Deadly tick-borne virus cured with experimental flu drug, in mice (Links to an external site)

Only a few cases of the newly discovered Bourbon virus have been reported, and two of them ended in death, partly because no specific treatments are available for the tick-borne illness. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified an experimental antiviral drug that cures mice infected with the potentially […]

Powderly to lead Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (Links to an external site)

William G. Powderly, MD, the Dr. J. William Campbell Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named director of the university’s Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS). The institute is funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Evanoff […]

Blanchard appointed vice chair for education (Links to an external site)

The Department of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has named Melvin Blanchard, MD, to the newly created position of vice chair for education. Blanchard will continue in his role as director of the department’s Division of Medical Education until a national search is concluded and a replacement is named. Regarding his role as […]

Siteman Cancer Center announces first network affiliate in Illinois (Links to an external site)

The Siteman Cancer Network, a partnership with regional medical centers, has added a third member, the network’s first in Illinois. Alton Memorial Hospital in Alton, Ill., has joined the network, which is aimed at improving the health of people and communities through cancer research, treatment and prevention. Membership in the Siteman network strengthens and further expands Alton Memorial’s […]

OUTMed at St. Louis PrideFest

OUTmed, an organization for LGBTQIA-identified faculty, staff, trainees and allies at the School of Medicine, participated in St. Louis’ PrideFest and Parade on June 30. OUTmed, a forum based in the Department of Medicine, is open to anyone in the School of Medicine interested in OUTmed activities, regardless of departmental affiliation. This was OUTmed’s third […]

Welcome to Peggy Kendall, MD

We are pleased to announce that Peggy Kendall, MD will be the new Chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology in the Department of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine effective August 1, 2019. Dr. Kendall is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine and Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in […]

National Clinician Scholars Program

The National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP) offers a two-year training experience with formal leadership and master’s level research training. Scholars endeavor to be change agents driving policy-relevant research and partnerships to improve health and health care. Download NCSP flyer

Snapshot of chikungunya could lead to drugs, vaccines for viral arthritis

KATHERINE BASORE Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have created a detailed 3-D structure of chikungunya virus (shown in blue and green) attached to a mouse protein (in magenta) that the virus uses to get inside cells and cause disease. The findings could accelerate efforts to find new ways to prevent […]

Department of Medicine Faculty Recognition Reception

The Department of Medicine recently recognized faculty who have been honored with teaching and clinical awards this past year. Their outstanding contributions fostering medical education and clinical excellence positively influences the medical profession not only locally, but also nationally and internationally.

Colonna, Ley elected to National Academy of Sciences (Links to an external site)

Two physician-scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are among the 100 new members and 25 foreign associates elected to the National Academy of Sciences this year. Election to the academy — which was announced Tuesday, April 30 — is considered one of the highest honors that can be awarded to a […]

Department of Medicine, Research Strategic Planning- Faculty Town Hall Meetings

Let’s discuss the future of research in our Department – from bedside to basic science and back to the people we serve. Tuesday, April 30, 10:30-11:30 am (EPNEC Seminar Room A) Monday, May 20, 2:00-3:00 pm (EPNEC Seminar Room A) Thursday, May 23, 12:00-1:00 pm (EPNEC Seminar Room B) Discussions led by Brad Evanoff, MD […]

Ethic of Service Award celebrates those who care about the region

Dean Emeritus Bob Virgil (front row, second from right)  joins recipients of the Gerry and Bob Virgil Ethic of Service Award on April 17 at the Knight Executive Education and Conference Center for a recognition ceremony. (Photos: Sid Hastings/Washington University) Seven members of the Washington University in St. Louis community were celebrated for their contribution to […]

Safety-net hospitals fare better under new Medicare reimbursement rules Readmission penalties reduced for hospitals with poorest patients (Links to an external site)

Karen Joynt Maddox, MD

MATT MILLER Karen Joynt Maddox, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, led a study showing that new Medicare reimbursement rules reduce financial penalties for safety-net hospitals. The change shifts some of the financial burden away from hospitals that care for the most vulnerable patients. New Medicare reimbursement rules provide some relief […]

Dr. Shail Mehta joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Shail Mehta joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine as an Assistant Professor on March 1, 2019. Dr. Mehta’s clinical interests are Mycobacterial lung disease and bronchiectasis. Along with Dr. Carlos Daughaday, he sees patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease, many of whom also have bronchiectasis, in […]

Cardiovascular Division Leadership Announcement

Dr. Douglas L. Mann, the Tobias and Hortense Lewin Professor of Medicine, has decided to step down as Chief of the Cardiovascular Division effective May 1, 2019, in order to focus on his research and have more time with his family. Dr. Mann will stay here on the faculty and continue to play an important role as a […]

Up to $24 million will help to eliminate 2 tropical diseases (Links to an external site)

Up to $24 million will help to eliminate 2 tropical diseases Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supports research to fight elephantiasis, river blindness by Tamara Bhandari•April 11, 2019 Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Click […]

Dr. Matifadza Hlatshwayo joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Matifadza Hlatshwayo joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases on April 1, 2019 as an Instructor. Education Dr. Hlatshwayo completed her Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Chemistry with Honors from Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. She then went on to complete her medical degree with Special Qualification in Biomedical […]

In Vivo Imaging Core

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis offers In Vivo Imaging Core (IVIC) in Infectious Diseases to provide a cost-effective and sustainable in vivo imaging resource and multi-dimensional data analysis for WUSM researchers. Two-photon microscopy is widely used in the fields of cell biology, immunology and microbiology to image single-cell dynamics in native 3D tissue environments. […]

The warrior within (Links to an external site)

MATT MILLER Robert D. Schreiber, PhD, right, consults with doctoral student Samuel O. Ameh. Their work exploring the immune system’s role in controlling cancer is fueling development of a range of approaches to cancer immunotherapy. A few short decades ago, cancer treatment consisted mainly of three pillars: surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Although each has earned […]

Congratulations to Dr. Lenise Cummings-Vaughn!

Dear Faculty and Staff, We are pleased to announce that Dr. Lenise Cummings-Vaughn will be receiving the 2019 Alene and Meyer Kopolow Award for Excellence in Service to Older Adults on April 24th at 9:00 am at the Eric P. Newman Education Center. The Kopolow Award recognizes individuals in the St. Louis Metro Region who […]

Obese mouse mothers trigger heart problems in offspring (Links to an external site)

A diet high in fats and sugars is known for its unhealthy effects on the heart. Scientists now have found that a high-fat, high-sugar diet in mouse mothers before and during pregnancy causes problems in the hearts of their offspring, and that such problems are passed down at least three generations, even if the younger […]

Topical immunotherapy keeps skin cancer risk at bay (Links to an external site)

A combination of two topical creams already shown to clear precancerous skin lesions from sun-damaged skin also lowers the risk that patients will later develop squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. The study, from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, appears March 21 in JCI Insight. […]

DOM Medical Education Update

Colleagues, It is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Melvin Blanchard, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Medical Education and Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program at Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) is being promoted to Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Medicine. Dr. Blanchard is a distinguished […]

In Vivo Imaging Core

Dear Department of Medicine Faculty, The Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis created the In Vivo Imaging Core (IVIC) in the division of Infectious Diseases to provide a cost-effective resource for investigators requiring in vivo imaging and multi-dimensional data analysis for their research.  Since its inception in 2013, the IVIC has provided imaging […]

$3.4 million aids effort to make a better flu vaccine (Links to an external site)

The influenza vaccine is only good for one flu season, partly because different strains of the virus circulate every year. But there’s another reason people must roll up their sleeves every fall for a flu shot: The protection generated by the vaccination is fleeting, with evidence indicating that its effectiveness wanes over the course of […]

Unnecessary testing for UTIs cut by nearly half (Links to an external site)

Tests to detect urinary tract infections (UTI) often are performed routinely in hospitals, even when patients don’t have symptoms. Such testing “just to be safe” can return results that lead doctors to prescribe antibiotics when there’s little to no evidence to warrant such treatment. Now, new research indicates that making a simple change to the […]

The Loeb Teaching Fellows (Links to an external site)

Subject: The Loeb Teaching Fellows On behalf of Loeb Selection Committee co-chairs, Dr. Eva Aagaard and Dr. Mary Klingensmith, we are pleased to announce that the Loeb Teaching Fellows application cycle is now open through Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at 5:00pm.  Please share this information with anyone within the WUSM community who you believe may […]

School of Medicine expands mission of McDonnell Genome Institute (Links to an external site)

The McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is entering a new era of genomic medicine, expanding its capacities beyond genome sequencing and adding a new and vital focus on understanding how genetics influences health and disease. Jeffrey Milbrandt, MD, PhD, recently appointed executive director of the McDonnell Genome Institute, says the […]

Teaching Scholars Program (Links to an external site)

Dear Department Heads, Assistants to Chairs, Course and Clerkship Directors and Office of Education Community: The Office of Education presents the announcement below for your review regarding the Teaching Scholars Program. Please share this information with anyone within the WUSM community who you believe may be interested in these opportunities. Teaching Scholars Program The School […]

Gordon honored with Frontiers of Knowledge Award (Links to an external site)

Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been recognized with the Frontiers of Knowledge Award from the BBVA Foundation. He is being honored for outstanding contributions to biology and biomedicine for his lab’s pioneering role in founding the field of microbiome research. BBVA is a global financial services […]

Teitelbaum awarded 2019 King Faisal International Prize in Medicine (Links to an external site)

Steven Teitelbaum, MD, the Wilma and Roswell Messing Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been awarded the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine. The annual prize, awarded by the King Faisal Foundation in Saudi Arabia, recognizes scientists whose research has major benefits to humanity. Teitelbaum, who […]

Dr. Wang-Sik Lee joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Wang-Sik Lee joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hematology as an Assistant Professor on January 22, 2019. After Dr. Lee earned his Ph.D in Biochemistry, he worked at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute as a researcher, at the Friedrich Miescher-Institute (Switzerland) as a research fellow, and at the Biotechnology Laboratory […]

Dr. Sumanth Gandra joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Sumanth Gandra joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Assistant Professor on January 21, 2019. Dr. Gandra received his medical degree from Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, India in 2004. In 2007, he received his MPH degree in community health from Eastern Kentucky University. He completed his internal medicine […]

White named director of Division of Palliative Medicine (Links to an external site)

Patrick White, MD, an assistant professor of medicine, has been named director of the newly formed Division of Palliative Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The appointment was announced by Victoria J. Fraser, MD, the Adolphus Busch Professor and head of the Department of Medicine. “Patrick is nationally recognized as an outstanding […]

Dr. Hrishikesh Kulkarni joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Hrishikesh Kulkarni joined the Department of Medicine in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Division as an Instructor on March 1, 2018. Dr. Kulkarni is a physician-scientist who focuses on how immune proteins, specifically complement proteins, modulate lung injury. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh prior to moving […]

New hope for stem cell approach to treating diabetes (Links to an external site)

Scientists working to develop more effective treatments for diabetes are turning to stem cells. Such cells can be transformed into cells that produce insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar. But there’s a major challenge: the amount of insulin produced by theses cells is difficult to control. Now, by tweaking the recipe for coaxing human […]

Gerald Medoff, former director of infectious diseases division, 82

Gerald Medoff, MD, an emeritus professor of medicine and former director of the Division of Infectious Diseases and vice chair of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died peacefully Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, in hospice care at Evelyn’s House in Creve Coeur, Mo., following a long bout with Parkinson’s disease. He […]

Dr. Laneshia Tague joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Laneshia Tague joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine as an Instructor on January 1, 2019. Dr. Laneshia Karee Tague completed her undergraduate degree in biological sciences at Northwestern University in 2007. She went on to complete her medical degree at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine […]

Dr. Humaira Khalid Naseer joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Humaira Naseer joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology as an Instructor on January 1, 2019. Dr. Humaira Khalid Naseer received her medical degree from Dow Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan in 1978.  She completed her internal medicine residency at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina from 1993 […]

$9 million supports deep dive into breast, pancreatic cancers (Links to an external site)

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has received a $9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the life histories of breast and pancreatic cancers. The grant is part of the NIH’s Human Tumor Atlas Network, a large-scale effort to understand the life span of tumors, including how normal […]

Dr. Bethany Prudner joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Bethany Prudner joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Oncology as an Instructor on January 1, 2019. Dr. Prudner came to Washington University in 2016 from The Ohio State University, and this allowed for her to concentrate her postdoctoral training in sarcoma research. She received her Phd from Kent State University in […]

Dr. Karolyn Oetjen joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Karolyn Oetjen joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Oncology as an Instructor on January 1, 2019. Dr. Oetjen’s clinical interest is myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia, with particular interest in therapy-related myeloid neoplasms and inherited predisposition to myeloid malignancies. The poor prognosis of relapsed, refractory and therapy-related myeloid neoplasms is […]

Dr. Shail Mehta joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Shail Mehta joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine as an Assistant Professor on January 1, 2019. His clinical interests are mycobacterial lung disease and bronchiectasis. Along with Dr. Carlos Daughaday, he sees patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease, many of whom also have bronchiectasis, in the […]

Medication for severe acne alters skin microbiome (Links to an external site)

Isotretinoin, a form of vitamin A, has been prescribed to treat acne for decades. It reduces oil production in the skin, which helps prevent acne from forming. But new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has uncovered a previously unknown benefit of the medication. It shifts the skin microbiome of acne […]

Diamond honored with 2019 Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award (Links to an external site)

Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, an infectious diseases specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been chosen as the recipient of the American Society for Clinical Investigation’s 2019 Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award. He is being honored for his contributions to understanding the molecular basis of disease caused by globally emerging RNA […]