Laura Linneman, RN, was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and is the youngest of five siblings. She grew up in a loving household, busy with a lot of family and friends and activities.
Like many teenagers, Linneman worked in many jobs, but in her first job at age 16, she was as a busgirl at the original Hacienda in Overland, Missouri, where she met her husband, Mike. After they married, Mike and Laura went on to have three children, Danny, Mary and Johnny. They now have three grandchildren, Mia, Isaac and Ezra. The whole family lives in St. Louis and spends a lot of time together.
From an early age, Linneman absolutely LOVED babies! She always dreamed of being a nurse and possibly one day becoming one. After graduating from Barnes School of Nursing, she was thrilled to be offered a staff nurse position at SLCH NICU where she cared for babies for 21 years. Those years in the NICU were special, taking care of babies and their families felt very natural to her. Working alongside the physicians and nurses in the NICU was a memorable experience that she treasures.
Linneman’s journey continued to the next phase in her life when she transitioned to Washington University School of Medicine as a research coordinator in Newborn Medicine in 2009 working with Barb Warner, MD, the best mentor she could ask for! Linneman’s time in the NICU gave her perspective towards what the NICU families are going through and helped her with approaching them for research studies. Some of Linneman’s research projects have included studying the microbiome, respiratory studies and a clinical drug trial treating a rare disease, Niemann-Pick, type C, which is probably her favorite because she can really get to know the families and be there for them and hopefully help make a difference in their lives. Linneman feels very fortunate to have the opportunity to work at Washington University with the research community and with the families. Now, she is the manager of clinical trials in Newborn Medicine, working alongside other researchers conducting studies in the NICU.
In her spare time, Linneman enjoys yoga, kayaking, hiking, travelling, listening to music (especially her husband and sons who play guitar!) and learning pickleball. But her favorite pastime is simply spending time with her family.