Identifying emerging diseases focus of new international collaboration (Links to an external site)

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are establishing a new international collaboration that aims to help scientists prepare for the next pandemic and, perhaps, provide insight into the current one. The School of Medicine is one of 10 sites and a coordinating center forming the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases, […]

Nasal vaccine against COVID-19 prevents infection in mice (Links to an external site)

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a vaccine that targets the SARS-CoV-2 virus, can be given in one dose via the nose and is effective in preventing infection in mice susceptible to the novel coronavirus. The investigators next plan to test the vaccine in nonhuman primates and humans to […]

Major weight loss — whether from surgery or diet — has same metabolic benefits (Links to an external site)

Gastric bypass surgery is the most effective therapy to treat or reverse type 2 diabetes in severely obese patients. Many achieve remission of diabetes following surgery and no longer require diabetes medications. This observation has led to the theory that gastric bypass surgery has unique, weight loss-independent effects in treating diabetes, but this has remained […]

Dr. Patrick Grierson joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Patrick Grierson attended medical school at Ohio State University College of Medicine graduating in 2014. He then matriculated to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis completing his residency in Medicine in 2016 and a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology in 2020. Dr. Grierson then joined the faculty as an Instructor on the Clinician Track […]

Dr. Ramzi Abboud joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Ramzi Abboud attended medical school at the University of Rochester where he graduated Alpha Omega Alpha in 2014. He then matriculated to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis completing his residency in Medicine in 2017 and a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology in 2020. Dr. Abboud then joined the faculty as an Instructor on […]

Dr. Ingrid Eshun-Wilson joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Ingrid Eshun-Wilson joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Instructor in July, 2020. Dr. Eshun-Wilson received an undergraduate Medical Degree and Diploma in Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where she worked as a HIV physician for several years. She further developed her […]

Four steps to a healthy WashU community (Links to an external site)

With the start of the academic year, each and every member of the Washington University in St. Louis community who will be on campus this fall will be required to follow four steps – four public health measures that must be completed by students, faculty and staff individually, but will have an impact globally.

Dr. Peter McDonnell joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Peter McDonnell joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine as an Instructor in July, 2020. Dr. McDonnell grew up on the coast of the Puget Sound in Washington State, where he also attended Seattle University for his undergraduate studies. He received his medical degree at the University of Michigan School […]

Dr. Sharmila Nair joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Sharmila Nair joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Instructor in July, 2020. Dr. Nair completed her Bachelor’s degree at the Amity University, India and a Masters degree at University of Bristol, UK. During her Masters, Sharmila conducted research in the laboratory of Dr. Andrew Davidson investigating interactions […]

Clinical trial focuses on reducing overactive immune response in COVID-19 (Links to an external site)

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are investigating whether a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat rare diseases of an overactive immune system could help critically ill patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The drug blocks a specific protein of the immune system that doctors suspect contributes to […]

Experimental COVID-19 vaccine prevents severe disease in mice (Links to an external site)

An experimental vaccine is effective at preventing pneumonia in mice infected with the COVID-19 virus, according to a study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The vaccine, which is made from a mild virus genetically modified to carry a key gene from the COVID-19 virus, is described in the journal Cell Host […]

Washington University, St. Louis County collaborate on COVID-19 survey (Links to an external site)

Washington University in St. Louis, the St. Louis County Department of Public Health and other collaborators are conducting a survey of St. Louis County residents and offering COVID-19 testing to gauge the prevalence of and risk factors for the illness. Working with the county, Washington University’s Institute for Public Health is teaming up with other local public health and […]

Dr. Maanasi Samant joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Maanasi Samant joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care as an Assistant Professor in July 2020. Dr. Samant is a clinician-educator with interests in pulmonary hypertension, specifically in the treatment of diseases that are sequelae of pulmonary embolism (PE), such as chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. She is a […]

Dr. Brian Laidlaw joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Brian Laidlaw joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Allergy and Immunology in July, 2020. Dr. Laidlaw’s research interests lie in investigating memory B cell (MBC) development and function in settings of disease. MBCs are critical for the development of protective immunity following infection or immunization. Repeated pathogen encounters can give rise […]

Pandemic acts as dress rehearsal for new medical school curriculum (Links to an external site)

Dozens of faculty, students and staff at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have committed countless hours over the past three years to planning a new curriculum that will launch in September with the arrival of incoming medical students. Although faculty, students and staff didn’t know it, they also were preparing for the […]

Dr. Mary Clare McGregor joins the Department of Medicine

Mary Clare McGregor, MD joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine in July 2020. Dr. McGregor is originally from Minnesota, and attended the University of Notre Dame for undergraduate with a major in pre-professional studies and […]

Dr. Andrew Michelson joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Andrew P. Michelson, joined the Department of Medicine in the division of Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine as an Assistant Professor in July 2020. He is a physician-scientist with research interests in critical care outcomes, clinical informatics, and healthcare technology. His current research interests include: (1) the use of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) to […]

Gut bacteria protect against mosquito-borne viral illness (Links to an external site)

Chikungunya virus, once confined to the Eastern Hemisphere, has infected millions of people in the Americas since 2013, when mosquitoes carrying the virus were discovered in the Caribbean. About half of all people infected with chikungunya virus never show symptoms, while some develop fever and joint pain that lasts about a week, and 10% to […]

COVID-19 vaccine trials to be conducted at Washington University, Saint Louis University (Links to an external site)

As U.S. scientists ramp up a national effort to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine candidates at clinical trial sites across the country, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Saint Louis University Center for Vaccine Development have been tapped to join the historic effort to find a COVID-19 vaccine that can prevent […]

Dr. Jonathan Moreno joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Jonathan Moreno joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Instructor in July, 2020. Dr. Moreno is from the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts, and completed his undergraduate training at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he received dual BS degrees in Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Following graduation,he attended […]

Dr. Ben Rogers joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Ben Rogers joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology as an Instructor in July, 2020. Dr. Rogers completed his undergraduate studies at Western Kentucky University majoring in biology. After that, he spent one year teaching English language classes in Spain, subsequently continuing his education at the University of Louisville in Kentucky […]

Dr. Jose Alvarez-Cardona joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Jose Alvarez-Cardona joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Assistant Professor in July, 2020. Dr. Alvarez-Cardona was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Virginia in 2007 and completed medical school at the […]

Lab-made virus mimics COVID-19 virus (Links to an external site)

Airborne and potentially deadly, the virus that causes COVID-19 can only be studied safely under high-level biosafety conditions. Scientists handling the infectious virus must wear full-body biohazard suits with pressurized respirators, and work inside laboratories with multiple containment levels and specialized ventilation systems. While necessary to protect laboratory workers, these safety precautions slow down efforts […]

Dr. Anas Gremida joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Anas Gremida joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology as an Assistant Professor in July, 2020. Dr. Gremida trained and obtained his medical degree from Zawia University School of Medicine in Zawia, Libya where he graduated with the distinction of Summa Cum Laude. Upon completion of medical school, he then moved […]

Dr. Amanda Verma joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Amanda Verma joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Assistant Professor in July, 2020. Dr. Verma is a heart failure and cardiac transplant cardiologist specializing in the management of advanced stage heart failure and patients being considered for and who have undergone cardiac transplantation. She sees patients in the […]

Dr. Robert Same joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Robert Same joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Assistant Professor in July, 2020. Dr. Same received his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, where he graduated summa cum laude in 2010 with degrees in Chemistry and Physiology/Neurobiology and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his […]

Dr. Mustafa Husaini joins the Department of Medicine

Mustafa Husaini, MD

Dr. Mustafa Husaini joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Assistant Professor in July, 2020. Dr. Husaini received his Medical Degree from Michigan State University, College of Human Medicine in 2014. Dr. Husaini has learned from world-renowned experts in sports cardiology in order to create and lead The Center for […]

Dr. Motaz Ashkar joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Motaz Ashkar joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology as an Assistant Professor in July, 2020. Dr. Ashkar trained and obtained his medical degree from King Abdul-Aziz University in Saudi Arabia, one of the country’s premier medical schools. He then moved to the US and undertook his internal medicine training at […]

Dr. Scott McHenry joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Scott McHenry joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology as an Assistant Professor in July, 2020. Dr. McHenry obtained his medical doctorate from the University of Toledo with full tuition support provided by the Presidential Scholarship Award. He was recruited to Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine for his medical internship, […]

Effort to screen potential COVID-19 antiviral drugs underway (Links to an external site)

Six months into the pandemic, people diagnosed with mild cases of COVID-19 still are told to isolate themselves and wait out the infection at home. Doctors monitor such patients so they can intervene if their condition deteriorates, but no antiviral drugs have been shown to hasten recovery or forestall severe illness in people who are […]

Dr. Alyssa Self joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Alyssa Self joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine in June, 2020. Dr. Self was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She completed her undergraduate education at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and graduated with honors. After college she returned […]

Dr. Amaad Rana joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Amaad Rana joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine as an Instructor in June, 2020. Dr. Rana was born in Augusta, Georgia, and raised in Hoover, Alabama, where he lived until he completed high school. He moved far from home to attend Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, for college, where […]

Dr. Aava Khatiwada joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Aava Khatiwada joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine as an Instructor in June, 2020. Dr. Khatiwada was born in Downers Grove, IL and grew up in Munster, IN with her two sisters. She went to Indiana University Bloomington where she ultimately decided to pursue a BS in Biology. Her […]

Dr. Taylor Geisman joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Taylor Geisman joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine as an Instructor in June, 2020. Taylor Geisman was born in St. Louis, MO. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Biology with Honors with Distinction at the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH. She subsequently received her Doctor […]

Dr. Stephen Fuest joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Stephen Fuest is joining the Division of General Medicine in June 2020 as a Chief Resident and Instructor in Medicine after completing his internal medicine residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He is passionate about general internal medicine and loves the wide variety seen in both the outpatient and inpatient settings. He plans to pursue academic […]

Dr. Himachandana Atluri joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Himachandana Atluri joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine as an Instructor in June, 2020. Dr. Atluri was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and has a younger brother. She completed her high school education at Visitation Academy in St. Louis. She moved across the state after high school […]

Neidorffs commit $5 million to honor distinguished clinicians (Links to an external site)

Noémi and Michael Neidorff have committed $5 million to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to honor highly regarded physicians Robert C. Packman, MD, and John S. Daniels, MD, with the establishment of two new endowed professorships in their names. The Neidorff family has long been impressed with the quality of care delivered by […]

Podcast: Racism as a public health issue (Links to an external site)

In St. Louis, as in much of the United States, African Americans are more likely to test positive for COVID-19. They’re also more likely to be hospitalized, to end up in intensive care and to die of the infection. Further, protests that have erupted against police violence point to another stressor shouldered primarily by African […]

Siteman Cancer Center earns highest federal rating (Links to an external site)

Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has been recognized once again as a top U.S. cancer institution, based on a review of its research programs. This evaluation resulted in a nearly perfect score, earning Siteman the highest possible rating — exceptional — by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the […]

COVID-19 antibody tests evaluated as diagnostic test in low-resource settings (Links to an external site)

With Brazil leading the world in newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases, Latin America has become the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, outbreaks continue to escalate in parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Public health authorities worldwide desperately need to expand testing so they can track the spread of the infection, but molecular diagnostic […]

Oral antibiotics work, shorten hospital stays for IV drug users with infections (Links to an external site)

People who inject illicit drugs can develop potentially deadly infections of the heart, blood, joints and soft tissues. Typically, such infections require weeks of hospitalization to treat effectively. But a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that drug users who, while in the hospital, started IV antibiotics […]