The Department of Anesthesiology at WashU Medicine ranked No. 1 nationwide among anesthesiology departments in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), according to the 2024 Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research (BRIMR) rankings.
The BRIMR compiles data from over 50 anesthesiology departments across the U.S., and its rankings are widely cited as indicators of academic success and national reputation. The department has consistently ranked among the top five for 19 consecutive years since the inception of the BRIMR anesthesiology rankings in 2006. This marks the first time since 2014—and the third time overall—that the department has ranked No. 1 in NIH funding, having previously achieved this distinction in 2008 and 2014.
The department secured $31,628,629 million in federal funding from the NIH, along with an additional $4,324,393 million in external support. Altogether, researchers in the department were awarded nearly $36 million during fiscal year 2024. This project portfolio includes 157 funded research projects including 73 R grants, 12 U grants, and 8 K grants.
“We are incredibly proud to be recognized as the top anesthesiology department in NIH funding,” said the Head of the Department of Anesthesiology, Michael S. Avidan, MBBCh, FCA SA. “This achievement reflects the dedication and innovation of our faculty, trainees, and staff, as well as our commitment to advancing research that transforms patient care and shapes the future of anesthesiology.”
Several department faculty researchers in the Top 50 ranking this past year include:
Simon Haroutounian, PhD, MSc
Division Chief, Clinical and Translational Research; Division Chief, Clinical Pain Research at the Washington University Pain Center; Professor of Anesthesiology
The Haroutounian Lab studies neuropathic pain with a focus on determining individual predictors of treatment in response to analgesic pharmacotherapy.
Dr. Haroutounian, together with co-principal investigators, Meaghan Creed, PhD, and Pratik Sinha, PhD, was awarded nearly $5 million through an RM1 HEAL Initiative grant (read news). This substantial funding supports their efforts to advance the understanding and treatment of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP).
Robert Gereau, PhD
Vice Chair for Research; Dr. Seymour & Rose T. Brown Professor of Anesthesiology; Division Chief for the Washington University Pain Center
The Gereau Lab focuses on novel approaches to create new therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing pain and improving patient quality of life.
Dr. Gereau is the Principal Investigator on a HEAL Initiative grant, known as the INTERCEPT Pain program, which supports groundbreaking research into the genetics and neurobiology of pain. He also leads a R01 grant investigating how specific neurons in the brain’s central amygdala contribute to bladder pain, voiding issues, and anxiety in Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS).
Amynah Pradhan, PhD
Director of the Center for Clinical Pharmacology; Professor of Anesthesiology
The Pradhan Lab focuses on understanding how opioid receptors regulate chronic pain and headache disorders, with a particular emphasis on migraines
Dr. Pradhan is leading a HEAL Initiative Grant, alongside Professor Susruta Majumdar, PhD, to develop new treatments for medication overuse headaches. She is also leading an R01 grant that builds on previous research identifying δ opioid receptor (δOR) agonists as a potential treatment for medication overuse headache (MOH) by reversing symptoms in animal models. This research also links δOR to the PACAPergic system, which may play a role in in pain facilitation.
Meaghan Creed, PhD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
The Creed Lab focuses on synaptic plasticity and neuromodulation within defined neural circuits in the ventral basal ganglia—networks involved in reward-guided decision-making, learning, and the selection of flexible behavioral strategies.
Dr. Creed serves as the Principal Investigator on three current R01 grants, including a project with Assistant Professor, Vijay Samineni, PhD. This project, “Ventral pallidal transcriptional adaptations underlying punishment-resistant opioid intake,” aims to uncover the molecular and neural basis of punishment-resistant opioid use and to develop therapies to prevent or reverse this behavior in opioid use disorder.
Vijay Samineni, PhD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
The Samineni Lab focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms that regulate the function of visceral organs—such as the stomach, intestines, and other internal organs—and their connections to the brain.
In addition to his project with Dr. Creed, Dr. Samineni leads three R01 grants, all of which focus on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndromes (IC/BPS). Specifically, these projects aim to identify and characterize the neuronal circuits and cell populations involved in bladder function and nociception, with the goal of better understand the pathology of IC/BPS and developing new therapeutic strategies.
Bahaa Elgendy, PhD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
The Elgendy Lab specializes in drug discovery and medicinal chemistry, conducting a comprehensive range of activities related to various aspects of drug development. Its primary objective is to advance the field of medicinal chemistry by designing and synthesizing novel therapeutic agents.
Dr. Elgendy, in collaboration with Dr. Haroutounian, leads a HEAL Initiative grant focused on developing novel CNS-penetrant 5-HT3 receptor antagonists for the treatment of neuropathic pain. Using computational drug design and preclinical models, the team aims to create safer, more effective alternatives to current therapies, addressing a critical unmet need in pain management.
Qin Liu, PhD
Professor of Anesthesiology
The Liu Lab focuses on the peripheral neural mechanisms of somatosensations, including itch, pain, and mechanosensation.
Dr. Liu is the lead Principal Investigator on three R01 grants focused on understanding the sensory neural mechanisms involved in ocular and nasal responses to irritation, damage, or disease. She is also a co-lead on an R01 grant, led by Andrew Huang, MD, MPH, a professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at WashU Medicine, to better understand the impact of ammonia exposure on the corneal sensory fibers, and its role in delaying corneal wound healing, and causing ocular pain.
Alex Evers, MD
Henry E. Mallinckrodt Professor of Anesthesiology
The Evers Lab focuses on the protein chemistry of GABAA receptors, aiming to identify and characterize drug binding sites, sequence variants, and post-translational modifications, as well as to define the protein complexes in which GABAA receptors reside in vivo.
Dr. Evers leads an R35 grant focused on understanding the binding interactions of neurosteroids and cholesterol with integral membrane proteins, primarily to elucidate how these interactions influence protein function. He also co-leads the T32 Training Program in Anesthesiology Research with Dr. Michael Avidan. This program prepares a diverse group of physician and doctoral scientists for careers in anesthesiology-related research by providing trainees with mentorship, state-of-the-art training, and networking opportunities.
“This ranking highlights the exceptional research being conducted within the Department of Anesthesiology at WashU Medicine,” said Robert Gereau, PhD, the Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor of Anesthesiology and vice chair for research. “Our scientists are at the forefront of groundbreaking work, from understanding the mechanisms of chronic pain to developing new therapeutic strategies for patients facing complex perioperative challenges. The NIH funding we’ve received enables us to continue pushing the boundaries of knowledge, translating scientific discoveries into innovations that will significantly improve patient outcomes and transform the field of anesthesiology.”
In addition to the department’s strong rankings, WashU Medicine secured $683 million in NIH research funding, maintaining its position as No. 2 in the nation for the second consecutive year.
Learn more about research in the Department of Anesthesiology.