and Liver Transplant fellowships. He came to St. Louis in 2004 and has been working in the department for the last 16 years. His current interest is using Point of Care Ultrasound in the perioperative care of patients.

“It has been a wonderful journey and working with the residents and other trainees in our tertiary care center is a very rewarding experience,” said Dr. Lakshminarasimhachar. “The best thing about WashU is that all the specialties are under one roof and it is a one-stop-shop for training. Teaching is my passion, and there is no better place than WashU to teach – there are so many smart and dedicated residents around eagerly willing to learn.”

Dr. Lakshminarasimhachar is blessed with a very caring wife and two wonderful kids. In his free time, he loves to play tennis and listen to Indian classical music. He is also very interested in Indian philosophy and Yoga and has been teaching high school students for the last 2 years at a Sunday School in the Hindu Temple in St. Louis.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: October 2020

Amber was born and raised in a small-town (Perry, Missouri) up near Mark Twain Lake. She joined the department in 2013 after graduating from Goldfarb School of Nursing as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. She started her nursing career in critical care 20 years ago and pursued her master’s after my twins started kindergarten in 2010.

"I take pride in my ability to connect with my patients and try to always make the best of any situation," says Amber. "I serve as the Co-Director of the CTICU APP group and work really hard to ensure our environment is a sustainable, happy, and healthy work environment. I am honored to be part of such an amazing team."

In her spare time, Amber enjoys working on DYI projects, spending time with her twins (Hannah & Gavin), her dogs, friends, and family. She loves being outdoors, cooking, and traveling in her spare time.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: June 2020

Kim My Li is a CA-1 in the department. She was born in Pittsburgh, PA, and moved to Columbus, OH, when she was seven years old. She attended the Ohio State University for undergraduate education and the University of Cincinnati for medical school and was thrilled when she found out she matched to WashU for anesthesia residency. During her free time, she loves walking her 50lb. German Shepherd/Blue Heeler around Forest Park. She also loves cooking, baking when she has the chance, and hanging out with her co-residents.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: February 2022

Leslie has worked at WashU for 10 years, the majority of which she has worked for the Department of Anesthesiology. She currently works in the anesthesiology business office working as Senior Analyst of Finance and Planning. In her role, she oversees the account payable and payroll roles. Her duties include preparation of revenue and expense financial reports, forecasts and annual reports. Additionally, she prepares and verifies department accounting record entries and journals. Leslie also prepares presentations for quarterly division financial meetings and annual chairman presentations.

Fun fact - Leslie’s grandmother was the director of personnel in HR for 30 years. That is one of the reasons she was interested in working at WashU!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: April 2025

Dr. Stephanie Link joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an Assistant Professor in 2024. She completed medical training at Lincoln Memorial University, followed by an internal medicine residency and a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Saint Louis University. Dr. Link practices primarily at Belleville Memorial Hospital, where she was born and worked before medical school. She is grateful for the opportunity to serve the community that shaped her.

Outside of work, Dr. Link loves spending time with her nearby family and spoiling her poodle, Bentley. Her hobbies include creating art and working on a home renovation.

Qin Liu is a professor of anesthesiology at WashU Medicine. She joined the Department of Anesthesiology in 2012 following her postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her research was focused on the neurobiology of pain, itch, and mechanosensation. Recently, she has developed a keen interest in the sensory biology behind sneezing, coughing, and weeping.

Qin and her husband have a seven-year-old son who is active in hockey, tennis, and chess. Most weekends, she serves as her son’s Uber driver, driving him to various hockey games and chess tournaments. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and cooking. She has recently enrolled in tennis classes and plans to start playing tennis in 2026.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: July 2025

Dr. Lizzo is an assistant professor in the Division of Critical Care in the Department of Anesthesiology. She practices as an intensivist at multiple hospitals within the BJC system caring for critical patient populations in the community on the ground and in a telemedicine role. She also practices in the surgical ICUs at BJH, caring for complex patients and providing high quality medical education at the bedside with a focus on providing excellent patient centered care with compassion.

She grew up in the Chicago area and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for her undergraduate studies. She completed a Bachelor of Science in molecular & cellular biology there while beginning her journey into medicine as an EMT, volunteering in that capacity and teaching EMS courses. After finishing her undergraduate degree, she worked as a phlebotomist before ultimately going on to complete a Master of Arts in medical sciences from Loyola University Chicago and then added medical school at University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. She remained in Peoria for her residency in emergency medicine before going on to complete critical care fellowship at the University of Iowa, managing complex patients in multiple ICUs and doing additional training in ECMO and percutaneous tracheostomy during her training.

Dr. Lizzo enjoys traveling, a passion that began with a medical mission to San Jose, Costa Rica. Before starting her Master's, she taught English to children in Italy through a homestay program. She continues to travel internationally, immersing in local cultures, cuisines, and languages. She also enjoys decompressing with yoga, and spending time with family and friends.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: August 2023

Burk Loeliger, MD, is a CA-1 anesthesiology resident at Washington University. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, he grew up close to the Chesapeake Bay with a strong love of the water along with seafood—particularly Maryland's famous crabcakes. He completed undergraduate school at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and went on to medical school at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is very excited to be starting his journey into the world of anesthesia after recently completing his internship year. He enjoys any activity that gives him time out in nature, such as hiking, swimming, and sailing. He also loves exploring the local food scene, traveling when he can, as well as reading, watching TV shows, and playing video games. Fantasy and science fiction have always been his favorite genres.