Profiled

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."

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: November 2019

Diana received her Masters Degree from Missouri State University and has been serving as chief CRNA at Barnes West County Hospital since 2015. Diana has two children; Cade age 9 and Evie age 7. Diana and her family love to travel the world together and completed a 7 week, 8 country trip across Asia, Australia and Central America. She and her husband, Wayne, recently opened a restaurant in Des Peres. In her spare time she enjoys reading, cooking, playing trivia and watching the Cardinals.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: December 2023

Debra Pulley, MD, is a Professor of Anesthesiology and she has been a member of the Department of Anesthesiology for many years.

Dr. Pulley's interest in medicine began when she worked as an environmental engineer, managing the proper handling of hazardous waste and learning about the toxic effects of chemicals. After medical school, she chose anesthesiology which led her to WashU!

She has worked in the operating rooms, labor/delivery, and the preoperative clinic CPAP. Dr. Pulley values her coworkers and enjoys the enthusiasm of new learners. Over the years, she has learned to appreciate both the resiliency and frailty of the human body, and has dedicated her career to treating patients during critical periods of their lives.

Dr. Pulley is a Midwesterner at heart but loves traveling to different regions of the country and taking easy hikes to scenic views. She also enjoys being a wife, mother of two, and grandmother to three energetic kids.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: June 2023

Waliah RaKhem is the Senior Research Administrator for the Department of Anesthesiology.  She has been in this role since 2020 and has worked in similar roles within various departments in her 20+ years with the university.  She has a Bachelor of Business from Drake University in Des Moines, IA, a Masters of Nonprofit Management from Washington University and has been a Certified Research Administrator (CRA) since 2015. Waliah is also one of the department’s Equity Champions working with the POWER office.

In her role as Senior Research Administrator, Waliah helps to guide her team’s focus on research grant submissions for the four Research Divisions of Anesthesiology, WUPC, DoCTR, DBR and CCP.  Her and her team work directly with Principal Investigators to ensure that they feel fully supported before, during and after the grant submission process. Being an Equity Champion allows for Waliah to offer her help in furthering the Schools mission in achieving a supportive environment for all who work here. “It’s work that is very close to my heart.”

A native St. Louisan, Waliah currently resides in University City. An avid movie watcher, she enjoys exercising, cooking, traveling, and spending time with friends.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: January 2025

Lesley Rao, MD, serves as Division Chief for Pain Management at WashU Medicine. Over the years, she has held multiple roles, including intern, resident, anesthesiologist, fellow, and Fellowship Program Director. She now splits her time among the outpatient chronic pain clinic, the inpatient acute pain service, anesthesiology in the CAM operating rooms, and administrative responsibilities.

Outside of medicine, Lesley is a passionate runner and an avid audiobook “reader.” She enjoys time with her husband and their three energetic boys. In addition, she coaches her youngest son’s second-grade basketball team, The Mangoes, where the season features memorable quotes like, “I’m really good at shooting, but not good at scoring,” and “can we work on dunking and 3-pointers?”

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: December 2019

David is a second year resident originally from St. Louis, MO who completed medical school at Saint Louis University. He is still undecided about what field to pursue a fellowship in, but he has enjoyed exploring different subspecialties during his CA-1 year. Outside of work, David enjoys brewing, cycling, hiking, and traveling. Currently, he is planning a trip to India for 2020.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: August 2023

Satish Reddy, MD, is an assistant professor in the Division of Pain Management within the Department of Anesthesiology. Satish grew up in Georgia before attending the University of Georgia, and later the Medical College of Georgia. He then completed his residency in 2015 and fellowship in 2016 at Washington University in St. Louis. During residency, he served as a chief resident. He spent several years in private practice before recently returning to St. Louis, where his wife is from.

Clinically he enjoys utilizing the wide breadth of interventional techniques to help treat chronic pain. He also enjoys the opportunities to work with trainees since returning to WashU. In his spare time, he enjoys revisiting the St. Louis dining scene and spending time with his family. He also enjoys traveling and has been to all seven continents.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: October 2025

Reid is a third-year anesthesiology resident at WashU Medicine. Growing up in Oklahoma, he competed as a junior Olympic gymnast which helped solidify his decision to pursue anesthesiology due to its combined individualistic and teamwork approach to patient care. Since moving to St. Louis, he has enjoyed frequenting local coffee shops, hanging out with his wonderful co-residents, and taste-testing the diverse cuisine in the area. He is passionate about mentorship/education and plans to pursue a career in pediatric anesthesiology following his training.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: June 2021

Andrea has been with the Department of Anesthesiology for almost three years. Her roles include clinical general and cardiac anesthesiology, patient safety and quality improvement director.

Andrea and her husband, Ryan, have two children (Harper and Elliot), a cat named Texas, and a dog named Gus. In her free time, Andrea enjoys outdoorsy recreation, like hiking, snowboarding, boating, and fishing.

She and her family have taken an interest in national parts recently, and are proud to have visited seven parks in 2021, including the Utah big 5!