Dr. Nikita Melnikov joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Nikita Melnikov joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July 2025. Originally from the southern seaside town of Taganrog, Russia, his upbringing fostered his joyful, passionate, and caring personality. During high school, he focused on foreign languages and natural sciences, presenting his projects at regional science competitions. […]

Dr. Brian Kocak joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Brian Kocak joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July of 2025. He was born and grew up outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and he attended the University of Pittsburgh for undergraduate and medical studies. He graduated summa cum laude with dual degrees in philosophy and microbiology […]

Dr. Adam Kneepkens joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Adam Kneepkens joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July 2025. He was born and raised in Duluth, MN, before attending Saint Louis University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science and biology. While at SLU, he was a member of the University Honors Program, […]

Dr. Parneet Kaur Hari joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Parneet Kaur Hari joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in Medicine in July 2025. She was born in Bathinda, a small town in the state of Punjab, India, in 1996. She has always been driven by curiosity and compassion, which naturally steered her toward the world […]

Dr. Richard Van Besien joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Richard Van Besien joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine as an Assistant Professor in July 2025. He first came to St. Louis for undergrad at WashU. Medical school brought him back to his home state to attend the University of Maryland on a full merit scholarship. While […]

Dr. Osler Guzon joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Osler Guzon joined the Department of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division as an Assistant Professor in July 2025. He is a board-certified preventive cardiologist with clinical expertise caring for patients with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, pericardial diseases, and obesity-linked conditions such as diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea.  Promoting nutrition and a healthy, active lifestyle as a […]

Dr. Fred Karaisz joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Fred Karaisz joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology as an Instructor in July. In residency, he loved teaching medical students and residents, particularly in bedside procedures, including lines, lumbar punctures, and paracenteses. These experiences translated well in gastroenterology, where he discovered my passion for therapeutic endoscopy. He hopes to work in […]

Dr. Sopiko Gogia joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Sopiko Gogia joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July 2025. She earned her medical degree from the American MD Program at Tbilisi State Medical University in 2020. During medical school, she actively participated in several community serving projects. After graduation, she worked as a junior […]

Catheter and Surgical Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Bryce Montane, MD and Brian Gage, MD, MSc

Bryce E. Montané, MD, Assistant Professor and Brian F. Gage, MD,MSc, Professor of Medicine, WashU Medicine Division of General Medicine and Geriatrics, led an interdisciplinary team to review trials of ablation of atrial fibrillation.  They found that compared with medical therapy, catheter ablation reduced the relative risk for ischemic stroke by 37%, for death by […]

Dr. Edward Daniel joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Edward Daniel joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July 2025. He was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He attended Harvard University where he obtained his degree in Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology with a minor in Music, graduating cum laude in 2012. Afterwards, he attended the […]

Dr. Adnan Al Najada joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Adnan Al Najada joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in July 2025. This role marks an important milestone in his career, following the completion of his internal medicine residency at Unity Hospital in Rochester, New York. Originally from Jordan, Al Najada earned his medical degree from the […]

Dr. Eugenia Miranti joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Eugenia Miranti joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Assistant Professor in July 2025. She received her medical degree from Northwestern University. Dr. Miranti specializes in clinical infectious disease and healthcare epidemiology. She is particularly interested in ambulatory infection prevention and emerging infectious diseases.

Dr. Olufunto Olusanya joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Olufunto Olusanya joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Assistant Professor in July of 2025. She is a physician, implementation scientist, and epidemiologist with over 17 years of clinical experience and 12 years of impactful research expertise. Dr. Olusanya’s expertise allows her to investigate innovative methods blending community […]

Dr. Temitope Ojo joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Temitope Ojo joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Assistant Professor in July of 2025. She graduated from the New York University School of Global Public Health with a PhD in Public Health. She has authored several publications on global implementation research, including developing situationally tailored tools to assess […]

Dr. Kyle Moylan joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Kyle Moylan joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Palliative Medicine as an Associate Professor in July of 2025. Dr. Moylan is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care. After completing his internal medicine residency and geriatric fellowship at Washington University, he served as chief resident before joining the Division of […]

Dr. Gassan Kassim joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Gassan Kassim joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology as an Assistant Professor in July of 2025. He graduated from medical school as valedictorian at the University of Debrecen in Hungary. He completed his internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai in New York City. He completed his gastroenterology and hepatology fellowship training […]

Dr. Megan White joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Megan White joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology as an Assistant Professor in July of 2025. She completed her medical education at Saint Louis University and further honed her expertise through residency and fellowship (both in gastroenterology and transplant hepatology) training at Washington University in St. Louis as well as an […]

Dr. Quazim Alayo joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Quazim Alayo joins the Department of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology as an instructor in July 2025. He earned his medical degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, followed by advanced training in global health science at the University of Oxford and immunology at Harvard Medical School. Under the mentorship of Dr. Dan Barouch, […]

Dr. Sambhawane Bhandari joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Sambhawana Bhandari joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology as an Assistant Professor in July 2025. She provides comprehensive care to patients with autoimmune diseases, participating in general rheumatology, Rheumatology-Oncology, myositis, and CTD-ILD clinics. Dr. Bhandari’s research focuses on clinical outcomes in patients with rheumatic diseases, including database studies on ICI-induced […]

Dr. Wei Zou joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Wei Zou joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Bone and Mineral Diseases as an Associate Professor in July 2025. He has more than two decades of extensive research experience on bone biology. His research was initially focused on understanding the mechanisms by which inflammatory factors such as LPS and TNF-α regulate osteoclast differentiation. […]

Strategy to prevent age-related macular degeneration identified (Links to an external site)

Fixing problems with cholesterol metabolism might help slow or prevent a common cause of age-related vision loss, a new WashU Medicine study in mice has shown. Pictured are color-stained retinal epithelial cells from a mouse eye, the first cells to die as age-related macular degeneration progresses.

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis identifies a possible way to slow or block progression of age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in people over age 50. The WashU Medicine researchers and their international collaborators implicated problems with cholesterol metabolism in this type of vision loss, perhaps […]

Dr. Shannon Coombs joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Shannon Coombs joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in June 2025. She grew up in Elmsford, New York before attending Howard University in Washington, DC where she graduated summa cum laude with honors distinction with a Bachelor of Arts in History as well as being inducted into […]

Dr. David Zhang joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. David Zhang joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine as an Instructor in June 2025. He was raised in San Antonio, Texas. He attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he studied physics and graduated with college honors. During his time in college, was inducted into the physics honor society, […]

2025 Department of Medicine Intern Welcome Party

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The Department of Medicine’s annual Intern Welcome Party, was graciously hosted this year at the home of Dr. Victoria Fraser, the esteemed Adolphus Busch Professor of Medicine and department chair. On Saturday, June 14, 2025, more than 50 incoming interns, representing institutions from across the country, gathered for an evening of informal introductions and camaraderie. […]

Department of Veterans Affairs Challenge Coin Presented to Bernal-Mizrachi

Carlos Bernal-Mizrachi, MD, Chief of Medicine/ ACOS Medical Service at St. Louis VA Medical System, Philip E. and Carolyn E. Cryer Professor in Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Lipid Research, was recently presented a VA Challenge Coin by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs at the VA health system. A challenge coin is a small, […]

Genetic Testing Core Curriculum: An Interview (Links to an external site)

Genetic Testing Core Curriculum: An Interview

Implementation of clinical genetic testing into the routine diagnostic workup of patients with kidney disorders can improve care when employed with proper patient selection. Due to advances in technology, testing with curated gene panels associated with kidney diseases are commercially available, are relatively inexpensive, and have quick turnaround time. 

15th Annual Gateway Conference Delivers a Spectrum of Educational Opportunities (Links to an external site)

The 15th Annual Gateway Hospital Medicine Conference took place from May 1, 2025, to May 3, 2025, at the Eric P. Newman Education Center (EPNEC). The Gateway Conference planning committee, composed of adult and pediatric physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists, put extensive effort into designing, planning, and implementing the agenda for the conference.

Dr. Soophia Naydenov joins Department of Medicine

Dr. Soophia Naydenov joined the Department of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine as a Professor in January 2025. She is dedicated to excelling in clinical care, educational initiatives, and administrative leadership. Her mission is to enhance PE patient care across all treatment stages, from acute care to long-term follow-up, through innovative and […]

Dr. Ugonna Nwankwo joins the Department of Medicine

Dr. Ugonna Nwankwo joined the Department of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division as an Associate Professor in June 2025. He was previously Director of adult congenital heart disease at Saint Louis University and SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s hospital. He earned his medical degree at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and completed a combined residency […]

Environmental hygiene intervention burden in hospital sinks: a prospective study

Kwon

The effects of a prospective sink environmental hygiene intervention on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia burden in hospital sinks Jennie Kwon, DO, MSCI, Associate Professor of Medicine at WashU Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases, co-published research in eBioMedicine about the burden of hygiene in hospital sinks. Co-principal investigators are; Gautam Dantas, PhD, Conan Professor of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, and […]

STEP-HI Study Publishes in JAMA Open

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Study Finds That Testosterone Gel Use in Women Recovering from Hip Fracture Does Not Improve Outcomes Compared to Supervised Exercise Alone Results from a recent multi-center, randomized, controlled trial demonstrate that testosterone gel does not improve physical function compared to exercise alone in older women recovering from a hip fracture. The STEP-HI study was published […]

Perlmutter to conclude deanship in 2026 (Links to an external site)

David H. Perlmutter, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and the George and Carol Bauer Dean of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, will conclude his deanship on June 30, 2026, according to Chancellor Andrew D. Martin. 

Hematology-Oncology Fellow Podany Receives 2025 Conquer Cancer Young Investigator Award

Emily Podany, MD

Research grants and awards from Conquer Cancer accelerate the progress of oncology professionals Emily Podany, MD, Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program, Fellow Wellness Leader, WashU Medicine Division of Oncology, received the 2025 Conquer Cancer – Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Endowed Young Investigator Award in Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity. The Young Investigator Award (YIA) provides research […]

McCrary Presents at NAM 2025 Emerging Leaders Forum

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Infectious Complications of Substance Abuse Madeline McCrary, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, WashU Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases, was invited to participate in the 2025 National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Emerging Leader Forum (the Forum) that was held in Washington DC, April 8-9, 2025 at the National Academy of Sciences Building. The exclusive, invitation only […]

Five Department of Medicine Faculty Graduate inaugural cohort of WashU Medicine Pivotal Leaders Program

The inaugural cohort at WashU Medicine – Department of Medicine has completed the Pivotal Leaders Program for Division Chiefs and Section Heads, which concluded on May 8, 2025.  This nine-month program supports division chiefs and section heads in strengthening the medical school’s culture, advancing faculty success, enhancing learner experience, and improving departmental operational effectiveness. “I […]

Advanced Heart Valve Procedures Expand Treatments for Patients With Limited Options (Links to an external site)

transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) and transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (T-TEER) procedures for tricuspid regurgitation treatment

With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) and transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (T-TEER) procedures for tricuspid regurgitation treatment, heart specialists at the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Heart & Vascular Center in St. Louis, Mo., are pioneering advances that enhance the quality of life for patients who have historically suffered debilitating […]