Maria Sallie Poepsel

Dr. Sallie Poepsel obtained a PhD in Public Policy and Administration in 2013, specializing in Healthcare Services & has a broad-based experience in healthcare for approximately 50 years encompassing clinical, education, research, leadership and management. She founded the first all-CRNA anesthesia service business 23 years ago in central Missouri, and has focused her practice in multiple settings, primarily rural hospitals and most recently office-based-settings and ASCs.

She is a past President of MoANA and held many volunteer positions as a MoANA member, and as an elected AANA Board member. She was appointed as one of the policy advisers for Rural Health and Human Services from 2015-2020 by then Secretary Burwell following a Rural Health Fellowship with the National Rural Health Association.

She has been involved in health care system mergers while serving as a board member of multiple professional, healthcare and accreditation boards. She continues to serve as volunteer anesthesia professional for overseas medical missions in developing countries especially in Asia.

Her expertise includes leadership and governance, business development, practice management in anesthesia,and rural anesthesia practice. She has published and made presentations nationally and internationally.

Her interest in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning during the pandemic led her to pursue a postdoctoral course in Artificial Intelligence and machine Learning (AI/ML) at the University of Austin McCombs School of Business to explore how this emerging technology intersects with Anesthesiology as a practice, as a profession and how we might position ourselves in effectively navigating the digital mindset required to transform in this rapidly changing technology environment.