Dolores B. Njoku, MD, a noted clinician, researcher and mentor, has been named the director of pediatric anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and anesthesiologist-in-chief at St. Louis Children's Hospital. With the post, she will become the new Rudolph L. and Mary Frances Wise Endowed Chair in Pediatric Anesthesiology. She also has been appointed a vice chair in the Department of Anesthesiology.
In addition to providing anesthesia and critical care services for pediatric patients, Njoku, who begins her new position July 1, researches liver injury mediated by the immune system and related to drugs such as anti-seizure medications and antibiotics. The goal of her research is to uncover pieces of immune system proteins that may trigger autoimmune reactions in the liver and to identify molecular pathways that may be involved.
"We welcome Dr. Njoku to Washington University and to St. Louis Children's Hospital with great enthusiasm," said Michael S. Avidan, MBBCh, the Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor and head of the Department of Anesthesiology. "We are excited about her taking the helm in pediatric anesthesiology and working with us toward our goals of excellence in clinical care, training new leaders in the field and building a collaborative, diverse, equitable and inclusive culture."
