Physician-Scientist Ying Maggie Chen Receives VA Merit Award (Links to an external site)

Ying (Maggie) Chen, MD, PhD

Congratulations to Associate Professor of Medicine, Ying Maggie Chen, MD, PhD, WashU Nephrology, who received a four-year, $1.15M VA Merit Award from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  The funding will support her research on therapeutic targeting of mitochondria in uromodulin-associated chronic kidney disease (CKD). 

Kao awarded the ASP Neilson Award

Patricia F. Kao, MD, MS

Patricia F. Kao, MD, MS, Professor of Medicine, Divisions of General Medicine & Geriatrics and Nephrology, Director, Teaching Physician Pathway, recently awarded the ASP Eric G. Neilson, MD, Leadership in Specialty Internal Medicine Award The ASP Neilson Award is given to a leader who has had a significant impact on the landscape of internal medicine […]

Halloween: Spooky Origins and Sweet Treats

Happy Halloween

Halloween, the night of October 31st, is a holiday celebrated worldwide with costumes, trick-or-treating, and spooky decorations. But where did this tradition start from? The History of Halloween The roots of Halloween can be traced back to the Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter. The Celts […]

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (Links to an external site)

''

National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is observed every October in the United States to raise awareness about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. In 2024, NDEAM will continue its mission to promote inclusive work environments and highlight the importance of ensuring equal opportunity for all […]

WashU Researchers to Study Effectiveness of Flu Vaccines in Preventing Household Transmission

Jennie H. Kwon, DO, MSCI

Jennie H. Kwon, DO, MSCI, Associate Professor of Medicine, Section Director, Healthcare Epidemiology & Antimicrobial Stewardship, WashU Division of Infectious Diseases, has received a new contract from the CDC to investigate how influenza (flu) spreads within households and whether vaccines reduce transmission of flu. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the […]

World Mental Health Day

World Mental Health Day - Oct 10

World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10th as a day to promote mental health awareness, education, and advocacy It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 150 countries. World Mental Health Day is […]

Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur (Links to an external site)

Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur

October 2-4 is Rosh Hashanah, or Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah and it is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days. Rosh Hashanah is also known as the “Days of Renewed Responsibility,” and begins at sunset on day one and ends at nightfall the next. The Jewish New Year […]

Oktoberfest (Links to an external site)

Oktoberfest graphic

Oktoberfest is a world-renowned festival held annually in Munich, Germany, typically from late September to the first weekend in October. Oktoberfest dates back to October 12, 1810, when Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The citizens of Munich were invited to join the festivities held over five days on […]

Infectious Diseases Division Co-Director Philips Published in Nature Microbiology

Jennifer A. Philips, MD

Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence lipid PDIM inhibits autophagy in mice Jennifer A. Philips, MD, PhD, Theodore and Bertha Bryan Professor, Departments of Medicine and Molecular Microbiology; Co-director, Infectious Diseases Division, recently co-authored a Nature Microbiology publication, with Ekansh Mittal, PhD, Instructor of Medicine, WashU Division of Infectious Diseases, on Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Dr. Philips is the principal investigator […]

Dr. Fan He joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Fan He joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hematology as an Instructor in September 2024. Under the mentorships of Dr. Stephen Oh and Dr. Jorge Di Paola, Fan studies molecular mechanisms underlying hyperinflammation in MPN and novel therapeutic vulnerabilities against it using patient samples, genetic mouse models, omics approaches (such as single […]

Dr. Kai Jones joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Kai Jones joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology as an Assistant Professor in August 2024.  Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Dr. Jones earned the BA in Biology from Washington University in 2015 and the MD degree from Washington University in 2019.  Between 2019 and 2022, she completed Internal Medicine Residency Training […]

Dr. Rabia Mayer joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Rabia Mayer joined the Department of Medicine in Division of Dermatology as an Assistant Professor in August 2024. Dr. Mayer received her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and subsequent PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Florida. She decided to pursue medicine thereafter and has completed two separate residencies in pediatrics and dermatology from Washington […]

Dr. Ju-Fang Chang joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Ju-Fang Chang joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Oncology as an Assistant Professor in July 2024. Her research focus is to overcome barriers in immunotherapy by incorporating insights from protein structural biology. Dr. Chang received bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Biology from National Tsing-Hua University, Taiwan. After graduating, she was awarded a […]

Bhayani Recognized with the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) Inspire Award

2024 AMWA Award - Bhayani

Celebrating women physicians who inspire others as they lead the way forward in medicine. The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) is honored to announce the recipients of the 2024 AMWA INSPIRE Award. This annual award celebrates women physicians who exemplify the highest values of vision, integrity, service, and role-modeling in medicine and healthcare. “During Women in […]

Dr. Max Wattenberg joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Wattenberg joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Oncology as an Assistant Professor in July 2024. He has a long-standing interest in immune-oncology and hopes to unveil new approaches to targeting the immune system for cancer therapy. Dr. Wattenberg received his MD from the University of Louisville School of Medicine. During medical […]

Dr. Ramon Jin joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Ramon Jin joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Oncology as an Assistant Professor in July 2024. He treats gastroesophageal cancer patients and studies these cancers and their precursor conditions in the research lab. His career goal is to become an independent basic science and translational researcher at the nexus of cancer […]

Dr. Spencer Ng joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Spencer Ng joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Dermatology as an Assistant Professor in July 2024. He received his BSc in Cancer and Cell Biology from McGill University and subsequently received his MD and PhD degrees from Emory University. His PhD dissertation work focused on enhancing immune-based therapies against cancer and autoimmune […]

Peterson Leads SHVM Annual Meeting in St. Louis (Links to an external site)

The 21st annual meeting of the Society for Heart and Vascular Metabolism (SHVM) was held in St. Louis September 8th through 11th, with Professor of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division Dr. Linda Peterson serving as SHVM President. This is the first time that the meeting has been held in St. Louis, and events were held in Clayton […]

NIH Awards $1.6 Million PRIDE R25 Grant to WashU Clinical Research Training Center (CRTC) to Advance URiM Postbaccalaureate Engagement in NIDDK Research (Links to an external site)

The Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases (PRIDE)

The Clinical Research Training Center (CRTC) at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has been awarded a prestigious NIH PRIDE R25 grant valued at $1.6 million. This grant is designed to bolster educational initiatives aimed at engaging postbaccalaureate students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds in biomedical and behavioral research, with a particular focus […]

Dr. Helen Ajufo joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Helen Ajufo joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hematology as an Assistant Professor in March 2024. She is currently leading a large multicenter retrospective study, the Analysis of the North American Myelofibrosis Transplant Outcome (NAMTO) assessing the role of high-risk mutations and other clinical and transplant specific factors on overall survival in […]

WashU Medicine leads two major pandemic preparedness research projects (Links to an external site)

WashU Medicine scientists lead two large, multicenter programs to develop vaccines and antibody-based therapies for understudied viruses with pandemic potential, including the three shown above: (left to right) chikungunya, dengue and parainfluenza viruses. The programs are supported by two grants from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) totaling more than $30 million a year for three years.

Two grants totaling $30 million a year for 3 years support efforts to design vaccines, drugs for understudied virus families Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are laying the groundwork to rapidly respond to potential future pandemics caused by viruses from five understudied families. The effort, the aim of which is […]

Dr. Linying Zhang joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Linying Zhang, PhD joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine and Geriatrics as an Assistant Professor in October 2023. Dr. Zhang’s research focuses on improving the reliability of real-world evidence generation using causal inference and artificial intelligence. Her works have been published on high impact clinical journals (e.g., Journal of the […]

Podany Metastatic Breast Cancer work spotlighted in JNCCN360

Emily Podany, MD

Genomic Alterations and Targeted Treatment by Race in Metastatic Breast Cancer Emily Podany, MD, Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program, Fellow Wellness Leader, WashU Division of Oncology, was recently spotlighted in JNCCN360 for her work on Genomic Alterations and Targeted Treatment by Race in Metastatic Breast Cancer. The study used a multi-institution consortium database that includes both clinical […]

Dr. Hani Soudah joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Hani Soudah joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology as an Assistant Professor in June 2024. Beyond his clinical work, Dr. Soudah has a tremendous interest in teaching and educating medical students, residents, and fellows about the treatment of obesity. He has also been involved in the development of guidelines and protocols […]

July 2024 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 2024 Inpatient Intern of the MonthDr. Laura Keible […]

Second Annual Washington University Glomerular Disease Symposium: An Update on Disease Mechanisms and Management a Success (Links to an external site)

Tingting Li, MD, MSCI,

Kudos to everyone who helped make the 2nd Annual Glomerular Disease Symposium: An Update on Disease Mechanisms and Management, held September 6 – 7, 2024, a success.  The event was organized and chaired by WashU Nephrology’s Tingting Li, MD, MSCI, with the support of the planning committee members Michelle Bloom, BSN, RN, Reena Gurung, MD, Nidia Messias, MD, and Morgan Schoer, MD, and Continuing Medical […]

Odeny publication in Science Direct offers new cancer insights

Crucial intersection of oncology and HIV research, with insights for clinical practice Thomas A. Odeny, MD, MPH, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at WashU Division of Medical Oncology, leads the Global Oncology Initiative. He recently was published in Science Direct with new insights into HIV and cancer research. Dr. Odeny’s research focuses on applying implementation […]

Spotlight on our new Dean’s Scholar (Links to an external site)

Joshua Siner, MD

What motivated you to become a physician-scientist? As part of the physician-scientist community I will always hold onto the “bench to bedside”model. It is where I first encountered the medical doctors that I found myself wanting toemulate. Growing up, my brother was born with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. He had a longlist of specialists he […]

WashU Fellow Published in Annual Reviews

Giulia Petrone, MD

Giulia Petrone, MD, WashU Hematology/Oncology Fellow, study, “Clinical and Therapeutic Implications of Clonal Hematopoisis” was recently published in Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics, Volume 25, 2024. Clonal Hematopoiesis (CH) is a condition in which hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells acquire the same somatic mutations, leading to the expansion of these mutated cells. The […]

Lodhi, Millman, Remedi and Silverstein achieve full professorship (Links to an external site)

Irfan Lodhi, PhD; Jeffrey R. Millman, PhD; Maria S. Remedi, PhD; and Julie M. Silverstein, MD

Congratulations to Irfan Lodhi, PhD; Jeffrey R. Millman, PhD; Maria S. Remedi, PhD; and Julie M. Silverstein, MD of Washington University’s Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research on achieving full professorship in their scientific and medical careers! The doctors were proudly joined by their colleagues on Thursday, August 22 to honor and celebrate their achievement. 

Study shows novel low-dose 3-in-1 blood pressure pill outperforms standard care

Mark Huffman, MD

Over 80% of patients achieved control within a month, sustained at six months A new study, that Mark Huffman, MD, MPH, William Bowen Professor of Medicine, Co-Director, Global Health Center, WashU Cardiovascular Division, who is a co-author, shows that a treatment plan containing low doses of three antihypertensive drugs in a single pill – known […]

Sickle Cell Awareness Month

sickle cell disease graphic

As we observe Sickle Cell Awareness Month this September, it is crucial to emphasize the importance of raising awareness and advancing research to support the millions affected by sickle cell disease (SCD). This genetic blood disorder has a significant impact worldwide, particularly within the African American community. It is essential that we deepen our collective […]

Women in Medicine Month (Links to an external site)

(top left) Carol Loeb with Dr. Lynn Cornelius (white top); (top center) Dr. Janet Lee; (top right) Dr. Rakhee Bhayani; (bottom left) Dr. Jennifer Philips (center) Drs. Sana Saif Ur Rehman and Elaine Majerus; (bottom middle) Dr. Christine Pham (bottom right) Dr. Peggy Kendall

Women in Medicine Month, celebrated annually in September, honors the contributions of women in the medical field, including physicians, scientists, researchers, and other healthcare professionals. The observance highlights their achievements, roles in patient care, education, and leadership, and promotes gender equity, diversity, and inclusivity in healthcare. It also aims to inspire future generations of women […]

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (Links to an external site)

Hispanic Heritage Month

Each year, National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 through October 15, celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens with ancestry from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Initiated as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson and expanded to a month-long celebration in 1988 by […]

National Suicide Prevention Week

National Suicide Prevention Week graphic

September 8 – 14, 2024 National Suicide Prevention week and National Suicide Prevention month both happen during the month of September, however it’s important we offer support throughout the year. Increasing awareness of this leading cause of death is vital to saving a life and enabling each other to support this cause. Often times, those […]

Spencer and Hanson Receive Grant to Enhance Health Equity Training

Abby L.. Spencer, MD and Janice Hanson, PhD

Abby L. Spencer, MD, MS, FACP, Professor and Vice Chair for Education, Academy of Educators Director, GME Program Director Boot Camp Director at WashU Department of Medicine – Division of General Medicine and Geriatrics, and co-investigator, Janice L. Hanson, PhD, EdS, MH, recently received a grant under the Building Trust Through Diversity, Health Care Equity, […]