HumAnes of UCLA: Robert Briel, MSN, CRNA
First off, thank you so much for being willing to share your story with the HumAnes of UCLA series. To start, where are you originally from and where did you grow up? Thank you for including me in the series! I was born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania—a commuter town outside of Philadelphia. However, I grew up in Medford, New Jersey.
Where do you live in the city now? Why did you choose it? My wife, Lisa, and I currently live in Encino. We have also have a 12-year-old son named Fletcher. We purchased a home there in 2017 because it had a great neighborhood feel, and we could also walk Fletcher to school.
What drew you to anesthesia? I started out my journey to anesthesia initially as a paramedic. After I gained experience, I realized that the burnout rate among emergency medical professionals was really high. So I pivoted and pursued my BSN instead. I worked for three years in an urban emergency department in Camden, New Jersey, and then took a position in the Trauma ICU there.
Is that what made you want to become a CRNA? Well, actually my ultimate goal was to become a flight nurse. A year after working in the Trauma ICU, I moved to Arizona and began a job as a flight nurse. I flew for about three years. However, after a few close calls in the helicopter, I applied to CRNA school and moved back to Philadelphia for that training at Temple University. I worked as a CRNA in Philadelphia for three years before moving to LA and working at UCLA.
What's your favorite thing about working at UCLA? I love the variety of patients that we get to take care of, and also the variety of surgeries that we perform.
What do you like to do for fun outside of work? Anything outdoors—I love hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering. My family has a cabin in southern Utah, and our favorite tradition is to spend the holidays there. We love to sled and ride our snowmobile and ATVs there.
Do you have any pets? I have a Labrador Retriever named Waffles. My son Fletcher came up with the name.