Jason Burnham, MD, assistant professor of medicine
WashU in the News: Deadly superbugs pose greater threat than previously estimated (Links to an external site)
Category: News
WashU in the News: Dangerous superbugs kill more people than previously thought (Links to an external site)
Victoria Fraser, MD, the Adolphus Busch Professor of Medicine
Dominique Cosco, MD – Medicine Residency Program Director
Dear colleagues, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Dominique Cosco has agreed to accept the role of Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Washington University School of Medicine/Barnes-Jewish Hospital. As you know, Dr. Cosco assumed the responsibility of Interim Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program in March of this year. Since […]
Physician whose parents survived Holocaust gratified to treat veterans (Links to an external site)
Michael Rauchman, MD, is Canadian, but his mother and father raised him to honor America, too. As a child, he learned that the U.S. military had played a key role in the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II, allowing Rauchman’s Jewish parents to survive the Holocaust. Both had been imprisoned in concentration and […]
DOM Insider Volume 2
In this Issue: Letter from the Chair, Divisional Spotlight, Research News, Clinical News, Education News, New Faculty Leadership, Awards/Grants/Honors, DOM Faculty Affairs, Future Workforce in Medicine, Upcoming Events and Symposiums, Epic Update, and Giving
New clues found to help protect heart from damage after heart attack (Links to an external site)
Studying mice, scientists have shown that boosting the activity of specific immune cells in the heart after a heart attack can protect against developing heart failure, an invariably fatal condition. Patients with heart failure tire easily and become breathless from everyday activities because the heart muscle has lost the ability to pump enough blood to […]
Kendall named director of allergy and immunology division (Links to an external site)
Peggy Kendall, MD, was named director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology in the Department of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She joined the university from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, where she was an associate professor of medicine and pathology, microbiology and immunology.
Washington People: Benjamin D. Humphreys – Physician-scientist a leading innovator in kidney research (Links to an external site)
Benjamin D. Humphreys’ hobbies include experimenting with international cuisine in his kitchen, harvesting heirloom tomatoes in his backyard, and growing miniature kidneys in his laboratory. He has been perfecting his first two hobbies for years. However, his interest in growing tiny kidneys — specifically, using human stem cells to cultivate kidney organoids — began in […]
Dr. Syed Hasan joins the Department of Medicine
Dr. Syed Hasan joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July, 2019. He is originally from Karachi, Pakistan and immigrated to the U.S. in 2009. He finished medical school at the prestigious Sindh Medical College (now known as JSMU) in Pakistan. After graduation, Dr. Hasan spent time […]
Dr. Ian Green joins the Department of Medicine
Dr. Ian Green originally hails from Tampa, Florida. He received his Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude with honors, from The Ohio State University in 2011. He studied microbiology in the former 7-year B.S./M.D. combined degree program and was nominated to Phi Beta Kappa. He developed an enthusiasm for learning and investigation that led […]
Dr. Kathleen Evans joins the Department of Medicine
Dr. Kathleen Evans grew up in Spring, Texas and attended the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma for her undergraduate education. She received degrees in both biochemistry and journalism and was interested in tying mass communication, health literacy, and education together. She completed her honors thesis on the effect of pesticides on blow flies and […]
Ofer Zimmerman, MD receives $100,000 Physician Scientist Fellowship Award (Links to an external site)
10.18.19 Ofer Zimmerman, MD, a clinical fellow in the Department of Medicine at the School of Medicine, received a $100,000 Physician Scientist Fellowship award from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. He will be working in the laboratory of Michael Diamond, MD, PhD, the Herbert S. Gasser Professor of Medicine, to study the role of variations in the […]
$3.7 million supports crowdsourced database of cancer genomics (Links to an external site)
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support an open-source database aimed at boosting personalized approaches to cancer treatment. The database is designed to help doctors match cancer mutations — found in patients’ tumors — with drugs that […]
Dr. Jack El Sawda joins the Department of Medicine
Dr. Jack El Sawda joined the Department of Medicine as an Instructor in Medicine for the Division of Hospital Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in July 2019. He was born and raised in the northern part of Lebanon, in a small town, along the Mediterranean coast. He completed his undergraduate […]
Dr. Hanan Dihowm joins the Department of Medicine
Dr. Hanan Dihowm joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July, 2019. Dr. Dihowm always wanted to learn to conduct research, and so she earned a master’s degree in clinical research from Rush University. She has a strong interest in cancer research, more specifically breast cancer and […]
Uncommon weight-loss surgery best for reducing diabetes risk (Links to an external site)
As obesity rates climb, so do the number of people receiving weight-loss surgery. One of the most frequently performed weight-loss procedures in the world — Roux-en-Y gastric bypass — is effective, but another procedure rarely performed in the U.S. is more effective at eliminating type 2 diabetes in patients with obesity. A new study from […]
The Stanley J. Korsmeyer Memorial Lectureship
The Stanley J. Korsmeyer Memorial Lectureship was established in 2005 at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Thursday, October 31, 2019 | 3:00 p.m. Eric P. Newman Education Center, Floor 1 EPNEC Auditorium “ER Stress: Reprogramming the Tumor Microenvironment” Download Flyer (pdf)
Reflection of values – The School of Medicine pledges $100 million to offset tuition through scholarships and revise the curriculum (Links to an external site)
On a crisp autumn Saturday two years ago, the newly appointed senior associate dean for education began getting ready for an important finance meeting with the medical school’s senior leaders. That’s when a crazy idea struck her. “I was thinking about ways to reduce medical school debt and, on a broader level, my overall purpose […]
Servant leader – Native St. Louisan Lee Kling is thinking about his city’s needs now and in the future (Links to an external site)
Throughout the St. Louis region, underserved and low-income patients cannot obtain quality health care. Many live in poverty without access to medical services, or even food. Dedicated community leader Lee Kling has seen firsthand how economic disparities create lifelong challenges for so many people. In response to those challenges, Kling, a St. Louis native and […]
Food for thought – Understanding obesity by examining nutrition and metabolism (Links to an external site)
At nearly 250 pounds, Linda DeCosta had tried everything — and failed — to lose weight: prescription drugs, exercise programs, dieting. She had even considered bariatric surgery, but insurance wouldn’t cover it. “I was almost starving myself,” DeCosta said. “Our family doesn’t eat out a lot. I don’t cook a lot of fried foods. I […]
Dr. Anthony Dao joins the Department of Medicine
Dr. Anthony Dao joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine in July, 2019. Dr. Dao was born in Troy, Ohio and pursued a combined 6-year BS/MD program at the University of Akron, which is associated with the Northeast Ohio Medical University. In medical school, he was interested in public health. Dr. […]
Dr. Benjamin Buettner joins the Department of Medicine
Dr. Benjamin Buetner joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine in July, 2019. Dr. Buettner was born and raised in Lima, Ohio where he graduated from Shawnee High School in 2008. He then went on to pursue his undergraduate Bachelor of Arts in Zoology at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, being […]
Dr. Natalia Brito Rivera joins the Department of Medicine
Dr. Natalia Brito Rivera joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine in July, 2019. Dr. Brito Rivera was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a concentration in Neurobiology and a Minor in Italian Studies at Cornell University in 2011. Dr. […]
Dr. Sydney Blount joins the Department of Medicine
Dr. Sydney Blount joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor on July 1, 2019. Dr. Blount earned her medical degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center School of Medicine in 2012. While there, she was elected to the Gold Humanism Honor Society as well as the Alpha […]
Dr. Faris Bakeer joins the Department of Medicine
Dr. Faris Bakeer joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in Medicine in July, 2019. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Union University in 2011 and in 2016, Dr. Bakeer received his Doctor of Medicine degree from East Tennessee State University, where he graduated […]
Atkinson awarded Presidential Gold Medal from rheumatology society (Links to an external site)
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 […]
Siteman Northwest Grand Opening (Links to an external site)
For hospitalized patients with fungal infections, specialists save lives (Links to an external site)
Bloodstream infections caused by the fungus Candida are among the most common and deadly infections in hospitals, with 25,000 such cases seen annually in the U.S. – mostly in people originally hospitalized for other reasons. About 40% to 45% of people with Candida in their blood die of the infection. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in […]
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 […]
$5 million grant endows research to advance blood disorder therapies (Links to an external site)
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has received a $5 million grant from the Edward P. Evans Foundation to establish and endow a new center focused on advancing research and improving treatments for a rare set of blood disorders called myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS, that leaves the body unable to make enough healthy […]
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 […]
Mattar named a chair of group aimed at combating antimicrobial resistance (Links to an external site)
Caline Mattar, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been appointed a chair of the Expert Advisory Group for the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Development Hub. Based in Germany, the organization formed in May 2018 to pool international resources to […]
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 […]