Drew Rector
President
SSM St. Joseph Hospital West
As president of SSM St. Joseph Hospital West, Drew Rector oversees the mission, vision and strategic focus of the 127-bed suburban, acute care community hospital located in Lake Saint Louis, Missouri. He is also the Service Line Executive for Orthopedics, a major product line for SSM Health Care-St. Louis. One in four persons needing orthopedic surgical care in greater St. Louis does so with an SSM-affiliated orthopedic surgeon.
Before coming to St. Joseph Hospital West, Drew was vice president of cardiovascular services for the West Florida division of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), the nation’s largest hospital system based in Nashville, Tenn. He has extensive experience with service line development and implementation, established a successful physician recruitment program, and developed strong physician relationships at HCA. He previously served as chief operating officer for Charlotte, N.C.-based OrthoCarolina, a private musculoskeletal group practice.
Drew earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of South Florida. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Ranger School, an internationally recognized leadership development program and a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Michael Handler, MD
Medical Director/Chief Medical Officer
SSM St. Joseph Hospital West
Michael Handler, M.D., is the medical director/chief medical officer for SSM St. Joseph Hospital West in Lake Saint Louis.
As medical director/ chief medical officer, Dr. Handler serves as liaison between the organized medical staff and administration, which advances the clinical practice of medicine for the campus. He also serves as the physician advisor to case management.
Dr. Handler has been a physician in the state of Missouri since 1985. He operated a private Obstetrics and Gynecology practice in Kirkwood and Wildwood from 1989 through 2007. Dr. Handler also served as house obstetric physician for SSM St. Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood (SJHK) since 2001. Additionally, he spent two years serving as SJHK’s medical director for quality improvement, during which time he implemented many successful quality improvement initiatives.
Dr. Handler earned his medical degree at University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. From 1984 to 1989, he completed his internship and residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Louis University Hospitals. He is pursuing a Master of Medical Management from Tulane University.
Janet Pestle
Executive Director of Nursing /
Chief Nursing Officer
SSM St. Joseph Hospital West
As executive director of Nursing, Janet Pestle, MSN, RN, oversees patient care at SSM St. Joseph Hospital West. With over 18 years of progressive nursing leadership experience, Pestle has been successful in multiple quality and operational improvement projects and is a CQI Green Belt Member.
Before coming to St. Joseph Hospital West, Pestle served four years as the Administrative Director for Cardiovascular Services at St. Mary’s Health Center located in Jefferson City, Mo. She also served as the Director of Patient Care for Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Mo. from 2000 to 2006. Her background includes broad experience in direct patient care, nursing operations and health care administration. She has been a champion for higher education in nursing, continual process improvement and for building strong physician/nursing relationships that improve patient care.
Pestle completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and her Master of Science in Nursing Management at University of Missouri- Columbia. She resides in Columbia with her husband, Jack, and their three sons.
David Lickerman, M.D. - FACEP
Medical Director, Emergency Department
SSM St. Joseph Hospital West
As Medical Director of the SSM St. Joseph Hospital West Emergency Department, Dr. Lickerman is responsible for coordinating the highest level of care and caring during an unplanned and often stressful experience.
Prior to working with SSM HealthCare, Dr. Lickerman was the Associate Director of the Emergency Department at Christian NE-NW Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri for over 11-years.
Dr. Lickerman is board-certified in internal medicine and emergency medicine. He completed his undergraduate studies at Northwestern University and attended medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Lickerman completed his residency at St. Lukes / Washington University Primary Care Internal Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.