Faculty

Dr. Ahmad Obeidat joined the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in Medicine in June 2024. A native of Jordan, he graduated with honors from the Jordan University of Science and Technology in 2019. Dr. Obeidat's medical school experience was highlighted by his significant involvement in volunteer work, especially in refugee camps, where he collaborated with diverse international medical teams. Furthermore, Dr. Obeidat served as a national officer for the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations, where he advocated for medical education and fostered international cooperation to tackle global health challenges. Following his medical education, Dr. Obeidat completed his residency in internal medicine at MedStar Georgetown Washington Hospital\ Georgetown University in 2024. He was a distinguished and active resident in his program as he was elected to be the house-staff representative. His work focused on being a strong advocate for his peers, focusing on enhancing wellness and the working environment for his peer-residents, which underscored his dedication to the medical field. Dr. Obeidat is also passionate about education, having participated in the Teaching Physician Pathway to refine his teaching abilities. Dr. Obeidat is particularly interested in general inpatient medicine and critical care, actively engaging in quality improvement initiatives to elevate patient care through innovative research and practices.

Devin Odom, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine with the Division of Hospital Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and recently completed a fellowship in Palliative Medicine. He will also join the Division of Palliative Medicine this fall. He completed training in Internal Medicine at WashU in 2013. Dr. Odom has focused his career on communication skills education beyond residency training. He developed and directs the BJC Communication Skills Academy which provides experiential learning opportunities for providers across the School of Medicine and BJC to practice difficult conversations and Advance Care Planning in a safe small group environment. Ongoing research is evaluating the impact of this work on provider and patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes. Dr. Odom also chairs the Division of Hospital Medicine’s EMR efficiency task force to improve EMR workflow and streamline provider level improvements.

Ali Osman, MBBS, is an Instructor in Medicine within the Division of Hospital Medicine and a member of the Royal College of Physicians UK. He plays a dynamic role across various areas within the Hospital Medicine Division, demonstrating flexibility and commitment to patient care, research, and medical education. With a keen interest in retrospective clinical research, particularly in gastrointestinal diseases, Dr. Osman has been actively involved in publishing articles and contributing to scholarly publications. His dedication to advancing medical knowledge is evident through his ongoing participation in research endeavors and his role within the research committee of the division.

Anupam Pande, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America with special interest in the care of transplant recipients, and a special focus on opportunistic infections and antimicrobial prophylaxis in bone marrow transplant recipients. He attends on the bone marrow transplant hospital medicine service to help integrate transplant care and infection care for these complex patients. He has a joint appointment with the Division of Infectious Diseases and also attends on the transplant/oncology infectious diseases consult service teaching fellows, residents, and students. In addition, he sees patients in the oncology/bone marrow transplant infection clinic. He also serves as the Medical Director for Inpatient Infectious Diseases Consult Services for Barnes-Jewish Hospital and is a member of the Operations Executive Committee for the Department of Medicine. His other interests include clinical education, early diagnosis, multidisciplinary care, workplace diversity and work-life balance.

Brandon Parker, MD, is an Instructor in Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine. He joined the division in 2022 after completing residency at the University of Texas Dell Medical School in Austin, Texas. He currently serves as an attending physician on multiple services including hospitalist, cardiology, oncology, renal transplant, and emergency department hospitalist. He serves on the recruitment committee for the division. He enjoys bedside teaching on resident teams and individually with students and interns on the hospitalist service. His areas of clinical interest include point-of-care ultrasound, inpatient palliative care, medical education for students and residents, and continuing medical education for interdisciplinary professions such as advances practice clinicians and nursing staff.

Kieran Patel, MD, is an Instructor of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine. He joined the Division in 2023, having previously served as Chief Resident for the Internal Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Patel is Co-director of Education for Learners in the Division of Hospital Medicine and Co-director of the Gateway Medicine Conference task force. He is also an active member of the Division’s Education and Faculty Development Committees. He participates in a variety of roles, including the General Medicine Inpatient teaching service, the Procedure team, and Hospitalist Direct Care. Within the Internal Medicine Residency Program, Dr. Patel is a member of the Core Faculty and Co-director of Coaching and Remediation. Dr. Patel’s professional interests encompass medical education, mentorship, and clinical operations.

Dr. Rushin Patel joined the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in Medicine in July 2024. He grew up in Ahmedabad, India, where he also obtained his medical degree from BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, in 2017 through Gujarat University. Dr. Patel's professional journey includes completing his internship and residency at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, St. Louis, MO, in 2022. Post-residency, Dr. Patel served as an internal medicine hospitalist at the Community Hospital of San Bernardino, CA, for two years before transitioning to the Hospital Medicine Division in 2024. He finds fulfillment in patient care, especially in providing comprehensive treatment and support to vulnerable patients. Dr. Patel has been very active and engaged in scholarly and research activities and has published various peer-reviewed publications, including meta-analyses, case reports, literature reviews, etc.

Dr. Zalak Patel assumed the role of Instructor in Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine in July 2024. Originally from Ahmedabad, India, she earned her medical degree from Gujarat University in 2019 after attending Smt. N.H.L. Municipal Medical College, Ahmedabad. After graduating, she served as a medical officer in various Indian hospitals, focusing on providing healthcare to the less privileged population of India. During her time in India, Dr. Patel also volunteered at the Blind People Association, where she played a significant role in creating audiobooks for visually impaired physiotherapy students. Dr. Patel relocated to the USA in 2021 and completed her internship and residency at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, St. Bernardine Medical Center, CA, before joining the hospital medicine division at Washington University in 2024. Throughout her training, she demonstrated a wide range of interests and actively participated in numerous research projects and quality improvement initiatives. Dr. Patel is extremely passionate about teaching and dedicated to working with both medical students and residents. Her primary focus in medicine lies in general internal medicine with an emphasis on inpatient care, and she has a particular interest in rheumatology.

Mirjana Petrovic Elbaz, MD, joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in Medicine in July 2023. Dr. Petrovic Elbaz completed her training at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Bronx, New York. During her residency she enjoyed teaching medical students and working in research group with residents.  She continued her education in Internal Medicine serving as PGY4 Chief Resident at Jacobi Medical Center /North Central Bronx Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Internal Medicine residency program prior to joining the Division of Hospital Medicine. Her academic interests include general inpatient medicine with special interest in cardiovascular diseases and clinical research. Dr. Petrovic Elbaz looks forward to providing care for her patients and teaching students and residents as a member of the Division of Hospital Medicine.

Mark Pinkerton, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine. He joined the division in 2019 after completing his residency at Washington University in St. Louis. He serves as an attending physician on a variety of services including general hospitalist, medical oncology, bone marrow transplant, emergency department hospitalist, nocturnist, and medicine triage. He works at BJH as well as Barnes-Jewish West County. He serves on the recruitment committee for the division. He enjoys teaching medical students and resident physicians in the clinical setting. Areas of interest include care of the hospitalized patient and antibiotic stewardship.

Sana Pirzada, MD, joined the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July 2023 after completing her internal medicine residency at St. Luke’s Hospital, Chesterfield, MO. She joined WashU intending to gain broader inpatient experience and advance her career. Moving forward, she wishes to build her profession through exploring several areas of interest, including but not limited to leadership, health advocacy/literacy, and clinical education. 

Dr. Thabet Qapaja assumed the role of Instructor in Medicine within the Division of Hospital Medicine in July 2024. Born and raised in Amman, Jordan, he has always been driven by a passion for medicine. He attended the University of Jordan School of Medicine, graduating with honors in 2018. Dr. Qapaja completed his internship and residency at the Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, Cleveland, OH, from 2019 to 2022. Following his residency, he served as a hospitalist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic/Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM) of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, from 2022 to 2024 before joining the Department of Internal Medicine at Washington University, St. Louis, in 2024. Throughout his training, he engaged in various interests and participated in numerous research projects. He finds great fulfillment in teaching and collaborating with medical students and residents.

Patricia Quinley, MD, is an Instructor in Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine and works primarily as a hospitalist in the Pulmonary Progressive Care Unit where she is the Medical Director. She has been a hospitalist at Barnes Jewish Hospital since 1993 in multiple roles. She currently works with a multidisciplinary team that focuses on patients with prolonged intensive care unit stays who require ongoing medical management as well as intensive rehabilitation in order to successfully transition to home.

Dr. Rehan Rais is an Instructor in Medicine at the Division of Hospital Medicine since June 2024. Originally from Karachi, Pakistan, he completed his medical education at Liaquat National Medical College. Dr. Rais completed his residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine, where he also served as a chief resident and participated in recruiting new residents. He further specialized in hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal pathology and is now a board-certified anatomic and clinical pathologist. Driven by his clinical interests, he pursued additional training in Internal Medicine, completing his internship and residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine. He is actively involved in quality improvement projects focusing on heart failure and improving primary care-patient continuity.

Lois Richard, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine in The Division of Hospital Medicine. She divides her time between the inpatient Hospitalist Service at Barnes Jewish Hospital and the IM Consult Service at The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis. She is also a Senior Fellow in the Society of Hospital Medicine. Having established the St. Louis Chapter of SHM in 2010, she continues to be active on the local chapter Advisory Board. Dr. Richard has been Course Chair for “Care of the Hospitalized Patient” CME course since 2007, which now continues as “The Gateway Hospital Medicine Conference.”

Dr. Safia Shaikh is an Instructor in the Division of Hospital Medicine since July 2022. She is originally from Pakistan and earned her medical degree from Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences. After completing her residency at Dow University Health Sciences, she relocated to the USA. Dr. Shaikh finished her internship and residency at SSM Health St Mary’s Hospital in St. Louis. Currently, she is actively engaged in academic pursuits, pursuing a master's in clinical sciences, focusing on general internal medicine and cardiovascular care. Her commitment to research is evident through numerous peer-reviewed publications and presentations. Dr. Shaikh is also keenly interested in Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS). Dr. Shaikh's diverse interests converge in her dedication to providing high-quality patient care within the Division of Hospital Medicine.

Kevin Stephenson, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine. Dr. Stephenson has two career foci: attending on inpatient general medicine teaching services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and improving the treatment of undernourished children and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa. Alongside Mark Manary, Professor of Pediatrics at WUSM, Dr. Stephenson leads a research group that operates clinical trial networks in Sierra Leone, Malawi, and Ghana, across which novel formulations of therapeutic, supplementary, and school foods are tested in the hopes of treating undernutrition and improving physical and cognitive development in vulnerable populations. He had the good fortune of living in Malawi and Sierra Leone for several years; these experiences form the basis of his research career. Most recently, a trial published by Dr. Stephenson’s group was integral in changing the United Nations Codex Alimentarius regulations for the fatty acid content of ready-to-use therapeutic food, after showing that improved fatty acid balance led to superior cognitive development in children with severe acute malnutrition.

Dr. David Tabagari joined the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in Medicine in July 2024. He was born and raised in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, and moved to the United States in 2021 to complete his Internal Medicine residency training. He attended and received his medical degree in 2017 from Tbilisi State Medical University. After graduating, he worked at “Multiprofile Clinic Consilium Medulla” in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, as a junior doctor and later as a resident physician in the hematology-oncology program, where he participated in various projects and was working on several major clinical trials. He is currently a co-founder of “Multiprofile Clinic Consilium Medulla” and is using his training and experience to be actively involved in implementing international standards to provide the highest quality medical care for patients in his home country. Dr. Tabagari completed his internship and residency at the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia prior to joining the division in 2024. His current areas of interest are general internal medicine with a focus on inpatient care, with a special interest in hematology and oncology, as well as the detection and management of immunotherapeutic adverse events requiring hospitalization.

Mark Thoelke, MD, is a Professor of Medicine and a Senior Fellow of Hospital Medicine. Mark was the first hospitalist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in 1998. He helped found the division in 2000 and was Clinical Director, and then Chief until 2020. He now enjoys spending time on the teaching service.

Alex Thomas, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine within the Division of Hospital Medicine. Specializing as a nocturnist, he tends to the diverse needs of patients across various service lines at Barnes-Jewish and Barnes-Jewish West County Hospitals. His dedicated focus extends to oncology, bone-marrow transplant, and general hospitalist services. Beyond his clinical pursuits, he is deeply committed to medical education, sharing his expertise on the Medicine Firm services. His passion for advancing healthcare extends to the realm of electronic health records, where he actively collaborates with fellow hospitalists across the BJC system to develop AgileMD pathways, setting a standard for patient care. He also serves on multiple committees and has played a pivotal role in the creation of the Roads to Success program, providing support to junior faculty members.

Lauren Van Buren, MD, is an Instructor in Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine. She received her medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine and completed her internal medicine residency at Washington University in St. Louis. Her areas of interest include inpatient medicine, gastroenterology, physician wellness, and medical education. She is a member of the Social and Wellness committee within the division. She works as an attending physician primarily on the general medicine and oncology hospitalist services. 

Dr. Mallorie Vest joined the Division of Hospital Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine as an assistant professor in December 2023. She received her bachelor's degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2020, she completed her medical degree at St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada, followed by clinical rotations in Miami, Florida, and New York City.

Dr. Vest further pursued her medical career by completing her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine, New York City Health and Hospitals, Queens. During her residency, she gained valuable experience in caring for patients with acute illness from diverse backgrounds. She played an active role in mentoring residents and medical students in the field of internal medicine. Dr. Vest is also certified in various hospitalist procedures. Throughout her professional journey, Dr. Vest has demonstrated a range of interests. She has authored papers on internal medicine topics such as pancreatitis, neuroendocrine carcinoma, and breast cancer. She has also attended conferences hosted by the American College of Chest Physicians and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.

Currently, Dr. Vest's primary interests lie in hospital medicine, specifically in caring for patients with acute illness and utilizing point-of-care ultrasound in her practice.

Mark V. Williams, MD, FACP, MHM began his collaboration with the Division’s experienced leadership team in October 2021 to build one of the premier academic divisions in the nation. A Past-President of the Society of Hospital Medicine, Founding Editor of the Journal of Hospital Medicine and one of the first 10 Masters in Hospital Medicine, Mark brings his expertise in quality improvement, teamwork, and care transitions to this prestigious institution and talented group.

Dr. Yu joined the Division of Hospital Medicine at Washington as an Instructor in Medicine in July 2024. She grew up in Iowa City, Iowa, and completed both undergraduate studies, medical education, and residency training in the Midwest. She attended college at Washington University in St. Louis and graduated cum laude in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Biomedical Engineering. After college, she attended medical school at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and received her medical degree in 2021. She was inducted into the Carver Humanism Honor Society in 2020. She then completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics from 2021 to 2024. Her wide range of exposure and her various experiences during residency training pushed her interest toward hospital medicine, and she decided to pursue a career as an academic hospitalist.

Dr. Jiahua Zhang joined the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in Medicine in July 2024. He was born and raised in Changsha, China, and came to the United States in 2011 for college. He attended the University of Washington in Seattle and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry in 2015. After graduation, he worked as a lab technician, serving patients in need of diagnostic tests for 2 years. He started his medical training at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Middletown, New York, in 2017 and received his medical degree in 2021. Dr. Zhang completed his residency in internal medicine at the Mercy Hospital in St. Louis in 2024 and joined the division in the same year. He was enthusiastic about developing clinical skills in using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) during his practice and received the certificate to perform a full-body POCUS exam during the third year of his residency. His clinical interests include general internal medicine with a focus on inpatient care, hematology and oncology, and the clinical education of medical students and residents.

Diana Zhao, MD, PhD is an Instructor in Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine and works primarily as a night hospitalist. She has an interest in teaching and mentorship of students on the hospitalist service and aids in recruitment of internal medicine resident candidates through the IM program as an interviewer. She also serves on the Patient Care Operations Committee.

Peter Zhao, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine. He is experienced in taking care of bone marrow transplant and oncology patients in the acute inpatient setting. His primary area of interest is hematologic malignancies, including acute leukemia and lymphoma.  He has assisted in clinical teaching for medical students as well as residents. He serves on the hospitalist BMT/Oncology Committee to help identify challenges in service workflow.