Dr. Richard Van Besien joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine as an Assistant Professor in July 2025. He first came to St. Louis for undergrad at WashU. Medical school brought him back to his home state to attend the University of Maryland on a full merit scholarship. While there, he became interested in respiratory diseases and intensive care medicine and graduated as the class valedictorian.
Dr. Van Besien returned to St. Louis to complete his residency in internal medicine at WashU and stayed on for fellowship in pulmonary and critical care. Over the years, he has published research on venous thromboembolism prophylaxis as well as antibiotic choice in pneumonia. He has always been interested in medical education and has been involved in teaching medical students and residents. His key interests include general pulmonary medicine, sarcoidosis, airways disease, and critical care medicine.