Anne M. Drewry, MD

2023 Dean’s Impact Award Recipient

Anne Drewry, MD, displayed extraordinary leadership and innovative excellence during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Drewry was appointed as vice chair of anesthesiology in acknowledgement of her many accomplishments, and in recognition of her compassionate, steadfast response to the pandemic. As division director, she directed the critical care clinical activities of several BJC HealthCare community hospitals as well as the surgical and cardiothoracic intensive care units (ICUs) at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. In response to the influx of critically ill patients, she helped expand the ICU footprint within BJC by 40% by arranging for additional midlevel and physician ICU coverage as well as helping to convert non-ICU spaces into functional ICU space. In addition, Drewry chaired the BJC COVID-19 Taskforce to help coordinate the critical care response to COVID-19 and standardize care and resources across the system ICUs. She was instrumental in coordinating the tele-critical care response to the pandemic, facilitating the collaboration between the tele-ICU and BJC Transfer Center to help place patients in the hospitals most appropriate for their conditions. Early in the pandemic, she increased staffing of the tele-ICU to remotely care for patients and allow other services/consultants to remotely access patients through the tele-ICU audiovisual connections. While addressing staffing challenges, she prioritized the well-being of the APPs, residents and physicians in the division during an extremely stressful period for critical care clinicians. Drewry was awarded a COVETED award in 2021 for her outstanding contributions to the community, her peers and the Department of Anesthesiology during the pandemic.