Samridh Gupta
2027 Co-administrative Chief
Co-administrative Chief
Where I’m from
Charleston, IL
Brief background about my education/training
I went to Illinois Wesleyan University for undergrad. University of Illinois School of Medicine.
What drew me to neurology
I worked as CNA at assisted living and saw several residents with neuro-degenerative process.
How my interests developed at WashU
Came into WashU thinking I’d primarily be an outpatient neurologist; however, with all the interesting cases and great stroke faculty I am interested in neurohospitalist/stroke.
How I spend my time outside the hospital / in STL
My wife and I love to go out to eat, play golf/tennis and play with our dog, Disco .
What my future plans are
I will be planning on staying in the STL area and work as neurohospitalist/stroke.
Jeremiah Wayne
2027 Co-administrative Chief
Co-administrative Chief
Where I’m from
Henderson, KY—which is actually not that far from Saint Louis! I have relatives and friends that have been treated at BJC.
Brief background about my education/training
I started college a little early at age 16 through a dual-high school / early-college combined program at Western Kentucky University. I then transferred to the University of Kentucky to complete a dual degree in Biology B.S. and Neuroscience B.S.. College flew by too fast, so I stayed 4 more years at the University of Kentucky for medical school, and then I came to Washington University in Saint Louis for residency. Throughout my education journey, I had broad research interests including Lafora Disease, nuclear radiology, medical aid in dying, health equity, and brainstem strokes.
What drew me to neurology
Neurology is one of the true last frontiers of medicine. There is still so much left to discover, and our diagnostic “gold standards” often capture only part of the story. We encounter MRI-negative strokes, scalp EEG-negative seizures, and seronegative autoimmune encephalitis, reminders that the nervous system rarely fits neatly into the boxes we build for it. Because of this, neurologists are often asked to go beyond the test results and rely on the careful synthesis of history, examination, and clinical reasoning to uncover the diagnosis. I think of this as nothing short of a lifelong challenge, but simultaneously one that is deeply rewarding and a privileged role to play in a patient’s life.
How my interests developed at WashU
I actually first fell in love with WashU Neurology as a medical student on my away rotation in the Neuro ICU. I was treated as a welcomed and valued member of the team amongst the NPs, residents, and attendings. When I returned as a resident, the field of Stroke captivated me with its fast-paced decision making in acute management, which is grounded in a robust body of clinical trials and highly developed systems of care. It was so fulfilling to synthesize that evidence in real time to deliver a comprehensive treatment plan for a patient, and watch a person recover the ability to use their arm and leg sometimes in just a few hours. At the same time, experiences like managing status epilepticus on overnight call or carefully working through a patient’s history and examination to uncover a case of mononeuritis multiplex reminded me how much I enjoy the intellectual breadth of general neurology. WashU Neurology has allowed me to get a taste of all sub-specialties, and I’m all the better for it.
How I spend my time outside the hospital / in STL
I’m a firm believer that you have to pour into at least a couple of hobbies in residency to keep your chakras aligned. I have kept myself busy with ample running, lifting, swimming, pickleball, and tennis these days. There are so many active people in this area that I am blessed to call friends, and we share a love for Saint Louis’ beautiful public park system. Outside of this, I have picked up a knack for cultivating potted plants, trying local coffee shops, and enjoying all the great local restaurants with co-residents in many different departments (Neurology, Medicine, Psychiatry, Anesthesiology, ENT, and so on). For anyone looking for recommendations, Shaw’s Coffee is my favorite local coffee shop, and Union Loafers is hard to beat for a dinner spot!
What my future plans are
I am applying to fellowship in Vascular Neurology for 2027-2028. Afterwards, I anticipate practicing as an inpatient predominant neuro-hospitalist and tele-stroke neurologist. I would love to additionally play a large role in systems of care / QI and leadership. My long-term goal is to practice deeply personal, evidence-based patient care that delivers patients back to their homes and hobbies in a state better than I found them.
Andi Liang
2027 Wellness Chief
Wellness Chief
Where I’m from
I’m originally from Houston, Texas!
Brief background about my education/training
I went to The University of Texas at Austin for college (hook ’em) where I majored in Human Biology and Plan II Honors, then stayed in Houston for medical school at McGovern (UTHealth).
What drew me to neurology
I was drawn to neurology because it’s such a diverse field while still feeling very niche and intellectually unique. There is constantly new research, evolving treatments, and major advances happening in the field, which makes it exciting to be a part of. Also, the brain (along with the rest of the central and peripheral nervous system) is just incredibly cool.
A big influence for me was my undergraduate thesis work, where I studied traumatic brain injury within the criminal justice system. I became really interested in how neurologic injury can fundamentally change behavior, cognition, decision-making, and ultimately someone’s life trajectory. That experience made me realize how deeply neurology intersects with identity.
What I love most about neurology is that we often care for patients during some of the most vulnerable and life-changing moments of their lives. The brain is what makes people who they are, and neurologists have the privilege and responsibility of helping patients navigate difficult diagnoses.
How my interests developed at WashU
One of the things that impressed me most was the breadth and complexity of pathology here — it feels like we see everything. Our patients are also often very medically complex, so there’s a lot of overlap between neurology, internal medicine, cardiology, critical care, psychiatry, and more. I think our curriculum (including our prelim year) really pushed me to become a stronger and more well-rounded physician.
The people here have probably had the biggest impact on me. Our attendings are incredible clinicians, teachers, and role models with amazing bedside manner, and my co-residents are some of the hardest working, smartest, and most supportive people I’ve met. There’s a really strong sense of camaraderie here. People genuinely help each other out, communicate openly, and want each other to succeed.
How I spend my time outside the hospital / in STL
Outside the hospital, I spend most of my time obsessing over my shih tzu, Bing Bing. I also love hanging out with friends, trying new coffee shops around St. Louis, going to concerts, hot tubbing at my apartment complex, and sleeping in!!
What my future plans are
For my fourth year, I’m hoping to travel more and work out consistently. Career-wise, I realized throughout residency that I really enjoy the acuity, pace and workflow of inpatient neurology. I like being able to see a little bit of everything and manage complex hospitalized patients, so I’m planning to become a general neurohospitalist. Location TBD!
Emily Iannopollo
2027 Clinic & Quality Improvement Chief
Clinic & Quality Improvement Chief
Where I’m from
Lawrenceburg, IN
Brief background about my education/training
I attended the University of Southern Indiana for my undergraduate degree in Computer Information Systems. I then completed by MD at Indiana University.
What drew me to neurology
I find the brain fascinating!
How my interests developed at WashU
I came to residency interested in the subspecialty of dementia and have found many clinical and research opportunities here to further develop that interest.
How I spend my time outside the hospital / in STL
I love walking my dogs at the many parks of St. Louis! I also really enjoy the Missouri Botanical Gardens and the Tower Grove Park farmer’s market. Exploring new restaurants is another fun way to explore the city!
What my future plans are
I plan on pursuing fellowship in Behavioral Neurology
Haley Crosby
2027 Education Chief
Education Chief
Where I’m from
St. Charles, Missouri (about 30 minutes away from BJH)
Brief background about my education/training
I went to WashU for undergrad and studied Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology (one combined major not all three lol), and Biology. I took a year to scribe in the BJH ED and work in the Dougherty lab in the genetics department primarily studying synaptic pruning activity by microglial cells. I did my Medical School training at University of Missouri and am back again for residency 🙂
What drew me to neurology
When I was in the 10th grade I went to a lecture about the biology of sleep and I was sunk from there. I’ve always been a CNS girly, and like all of us neurologists love to learn more about the brain. Clinical neurology drew me in due to our heavy reliance on physical exam as well as the close relationships we get to form with patients. I find it interesting and compelling to make diagnostic decisions based purely on what we are seeing in the room in front of us.
How my interests developed at WashU
We have an excellent, hands-on training with graduated responsibilities that allow us to really grow. In particular, during my second year I loved getting to run code strokes and work on making diagnostic and treatment decisions in the acute period (with the help of a chief and attending). I had an interest in vascular neurology, but after going back to the Neuro ICU this year my heart was drawn back to intensive care medicine, where we get the chance to form close relationships with team members, patients, and their family members while treating some of our most critically ill patients and respond to emergencies and changing clinical exams in real time.
How I spend my time outside the hospital / in STL
I love to read and spend time with my cats Bobbi and Dory. I like to go to trivia and go most Tuesdays so that I can mooch off of other people’s general knowledge while I answer the one obligatory medicine question that gets thrown in once a week. There are a lot of great parks and breweries around, I love a good picnic or patio minute especially when the weather is nice.
What my future plans are
I will be staying here at WashU to complete a fellowship in Neurointensive Care 🙂 I would like a clinical focus in my career, and may like to mix some vascular time in my future career as well.