Meet Our Team
Eric Simon, MD
Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin
Undergrad: University of Miami (FL)
Why Anesthesiology: I chose anesthesiology because it is a great combination of both a cerebral and procedural specialty. We are ultimately in charge of taking care of the entire patient perioperatively, but we are constantly moving and working with our hands to do so. I thrive taking care of sick patients undergoing complex surgery because of our ability to employ all of our lines and monitors to predict and diagnose their specific pathology, then utilize our basic science and pharmacology knowledge to manipulate their physiology in real time and ultimately get them through surgery safely. There really is no other specialty like it.
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: I enjoy teaching because it is truly the area where I can make the greatest difference. While I take tremendous pride in helping a single sick patient get through surgery successfully, the education of future anesthesiologists will ultimately help an exponential number of patients. Additionally, I really enjoy watching residents grow from inexperienced interns to extraordinary anesthesiologists.
What do you do for fun? I enjoy spending time with my husband traveling the world, going to Green Bay Packers or Chicago Cubs games, and going to concerts. Closer to home, we spend most of our summer time boating and most of our winter time snowmobiling.
Anna Frackman, MD
Medical School:Harvard Medical School (MA)
Undergrad:Oberlin College (OH)
Why Anesthesiology: I really honestly have a lot of fun doing anesthesia. I get to make a big difference in patients’ lives, have a working knowledge of so many different parts of medicine and pathophysiology, and the clear feedback of waking up a patient comfortably and seeing them safely through their surgery day really appeals to the goal-oriented part of my personality. In addition to the OR I also attend in the ICU, where I get to see the sickest patients through some very hard times, and the team structure there lets me spend more time getting to know each patient and also getting to know my trainee team over the course of a week at a time which I also find very satisfying.
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: I remember what an impact some of my favorite faculty had on me and my peers, and I want to emulate those people who were so critical to my development. I also just really like spending time with the residents and fellows, getting to know them, and helping them out in whatever way I can. These are the folks who will go on to be leaders in medicine, and the way we teach them and the way we treat them will shape the future of our field.
What do you do for fun? I like to spend as much time outdoors as possible, ideally with my husband and 2 kids, or some subset thereof. We like to hike, swim, ski, go sledding and explore ALL the local playgrounds. When we have the time, we also love exploring national parks! Zion and Yosemite have been recent favorites for our family.
Patrick Meyer, MD
Medical School: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Undergrad: University of Wisconsin
Why Anesthesiology: The physiology involved, the technical skills and procedures, and the lack of rounds and clinic
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: It is so fun to see the growth of residents as their training progresses. Their enthusiasm for learning motivates me to pursue a career of lifelong learning
What aspect of our residency program are you most proud of? I am most proud of the community our residents have built, characterized by a willingness to step up for a co-resident at any moment. It is rare to have an environment where the rigor of training is matched by the joy of working alongside colleagues who feel more likely family
What do you do for fun? Like any good Wisconsinite, I am a big Green Bay Packer fan and follow Wisconsin Badger football and basketball closely. I enjoy exercising and my happy place is cycling on country roads
Sabrina Sam, MD
Medical School: Trinity SOM
Undergrad: Minnesota State University, Moorhead
Why Anesthesiology: I like that you get to combine medical decision making with hands-on care and procedures all while being part of a multi-disciplinary team.
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: It’s fun to share something you love with people and learn new things together.
What aspect of our residency are you most proud of? I’m most proud that the residents are happy to be here and that they look out for one another.
What Do You Do for Fun? I like to spend time with family and friends. We travel, hike, kayak, ski/snowboard, and go to live music outdoors. I also love to read while cuddling my dog and cats.
Kristin Bevil, MD
Medical School: University of Notre Dame
Undergrad: Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine
Why Anesthesiology: I chose anesthesiology because I loved the rapid feedback of taking care of a patient in the most unique way, continuously manipulating physiology to enable procedures while assessing, diagnosing, treating, and re-assessing with a focus always on the patient’s well-being.
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: I enjoy teaching because it provides a way to “pay it forward” for all the teachers from whom I have learned as well as a way to force myself to stay up-to-date on current evidence-based practices.
What do you do for fun? In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband and children, reading, bike riding, going for walks, and baking.
James Gentry, MD
Medical School: The University of Arizona, College of Medicine – Phoenix
Undergrad: Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR
Why Anesthesiology: I love anesthesiology because I enjoy the patient relationships, the team approach to patient care, the physiology, the pharmacology, the expertise in a subspecialty! What’s not to love?!
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: There’s no greater way to help the maximum amount of people possible than to share what I have learned with others. Moreover, I would not have become an anesthesiologist without the help of others. By teaching I feel like I’m able to potentially help others the way I was helped along the way.
What aspect of our residency program are you most proud of? The department’s longstanding culture of teamwork and collaboration is my favorite thing about UW Anesthesia. However, on a personal note, I am most proud of GASTIME (Gaining Anesthesia Skills Together In Modern Medicine) – a program I developed and implemented over the past 6 years to provide interns an opportunity for early departmental integration.
What do you do for fun? My family is everything to me outside my profession. I absolutely adore coaching my 10 year old daughter’s softball team – and occasionally my 10 year old boy’s baseball team too! If I’m not doing that I enjoy time with my beautiful wife, home improvement projects, fishing, dinners out, backyard barbeques with friends, and perhaps a little bourbon.
Lucas Skoda, DO
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergrad: University of Wisconsin Madison
Why Anesthesiology: I enjoy the day-to-day variety of my job. No two patients are the same. I also get to work with such a great group of people from residents to the OR staff.
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: It is so much fun to be able to watch residents progress from CA1 to CA3 years and see the growth that occurs in such a short amount of time. Teaching is as beneficial for me as it is the residents. I am always amazed at the questions the residents have; they push me to continue learning.
What do you do for fun? I spend as much time as possible with my children and family. We have two young children, and they keep us very busy.
Kaitlin Woods, MD
Medical School: West Virginia University School of Medicine
Undergrad: North Dakota State University
Why Anesthesiology: I chose anesthesiology because it is a unique blend of physiology, pharmacology and pathophysiology which fit my interests well. I also enjoy that it requires attention to detail and prompt action with subsequent prompt results of treatment. Lastly, an anesthesiologist has the opportunity to bond with and make people feel safe in some of the hardest moments and can truly make an impact on their journey within the healthcare system.
Why Do You Enjoy Teaching: Teaching allows me to connect with the next generation of anesthesiologists and have a lasting impact on the specialty through thorough and personalized education of current trainees. I also love that it keeps my knowledge up to date to ensure I continue to evolve and take continued safe care of patients.
What aspect of our residency program are you most proud of? I am most proud of the openness to feedback and willingness to continually change. Our residency leadership takes feedback seriously and adjusts even newly implemented changes to continuously improve resident education and wellbeing rather than sticking with systems and changes that are not working as well as initially expected.
What do you do for fun? I really enjoy hanging out with my family and watching my children grow, learn, and experience new things in the world around them. I also love to play board games, read thriller novels, and spend time with my husband and friends enjoying new (and old) restaurants.