Dr. Shashwatee Bagchi joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Shashwatee Bagchi joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Associate Professor in April 2023. She received her medical degree from The Chicago Medical School, Illinois and completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York and a fellowship in infectious diseases at the […]

Dr. Yoshiharu Muto joins the Department of Medicine

Yoshiharu Muto, MD, PhD

Dr. Yoshiharu Muto joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology as an instructor in April 2023. He pursued PhD training at Kyushu University in Japan, where his PhD thesis work in the lab of Dr. Keiichi Nakayama focused on the cellular iron metabolism regulated by FBXL5-IRP2 axis. Through this work, he gained […]

Siteman Investment Program awards $2 million in cancer research grants (Links to an external site)

Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine is pleased to announce funding for eight new projects, including research projects focused on prostate cancer, lymphoma, and breast cancer, as well as a team science project with a focus on myeloproliferative neoplasms, a blood malignancy that can develop into acute myeloid leukemia. Also included are two […]

Cresci receives NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Award

Determining Potential Mechanisms of Worse Outcomes in Black HCM Patients Sharon Cresci, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Genetics in the Cardiovascular Division and Associate Director of the WashU Barnes-Jewish Hospital Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center, recently received a five-year R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The grant is entitled […]

Global Health Spotlight: Collaborator’s study to advance care retention in patients living with HIV in Zambia (Links to an external site)

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Aaloke Mody, MD, in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Medicine is a collaborator with both the Global Health Center and the Center for Dissemination and Implementation at the Institute for Public Health. With his training in HIV, infectious diseases and epidemiologic methods, he is passionate about delivering high […]

Scientists reveal how proteins drive growth of multiple cancer types (Links to an external site)

Understanding of molecular basis of cancer may lead to new therapies Scientists have completed a deep analysis of the proteins driving cancer across multiple tumor types, information that can’t be assessed by genome sequencing alone. Understanding how proteins operate in cancer cells raises the prospect of new therapies that block key proteins that drive cancer […]

How Worried Should Parents Be About Increasing COVID Cases Now? (Links to an external site)

Experts are tracking a rise in cases. Is a surge coming? COVID cases are on the rise again — just as the back-to-school season is starting. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hospitalizations have increased by 12.5% this week (the CDC is no longer tracking case numbers, so we can’t measure the rise […]

Why soybeans are dietary superstars (Links to an external site)

A versatile crop that’s beneficial for humans and animals alike, soybeans manage to be everywhere yet fly under the radar. That’s particularly true in the United States, which produces nearly one-third of the world’s soybeans. Even so, they aren’t an everyday food for most Americans, but there’s reason to think they should be: Soy is […]

July 2023 Kudos and Awards

Kudos and Awards graphic

Thank you, residents and interns, for all you do for one another and for your patients. Though often under-appreciated, your work does not go unnoticed.  Help us highlight the kindness, clinical judgement, resourcefulness, and work ethic.​​​​​​​Nominate a resident/intern for Housestaff of the month or just share something good.  July 2023 Inpatient Resident of the MonthRachana Raghupathy  “Absolutely […]

Study defines disparities in memory care (Links to an external site)

Provides baseline to measure progress toward racial equity in care for Alzheimer’s disease Patients who live in less affluent neighborhoods and those from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups are less likely than others to receive specialized care for dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates. […]

Don’t Let Food Allergies Control You

Food allergies are immunological reactions that occur shortly after eating a certain food. Even a small amount of the food that causes an allergy can trigger symptoms such as digestive problems, hives, difficulty breathing or even a life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis. Food allergies are one of the many adverse reactions to food that a […]

Dr. Marc Sintek Discusses Extreme Heat Dangers on KSDK News (Links to an external site)

Extreme heat can quickly overwhelm people and lead to heat-related illness, even death.  If you aren’t feeling your best in this weather, doctors want you to take note and head inside to air conditioning.  “It’s getting to be time where athletics are starting, young children are outside and all those things,” said Dr. Marc Sintek a […]

Payne named to National Academy of Medicine committee (Links to an external site)

Philip Payne, PhD

Philip R.O. Payne, PhD, the Janet and Bernard Becker Professor and director of the Institute for Informatics, Data Science & Biostatistics (I2DB) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has joined the steering committee of a National Academy of Medicine working group to draft a code of conduct for artificial intelligence (AI) in health, medical care […]

WHO Includes Polypills on Essential Medicine List

Mark Huffman, MD, Professor of Medicine of Cardiology and Co-Director of the Global Health Center and Anubha Agarwal, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine of Cardiology and Co-Director Program in Global Cardiovascular Health announced that the WHO have included the Polypill on their Model List of essential medicines (EML). “Essential medicines are those that satisfy the […]

2023 LEAD Award Recipients

Congratulations to the recipients of the inaugural AWAM Leaders in Empowerment and Development (LEAD) Award! The awards were developed to recognize outstanding faculty members in the Department of Medicine who help advance faculty’s career development, in all ways, including being a sponsor, mentor, advocate, or formative example. This year’s award winners, Amanda K. Verma, MD […]

Five physician-scientists named Dean’s Scholars (Links to an external site)

Physicians who engage in research play a vital role in developing novel, innovative approaches to diagnosing and treating disease. Nurturing the careers of doctors whose work takes them to both patients’ bedsides and the laboratory bench is a top priority of the Division of Physician-Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Such was the […]

Kidney tissue atlas serves as blueprint for understanding kidney injury, disease (Links to an external site)

Research collaboration details molecular knowledge, step toward personalized medicine Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are among the leaders of a multi-institution research team that has built an atlas focused on the kidney’s myriad cells. The aim of the kidney tissue atlas is to further the understanding of kidney injury and disease.

Payne installed as an inaugural Becker Professor (Links to an external site)

Honored for global leadership in informatics, data science Philip R. O. Payne, a global leader in informatics and data science, has been named an inaugural Janet and Bernard Becker Professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Among his many leadership roles, Payne oversees the university’s Institute for Informatics, Data Science and Biostatistics as well […]

Achieving gender equity in medicine (Links to an external site)

Nationally, women enter medical school in similar proportions to men, but often, the number of women in leadership still lags behind Fifteen years ago, Lilianna “Lila” Solnica-Krezel, PhD, interviewed to lead a new Department of Developmental Biology, a reinvention of the WUSM Department of Pharmacology. She remembers thinking, on her flight home, that she had met 30 […]

June 2023 Kudos and Awards

Kudos and Awards graphic

Thank you, residents and interns, for all you do for one another and for your patients. Though often under-appreciated, your work does not go unnoticed.  Help us highlight the kindness, clinical judgement, resourcefulness, and work ethic.​​​​​​​Nominate a resident/intern for Housestaff of the month or just share something good.  June 2023 Inpatient Resident of the MonthBjorn Anderson I […]

Helping people live longer, better lives (Links to an external site)

Foundation celebrates 25 years of supporting innovative research As a young School of Medicine faculty member rounding on patients, Jeffrey P. Henderson, MD/PhD, observed an increase in recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) among hospitalized older adults, who experience a high rate of UTI complications. If there was a way to identify the biomarkers of a severe infection, […]

Erica Scheller, DDS, PhD, Promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine (Links to an external site)

Erica Scheller, DDS, PhD

We are delighted to announce the promotion of Erica Scheller, DDS, PhD, to the position of Associate Professor of Medicine, Cell Biology and Physiology, and Developmental Biology on the Investigator Track, with tenure. Scheller will also continue to serve as the Executive Director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine. This promotion recognizes her exceptional contributions […]

Curiel, Diamond receive innovation award (Links to an external site)

Researchers recognized for developing COVID-19 nasal vaccine David T. Curiel, MD, PhD, and Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, both of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have received the Washington University Chancellor’s Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship for their development of a nasal vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Message Welcoming Learners in Research Areas at WashU

Dear Colleagues, As leaders at WashU, we greet you all warmly, and especially welcome all the research learners at various stages in your scientific journeys, who have joined us in our research environments. We are all delighted that such exceptional masters’ students, doctoral students, medical students, postdoctoral students, and other research learners contribute here at […]

Anti-inflammatory drugs did not speed COVID-19 recovery but prevented deaths (Links to an external site)

Study could expand treatment options for patients with severe COVID-19 Two drugs commonly used to treat inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis did not shorten recovery time for patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 but did reduce the likelihood of death when compared with standard care alone, according to a national study led by […]

Real-world reflections (Links to an external site)

WashU Medicine nephrologist has risen to prominence, uncovering society’s biggest health issues Some of the world’s most groundbreaking research on long COVID-19 can trace its origins to a 14-year-old Lebanese boy and his Commodore 64. In middle school, Ziyad Al-Aly taught himself coding on his C64, a popular home computer introduced in the early 1980s. […]

This is Cancer – Impossible Is Nothing (Links to an external site)

Teri was training to qualify for the Ironman World Championship when she was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer in 2009. Now, over a decade later, she is considered to have no evidence of disease. Teri shares her incredible story of resilience in the hopes of inspiring others and saving lives. She is joined by […]

In battling obesity and prediabetes, combining exercise with weight loss is key (Links to an external site)

Insulin sensitivity improved twofold when exercise paired with 10% weight loss Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that combining regular exercise with a 10% loss of body weight more than doubles sensitivity to insulin, compared with a 10% weight loss without exercise. Enhanced sensitivity to insulin has important health […]

2023 Internal Medicine Scholars Symposium Winners

On behalf of the Mentors in Medicine Pathway, and Director Dr. Brian Gage and Associate Director Dr. Seth Eisen, we are pleased to announce the poster and oral presentation winners for this year’s Internal Medicine Scholars Symposium, recently held on May 17, 2023. Poster Winners 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place Oral Presentation Winners 1st […]

Third Space Endoscopy with Dr. Ahmad Najdat Bazarbashi

Cancerous lesions, pre-cancerous lesions, placing stents for obstructions and managing patients with biliary tree and pancreatic disease are all part of a day’s work for Dr. Ahmad Najdat Bazarbashi. Bazarbashi is one of the faculty in the WashU Gastroenterology Division, specifically in the section of Biliary & Interventional-Endoscopy and is director of the Third Space […]

Collaborator Spotlight: Postdoc leverages passion for racial equity & justice to “Make the science care” (Links to an external site)

Being a “post-doc” (a person engaged in postdoctoral research) comes with all kinds of responsibilities, transdisciplinary collaborations, and community-based time commitments on top of a mountain of research. This isn’t a bad thing. Just ask Cory Bradley, PhD, MSW, MPH, a post-doctoral research associate in WashU’s Division of Infectious Diseases and collaborator with the Center for […]