Profiled

Department of Anesthesiology FAS Employee of the Quarter: March 2021

Erin was born and raised across the river in Southern Illinois and has enjoyed a varied educational and career background that has led to; out-planting federally endangered orchid species in the Hawaiian islands, gaining an MS in Plant Pathology from the University of Florida, and a rewarding career in nonprofit communications upon first returning to the Midwest. Ultimately, Erin joined the Department of Anesthesiology as a Residency Program Coordinator in 2018. In her words, “It’s both a challenging and rewarding position – it’s certainly never boring!”

Erin currently resides in Old North St. Louis where she and her fiancé James are working to restore their historic home (124 years and counting!). When not working on the house, she loves cycling, hiking, working in her extensive backyard garden, and enjoying dinner parties with her neighbors.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: January 2026

Eric is a critical care nurse practitioner within the Department of Anesthesiology. He joined the department in 2018 and currently practices in the Intensive Care Units at Progress West Hospital and Memorial Hospital - Belleville. In addition to his clinical work, Eric serves as a WashU Medicine Wellness Champion and is an active member of the Department of Anesthesiology’s Social and Well-Being Committee, where he supports initiatives focused on clinician wellness, connection, and professional engagement.

Eric earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Missouri in 2007 and spent nine years working as a bedside ICU nurse prior to becoming a nurse practitioner. He completed his degree at Maryville University in 2016, followed by a post-master’s ACNP certificate from the Goldfarb School of Nursing in 2019.

Originally from a small-town south of St. Louis, Eric enjoys spending time with friends and family, golfing, playing disc golf, chess, gardening, and tackling DIY home projects. He is married, has four children, and shares his home with three miniature schnauzers.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: September 2019

Branden is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and serves as the Director of Anesthesiology and Co-Medical Director at the Center for Advanced Medicine at South County. Dr. Yee has been with the Department of Anesthesiology since 2012. In addition to his clinical contributions, he serves as a member of the case review committee and has led several quality improvement projects within the department and hospital. While outside the hospital, you can find Dr. Yee spending time reading to his children and traveling.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: June 2022

Mitsu is a current resident physician in the Academic Scholar Advancement Program (ASAP) in the Department of Anesthesiology.

Raised in Tokyo, Japan, Mitsu graduated from Washington University School of Medicine in 2021 with MD and PhD in Neuroscience, studying the role of a blood-circulating enzyme and metabolites in systemic aging.

Outside of the hospital, Mitsu is a dedicated researcher and remains active in both clinical and basic science research. He is investigating the role of neurometabolism in the pathophysiology of delirium under the guidance of Dr. Ben Palanca. He also leads several basic science projects in the laboratory of Dr. Rajendra Apte, studying the role of metabolism and brain circuitry in aging and age-related diseases.

Mitsu holds a 5th-degree black belt in Japanese fencing (kendo) and teaches at the local community center. In his spare time, he enjoys learning new things, performing experiments, and spending time with his wife and three daughters.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: October 2022

Alexander Young is an assistant clinical professor in the West County division where he has been since 1999.  He grew up in rural Arkansas and graduated from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1990. He completed his residency at Barnes and worked in private practice for five years before returning to Washington University. Dr. Young enjoys working in the West County division because of the busy regional program and the wonderful people he works with.

Fun fact: Dr. Young owns a farm in Jefferson County where he breeds and raises American Quarter Horses!

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: October 2020

Rebecca is an Associate Professor in the division of Pediatric Anesthesia. She grew up in Atlanta, GA, and then Lexington, KY where she attended college, medical school, and residency, spending most of her summers in school overseas on medical outreach projects. She did her pediatric anesthesia fellowship at Washington University in 2012 and joined the faculty thereafter.

Rebecca is passionate about teaching and recently became the Director of Pediatric Anesthesia Education. She developed and helps direct the curriculum for the pediatric anesthesia fellowship, as well actively participating in medical student and resident education. In her new role, she is working to develop an expanded curriculum for the resident pediatric rotations. She also helps with the Gateway curriculum for medical students, as well as continuing her work with the pediatric anesthesia fellowship.

Outside of work, she spends her time with her husband and twin daughters, refurbishing their 1910 ‘fixer-upper,’ running, cycling, and skiing as much as possible. She also helps coach her daughters’ basketball and soccer teams.

Department of Anesthesiology FAS Employee of the Quarter: September 2023

Linda is a clinical research professional with experience in project management, clinical trial feasibility review, trial design, as well as study start-up and execution. She began her WashU tenure as a clinical research coordinator (CRC) in Radiation Oncology. Since joining the Division of Clinical and Translational Research (DoCTR) in 2018 as a CRC, Linda has grown into an administrative management role as the division manager of clinical trials and operations. She supports the DoCTR research faculty and staff on a variety of research studies, collaborates with division peers and leaders, as well as works closely with the research business and financial teams on staffing and allocations.

In addition to her core responsibilities as the clinical trials manager, Linda is also a graduate of WashU’s Institute of Leadership Excellence’s inaugural Leadership Excellence and Development Program, a member of the Women of WUDA Steering Committee, and an incoming member of the Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in Anesthesiology Task Force.

Prior to starting at WashU, Linda spent nearly ten years on the West Coast, and then five years living abroad. She spent a month backpacking around Europe before returning to her family and hometown. Since returning to St. Louis, she has spent her time re-acclimating to Midwest weather (she says it's a long-term work-in-progress that may never end!), and eating lots St. Louis favorites like toasted ravioli and Imo’s. In her spare time, Linda enjoys trying out overly ambitious cooking recipes, reading mystery/thriller novels, and Olympic weightlifting.

Linda hopes to continue her ongoing journey of developing her leadership skills, as well as promoting equity and safe space culture in the division. She is grateful for the awesome colleagues, leaders, and mentors around her who provide the support and guidance to achieve success in her role! She gives the greatest thanks to all those in anesthesiology for nominating her as the Employee of the Quarter in October 2023!

Department of Anesthesiology FAS Employee of the Quarter: September 2020 & March 2022

As the Director of Marketing & Communications, Patrick has dedicated over a decade to WashU, with prior experience at University College (now WashU CAPS). He joined the department in 2019 and in his current role, he leads comprehensive communications and marketing strategies designed to enhance the Department's visibility and reputation across its clinical, educational, research, and cultural missions.

Outside of his professional endeavors, Patrick is a devoted family man who enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. His hobbies include playing competitive volleyball, gardening, cycling, tackling home improvement projects, and grilling. He has also developed a passion for the St. Louis CITY MLS team and is a music aficionado who frequents live concerts whenever possible. Fun fact: he once dabbled in concert photography—initially as a clever way to secure front-row seats.

Department of Anesthesiology Featured Member: December 2022

Anita Zimmerman is a pediatric anesthesiologist at St. Louis Children's Hospital. She grew up in Chicago and graduated with her MD from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Knowing she would end up in pediatric anesthesiology, she completed a preliminary year in pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin before her anesthesiology residency at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. After discovering what a gem the SLCH pediatric anesthesia division was during her fellowship, she decided to stay on as faculty at WashU.

Anita loves taking care of children and especially appreciates the wide variety of cases seen in the pediatric operating rooms. She has special interests in pediatric regional anesthesia and fetal anesthesia. She routinely participates in educational activities including being co-director of the general anesthesiology advanced core rotation for fourth-year medical students, co-leading the pediatric anesthesia oral board review course, as well as providing content for the WashU pediatric anesthesia Instagram page (follow @washu_pedsanest!)

Outside of the hospital, Anita enjoys the foodie scene in St. Louis with her husband, Andrew. They are expecting their first child this December 2022 and their bernedoodle, Kiwi, is not happy about it.