Profiled

Department of Anesthesiology APP of the Quarter: June 2023

Michelle joined the Department of Anesthesiology in 2015 as a nurse practitioner (NP) with critical care medicine. Her NP career initially began in 4400 Surgical/Burn/Trauma ICU but with the growth of the division, her career also expanded to 7800 SICU, eICU, Memorial Hospital Belleville, 8200 COVID ECMO, and a small amount of time at Christian Hospital Northeast to provide additional support during the COVID pandemic. Additionally, in 2019 she accepted an APP Leadership position at Memorial Hospital, Belleville.

Michelle says she is “grateful for the opportunity to take care of patients and families during some of the darkest days of their lives”, citing this as “a constant reminder that both humbles and inspires me to be grateful for everything I have each day.”

Within our department, she finds great joy in the expansion of our critical care APP group, citing these new opportunities to learn and work alongside such a diverse group of highly intelligent, culturally diverse, and engaged colleagues as a personal motivator to continue to improve her practice each day.

Michelle was named the Q2 2023 APP of the Quarter! Her nominator says, "Michelle is a great teammate, leader, patient advocate, and friend. She truly cares about our ICU as one that not only delivers quality care to our patients, but that's great to work in as well."

Outside of work, Michelle is engaged with her spouse, young family (children ages 8, 5, 2), and dog.  She has newly adopted yoga as a daily practice both to challenge her body physically and to release some of the emotional stress brought on by caring for critically ill patients.

Fun fact, Michelle grew up in a small town in southern Illinois - so small that the entire town’s population is less than half that of the BJH patient bed capacity.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: November 2025

Kara began her career in healthcare at Retina Specialists after moving from central Illinois to Missouri following college. There, she worked as a certified ophthalmic scribe and research coordinator. During that time, she discovered her passion for working with medical trainees—particularly retina fellows—which led her to join WashU Medicine in February 2020, just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kara now serves as the Fellowship Coordinator for Anesthesiology Critical Care, with her role also extending into Surgery Critical Care—and she proudly claims those six surgery fellows as her own.

She finds her work deeply rewarding and often says she’s making an impact by helping to train the next generation of ICU physicians. Known affectionately as the “mom” of the ACCM and SCC fellows, Kara is recognized for her kindness, encouragement, and practical wisdom. As she likes to say, “Everyone needs someone rooting for them, no matter how old they are.”

Outside of work, Kara stays busy with her two sons, ages 10 and 8, who are active in multiple sports—especially wrestling, where both have earned state medals at a young age. At home, her family also fosters pets in need, and they currently care for a foster cat through The Cat Network STL. Kara encourages anyone looking for a furry companion to consider adopting through the organization.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: December 2022

Dr. Boland has been a member of the department since the fall of 2020, joining as an intensivist practicing in the community. Since transitioning to the academic staff as an associate professor in the spring of this year, Matt has focused his attention on the ICU at Christian Hospital as one of its medical co-directors.

When not sharing his passion for teaching with the team at Christian, Matt is blessed to help his wife, Molly, care for their five kids, ages 3 to 16. On the rare occasion he's not at work, or actively parenting, you might catch him on a local softball field, nursing a hamstring injury; or on the ski slopes in Colorado, babying his surgically-repaired MCL down a double-black diamond; or chasing after his "qualified-for-Boston" marathoner bride, wondering "when did I get this old?". No matter if at work or at play, Matt's goal is always to "Make Today Count!"

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: June 2021

Malgorzata, known as Gosia, was born in Wroclaw, Poland, and was raised there until her family moved to Chicago at the age of 15. Her family then moved to the St. Louis area for better work and living opportunities. Gosia self-taught most of her English language while adjusting to the high school life. It was then that she, with guidance of her mother, focused her education on the medical profession. She graduated from SLU with a BSN and BA and went on to pursue her MSN in nurse anesthesia at Webster University.

Gosia has been at Barnes since 2005 as her only -- and what she expects to be her only -- hospital and university to work for. The ortho department is favored by Gosia as she enjoys the challenges of the trauma cases that the hospital sees. She has since volunteered as a pod leader to be a voice for her fellow anesthetists and enjoys the opportunity to teach, consult and guide.

After living and working in the Central West End and having the unique ability to walk to work, she and her new husband moved to Fenton to raise a family that now includes older sister Ava and younger brother Lukas. They have moved into their forever home but have never forgotten their travels as Gosia has a great respect for the outdoors with hobbies of fishing, hiking and an extraordinary resume of summiting 4 out of the 7 summits which includes the elusive summit of Mount Everest in 2013.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: March 2021

Anuradha moved to St. Louis in 2018 and joined the Department of Anesthesiology as an international specialist. She enjoys working in the diverse department and has made many good friends here -- so much so that she considers the department as an extend family!

She values the work culture in the department and really enjoys teaching residents.

Outside of work, Anuradha enjoys reading, cooking (experimenting) and listening to music. She values family time and finds spending time playing with her daughter (Anvi) a great stress reducer.

Department of Anesthesiology FAS Employee of the Quarter: June 2024

Tammie has been with WashU Medicine for a little over two years. She initially began her career in an IBC III position within the Department of Surgery, where she worked for her first year. In August 2023, she transitioned to the Department of Anesthesiology and has been with the team ever since. Tammie thoroughly enjoys working with the department and her colleagues and looks forward to continuing her role within anesthesiology in the years ahead.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: August 2020

Melissa was born at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and grew up right around the corner from the medical campus. She has been with the School of Medicine for just over 5 years. She is the manager of credentialing and scheduling and has an excellent team she is incredibly proud to be a part of. Melissa initially planned to be an artist and went to art school after high school, but instead ended up spending 17 years in the medical field at another local University where she obtained an undergraduate degree in Humanities, another in Education, and a Masters in Teaching. She has a 16-year-old son who will be a junior at Ladue this year and wishes he could be preparing for another football state championship right now. She loves to craft, hike with her dog, cook, and travel as often as possible. Fun fact: she has a sister (by marriage) also named Melissa Bowman.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: February 2026

Christy Boyle is a Nurse Anesthetist, who primarily practices at Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital. She has been a part of the Department of Anesthesiology since she graduated in 2018. Christy obtained her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville.

Outside of work, Christy enjoys spending time with her family; her husband Zach, and 2 kids ages 6 and 4. She is also a part of SLAM (St. Louis area masters swimming team) and enjoys relaxing with a good book (the past few years she has hit a yearly 100 book reading goal)!

Department of Anesthesiology APP of the Quarter: December 2024

Holly Brooks, ACNP, has been nominated as the Q4 2024 APP of the Quarter for her outstanding dedication, compassion, and leadership. Holly’s unwavering commitment to her team, patients, and their families is truly inspiring. Holly's nominator says that she goes above and beyond in every aspect of her work, creating a supportive and collaborative environment while consistently demonstrating excellence in patient care. Her positive energy, advocacy, and ability to connect with others make her an invaluable asset to the team and a shining example of what it means to lead with both heart and skill. Congratulations, Holly!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: June 2025

Aaron (AJ) Brown is a nurse practitioner and valued member of the Advanced Practice Provider (APP) group in the Department of Anesthesiology. He has been with the department since January 2019, following his graduation from St. Luke’s College of Health Sciences in Kansas City with a degree as an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP).

Before joining the APP group, AJ gained experience in a variety of clinical settings, including the neurosurgical service at OSF St. Francis in Peoria, Illinois, and the CVICUs at St. Luke’s in Kansas City and SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. Over time, he has found his passion in working with community ICUs, particularly at Progress West Hospital. He values the dedicated, hands-on time with patients and the opportunity to serve his local community.

Outside of work, AJ enjoys spending time with his family, experimenting with his BBQ smoker, and chasing his ever-evolving golf goals.