Soon after a novel coronavirus first appeared in China in late 2019, researchers, doctors and staff at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis began preparing for the possibility of an outbreak. Infectious disease physicians started planning how to respond if a person with suspected exposure to the virus arrived on campus, and researchers […]
In this Issue: Letter from the Chair, Divisional Spotlight, Research, Education and Clinical News, Future Workforce in Medicine, New Faculty, Leadership, Awards/Grants/Honors, In the News, A Closer Look, Upcoming Events, Funding, Epic Update, and Division Fellowship Match List
New research in mice suggests that certain immune cells may help guide fetal development of the heart and play a role in how the adult heart beats, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The findings, published in the journal JCI Insight, may help lay a foundation for immunotherapies […]
Dr. Rajaa Almourani joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology in August, 2019. Dr. Almourani’s journey with medicine started at the University of Damascus School of Medicine in 2001. Following her completion as a medical student in 2007, Dr. Almourani continued her medical education as a resident in the Damascus University Hospital […]
Dr. Amber Afzal joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hematology as an Instructor in July, 2019. Dr. Afzal graduated from medical school (Army Medical College in Pakistan) in 2010 as the class valedictorian. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at Cleveland Clinic, Ohio in 2016. She graduated from her Hematology and Oncology […]
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis appear to have discovered a way to make radiation therapy for colorectal cancer more effective by inhibiting a protein found in cancer cells in the gut. The approach also helps protect healthy tissue from the negative effects of radiation. Studying cells, mice and tumor samples […]
The aggravating skin condition eczema is most commonly treated by suppressing the immune system, but not all patients get relief. Now, a drug strategy aimed at revving up the immune system and boosting a type of immune cell known as natural killer cells appears, at least in mice, to effectively treat eczema. The innovative approach, […]
Researchers have converted human stem cells into insulin-producing cells and demonstrated in mice infused with such cells that blood sugar levels can be controlled and diabetes functionally cured for nine months. The findings, from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, are published online Feb. 24 in the journal Nature Biotechnology. “These […]
Dr. Patricia Prusaczyk joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of General Medical Sciences in August, 2019. Dr. Prusaczyk is trained in medical informatics and in dissemination and implementation research. She has joined the Institute for Informatics and the Division of GMS as a junior faculty member working with Randi Foraker. Dr. Prusaczyk will […]
Dr. Monique Bruinsma joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor on November 1, 2019. Dr. Bruinsma earned her medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 2016. While in medical school, she also earned a Master of Science in Immunology with research focus on the inflammatory response […]
Dr. Jennifer Schmidt joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine as an Assistant Professor in February, 2020. Dr. Jennifer Schmidt is a general internist and a medical educator with expertise in quality improvement, patient safety, clinical operations and patient access. She received her undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from Marquette University […]
Dr. Erin Bakanas joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Palliative Medicine as a Professor on August 1, 2019. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT and graduated from The University of Connecticut School of Medicine in 1987. She completed a residency in Internal Medicine at The […]
Dr. Patrick Lyons joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine as an Instructor in January, 2020. Dr. Lyons is an intensivist and physician-scientist with research interests in clinical research informatics, biostatistics, healthcare delivery, and learning health systems. His current research involves (1) creation, evaluation, and implementation of risk […]
Dr. Daniel Paget joined the Department of Medicine as an Instructor in Medicine for the Division of Palliative Medicine in September 2019. He was born and raised in New York, NY. Dr. Paget did his undergraduate education at Oberlin College/Conservatory where he received dual degrees in Opera and Biochemistry. While he had a great love […]
Dr. Maureen Lyons joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine as an Assistant Professor in January, 2020. Dr. Lyons is a general internist and a medical educator with expertise in curriculum development, leadership training, and ambulatory medical education topics. She earned her M.D. from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of […]
A new study that reveals the dozens of molecular changes that bring about endometrial cancer offers insight into how physicians might be able to better identify which patients will need aggressive treatment and why a common treatment is not effective for some patients. The study appears Feb. 13 in the journal Cell. Funded by the […]
Dr. Jonathan Sheehan joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as Associate Professor in August, 2019. Dr. Sheehan earned his Ph. D. degree in Biochemistry with Walter Chazin at Vanderbilt University, studying calcium-binding proteins using NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) and protein design. He completed post-doctoral training in computational structural biology with […]
Dr. Spencer Willet joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology as an Instructor in October, 2019. Dr. Willet grew up in Franklin, Tennessee and attended The University of Tennessee at Knoxville for his undergraduate studies, matriculating to Vanderbilt University for his doctorate training. Dr. Willet earned his PhD in developmental biology at […]
Dr. Katherine Clifton joined the Department of medicine in the Division of Oncology as an Assistant Professor in September, 2019. Throughout Dr. Clifton’s training, she developed an interest in clinical research. As an internal medicine resident as well as early in her hematology-oncology fellowship, she gained research experience through several projects. These projects taught her […]
Dr. Steven Funk joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Nephrology as an Instructor in November, 2019. Dr. Funk’s major interest is the regulation of cellular functions by cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesion, with a focus on how renal glomerular basement membrane (GBM) defects in the kidney affect the podocyte cells that attach to […]
Dr. Nickole Forget joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine as an Assistant Professor in October, 2019. Originally from a small farming community in southern Missouri, Dr. Forget moved to St. Louis in 1988 to attend Washington University in St. Louis where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in both […]
Dr. Shivani V. Tripathi joined the Department of Medicine an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Washington University in St. Louis in September, 2019. Dr. Tripathi was born in Chicago, Illinois, and completed a dual major in Neurobiology and English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. She completed medical school at the Medical […]
Dr. Nathan Singh has joined the Department of Medicine as an assistant professor on the investigator track in the Division of Oncology, Section of Stem Cell Biology. He comes to Wash U from the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed a combined MD/Masters of Science in Translational research program, during which he spent two years […]
Dr. Reimers completed her undergraduate training at Washington University in St. Louis with a double major in Biology and German and went on to receive her MD from Saint Louis University in 2013. She then moved to North Carolina for Internal Medicine residency at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Most recently, she completed […]
Dr. Alessandro Vindigni joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Oncology as a Professor in August, 2019. Dr. Vindigni received a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from the University of Padua (Italy) and completed his postdoctoral training at Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis. In 2002, he was appointed Group […]
Dr. Annabel Quinet joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Oncology as an Instructor in August, 2019. Dr. Quinet moved from Brazil to France after receiving an Award from the French Department of Foreign Affairs and International Development and obtained her Bachelor’s in Sciences in 2007 from the University of Paris XI in […]
Dr. Reema Syed joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology as an Associate Professor in September, 2019. Dr. Syed is a board certified Adult and Pediatric Rheumatologist who completed her combined fellowship at Saint Louis University in 2007 and is currently Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Dr. Syed completed her […]
Dr. James Watson joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an instructor in July 2019. He was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia and graduated from the Collegiate School in 2002. He went on to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Commerce with Concentrations in Finance and Accounting at the […]
Dr. Elaine Shao joined the Department of Medicine as an Instructor in the Division of Hospital Medicine in July 2019. Originally from Chapel Hill, NC, she attended Wake Forest University and graduated summa cum laude in 2012 with majors in Biology and Spanish and a minor in History. She was awarded the full merit Guy […]
Dr. Mark Pinkerton joined the Division of Hospital Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine as an Instructor in July of 2019. He completed his undergraduate training with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology in 2012 at the University of Alabama, where he graduated summa cum laude. He received his medical degree in 2016 from […]
Dr. Arjun Natarajan joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July, 2019. Dr. Natarajan was born in Bellevue, Washington and lived there until the age of ten, after which his family moved to Hyderabad, India. He attended middle and high school there, graduating with top honors in […]
Dr. Tashin Mustaque joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine in July, 2019. Dr. Mustaque was born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh where he has completed all of his schooling. He is the youngest of three siblings. Growing up, he had special interest in sports and science. He has played club […]
Dr. Jacob Murray joined the Deartment of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July, 2019. Dr. Murray is a native of Des Moines, Iowa. He earned a B.S. in Integrative Physiology from the University of Iowa and was awarded the Marvin A. Pomerantz Leadership Award. During his senior undergraduate year, […]
Dr. Jaspur Min joined the Department of Medicine as an Instructor in the Division of Hospital Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in July, 2019. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with Honors, from Washington University in St. Louis in 2011. Upon graduation, she worked for City Year (AmeriCorps) and served as […]
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s most vexing public health problems. About 1.5 million people died from this bacterial lung infection in 2018, and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one-quarter of the world’s population — some 2 billion people, mostly in developing countries — are infected with the bacteria that causes TB. […]
Dr. James Mendoza joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July, 2019. Dr. Mendoza is a born and raised Virginian. He majored in Chemistry at the University of Virginia, then obtained a Master’s degree in Medical Sciences at Boston University before completing medical school at Virginia Commonwealth […]
Dr. Han Li joined the Department of Medicine as an Instructor in Hospital Medicine in July 2019, after completing her internal medicine training at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. She received her undergraduate education at the University of Michigan, where she majored in Cellular and Molecular Biology. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated with High […]
Dr. Ajitha Kommalapati was born in India and grew up in Cypress, Texas. She completed her undergraduate degree in biochemistry at the University of Texas at Austin. After discovering an overarching fascination with human physiology, she went on to complete her medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Her love of internal medicine […]
High-protein diets may help people lose weight and build muscle, but a new study in mice suggests they have a down side: They lead to more plaque in the arteries. Further, the new research shows that high-protein diets spur unstable plaque — the kind most prone to rupturing and causing blocked arteries. More plaque buildup […]
Matthew J. Walter, MD, has been named the inaugural Edward P. Evans Endowed Professor of Myelodysplastic Syndromes at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. These syndromes make up a group of rare blood disorders that prevents the body from making sufficient healthy blood cells. Walter, an international leader in the study and treatment […]
Their mother’s death when they were teenagers set identical twins Obi and Malachi Griffith on a shared path to find better cancer therapies. Today, the twins, both geneticists and computational biologists at the School of Medicine, are seeking precision treatments for the disease. The Griffith Lab, driven by the twins’ independent and complementary research interests, […]
The patient is nine months pregnant and in good health. With the proper care, she has much to look forward to.
The Academic Women’s Network Fall Dinner: “Ally, Advocate, or Accomplice: We are Better Together” with guest speaker Michelle Lall, MD, MHS, Associate Professor of Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine took place on November 19, 2019.
Dear colleagues, It is my pleasure to announce that Andrew Odden, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Divisions of Hospital Medicine and General Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) has been appointed as Vice Chair of Patient Safety for the Department of Medicine. Dr. Odden has been an esteemed member of the Washington University community […]
Tapped for their work aimed at stemming opioid abuse and halting what has become an epidemic in the United States, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received federal grants totaling more than $10 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). […]
Mark Thoelke, MD, SFHM is stepping down as Director of the Division of Hospital Medicine, as of Jan 1, 2020 to have more time and flexibility for travel with his family. Dr. Michael Lin, Professor of Medicine, will be the Interim Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine while we initiate a national search for […]
The highly contagious norovirus causes diarrhea and vomiting and is notorious for spreading rapidly through densely populated spaces, such as cruise ships, nursing homes, schools and day care centers. Each year, it is responsible for some 200,000 deaths, mostly in the developing world. There are no treatments for this intestinal virus, often incorrectly referred to […]
Washington University School of Medicine students recently honored faculty and residents with Distinguished Service Teaching Awards for the 2018-19 academic year. The awards, which were first given in 1991, reflect the students’ appreciation for dedication, patience and skill in training future physicians. Students completing their first, second and third year of studies select the course […]
In critically ill patients who require a heart pump to support blood circulation as part of stent procedures, specific heart pumps have been associated with serious complications, according to a new study led by cardiologists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Though the observational study does not prove that the heart pumps […]