Profiled

Department of Anesthesiology - FAS Employee of the Quarter: September 2024

Lisa began working at WashU Medicine in 2017 as the Executive Secretary for the Chief of the Division of General Anesthesiology. This marked a significant career shift after a 35-year tenure in banking, where she held a middle management role overseeing 150 bank branches across three states. Seeking a new challenge where she could rely more on her individual contributions, she transitioned into academia. Over the past seven years, Lisa has immersed herself in both the academic and clinical environments, finding the experience both challenging and rewarding as she continues to learn each day.

As the Division Administrator of Clinical Operations, Lisa oversees and supports the administrative staff working with the General, CT, Trauma, and Regional divisions, as well as the Directors of Clinical Operations. Additionally, she serves as the International Specialist for these divisions, collaborating closely with the HR Visa team to onboard international faculty and assisting visitors who wish to observe procedures in the ORs. Her role is centered on helping clinicians by minimizing their administrative burdens, allowing them to focus on their expertise.

On the personal side, Lisa has two children, a bonus son, and three grandchildren. Consistency has been a hallmark of her life—she has been married for 41 years and has lived in the same home for 39 of those years. She and her husband also built a two-bedroom cabin on 40 acres near Rolla, Missouri, which they frequent on weekends. Lisa treasures time spent with her local grandchildren, who live just 10 minutes away, although she wishes the others lived closer.

Lisa feels honored to be chosen as Employee of the Quarter and is grateful for the recognition.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: July 2021

Yolanda joined the research division as a grant specialist II in September, 2020. She assists with the pre- and post-award grant application process. The mother of two received her Masters in higher education from Saint Louis University, where she also worked as a financial specialist for over 15+ years. Outside of work, Yolanda loves writing about the “what-if’s” of life and hopes to see her work on The New York Times Best Sellers list.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: August 2020

Ruchik is a current CA-1 resident and was born in Chicago and grew up in Naperville, Illinois. He studied genetics, healthcare management, and American Culture here at Washington University. He received his MD from New York Medical College, where he concentrated in patient safety and quality improvement. In addition to joining a diverse and supportive academic department, he moved back from midtown Manhattan to St. Louis for residency knowing that he still had access to his favorite things: a large park, Whole Foods, and live music. In his free time he loves to eat pastries… and then run them off.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: September 2022

Whitney started at WashU in the Department of Anesthesiology pre-pandemic in 2020 as an Administrative Coordinator in the Division of Clinical and Translational Research. With the transition to working remotely, she began helping out in other parts of the department, finding a home with the research administration team, and she now has a shared role as a Grant Specialist I.

Whitney has worn many hats, from bartending to dog grooming to teaching. Most interestingly, she is, what she calls, a recovering archaeologist, and has her masters in bio-archaeology from Ole Miss. She spent this time excavating prehistoric and historic sites in the southeastern United States and doing stress-fueled rewrites of her thesis over and over.

Outside of work, Whitney enjoys hanging out with her husband, their one-year-old son, and their mutt, Baloo. When life is less chaotic, she likes to get outdoors for a hike with her hiking group, the Ladies of the Wilderness, and she is looking forward to her annual fall hiking trip.

Department of Anesthesiology – FAS Employee of the Quarter: March 2024

Tiffany started working at WashU in 2009 at the Barnes-Jewish West County Pain Management office and in 2012 transferred to Pediatric Anesthesiology where she is currently the Senior Administrator of Department/Division Operations. Some highlights of her job include creating the faculty call schedules, onboarding new faculty, helping with daily scheduling, and making sure the office is running smoothly. Her favorite part of her job is working with her “Peds Family” and helping facilitate all the moving parts in the division.

She is married to her husband Tom and they have 3 children, Kennedy, Kayla, and James. She has two very spoiled fur babies (Gnocchi & Penne). She loves to travel, try new restaurants, go to Battlehawk games, read, and spend time with family and friends.

Tiffany hopes to continue growing in her role and to continue advancing her leadership skills.  She is honored to work for such a supportive department!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: August 2024

Sarah began her educational journey at WashU earning her bachelor's degree in biology. While at WashU, she played for the women’s soccer team receiving Offensive Player of the Year in 2001. She then received her master's degree from DePaul University, MSN in anesthesia from Barnes-Jewish College, followed by a DNP from Chatham University. Sarah has been with the Department of Anesthesiology for 16 years serving as a CRNA, Assistant Professor, and Scheduling Coordinator for the Nurse Anesthesia Program.

On a personal note, Sarah was born and raised in St. Louis in a large family with five brothers. She is a very active mother of three children, ages 15 (Maddie), 13 (Gabbie), and 5 (William). In her free time, you'll find her at dance competitions, soccer/basketball games, coaching youth soccer, boating at the lake, or driving carpools. Her soccer career was inspired by her dad, who at 70 still coaches youth soccer with her. Fun fact: Sarah played tennis in high school and won the Missouri State Championship all 4 years including the doubles championship for which she was recently inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: April 2021

Ryan Pieterick, M.D. is a current CA-2 anesthesiology resident. Ryan is originally from Arvada, Colorado, and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, earning B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biomedical Sciences. He worked for an environmental engineering firm prior to attending the University of Colorado School of Medicine. During medical school, he was accepted to the selective South Africa Emergency Medicine Foundation and worked in a high volume, underserved trauma center in Khayalitsha, South Africa, for several months. After graduation, he completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Legacy Health in Portland, Oregon.

Ryan and his wife, Maggie, are avid outdoor enthusiasts and enjoy backpacking, skiing, surfing, hiking, camping, rock climbing, and traveling any chance they get. In addition, Ryan is a guitar player and singer/songwriter, and writes music in his free time. He was drawn to WashU by the diverse population, high volume of complex cases, and renowned critical care and trauma experience. In addition, his wife, an architect, is originally from St. Louis.

Ryan currently lives in the Tower Grove neighborhood of St. Louis, where he enjoys reading, spending time with his wife and friends, and playing fetch with his dog, Wooly. After graduation, he plans to join a private practice as a general clinical anesthesiologist.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: November 2024

Jeff is a nurse anesthetist at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, primarily working with Labor and Delivery (L&D). He earned his nursing degree from Saint Louis University and graduated as a CRNA from Goldfarb School of Nursing in 2000. Jeff has been with the WashU Medicine Department of Anesthesiology since 2007, spending 12 years at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital before transferring to L&D.

Jeff lives in Lake St. Louis with his wife, Amy, and their cat, Bob Ross. In their free time, they enjoy traveling to visit their three children in Chicago, North Carolina, and Kirksville, MO. Jeff is also an avid supporter of Chelsea FC and a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.

A fun fact about Jeff: he met Chuck Norris in New Orleans during Mardi Gras in 1994 and can confirm that he’s a nice guy.

Department of Anesthesiology – APP of the Quarter: June 2021

Melissa graduated with a BSN from the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith, in 2011 and obtained her MSN, Adult Gero Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) from the University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, in 2020. She has practiced as an RN in the SICU at Northwest Medical Center, Springdale, Arkansas, from 2011-2013 and the CVICU at Washington Regional Medical Center, Fayetteville, from 2013-2020. While at Washington Regional, Melissa served as Nurse Residency Facilitator and Critical Care Coordinator. Melissa joined the APP group in September 2020 and staff in the CTICUs.

Melissa was named the Q2 2021 APP of the Quarter! Her nominator says, "She is highly motivated and took initiative by looking up patients before her shifts and studying at home with any procedures or devices she wasn’t familiar with. You can tell she cares about her patients and is always advocating for them. She also is a great team player, and I know I can always count on her if I need help."