School of Medicine scientists have described a way to convert human skin cells directly into a specific type of brain cell affected by Huntington’s disease, an ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disorder. Unlike other techniques, this new process does not pass through a stem cell phase, avoiding the production of multiple cell types.

Social media strategies present both challenges and opportunities for public health professionals. Brown School researchers’ analysis of a recent Chicago Department of Public Health campaign suggests that such organizations should pay close attention to how they share information and to the response the campaign gets.

H. Holden Thorp, PhD (left), provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, was installed by Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton as the inaugural holder of the Rita Levi-Montalcini Distinguished University Professorship during a ceremony Oct. 14 in Knight Hall. Thorp’s installation address was titled “Back to the Future: Accomplishment and Aspiration at Washington University.”