The Record

Region’s first patient receives sickle cell gene therapy

The first sickle cell disease patient in the St. Louis region has been successfully treated by WashU Medicine physicians at St. Louis Children’s Hospital with a gene therapy newly approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

$3M grant fuels global effort to transform health research, policy

WashU public health experts are leading a $3 million global initiative to revolutionize health research, making it faster, more inclusive and more responsive to urgent policy challenges.

A unified theory of the mind

Biologist Keith Hengen, in Arts & Sciences, says “criticality” is the key to understanding how the brain works — and how to keep it free from Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

Student swimmer overcomes challenges

A health crisis threatened to upend Kyle Wolford’s hard work in the classroom and the swimming pool. But, with support from Student Affairs’ Healthy Excellence initiative, he found success, winning an NCAA title and earning computer science degrees.

Research Wire

Occupational therapy faculty member Kelly Harris, at WashU Medicine, will receive a $425,000 award to develop and test a technology-enabled care coordination service model to support Black youth with asthma.

Notables

Zhen (Jason) He, at McKelvey Engineering, received the 2025 Frederick George Pohland Medal from the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors and the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists.

Notables

Thirteen teachers from the St. Louis region have been selected to work with WashU faculty for the 2025 Summer Teacher-Researcher Program. The program is administered in collaboration with the university’s Institute for School Partnership.

John Gleaves, engineering professor emeritus, 79

John Gleaves, a professor emeritus at the McKelvey School of Engineering, died June 2. He was 79.