Deanna Barch, PhD, a leading scholar in the field of cognitive and language deficits in disorders like schizophrenia, recently won two honors from national organizations. Barch is vice dean of research and a professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences and the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine, […]
The Office of the Provost recently awarded two separate batches of funding as part of the “Here and Next” commitment to research excellence at WashU. The grants represent a significant investment in supporting multidisciplinary projects with the potential for local, national and global impact. “We are proud to support the important academic work happening here at WashU,” […]
Roughly 4% of the population is affected by a congenital brain malformation that has eluded researchers’ efforts to find causes and treatments. For the condition, Chiari type-1 malformation, the diagnosis is straightforward: the lower part of the brain, known as the cerebellum, protrudes at least five millimeters through the gap in the skull that connects […]
The Washington University in St. Louis community came together Nov. 9 at its annual Founders Day celebration to honor the outstanding achievements of some of the university’s most distinguished faculty, alumni and friends. The event was held at the St. Louis Union Station Hotel. Four faculty were among those recognized at the event, which was […]
Washington University School of Medicine and BJC Health System, both located in St. Louis, have launched the joint Center for Health AI to harness the power of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and fundamentally change the way health care is provided. The center will focus on making care more personalized and effective for patients and more […]
Most people who visit a doctor when they feel unwell seek a diagnosis and a treatment plan. But for some 30 million Americans with rare diseases, their symptoms don’t match well-known disease patterns, sending families on diagnostic odysseys that can last years or even lifetimes. But a cross-disciplinary team of researchers and physicians from Washington […]
Tyriesa L. Howard, PhD, an assistant professor at the Brown School at WashU, has received a 2024 Changemakers in Family Planning grant from the Society of Family Planning. The $84,000 grant will support her research project, which examines the impact of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision on adolescents and young adults’ autonomy over their bodies. Howard’s study […]
State struggles with one of nation’s highest maternal mortality rates
Enrollment in Medicaid was associated with higher risk of death from a central nervous system (CNS) tumor, with an almost two-fold higher risk for young CNS tumor patients enrolled at diagnosis, finds a study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. “We found a higher risk for those insured through Medicaid than […]
The Physical Activity Alliance, the nation’s largest national coalition dedicated to advancing regular participation in physical activity, has released the 2024 United States Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. The overall physical activity grade for children and youth remained low at D-, the same grade it received in 2022, the last time a […]
Genetic risk for mental health problems expressed through multitude of behavioral, environmental, neural factors in teens, study finds
About one-third of mothers in California were reported to the Child Protection System (CPS) at least once, but the percentage significantly increased as the number of children grew, finds a new analysis from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. Most mothers who were reported to CPS had their initial report after their second child’s birth, […]
Three researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have received highly competitive and prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s awards for “High Risk, High Reward” medical research funding totaling $10 million over five years. Hong Chen, PhD, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering and of neurosurgery at the […]
Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, the Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been awarded the 21st annual Nierenberg Prize from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. The prize is awarded for outstanding contributions to science in the public interest. Gordon, director […]
As digital health tools grow in popularity due to rapid technological advancements and the shift toward personalized medicine, a new study highlights the critical need to focus on equity in their design. Today’s digital health tools are transforming care: wearable devices offer continuous monitoring and early warnings; telemedicine provides virtual consultations, especially in underserved areas; […]
Christina Gurnett, MD, PhD, and Fred Ssewamala, PhD, have been chosen by their academic peers to receive Washington University in St. Louis’ 2024 faculty achievement awards, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin announced. Gurnett, the A. Ernest and Jane G. Stein Professor of Developmental Neurology at the School of Medicine, will receive the Carl and Gerty Cori Faculty […]
Scientists are trying to understand how cannabis may affect long-term neurodevelopment when people were exposed to it in the womb. Previous work by Washington University in St. Louis researchers Sarah Paul and David Baranger in the Behavioral Research and Imaging Neurogenetics (BRAIN) lab led by Ryan Bogdan, PhD, found associations between prenatal cannabis exposure and potential mental health conditions in childhood and […]
Washington University in St. Louis announced today that Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, one of the world’s most influential public health leaders, will become the inaugural Margaret C. Ryan Dean of the university’s planned School of Public Health, effective Jan. 1. In this critical leadership role, Galea will help shape and launch WashU’s first new school […]
A staggering 3 million children die from malnutrition across the globe each year, with many more left with long-lasting deficits in their growth and development. Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD – widely regarded as the father of the microbiome – has dedicated his life’s work to changing this paradigm. Gordon, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. […]
Seanna Leath, PhD, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been selected to receive the Society for Research on Adolescence’s Early Career Award. The award is given for outstanding contributions to the study of adolescent development. Leath studies identity development and well-being processes among […]
Nine faculty members at Washington University in St. Louis are among the 502 new fellows selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the most distinct honors in the scientific community. The 2023 class includes: Deanna Barch, Laura Bierut, Kendall Blumer, Andreas Burkhalter, Jennifer Heemstra, Kathleen McDermott, Jeffrey Miner, Camillo Padoa-Schioppa and David Perlmutter. It is also the 150th year […]
For more than a decade, Rowhea Elmesky, an associate professor of education in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has worked with educators and students in University City School High School to create a culture of trust, respect and shared responsibility. The result: a positive learning environment where suspensions are down, attendance and engagement […]
There are basic resources every baby needs for the best possible chance to develop as a healthy well-functioning human. Start with good nutrition, breast milk if possible. That baby is going to need stimulation, lots of looking, reciprocal interactions, exposure to language and interesting stimuli. If at all possible, you should live in a place […]
Preschoolers with clinical depression are more likely than their peers to have attempted suicide or to have had thoughts of killing themselves by age 12, according to a new study from researchers at Washington University in St. Louis. The findings, published recently in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, suggest that […]
In 2023, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Minnesota joined a growing list of states that allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses if an applicant can provide certain documentation, such as a foreign birth certificate or passport and evidence of current residency in the state. Altogether, 19 states and the District of Columbia have similar legislation in […]
Team Rainbow Butterfly Rangers was on a mission — to create an assistive technology device that would help Berlin, a bubbly 6-year old with cerebral palsy, carry her plates and toys. Per Berlin’s instructions, the device should be stable, easy to wear and — oh yeah — super cute. “She asked and we delivered,” said […]
Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the 2024 Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medical Science from Northwestern University. Gordon was selected for the prize by a jury of distinguished U.S. scientists for transforming the understanding of human health and how it is shaped by the gut […]