Jessica Goeller, DO, associate professor in the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology, has been appointed clinical service chief of pediatric anesthesiology and director of perioperative services at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center. In her new role, Dr. Goeller will collaborate with Julia Galvez, MD, to improve the clinical operation of Children’s operating rooms and grow the pediatric anesthesiology services.
“Dr. Goeller’s extensive clinical leadership experience and dedication to providing the very best clinical services for children made her the ideal candidate to continue to expand and lead the pediatric anesthesiology services,” said Mohanad Shukry, MD, PhD, executive vice chair of the department.
Dr. Goeller said she is excited to serve the community in this new role, leading the growth of the department’s excellent pediatric clinical anesthesia operations and partnering with the director of surgical services for perioperative services strategic planning and management at Children’s Hospital & Medical Center.
A native of Australia, Dr. Goeller served in the U.S. Army in finance and accounting before attending medical school. She completed her residency in anesthesiology at the Doctors Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. After a fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, she joined the faculty at the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology.
Dr. Goeller said she was first drawn to pediatric anesthesiology because of her deep, abiding love for children and young patients and that anesthesiology aligns with her passion for providing essential patient care in a surgical environment that can be fast-paced and complex. Dr. Goeller said her passion, combined with her background in osteopathic medicine, proved to be formative to her interest in pediatric pain medicine.
“The privilege to care for these young patients through necessary procedures and provide excellent pain management couldn’t be more fulfilling,” Dr. Goeller said. “It is my true calling.”
Dr. Goeller has served locally as chair of the Children’s Specialty Physicians Board of Directors and as a senator for the UNMC Faculty Senate. She has served nationally as the chair of the Professional Education Committee for the American Osteopathic College of Anesthesiology. This past May, she received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Dr. Goellers’s clinical interests include pediatric regional anesthesia and pain management. She is actively involved in osteogenesis imperfecta research, a genetic disease that causes bones to fracture easily with no apparent cause.
“I became interested in osteogenesis imperfecta research when I came to Omaha and found that we had a center of excellence and an abundance of data to allow us to share our experiences with the world,” Dr. Goeller said. “This will help to better the lives of those with fragile bones who, therefore, may require frequent, painful surgeries to correct fractures and malformation.”
“I am confident that Dr. Goeller will succeed in her new position and grow pediatric anesthesiology clinical services,” Dr. Shukry said. “As an academic anesthesiologist, she is an outstanding role model and mentor.”