September 10, 2025

Meet Kate Gerull, MD, PGY-5

2025 Chief Resident 

Where are you from? 

I grew up in Tacoma, Washington, which is about 45 minutes south of Seattle. Tacoma is probably best known for being the "Tac" in SeaTac airport, or that the movie Ten Things I Hate About You was filmed at one of the high schools in the city! 

What made you choose orthopedics as a specialty? 

I didn't really have exposure to orthopedics until my 3rd year clerkship in medical school. Up until that point I thought I was going to pursue General Surgery or Otolaryngology, but once I had my first day in the orthopedic OR I completely pivoted and decided to pursue orthopedics. I absolutely loved (and still love) the immediate positive impact you can have on patients' lives, the intraoperative problem solving, and all of the implants/instruments we get to use.

Do you plan on pursuing a subspecialty area of focus? 

I plan on pursuing my fellowship in hand surgery, and I'll be attending the University of Washington for my fellowship next year. I was drawn to hand surgery because of the intricate anatomy and the large variety of surgeries that hand surgeons perform.

Why WashU?

I came to WashU for medical school, so I knew what an amazing orthopedic surgery residency program WashU had based on what I saw on my rotations. I thought the residents here had incredible work ethic, clinical judgement, and were technically excellent surgeons, so when I made my rank list, it was clear that WashU would be at the top. I am very grateful that I got to stay and do my training here, I never thought when I moved here that I would have been in St. Louis almost 10 years! 

Is there a patient who had a lasting impact on you?

I am particularly touched by seeing trauma patients in follow-up, particularly as they start to return to their lives after a devastating injury. Especially as a resident, we spend most of our time seeing patients in the acute peri-op period while they are hospitalized, and we don't always get to see the long-term outcomes of our surgeries. I am deeply moved when patients begin to resume their lives, return to work, and start to participate in the activities they love, and knowing I played a part in the surgery that made that possible. 

What's the best advice you've ever received? 

I think the best advice I've gotten is to try to take something away from every case. Especially once you choose your future fellowship, it's tempting to just hyperfocus on that specialty and not learn from cases in other disciplines. One of my mentors told me that at the end of every case I should reflect on two questions: "What's one thing I did well in that case?" and "What's one thing I want to improve for next time?" I think having this intentionality in evaluating my own performance helps me stay present and keep a growth mindset. 

What's your favorite thing to do outside of work?

My favorite thing to do outside of work is probably hang out with my husband, Will, and my daughter, Sophie (age 2). We love to go to the farmers market on the weekend and explore all of the parks and playgrounds. Sophie particularly loves the Botanical Garden and Forest Park. We also love to try new restaurants; we will definitely miss the incredible food here when we leave for fellowship! 

If you weren't a physician, what would you like to be doing? 

I would probably be a pastry chef. I love baking and my favorite things to bake are pies and cakes. I have baked my way through the Tartine cookbook (one of my favorite bakeries in the world), and I'm currently working on Dessert Person. 

Learn why patients choose WashU Medicine Orthopedics, request an appointment online or call (314) 514-3500.