Profiled

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: May 2025

Originally from Red Bud, Illinois, Hunter moved to St. Louis in 2013 to pursue his nursing education. He earned his BSN from Saint Louis University in 2017 and began his career in the Cardiothoracic ICU at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Building on that experience, he went on to complete his Doctor of Nursing Practice in Nurse Anesthesia from Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College in 2022.

Hunter now works primarily with the Division of Acute and Critical Care Surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and is a key member of the trauma anesthesia team. He actively contributes to the department's educational and wellness efforts—serving as a CRNA mentor, a PIA SAFE Champion, and Peer Advocate, while also helping guide scholarly projects at Goldfarb. He values the department’s emphasis on evidence-based learning and enjoys passing along knowledge to the next generation of providers. Hunter is especially drawn to the complexity and diversity of the patient population he cares for.

When he’s not at work, Hunter enjoys hiking, exploring new restaurants, reading, antiquing, traveling, and spending time with his friends and family.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: April 2023

Rasheeq was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and moved to Columbia, Missouri, at the age of two, when his family moved for his father's ophthalmology residency. He lived there for twenty years and attended the University of Missouri-Columbia for his undergraduate studies. He majored in biology and Spanish, and studied abroad twice in college: once in Santiago, Chile, and once at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. He was also involved in brain trauma research throughout his undergraduate career. His true interest was in service and he volunteered a significant amount of time with underserved children in Columbia and around the country. Rasheeq then attended the University of Virginia in Charlottesville for his medical education, initially planning to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue a career in ophthalmology. During a required third-year anesthesia rotation, however, he discovered his interest in the field while spending a half day with a chief resident on her PACU rotation. Rasheeq graduated in 2021 and came back home to Missouri for residency. Currently, his interests include cardiothoracic anesthesiology and regional anesthesia.

Rasheeq is the youngest of three siblings and a fourth-generation physician. His wife, Nadira, is an occupational therapy student at WashU and will also graduate in 2025. In his free time, Rasheeq enjoys touring St. Louis, trying new restaurants, hiking, and playing video games. His true passion, however, is in cooking and hosting dinner parties. Fun fact: he even wrote his personal statement for his residency application about the parallels between cooking and anesthesia!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: March 2021

Corrin graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with an undergraduate degree in accounting and completed her MBA at Webster University after starting full time in the Department of Anesthesiology where she's been for 10 years. Currently, Corrin oversees the department’s finance and billing operations.

"I absolutely love my job and all of the different and exciting missions of the department!" says Corrin.

She enjoys spending time with her family when she's not working, and they love to travel when they get the chance. She and her husband have one daughter, Addison, who is 2 and another daughter due in April.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: June 2023

Dr. Sydney Nykiel-Bailey is an associate professor of anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She completed her residency in anesthesiology at Washington University/BJC and completed a pediatric anesthesiology fellowship at Washington University/St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Dr. Nykiel-Bailey has been on faculty for 14 years and absolutely cherishes her time teaching and mentoring the residents. She serves as the associate program director for the anesthesia residency. She is currently completing a Masters of Health Education Program and is excited to bring this expertise to the anesthesia residency program. Outside of the hospital, Dr. Nykiel-Bailey spends her time with her wonderful family – her husband, Cory, and their two daughters, Lilliane and Gwyneth. They enjoy traveling and are looking forward to a family adventure to the Greek islands this summer.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: October 2019

Hilary earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Saint Louis University and her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Baylor College of Medicine. Her research project focus was on “Emotional Intelligence in Nurse Anesthesia Practice.” She enjoys wine and travel, aspires to be a foodie, and loves being an aunt.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: November 2019

Uchenna (Uche for short) jokingly refers to himself as “medical diplomat”, having received medical training that spans several continents. Uche obtained his primary medical degree from the University of Nigeria and holds a Master of Science degree in Clinical Research from Pennsylvania State University. He is trained in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Multispecialty Critical Care. He is an Associate Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Uche’s health services research studies health system-level and geographic variations in outcomes for critically ill patients. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, watching soccer, discussing current world affairs, and spending time with his wife and three kids.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: April 2023

Seantika joined WashU and the Department of Anesthesiology in August 2019. She is part of the research administration team as an accounting clerk for purchasing where she submits travel reports for PI’s, pays invoices, creates and approves orders, and handles day-by-day expenses for labs. Before joining WashU, Tika worked as a customer service manager and accountant for Walmart for five years while attending school at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, IL.

As a child, Seantika was born with a rare spine disorder and club foot, and she had to undergo over 20 surgeries before the age of 15. She uses a wheelchair to get around outside of her home for long distances and to support her spine. Despite this, she recently bought a car where she has hand controls installed for more freedom and independence!

Seantika is currently enrolled as a part-time student at WashU working toward a certification in Clinical Research Management. This past fall semester, she finished a financial accounting class to better develop her skills and knowledge of her current position in purchasing. In her free time, Tika loves perfecting her cosmetology skills as a makeup artist and she enjoys watching suspenseful series and movies on Netflix. She also enjoys home decorating for her new house in O’fallon, IL!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: July 2019

Arvind is the Division Chief and Professor of Obstetric Anesthesiology. Dr. Palanisamy completed his anesthesiology residency at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India followed by the FRCA degree from the Royal College of Anaesthetists in London. His current research interest is to understand the impact of maternal exposure to drugs (anesthetic agents, oxytocin) on fetal neurodevelopment. Though not an avowed omphaloskeptic, Dr. Palanisamy enjoys meditation, mindfulness, and a profound curiosity for all things under the sun and beyond.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: January 2020

Chris is from upstate New York and went to medical school at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY. He completed an emergency medicine residency at the University of Cincinnati and went on to complete a critical care medicine fellowship here at Washington University. Since 2014, Chris has been an Assistant Professor for the departments of Anesthesiology (Critical Care) and Emergency Medicine and currently serves as a Co-medical Director of the Tele-ICU. Chris is passionate about developing and implementing a robust, integrated telemedicine infrastructure throughout the BJC network to provide on demand acute care services to improve health care outcomes and operational efficiency. He is a rabid Virginia Tech & Buffalo Bills fan and enjoys traveling and drinking wine, ultimate frisbee, weightlifting, biking, landscaping, and playing with his two cats, Allie and Ruca. He and his wife, Caitlin, are thrilled to be expecting a baby girl in July!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: June 2021

Hess was born and raised in Southwest Florida. He eventually found his way to Miami, where he attended the University of Miami to complete his undergraduate studies. He would later go on to start his medical school education at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and remain to complete his anesthesiology residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Having been in Florida for the greater part of his adult life, he and his wife, Regina, decided it was time to head up “north” where she took a position at the CDC, and he started his fellowship in interventional pain at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Having spent close to a decade in Georgia practicing as an interventional pain physician, Hess and his wife started a new chapter and moved to St. Louis. Hess is an assistant professor in anesthesiology and pain management and practices interventional pain and general anesthesia at Barnes West County Hospital.

He and his wife are quite the “foodies” and love to travel try out all culinary hot spots they can find. Hess is a huge sports fan and loves everything and anything related to basketball and soccer. When not dealing with chronic pain patients or playing pick-up basketball, Hess spends the majority of his time trying to keep up with his 4-year-old daughter and 10-month-old son at the various West County playgrounds.