Education Featured News

Two department anesthesiologists and pediatrician selected to lead WashU’s Howard and Joyce Wood Simulation Center

Following a competitive and national search process, Preeta George, MD, and Adithya Bhat, MD, have been selected to serve as the Medical Director and Assistant Medical Director, respectively, of the Howard and Joyce Wood Simulation Center in the Office of Education. Sara Greer, MD, from the Department of Pediatrics has also been selected to serve as an Assistant Medical Director.

In these roles, Drs. George, Bhat, and Greer will work closely with Eva Aagaard, MD, Senior Associate Dean and Vice Chancellor for Medical Education, leading the ongoing growth and development of the Center, driving innovation, maintaining Washington University School of Medicine’s position of being at the forefront of innovative simulation, and aligning the strategic vision of the Howard and Joyce Wood Simulation Center with that of the Office of Education.

Dr. George completed medical school and her residency in anesthesiology at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, India, and continued there as faculty until 2009. After completing her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota, she completed a second anesthesiology residency at the University of Pennsylvania followed by a pediatric anesthesiology fellowship at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She has since joined our faculty at Washington University School of Medicine as a pediatric anesthesiologist. She currently serves as the Director of the Fetal Anesthesia program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and on the national stage as a representative of the Pediatric Simulation and Fetal Anesthesia Special Interest Group.

Dr. Bhat was born and raised in St. Louis. After attending medical school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, he moved to Chicago to complete his residency in anesthesiology followed by a fellowship in obstetric anesthesiology at Northwestern University.  Dr. Bhat joined our faculty in 2019, and quickly established himself as an excellent clinician and educator. Most recently, Dr. Bhat was recognized with the 2020-2021 Department of Anesthesiology Teacher of the Year award for his commitment toward resident education.

Both Drs. George and Bhat are passionate about the use of simulation in medical education. Dr. George has worked at the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center for six years, and she serves as a coach and clinical immersion leader for our medical students. Dr. Bhat serves as an instructor for the anesthesiology difficult airway courses, and collaborated with the Department of Otolaryngology to design and implement a novel interdisciplinary difficult airway curriculum for both anesthesiology and ENT residents.

“As anesthesiologists at Washington University School of Medicine, both Drs. George and Bhat are exceptionally qualified and uniquely positioned to expand the impact of our department across the School of Medicine campus and our specialty at large,” says Douglas Thompson, Vice Chair for Education. “I look forward to watching them excel in their new leadership roles.”

Please join us in congratulating Drs. George and Bhat, as well as Dr. Greer, in this significant accomplishment. We are delighted these three doctors have accepted these positions, and we look forward to their continued successes.

Douglas R. Thompson, MD
Vice-Chair for Education

Michael S. Avidan, MBBCh, FCASA
Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor of Anesthesiology
Head of the Department of Anesthesiology
Anesthesiologist-in-Chief, Barnes-Jewish Hospital