Staff Spotlight: Susannah Meredith

Ever since she was in middle school, Susannah Meredith has known she wanted a career in administration. Inspired in part by her parents’ careers in business and her mother’s work in administration, Susannah has always enjoyed helping others and bringing organization to busy environments. Today, she serves as assistant to Michael Lin, MD, SFHM, Chief of the Section of Hospital Medicine.

“I really enjoy taking ownership of projects and being someone people can come to for help, ” Susannah said. “My favorite project that I get to work on is the promotions process. I love connecting with faculty and helping them excel in their careers.”

When she joined Hospital Medicine in 2025, Susannah and the admin staff were focused on establishing processes that would help them support an ever-growing faculty of hospitalists. Today, those processes are helping with growth across the Division of General Internal Medicine.

Through her work in Hospital Medicine and the larger division, Susannah has seen firsthand the shared dedication of WashU Medicine faculty and staff to patient care, research, and education.

“Susannah provides outstanding support to me, the Section of Hospital Medicine, and the Division of GIM,” Lin said. “She demonstrates exceptional organizational and communication skills with sharp attention to detail. Most recently she organized and coordinated promotion packets for a large number of Hospital Medicine faculty. She followed this effort immediately into organizing Interfolio files and scheduling annual faculty reviews for 140 plus Hospital Medicine faculty. Susannah always shows professionalism, a positive attitude, and a genuine spirit of cooperation. I am grateful to her and her invaluable role on the team.”

Q&A with Susannah Meredith

Tell me a little about your role in the Division of General Internal Medicine. What does a typical day or week look like for you?

I provide administrative support for the Section of Hospital Medicine in various ways, and honestly, no two days are ever the same. I usually have an idea of what I need to accomplish, but things can change pretty quickly.

I might start my morning working on faculty promotions, move on to annual reviews, and then spend some time coordinating meetings or following up with faculty. There’s always something going on, so a big part of my job is keeping everything organized and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.

When I interviewed with Rob [Andersson] a couple years ago, one of the things I mentioned was how I like to find balance in chaos. It’s funny because that’s still such a good way to describe what I do today.

Can you talk about a time that you were able to find balance in chaos?

But, like with anything, you take it one step at a time at a pace that makes sense to you. There’s something really satisfying about taking a big project, figuring out how to manage it, and seeing everything come together. This probably sounds weird, but I love being busy and having a lot of moving pieces to organize.

And while I’m working through something like that, I’m always thinking about how I can make the process easier the next time around. If I can find ways to streamline things now, it makes the whole process much more manageable in the future. I think that’s a big part of what finding balance in chaos means to me.

What drew you to a career in administration? What brought you to WashU Medicine and General Internal Medicine?

I’ve actually been interested in administration for as long as I can remember. Even back in seventh grade, when we took those career assessment tests, I always wrote that I wanted to be an administrative assistant. People might not believe me, but I have the papers to prove it!

Both of my parents worked in business, and my mom is still in administration, so I think I naturally gravitated toward it. I always admired the work she did and knew it was something I could see myself doing.

My mom and I actually worked for the same school district in Chicago for a while, just at different high schools. Funny enough, I started in the same position she had when entering the district years earlier, so that was a really neat full-circle moment for us.

When I moved here from Chicago, I came across the posting for the assistant to chief position and thought I’d give it a shot. Everything just kind of fell into place. I’ve always enjoyed working in education, so being able to continue that in academic medicine has been a really great fit for me.

What’s a project that you find particularly meaningful?

My favorite project that I get to work on is the promotions process. I love connecting with faculty and helping them excel in their careers.

There’s nothing that makes me happier than seeing those congratulatory emails from the chair’s office go out to faculty when they’ve been promoted. It’s really rewarding to know that I had a small part in helping them reach that next step in their careers.

There’s also a lot that goes on behind the scenes that people might not realize. Part of the process involves reaching out to faculty at other institutions across the country to request letters of support. I really enjoy that aspect because I get to connect with people I otherwise might never have had the opportunity to work with. It’s also a nice way to build connections and keep WashU Medicine on people’s radar.

There’s a lot of communication and coordination involved, but getting to see everything come together and knowing how much that promotion means to the faculty member makes it all worth it.

What have you enjoyed most about working with Dr. Lin?

It’s been really great working with Mike. He’s very level-headed and calm, and I always feel comfortable going to him with a concern or an idea because I know he’ll be receptive to what I have to say.

His work ethic and dedication to our faculty have been really great to see as he’s grown into his role as Section Chief of Hospital Medicine. He also gives me a lot of trust and independence in my own role, which I really appreciate. It makes such a difference knowing that he trusts me to do my job while also being there to offer guidance or work through something together when needed.

I’m really excited to see what’s ahead for us in Hospital Medicine and GIM as a whole.

What do you want people to know about the Section of Hospital Medicine?

Hospital Medicine is a really large group, and we’re continuing to grow. We have so many talented faculty members who are dedicated to providing exceptional patient care while also continuing to grow and advance in their own careers. I think that’s something really special about our section.

With that growth comes a lot of work behind the scenes, and our administrative team has put a lot of effort into developing processes that help us stay organized and support our faculty as effectively as possible.

Before the Division of General Internal Medicine was established, we had the opportunity to test and improve a lot of our processes in Hospital Medicine. I think that’s been a real benefit to the larger division because we’re able to take what we’ve already built and expand on it across GIM.

I’m also excited about the opportunity to collaborate with our colleagues in Ambulatory Medicine, Geriatrics, and Research. I think there’s a lot we can accomplish together. as the division continues to grow.

What makes WashU Medicine and St. Louis special?

I’m originally from Chicago, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss home, but St. Louis has been a really great place to settle down and put down roots. My husband grew up in the area, and we welcomed our daughter here in April, so now we have a little St. Louis native in the family! Our son is also loving elementary school and growing into such a little man, so it’s been really special watching our family grow here.

One thing I’ve really appreciated about WashU Medicine is how supportive and passionate everyone is about their work. Whether it’s patient care, research, or teaching, everyone is working toward the same goal, even if we’re contributing in different ways. It’s really nice to be part of an environment where people genuinely care about what they do and are always looking for ways to grow and improve.

When you’re not at work, what’s something your colleagues might be surprised to learn about you?

I spend so much of my day at work keeping things organized, but if you saw my closet at home, you’d never believe it. It’s an absolute disaster, and you can usually find me somewhere in a pile of clothes trying to figure out what to wear. Apparently, all of my organizational skills stay at the office.