Alicia Penning shares her loves for family; the challenge of implementing new university scheduling processes; and building with Legos.
What is your current title and how long have you been with ENT at WashU Medicine?
I am a Patient Accounts Manager, and I have been with Otolaryngology for two years and WashU Medicine a total of nine years. I manage the OR Scheduling and Prior Authorization team as well as the pre-arrival team. I started in billing and made my way into the world of OR scheduling.
What do you like most about your work here?
I love the challenge of what I do and the people that I work with. I am getting to do a lot of new things with OR scheduling and utilization that is at the forefront of new processes within the university. I enjoy problem solving so this position has always been interesting for me.
What was your childhood like?
I am originally from Indiana and moved to the St. Louis area when I was 5 years old. I attended elementary, middle and high school in Seckman, a community in Jefferson County. My childhood was lots of fun. I am super close to my parents, and I am still best friends with two of my childhood schoolmates.
What spare time activities bring you the most joy?
I love spending time with my kids and my husband Chris. I have a 4-year-old son, Maverick, and an 8-month-old daughter, Memphis, so we are super busy in the early years of parenting. I tend to say that my gas tank is normally running on empty, but my cup is always full. My husband and I have been married for almost 11 years. My son loves to be outside so we end up doing a lot of things outdoors.
After the kids go to bed, Chris and I enjoy building large Lego sets together which can often be seen behind me in Teams meetings.
Is there a special something at the top of your bucket list, and why?
At the top of my bucket list would be a second honeymoon with my husband. We had planned to do one for our 10-year anniversary but then discovered we were expecting Memphis, so that was put on hold. It doesn’t really matter where we go; we just love to travel together.
Do you have a favorite quote or words that you try to live by and why?
“Live with kindness.” Short, but says it all.