$4.6 million supports increasing diversity in biomedical research (Links to an external site)

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has received two grants totaling $4.6 million to support a training and mentorship program aimed at increasing the diversity of the U.S. biomedical research workforce. The two grants — from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — provide […]

Dr. Kelly MacArthur joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Kelly MacArthur joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Dermatology as an Assistant Professor on August 1, 2019. Dr. MacArthur specializes in Mohs micrographic surgery and reconstruction. Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, she received her undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis where she was a two-time NCAA All-American […]

School of Medicine establishes Division of Physician-Scientists (Links to an external site)

Addressing a nationwide shortage of physician-scientists, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has established a Division of Physician-Scientists to help nurture the career development of physicians who treat patients and also want to conduct scientific research. The division will provide resources, mentorships, and research and leadership programs to encourage and inspire physicians interested […]

Dr. Melvin Blanchard earns Missouri Laureate Award from ACP

Missouri Chapter of the ACP Laureate Award The Laureate Award honors ACP (American College of Physicians) Fellows and Masters who have demonstrated their commitment to excellence in medical care, education, research and service to their community, their Chapter and the College. Awardees are generally senior physicians and have been Fellows for at least 15 to 20 […]

Dr. Aaron Ver Huel joins the Department of Medicine

Aaron Ver Heul, MD, PhD joined the Department of Medicine on July 1, 2019 as an Instructor in the Division of Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Ver Heul is originally from Iowa, where he attended Iowa State University on a National Merit Scholarship and earned his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Master of Science degree in […]

Dr. Rodrigo Vazquez Guillamet joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Rodrigo Vazquez Guillamet joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine as an Associate Professor on July 1, 2019. The focus of Dr. Vazquez Guillamet’s clinical practice and research gravitates around chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung transplantation. COPD is the leading chronic respiratory cause of death […]

For gut microbes, not all types of fiber are created equal (Links to an external site)

Certain human gut microbes with links to health thrive when fed specific types of ingredients in dietary fibers, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The work — conducted in mice colonized with human gut bacteria and using new technologies for measuring nutrient processing — is a step […]

Applications due by November 1st for MTPCI and MSCI programs

ADVANCED TRAINING IN CLINICAL INVESTIGATION The Clinical Research Training Center (CRTC) is accepting applications for programs providing advanced training in Clinical Investigation! Postdocs, Fellows, Faculty, Jr. Faculty, and Instructors are encouraged to apply for MTPCI and MSCI. * Mentored Training Program in Clinical Investigation (MTPCI) • 17 credit hour training program • 2-3 years to […]

School of Medicine receives award to develop physician-scientists (Links to an external site)

Aiming to encourage and inspire more physicians to develop careers that blend scientific research with patient care, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) has announced that Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will receive a prestigious, $2.5 million Physician-Scientist Institutional Award. The award — of which only 10 have been given, five of them […]

Cause of rare, fatal disorder in young children pinpointed (Links to an external site)

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis appear to have solved a decades-long mystery regarding the precise biochemical pathway leading to a fatal genetic disorder in children that results in seizures, developmental regression and death, usually around age 3. Studying a mouse model with the same human illness — called Krabbe disease […]

Dr. Mohammed Abbasi joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Mohammed Abbasi joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine in July, 2019. Dr. Abbasi completed his graduate medical training at New York University School of Medicine where he fell in love with internal medicine. He discovered point of care ultrasound during his internal medicine training at Northwell […]

Radiation therapy effective against deadly heart rhythm (Links to an external site)

A single high dose of radiation aimed at the heart significantly reduces episodes of a potentially deadly rapid heart rhythm, according to results of a phase one/two study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Patients in the study were severely ill and had exhausted other standard treatment options. The radiation used to […]

Cresci spearheads precision medicine statement for heart failure (Links to an external site)

Sharon Cresci, MD, an associate professor of medicine and of genetics in the Cardiovascular Division at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, led a committee that developed the American Heart Association’s (AHA) scientific statement on the potential for precision medicine to improve treatment for patients with heart failure. The statement is published Sept. 12 in […]

Academy of Educators member induction ceremony

Please plan to join us on Tuesday, September 24 from 4-5p (with reception to follow) for the Academy of Educators member induction ceremony. Each of you has at least one faculty member who was selected for membership this year. I am hopeful that the members themselves have invited you to the event, but in the […]

Melvin Blanchard, MD – Division of Medical Education

Dear colleagues, Dr. Melvin Blanchard has taken an important new leadership position at the Baltimore Medical Center and will be leaving his current position at Washington University School of Medicine on October 31, 2019. Although Dr. Blanchard’s’ departure is a great loss for our department, this is a tremendous opportunity for Dr. Blanchard and he will be joining […]

Halting spread of HIV in Midwest is aim of new network (Links to an external site)

The battle against HIV increasingly looks winnable, and Washington University in St. Louis is helping lead the charge. Rupa Patel, MD, an assistant professor of medicine, has received a grant for $3.9 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish a regional resource center at the university to aid HIV prevention efforts […]

DOM Faculty and Family Day at the Zoo – October 13th, 2019

The Office of Faculty Development in the Department of Medicine will be hosting DOM Faculty and Family Day at the St. Louis Zoo on Sunday, October 13th from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm.  We invite ALL DOM faculty and their families to attend.  In addition to spending a fun and adventurous day at the St. […]

$7.5 million to fund pioneering approaches to respiratory disease (Links to an external site)

Michael J. Holtzman, MD, director of the Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received awards totaling $7.5 million to support innovative research aimed at defining and controlling chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The largest grant, a $6.6 million outstanding […]

Zika diagnostic test granted market authorization by FDA (Links to an external site)

Zika virus can cause babies to be born with devastating brain damage. But the signs of Zika infection in adults – rash, fever, headache and body aches – are nonspecific, so a pregnant woman who develops such symptoms can’t be sure if she has contracted Zika or something less risky for her fetus. A diagnostic […]

Rood gives keynote at ostomy conference (Links to an external site)

Richard P. Rood, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, gave the opening keynote address at the United Ostomy Association of America’s national conference Aug. 7 in Philadelphia. His talk was titled “My life as a nearly 50-year-ostomate. How ostomy care has matured in the […]

Arthritis-causing virus hides in body for months after infection (Links to an external site)

Since chikungunya virus emerged in the Americas in 2013, it has infected millions of people, causing fever, headache, rash, and muscle and joint pain. For some people, painful, debilitating arthritis lasts long after the other symptoms have resolved. Researchers have suspected that the virus or its genetic material – in this case, RNA – persist […]

Dr. Kahee Mohammed joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Mohammed joined the Department of Medicine as an instructor in the Division of Hospital Medicine in July 2019. He received his MD in 2010 from University of Duhok College of Medicine in Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. Through a prestigious, merit-based scholarship he attended Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice […]

Dr. Gregory Ogunnowo joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Gregory Ogunnowo joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July, 2019. Dr. Gregory Ogunnowo was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia State University Honors College and graduated Summa Cum Laude, with Research Honors Distinction, and Distinction in […]

Dr. Janice Hanson joins the Department of Medicine

Janice L. Hanson, Ph.D., Ed.S., M.H., is Director of Education Scholarship Development in the Office of Education, Washington University School of Medicine, and Professor of Medicine. She joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Medical Education in January, 2019. Dr. Hanson is also Professor Emerita of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School […]

Dr. Luigi Adamo joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Luigi Adamo joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Instructor in July, 2019. Dr. Adamo is a heart failure specialist and a basic scientist committed to excellence and innovation. After graduating from University of Palermo School of Medicine in Italy, he moved to Boston where he obtained a PhD […]

Dr. Patrick Grierson joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Patrick Grierson joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Oncology as an Instructor on July 1, 2019. Dr. Grierson’s main research objective is to improve outcomes in difficult to treat malignancies by identifying novel molecular targets that mediate de novo or acquired resistance to current therapies. His pre-clinical research focuses on pancreatic […]

Dr. Thomas Hoyt joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Thomas W. Hoyt joined the Department of Medicine as an Instructor in the Division of Hospital Medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in July 2019. He was born and raised in Saint Louis, Missouri. He acquired a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education at Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri in 2009. He attended Washington University […]

Dr. Aaloke Mody joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Aaloke Mody joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Instructor on July 1, 2019. Dr. Mody completed his infectious diseases fellowship in the Division of HIV, ID, and Global Medicine at UCSF. He completed his undergraduate training at UC Berkeley and then went to Duke University for medical […]

Dr. Dominique Williams joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Dominique S. Williams joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Assistant Professor on September 1, 2019. Dr. Williams received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Houston and a Doctor of Medicine from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas in 2012. She completed her internal medicine training […]

$15 million supports quest for personalized leukemia therapies (Links to an external site)

Washington University investigators at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been awarded a $15 million grant to better understand the genetic changes that drive acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a deadly blood cancer, and predict patients’ responses to therapy. The findings also may enable investigators to develop more […]

Children with mild asthma can use inhalers as needed (Links to an external site)

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis supports evidence that children with mild asthma can effectively manage the condition by using their two inhalers — one a steroid and the other a bronchodilator — when symptoms occur. This is in contrast to the traditional method of using the steroid daily, […]

Gut makeup could make diarrhea less likely (Links to an external site)

Antibiotics are known to upset the balance of bacteria in the intestinal tract. In some cases, antibiotics can cause the bacterium Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) to overgrow wildly, causing diarrhea and, in severe cases, life-threatening intestinal inflammation. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found the molecular signature of a healthy gut microbial […]

Dr. Heidi Tastet joins the Department of Medicine

Heidi Tastet joines the Department of Medicine in the Division of Medical Education as an Instructor on September 4, 2019. Dr. Tastet earned her undergraduate degree in Clinical Lab Science from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan in 2002. She went on to receive her medical degree from Loma Linda School of Medicine in 2008. […]

Dr. Joseph Rimando joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Joseph Rimando joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Medical Education as an Instructor on July 1, 2019. Joseph was born in Vidalia, Georgia and grew up in Warner Robins, Georgia, where he attended Warner Robins High School. He obtained a bachelors degree in microbiology with a minor in music at the […]

Dr. Sandeep Sodhi joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Sandeep Sodhi joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Assistant Professor on July 1, 2019. Dr. Sodhi was born and raised in Danville, IL. He received his undergraduate degree from Saint Louis University. Dr. Sodhi earned his M.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Illinois. His postgraduate training was […]

Dr. Roland Njei joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Roland Njei joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an instructor on July 1, 2019. Dr. Njei was born in Batibo, North West Region of Cameroon and immigrated to the Chicagoland area in 2006. His journey to medicine was a non-traditional one. After living and working in China for […]

Dr. Zhen Ren joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Zhen Ren joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Allergy and Immunology as an Instructor on July 1, 2019. Dr. Ren studied clinical medicine at Shanghai Tong Ji University, China. Fascinated by the cutting-edge bioscience research in the United States, she joined the Biochemistry Ph.D program in August 2006 at the Graduate […]

Dr. Bria Giacomino joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Bria Giacomino joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Assistant Professor on July 1, 2019. Dr. Giacomino’s decision to specialize in cardiac critical care is not a common pathway, although she believes that this is a specialty that will continue to grow and this combination of cardiology and critical […]

Dr. Elvin Geng joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Elvin Geng joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as a Professor on July 1, 2019. Dr. Geng earned MD and MPH degrees from Columbia University and subsequently completed post-doctoral training through the Aaron Diamond AIDS Institute (posted in Kunming, China) as well as fellowship training in infectious diseases at […]

Dr. Melissa Berrien-Elliot joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Melissa Berrien-Elliott joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Oncology as an Instructor on August 1, 2019. Dr. Elliott’s research uses translational approaches to understand how natural killer (NK) cells are impacted by cancer immunotherapies and how the tumor microenvironment contributes to immune evasion. In order to achieve this, she works closely […]

Dr. Adam May joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Adam May joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Assistant Professor on July 1, 2019. As an Illinois native, Dr. May grew up in close proximity to St. Louis in Champaign-Urbana. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, IL and medical education at Loyola […]

Dr. Joseph Ransdell joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Joseph Ransdell joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Instructor on July 1, 2019. Dr. Ransdell’s goals as a researcher are to determine the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie and regulate neuronal firing and determine how these mechanisms are affected by diseases that affect membrane excitability. Dr. Ransdell […]

Dr. James White joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. James White joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Instructor on July 1, 2019. Dr. James White completed his Bachelor’s of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Albany, State University of New York in 2005. As an undergraduate, James conducted research at Albany Medical […]

Dr. Anubha Mutneja joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Anubha Mutneja joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology as an Assistant Professor on July 1, 2019. Dr. Mutneja received her MBBS from Maulana Azad Medical College, New-Delhi, India. She subsequently completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Florida where she won the Research Day Award in the medical […]

Dr. Kathleen Zhang joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Kathleen Zhang joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology as an Assistant Professor on July 1, 2019. Dr. Zhang specializes in the cardiovascular care of patients with cancer and cardiac amyloidosis. Many cancer treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy, targeted monoclonal antibodies, and immunotherapy have cardiovascular toxicities that require directed therapy and/or […]