Profiled

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: October 2024

Ben is a pediatric anesthesiologist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Shriners Children’s St. Louis. Originally from Ohio, Ben moved east to attend Colgate University, where he majored in music. After college, he taught middle school in NYC through Teach for America and interned at the Institute of Music and Neurologic Function, where he was inspired to pursue a medical career that blended his love for music with helping kids.

At WashU Medicine, Ben is the principal investigator of the DEAP Music Trial, a multi-center study examining the use of personalized music to reduce emergence agitation in pediatric patients. He is completing a master’s degree in clinical investigation with the hope of developing a collaborative research consortium focused on music and pediatric medicine. He also helped launch the Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology’s infant spinal anesthesia program.

Outside of work, Ben enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, wrestling his dog, making music, and hanging out with his U. City neighbors. He’s also an enthusiastic bike commuter who dreams of one day being able to change a flat tire without needing moral support.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: August 2023

Elvira Sayfutdinova, MSN, CRNA, was born and raised in Kazan, Russia. Before immigrating to the U.S. in 2011, she majored in English and Chinese for three years with the goal of becoming a translator. Her initial plan was to come to the U.S. for three months to improve her English and then go back to Russia to finish her education. A 19-year-old Elvira landed in Newark airport and got her first job on the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. After three months, she decided to stay in America and moved to St. Louis to continue her undergraduate education. Elvira changed her major and earned her BSN in Nursing from Maryville University in 2016. She worked at St. Joseph’s Health Center in St. Charles as an ICU nurse before pursuing her career in anesthesiology. Elvira earned her MSN in Nurse Anesthesia at Goldfarb School of Nursing in 2020. She has been practicing as a CRNA with the Department of Anesthesiology since February of 2021. Her educational and clinical interests include adult and pediatric anesthesiology. Elvira practices at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Barnes Jewish Hospital, and Children's Specialty Care Centers. Outside of her clinical duties, Elvira co-directs the WashU CRNA Mentorship Program. She is passionate about health and wellness, longevity, and lifelong learning. When not at work, you can find Elvira at the gym or traveling to a new destination!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: June 2024

Elizabeth joined the Department of Anesthesia in 2017 after graduating from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville with her master’s degree in anesthesia. Elizabeth is currently a pod leader in Parkview Tower and part of the OB anesthesia team. In addition to her clinical roles, Elizabeth is part of the anesthesia Green Team. The Green Team promotes sustainable anesthesia practices which reduce waste and carbon emissions.

Though Elizabeth was born in Germany, and grew up in Iowa, she attended high school in St. Louis, and thus, considers herself a true St. Louisan. She currently lives in Webster Groves with her husband and their three children. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and spending time with her family. On her most recent hike in the Smokey Mountains she saw four black bears!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: December 2025

Elisabeth (Liz) joined the Department of Anesthesiology in April 2021 and currently serves as Manager of Coding and Compliance for the entire department, including general anesthesia, pain management, and critical care medicine. In this role, she oversees timely coding and charge submission across all service lines, ensures accurate capture of missing charges, supports coding staff and division administrators, and verifies that provider documentation is complete and compliant. She also provides billing education to physicians, SRNAs, and fellows upon request.

With more than 20 years of experience as a medical coder, Liz brings extensive expertise and a genuine passion for her field. She thrives on the complexities of medical coding and is committed to supporting her colleagues and continually expanding her own knowledge.

Outside of her work at WashU Medicine, Liz teaches medical coding part-time at St. Louis Community College, where she is also a proud alumna of the program. She enjoys mentoring future coders and preparing them for the ever-evolving world of healthcare. In May 2023, she completed her bachelor’s degree in healthcare management from WashU.

A lifelong St. Louis resident, Liz lives with her three children—one son and two daughters—along with her two cats, Simba and Nyla, and her dog, Roscoe. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, shopping, spending time with family and friends, exploring new cuisines, and getting outdoors.

Fun fact: Liz became a first-time grandmother in March 2024 and is excited to welcome two more grandchildren—a boy and a girl—expected in November 2025.

Department of Anesthesiology – APP of the Quarter: October 2023

Nicky is one of the APP Leads for the 56/82 CTICUs. She graduated from Goldfarb School of Nursing AGACNP program in 2017. Before becoming an NP, Nicky worked the previous 12 years as a bedside nurse in 56ICU at BJH. Her passion is heart failure and mechanical life support. Outside of work, Nicky loves spending time with her husband and three children at the lake and family farm in Ste Genevieve.

Nicky was named the Q3 2023 APP of the Quarter!

Her nominator says, "Nicky's dedication, commitment, and positive influence set a high standard for our group. She's always there to support her colleagues and works tirelessly to improve our CTICU."

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: September 2021

Rajiv was born and raised in St. Louis. He completed his residency in anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medical Center in 2014 and his fellowship in pain management at the tri-institutional fellowship (Cornell/MSKCC/HSS) in 2015.

After completing his fellowship, Rajiv spent one year in private practice before returning home to St. Louis. He spends his clinical time at Missouri Baptist Medical Center and Barnes Jewish Hospital and the Center for Advanced Medicine.

Rajiv and his wife, Neha, have two children (Shreya and Nikhil). Having grown-up in St. Louis, Rajiv is a huge Cardinals and Blues fan. In addition, he loves to travel with his family. Since the pandemic, Rajiv has embraced learning to cook dishes from around the world.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: December 2021

Irakli Shengelia was born in Republic of Georgia, then part of USSR. He served in the Soviet Army as a medic and after his service he attended Tbilisi State Medical University where he studied medicine. He immigrated to the United States in 1993 before completing his studies. After arriving in the US, he enrolled in a nursing program at Southeastern Community College in West Burlington Iowa where he received his LPN diploma in 1996. In 2002 he completed an Associate Degree in Nursing program at Excelsior College in Albany NY and then his bachelor of science in liberal studies at the same college. As a nurse he worked in multiple areas including IV therapy, stepdown unit, ICU, ER, and OR gaining vast knowledge and experience.

In 2005 he was accepted to Saint Louis University Physician Assistant Program which he successfully completed in 2008. He joined the Washington University Department of Anesthesia in 2014 and he has been working with the division of critical care while caring for critically ill patients across many units and hospitals within BJC system.

He always says that he is” looking forward to go to work,” but he also looks forward to going home where he can spend time with his family. He has been married to Rebecca for 25 years (they met in nursing school) and they have three sons, Nikolas, David, and Maximus. David was recently accepted to Butler University Physician Assistant program, following his father’s footsteps.

Irakli’s hobbies include playing soccer, listening to music, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

Department of Anesthesiology – APP of the Quarter: September 2024

Alex graduated from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB) in December 2015. Shortly after, she relocated from Texas to Nashville, TN, to begin her nursing career at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the Neuro ICU. She completed the intensivist track of the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG-ACNP) program at Vanderbilt's School of Nursing, with a focus on care within various ICU populations.

In October 2018, Alex joined the team as an Advanced Practice Provider (APP) within the Surgical and Trauma ICUs. Having grown up in a military family and moved frequently, transitioning to St. Louis, MO, presented unique challenges, fostering both personal and professional growth. Over the past two years, she has taken pride in leading the Social and Well-Being Committee, helping to create a supportive community within the group.

Since August 2023, Alex has been part of the SICU leadership team, where she initiated a mentorship program alongside co-director Teresa Hammann. Their goal is to provide new APPs with the guidance and resources needed to succeed in their roles. This summer, she had the opportunity to cross-train in the CTICUs, learning from the expertise of the providers there.

Outside of work, Alex and her spouse, Christian, live in a Victorian home with two rescue basset hounds, Pippi Longstocking and Willow Pill, as well as two cats, Kitty Purry and Elizabeth Taylor (affectionately known as Itty Bitty). Alex is also committed to maintaining hobbies such as running, yoga, sewing, and more recently, painting and ceramics.

Department of Anesthesiology – FAS Employee of the Quarter: January 2020

Jean was born and raised with her three siblings in St. Louis before moving to Los Angeles to pursue her degree in Neuroscience at the University of Southern California. After 10 sunny years of living the California dream, she decided to move back to St. Louis and now resides in the city with her boyfriend, Scott.

Jean is a life-long musician having played the piano, cello, and violin from the age of four which led her to be a competitive pianist for 15 years. This experience taught her the importance of dedication, hard work, and attention to detail which has proven to be quite helpful in her position with the department.

Jean helps to build and manage the department faculty and CRNA schedules and works closely with the division chiefs, individual providers, business directors, and credentialing team to efficiently staff the adult ORs and ICUs for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital, Progress West Hospital, and Missouri Baptist Medical Center and 8 other ICU only locations.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her amazing & supportive boyfriend, cooking, discovering new restaurants, rooting for the Cardinals & Blues, snowboarding, yoga, and re-watching Parks & Recreation.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: September 2019

Sinokuthaba (Snono) is a graduate of Mayo Clinic School of Health Science's Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice Program in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Sibanda's research focus was studying patients with known and suspected obstructive sleep apnea undergoing outpatient procedures. She earned her undergraduate nursing degree from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. Outside of work, she enjoys solo international travel, and "Do It Yourself" craft projects.