Jeanette R. Bauchat MD, MS

Jeanette Bauchat, M.D., MS, has been appointed Chief of the Division of Obstetric Anesthesiology, effective Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018. Beuchat comes to Vanderbilt University Medical Center from Northwestern University in Chicago where she served for two years as the Section Chief for Obstetric Anesthesiology. Along with this experience, she also has a Master’s degree in Quality and Safety from Northwestern.

Dr. Bauchat was recruited as the culmination of a national search led by Warren Sandberg, Chair of Anesthesiology, and David Chestnut, the outgoing Division Chief. Sandberg commented: “David and I had set a strategic goal of positioning the Division to be able to recruit a nationally recognized leader in obstetric anesthesiology. Dr. Bauchat led a great division at Northwestern and we are fortunate to have recruited her here”. Nationally, Dr. Bauchat is Secretary of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesiology and Perinatology and was a key contributor to the development of guidelines defining centers of excellence in obstetric anesthesiology.

Bauchat said her goals as the Chief of Obstetric Anesthesiology is to look at the entire spectrum of women’s health. “I would love to set up collaboration with our Obstetrics and Gynecology Departments so we can work together towards common goals in women’s health and the population here at VUMC,” she said. The culture and resources at VUMC play a big part in why Bauchat is excited about this opportunity. She said the Department of Anesthesiology and Warren Sandberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, have done a great job bringing information technology along with a system that helps people explore ideas. “In every realm, they have resources to help people whether they want to make a system more efficient, improve resident education, or bring a research idea to fruition,” she said.