Profiled

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.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: October 2020

Dr. Sidhu grew up in Carbondale, IL, and attended Washington University where he earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology. After graduating, he returned home where he worked as a teaching assistant in anatomy and physiology, as well as a phlebotomist, for a few years before going to medical school at Southern Illinois University. Dr. Sidhu is currently a CA-2 in the residency program.

"Coming back to WashU and St. Louis for residency has been great, and despite the pandemic, having an incredibly supportive group of co-residents has made my time here incredibly fulfilling, said Dr. Sidhu. "Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with friends, trying new restaurants, and staying politically active (plus the occasional Netflix binge)."

Fun fact: His favorite show is the West Wing. Aaron Sorkin's writing is phenomenal and he re-watches the entire show at least once a year.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: August 2020

Preet is an Assistant Professor in the department's Obstetric division. Preet, along with his family, moved to St. Louis from Delhi, India, almost 2 years ago. His wife, Anuradha, is also a faculty in the department. He believes that the department’s international experts program is what makes the working environment so unique. “There are different ways of approaching a clinical problem, and this mix of international/national faculty gives me many different perspectives, expanding my thinking horizon." Preet enjoys working on various statistical models in healthcare and exploring their implications clinically. He has a keen interest in basic sciences within anesthesiology and enjoys discussing these concepts with the residents during teaching sessions. During his free time, he likes to listen to music and play with his 4-year-old daughter, Anvi.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: March 2023

Dr. Pratik Sinha has been in the Department of Anesthesiology since July 2020, joining in the midst of the pandemic which he says he has selective amnesia about. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and his medical degree from the University of Manchester, UK. After medical school he embarked on a journey of clinical and research training across three different continents including Europe, Australia, and North America.

He received his PhD from Imperial College London. While he trained in both Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine, he now works clinically as an intensivist only. Using a combination of novel biological measurements and state of the art data science approaches, Dr. Sinha runs a research program that seeks to change the way we identify and classify critically ill patients.

"If you want to do cool stuff and make a difference while doing it, come and work in my lab!" he says.

He likes to say he's frequently mistaken for Brad Pitt — which we might never know since he's been behind a mask since he's moved to WashU — but we might just have to ask his wife, Rachel, about that one. When he has free time, he hangs out with his three kids Indali, Koshin and Aariona. They enjoy hiking and being in nature — both locally and around the world. Pratik also enjoys playing soccer, reading books, and collecting vinyl records (reggae, electronica, Jazz).

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: February 2020

Gemma is the executive secretary for Dr. Anne Drewry, Division Chief of Critical Care Medicine. She has been a part of the team for the last three years and thoroughly enjoys working with both staff and clinical providers in the continuously expanding Department of Anesthesiology. Gemma grew up in the United Kingdom and came to the United States to attend Missouri State University. She spent her time at Missouri State obtaining a bachelor's degree in psychology and competing as a Division 1 track and field athlete specializing in long jump, triple jump and high jump. Gemma loves spending time with her family, especially her 1-year-old baby girl, Lainey.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: February 2021

Before joining the anesthesiology and critical care faculty at WashU, Kendall received her her BA, MD, and PhD from the University of Kansas and completed residency and critical care fellowship training at Duke University. She currently spends her clinical time as an intensivist and as a member of the WashU trauma anesthesiology team.

Kendall is passionate about clinical education and research. She is Assistant Program Director for Residency Affairs and Associate Program Director for the Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program. Her research focuses on circadian rhythms in perioperative medicine and their role in clinical outcomes such as delirium.

Outside of work, Kendall is a big fan of the Central West End where she is a new homeowner. She enjoys gardening, DIY home-improvement projects, and spending time with her partner in crime, Steven, and their very large Bergamasco Shepherd named Massimo!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: July 2023

Becky Snider Eickmeyer started with the Department of Anesthesiology in 1998 as a research patient coordinator in the pediatric division.  In addition to working on all aspects of studies—enrolling patients, completing IRB paperwork, and editing manuscripts—she learned about simulation education with Dr. David Murray. Her past experience as a PICU nurse was valuable when enrolling patients in critical care studies with Dr. Barry Markovitz. When the ABA decided to institute the basic exam for residents, the Department of Anesthesiology instituted changes to resident education. Becky worked with faculty to split up the CA-1 and CA-2 curriculum, which previously had been combined, and "Education Wednesdays" were instituted during this period. Becky obtained her Master of Health Science from Washington University in 2009 and became assistant director of education the same year.

Currently, Becky coordinates "Education Days" and "Tutorial" for residents, ACLS and BLS training in the department, as well as Learn@Work training.  In addition, she runs the Anesthesiology Simulation Center and serves as a resource for faculty who would like to become more involved in education. In her spare time, Becky enjoys visiting her children Andrew (in Massachusetts) and Bridget (in Kansas), and enjoys Cardinal baseball, kayaking, and pickleball.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: March 2022

Ben Snyders is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist in the Department of Anesthesiology. Ben graduated from Goldfarb School of Nursing in December 2014, and began working for the department. Clinically, he splits his time between St. Louis Children's Hospital and other acute adult sites. Ben enjoys going to multiple sites as it allows him to use a broad skill set and interact with patients of all ages. Ben is married to his wonderful wife, Rachael; together they have two rambunctious daughters (Quinn, 6; Sloane, 4) and just adopted a new puppy, Pearl. Outside of work, Ben enjoys golfing and softball, traveling, and trying new restaurants.