Profiled

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: December 2019

Bob is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) in the department. He graduated from the Barnes Hospital School of Nurse Anesthesia in 1978 and has over 41 years of service in his profession. He is laying down his “tools of the trade” and retiring at the end of December. After retirement, Bob plans to keep busy with family and friends, cooking and barbequing, driving his Porsche Boxster, playing with his Airedale Terrier, Piper, landscaping and working around his home, traveling, reading, and finishing his wife’s “to do” list. He may even take up his first passion again, art, in the form of drawing, painting, and sculpting. Bob would like to thank his many friends and colleagues in the department for putting up with the “Old Guy” all these years!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: November 2024

Rebecca is a CA-2 resident in the Department of Anesthesiology at WashU Medicine. Originally from Central Wisconsin, she grew up as a competitive ice dancer, training intensively and eventually performing professionally with Disney On Ice. Over her three-year career with Disney, Rebecca toured extensively across the U.S. and Southeast Asia, visiting countries like Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and Malaysia.

Following a sports-related injury that ended her skating career, Rebecca shifted her focus to academics. She earned a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from Hamline University in Minnesota while working as a lab technician and junior scientist in pain research. Her passion for understanding pain mechanisms led her to the University of Minnesota, where she completed the Medical Scientist Training Program, earning both her MD and a PhD in neuroscience with a focus on basic pain research.

Now part of the ASAP training program at WashU Medicine, Rebecca is preparing to begin a fellowship in regional anesthesia in February. She plans to continue her research into pain modulation, specifically examining the spinal cord's dorsal horn circuitry.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: January 2024

Joshua Spiro, MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology working primarily at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Spiro grew up in Arizona where he spent many summers working with kids as a camp counselor. After medical school at the University of Arizona, Dr. Spiro subsequently completed residency at the University of Pennsylvania and a pediatric fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. As an attending, he continues to love working with children and teaching in all capacities. When not at work, he enjoys reading science fiction, cooking, and asking his wife if she’s seen all the funny memes he sends her.

Fun Fact: Dr. Spiro started breakdancing while in college and still battles intermittently under his childhood nickname: "Brown Sugar."

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: March 2024

Dr. Tracey Stevens is an associate professor of anesthesiology at WashU Medicine. She was born and raised in St. Louis prior to attending college at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (Go Badgers!). Tracey returned to St. Louis to attend medical school at WashU, where she subsequently completed her residency in anesthesiology and fellowship in adult cardiothoracic anesthesiology. Tracey joined our department as faculty nearly 11 years ago and currently serves as the associate division chief for our cardiothoracic division.

Clinically, Dr. Stevens focuses on the perioperative optimization of patients having procedures with anesthesia, and the anesthetic management of patients undergoing cardiovascular and thoracic procedures in the operating rooms and cardiac procedure center. Tracey is energized by teaching and mentoring our trainees and newer faculty, as well as multi-disciplinary collaboration to ensure we provide the highest quality of care to complex patients.

Outside of the hospital, Tracey enjoys spending time with friends and her amazing family – her husband, Brent, their son, Sam, and their newest addition…a goldendoodle named Yuri.

Fun fact: Tracey loves everything STL including summer nights at the Muny, its professional sports teams, and yes…even Imo’s pizza!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: September 2020

Ben is a current CA-1 resident within the department. He grew up in the Indianapolis suburbs and attended Indiana University (Go Hoosiers!) where he majored in Biochemistry. He then attended medical school at Indiana University as well. After graduating, he moved here to St. Louis where he quickly became a fan of the local cuisine, like toasted ravioli, and the local hockey team (Go Blues!). In his free time, he enjoys camping/hiking with his girlfriend Courtney, running, cycling, going to concerts and watching open wheel motorsports. Fun fact: Ben is a self-proclaimed speed walking champion and challenges anyone to a race – he has yet to lose!

Department of Anesthesiology – FAS Employee of the Quarter: January 2023

Ann has been named the 2023 Q3 Employee of the Quarter! Her nominator says, "Ann is always a pleasure to work with! Her attitude and wiliness to facilitate the credentialing process while educating providers and colleagues is invaluable! She is consistently supportive, responsive, and knowledgeable. She is proactive and willing to “find” the answers/solutions!"

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: November 2025

Charlotte relocated to St. Louis and joined the department as an Administrative Coordinator in July 2024. In her role, she supports several leaders in our Executive Suite, keeping projects and schedules running smoothly. She also lends a creative touch to recruitment and department events, recently helping assist the Marketing & Communications team.

Originally from Oklahoma, Charlotte has also called New Jersey and Arizona home. She loves exploring each new state by camping, kayaking, and hiking. Outside of work, she teaches vinyasa yoga at local studios and enjoys spending time at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Her two cats, Chad and Potato, frequently make surprise appearances on Zoom. Swing by the Northwest Tower to say hi (and maybe spot a photo of the cats).

Department of Anesthesiology – APP of the Quarter: April 2022

Kevin began his career in healthcare in 2005 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital as a Respiratory Therapist, followed by Physician Assistant school at Saint Louis University—graduating in 2015. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my APP career with full-time work in Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and now Critical Care Medicine," says Kevin. "Each area has helped me to grow my knowledge of medicine. I truly love my career and hope to share this passion with my surrounding peers and the community we serve." In his free time, he enjoys camping, hiking, reading, watching re-runs of old TV shows and movies, and most of all: spending time with his family. He has a wonderful family including a beautiful wife, three daughters, three cats, and a wonderfully talented Australian Shepherd.

Kevin was named the Q1 2022 APP of the Quarter! “Kevin has been an excellent addition to our critical care team. Despite having previous experience, he does not hesitate to ask for advice on topics he is not familiar with. He is always willing to help out when needed and provides exemplary bedside manner with not only patients but their family members as well. He somehow manages to stay calm despite any type of situation and has been wonderful to work with.” Congratulations, Kevin!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: March 2024

Rose is a CRNA at Progress West Hospital. She grew up in St. Louis, but moved to Kansas City to attend nursing school at Rockhurst University. After graduating, she worked in the Neuro ICU at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She decided to return to St. Louis to attend CRNA school at Webster University and got married shortly after graduation. Rose and her husband have two boys, William and Finn. After Finn was born, Rose was looking for a job with a better work-life balance. One of her best friend’s from CRNA school, Abby, told her about her great anesthesia group with a better schedule at Progress West Hospital. In 2020, Rose joined the Progress West team and is very happy! Outside of work, Rose likes to spend time with her family and friends, swim, play pickleball, and watch Bravo reality shows.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: September 2023

Bianca Ewa Szafarowicz is one of the new interns in the Department of Anesthesiology here at WashU. She grew up in the Chicago suburbs and played college basketball at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO. After her athletic career ended, she began coaching high school basketball and working at a local hospital in Jefferson City to see if medicine and healthcare were in her future. Eventually, she went to the southwest and worked at Phoenix Children’s Hospital for a year. The short stay was quickly extended to finish her master’s degree and to start medical school at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University. At the end of her second year of medical school, she and her husband welcomed a baby boy named Tytus. He is not so little anymore, and much of her extra time is spent exploring all the family-friendly aspects of St. Louis, like the zoo, aquarium, and local parks. In addition to all the children’s attractions, she enjoys trying out new restaurants, breweries, live music, and sporting events. Bianca loves the winter for the snow. She learned how to ski when she was six years old, eventually transitioned to snowboarding, and has been hitting the slopes every winter since then. She heard about the Hidden Valley Ski Resort in Wildwood, MO, and is excited to visit this upcoming season. The last fun fact about Bianca is that she has had her Halloween decorations up since September 1!