May 25, 2023

Meet Francisco Barbachan

Office Assistant 

Where are you from? 

I’m from Miami, Florida. But want to add I am super proud to be a Latino/Hispanic American whose background and heritage is fully Peruvian on my maternal and paternal side.

What brought you to Washington University Orthopedics? 

Shortly after getting my AA in business I aspired to finish and receive my BA. I’ve always heard it’s good to leave your hometown and always dreamed of leaving which is why, on an overnight shift in the ER, where I worked previously, I decided to apply to multiple positions at WashU and hoped for the best. Right after I applied I was called immediately to interview and got the job shortly after. I was very excited to not only move to a brand new city (St. Louis) which for me was across the country, but also have the opportunity to work for WashU orthopedics.

How do you support the department?

I support the department in many ways. My position is the front admin desk in which you’ll see me greeting faculty, staff, and anybody passing as well as introducing myself to any new employees. I also support Lisa Steinhoff in any projects and order placements she needs. I also help the rest of the faculty and staff at the OC with any Computer/Phone issues, and work orders. I distribute all mail faxes and inter-office things and much more. I also coordinate with multiple food trucks so they can come out and visit us at the OC every 2-3 weeks. I love coming into work super happy and why every month I enjoy transforming/decorating the break room and bulletin board into something different (depending on the holidays, season, and annual observances).

What aspect of your work do you find most interesting or rewarding? 

Everything I said above I find rewarding and interesting.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work? 

I love attending church it defiantly is a big part of who I am. On Wednesdays, I enjoy serving in for the Rev Students ministry. Spending time with middle and high school students and helping them walk through life is definitely a highlight of my week. I love spending time with friends and family and love the movie theaters. I also somehow make time to go to the gym throughout my week.

What's the best advice you ever received?

 The best advice I was given was, “It doesn’t matter if they're cheering at you, or booing at you, just know, they're still making noise for you,” by my friend, Dr. Bueno, who I met in the ER at Baptist Health Florida.

“Always be nice and humble to everyone you meet,” from my Mother.

“Life isn’t made to be in one spot,” on TikTok.

If you weren't in health care, what would you like to be doing?

If I wasn’t working in healthcare, I would love to work in the food or hotel industry again. I love and miss working in a high pace environment where I’m constantly running and multi-tasking. I also like the crazy schedules, which is why I loved working in the ER so much. I was constantly running back and forth during my overnight and day shifts.

Anything else you’d like to share? 

I have two siblings: my little sister, Natalia (20), (who happens to also work at WashU orthopedics as well), and my little brother Javier (13). My favorite type of food is Peruvian food. I’m bilingual in English and Spanish, thanks to my grandparents and mostly living in Miami. I love to travel - one of my goals is to travel to every US state in the USA.

My paternal great grandfather and great grandmother, with my grandfather and grandmother, immigrated to the United States From Peru and settled in Seattle, Washington. There, my grandparents raised their four children, one of them being my father. Flash forward two decades later, my father takes a trip to Peru as a tourist and meets my mother and eventually gets married in their early twenties, and they both decided to move to Miami, Florida. There, my siblings and I were raised. Flash forward another two decades and I decide to move to St. Louis, Missouri. I’m excited to see where my future generations will take me!

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