Profiled

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.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: November 2019

Megan is a third year resident from southeast Michigan, re-establishing her home in the Midwest after spending four years of medical school at Duke University. When not working on house renovation projects, Megan and her fiancé are planning international trips such as their upcoming visit to Finland. She also loves reading all genres, especially historical fiction and has continued a lifetime of dance in St. Louis with an adult ballet class. One of her favorite aspects of residency at BJH is working on a quality improvement project for perioperative blood management. She plans to pursue a career in pediatric anesthesiology.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: September 2025

Alexis has been a member of the department since 2018 and is currently serving as Project Coordinator in Division of Critical Care Medicine. In her role, she creates and manages ICU resident schedules, coordinates medical student rotations in the CTICU, and supports a variety of administrative projects as the division continues to grow. Prior to joining the department, Alexis studied Heath Sciences and Psychology at Mizzou.

Earlier this year, she welcomed her first baby, Sonny, on Valentine’s Day, and when she’s not at work, she’s exploring the outdoors and checking National Parks off her family’s travel list—Yosemite is next!

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.

Shaan Patel, MD, MPH, is currently a CA-2 Anesthesiology resident at WashU Medicine. Born in Oklahoma City, he completed his undergraduate and medical degrees through the six-year BA/MD program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) and later earned a Master of Public Health in New York City at Columbia University. He is in the process of completing his anesthesiology residency at WashU Medicine, where he chose to remain for his subspecialty fellowship training in Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology.

Outside of the hospital, Shaan is a dedicated Kansas City Chiefs and OKC Thunder fan who enjoys playing basketball and pickleball. Shaan loves to travel internationally and trying the local food scene with his wife, Karina, who is also a resident in the department. They also enjoy walking their dog, Rocky, in various parks throughout the city.

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.