TOS - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Medical Assistant
• Office Staff Member
• Medical Assistant at Washington University Vascular Surgery

Ashley is a medical assistant at Washington University Vascular Surgery. She moved here from Colorado Springs, CO in June of 2018 with her family. She has been a Medical Assistant for 14 years working in multiple specialties such as Cardiology, Hepatology, Oncology and Dialysis. She coordinated and oversaw the Congestive Heart Failure clinic and support group at University of Colorado Memorial Hospital. Ashley was the MA coordinator for Hepatitis C and Hepatology education and treatment while working in Colorado Springs. Ashley is currently studying at Washington University to receive her bachelor's in science of nursing degree. She is married and has three children. Ashley is an avid Colorado Rockies fan and enjoys hiking, going to sporting events and spending time with family.

Job Titles:

• Office Staff Member
• Research Study Assistant

Dani is a clinical research study assistant who has recently joined our TOS team. Prior to joining our team Dani worked as a medical assistant to joining The Center for TOS. As an assistant, Dani collects and records data from patients that have been treated for TOS. Prior to working with us Dani was with Electrophysiology in the Heart & Vascular Clinic for 4 years. She is currently studying at Washington University to receive her bachelor's in science of nursing degree. She is from Illinois but enjoys cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals and enjoys spending time with family. She also loves a good joke.

Job Titles:

• Office Staff Member
• Registered Nurse
• Registered Nurse at Washington University Vascular Surgery

Karen is a registered nurse at Washington University Vascular Surgery. She obtained her initial experience as a registered nurse at Saint Louis University Hospital in St. Louis, MO., where she worked for 3 years in the Abdominal Transplant Service focusing on end-stage liver disease and end-stage kidney disease. She then moved to Saint Louis University as a research nurse specializing in Hematology/Oncology. About 2 years later, Karen moved into her current role as a registered nurse in Vascular Surgery, where she works in collaboration with our team to provide initial patient assessments, clinical histories, treatment, and post-operative care for patients with arterial and venous insufficiency, vascular aneurysms and stenosis, and thoracic outlet syndrome. In addition, Karen is a St. Louis native and has one daughter.

Job Titles:

• Director of the Washington University Center for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome at Barnes - Jewish Hospital
• Research Investigator

Dr. Thompson was raised in Ann Arbor (MI) and graduated from Hope College (BA, 1979) and the University of Michigan School of Medicine (MD, 1983), followed by residency training in general surgery at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston (MA) (1983-1990). During residency, he obtained laboratory research training at The Children's Hospital Boston under the mentorship of Drs. Patricia A. D'Amore and Judah Folkman, where he focused on cell biology, angiogenesis, and vascular disease. After serving an additional year as the assistant to the surgeon-in-chief at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dr. Thompson completed a specialty fellowship in vascular surgery at the University of California, San Francisco (1991-1992). He then joined the faculty at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, where he has been in academic practice for 17 years. Dr. Thompson is currently professor of surgery (Section of Vascular Surgery), radiology, and cell biology and physiology at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Thompson is an experienced research investigator with more than 12 years of grant support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for which he directs a basic science laboratory focused on the pathophysiology and drug therapy of aortic aneurysms, a translational research program on the impact of metabolic syndrome and vascular disease, and clinical outcomes research on patients undergoing treatment for TOS. He has published more than 80 original manuscripts and over 60 chapters and reviews on various topics. Dr. Thompson is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the American Surgical Association, the Society for Vascular Surgery, and the American Heart Association, and he has been a regular member of several NIH research study sections and scientific journal editorial boards. Dr. Thompson is vice-chair for Research in the Department of Surgery and an active participant in the Washington University Institute for Clinical and Translational Science. Dr. Thompson's clinical practice is focused on all forms of thoracic outlet syndrome and upper extremity neurovascular compression disorders. The surgical management of patients with TOS is an area for which Dr. Thompson has acquired an unusually rich experience and for which his expertise is widely sought. In building a nationally recognized referral center for patients with TOS at Washington University, Dr. Thompson has worked to develop a highly knowledgable staff and an effective multidisciplinary team, which includes experts in physical therapy and rehabilitation, anesthesia and pain management, diagnostic and interventional radiology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, hand surgery, sports medicine, occupational and environmental health, and a number of other specialties. Dr. Thompson and his team currently evaluate more than 300 patients with all forms of TOS and perform approximately 150 surgical procedures for these conditions each year, representing an unusually large clinical experience for this group of rare disorders.