Author: Chris Amelung

An exhibit of 29 iron sculptures by the Israeli artist Orna Ben-Ami is on display at Washington University School of Medicine through fall 2007. The sculptures can be viewed in the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center, Olin Residence Hall, Bernard Becker Medical Library, McDonnell Pediatric Research building, and other locations around campus.

Krikor Dikranian, Jay Piccirillo and David Windus recently received the Samuel R. Goldstein Leadership Awards in Medical Student Education for 2006. The awards honor outstanding educators at the School of Medicine and were established in 2000 in memory of Goldstein, a longtime friend of the medical school.

DXA scans of a male patient with osteoporosisAlthough women are four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis, or porous bone, one in 12 men also suffer from the disease, which can lead to debilitating – or even life-threatening – fractures. In women, low estrogen levels after menopause have been considered an important risk factor for this disorder. Now research at the School of Medicine has shown that low amounts of active estrogen metabolites also can increase the the risk of osteoporosis in men.

Listed below are this month’s featured news stories. • Alcohol’s effect on spouses (week of May 2) • DNA links to autism (week of May 9) • Fewer steroids for some with asthma (week of May 16) • Increasing blood flow (week of May 16) • New treatment for heart disorder (week of May 30)

Photo by Robert BostonThe School of Medicine awarded medical degrees to 126 students in May. The new graduates will take their extraordinary knowledge, energy and enthusiasm with them as they embark on careers in surgery, pediatrics, internal medicine, public health and many other medical disciplines.

Photo by Robert BostonWenFourth-year student Leana Wen was selected to travel with New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristoff to Africa to observe and write about Africa’s problems as a step toward effecting change. Wen was one of 2,000 who applied and will be joined by a teacher from Chicago. She was selected based on her essay below. Read her winning essay.

Joseph Culver, left, and Michael Welch examine a state-of-the-art diffuse optical tomography system, which allows researchers to visualize tumors without the use of radiation.Using a wide range of imaging techniques to visualize cancer in the body, radiology investigators at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine are expanding the boundaries of cancer detection, treatment and research. The strength of their efforts has received national recognition. For several years, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine has ranked among the top three imaging programs in the United States in research grants received by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Photo by Kelly PahlTyler Merchant talks with Noel Tate, who is recovering after heart surgery.Tyler Merchant said he has known since kindergarten that he wanted to be a doctor. And except for two recent days of doubt when he was struggling with a class, the Washington University junior has not changed his mind. What got Merchant through those days of doubt and solidified his decision to become a doctor was spending time with patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital through the Health-Care Advocacy Program offered by the School of Medicine’s Office of Diversity Programs.

Listed below are this month’s featured news stories. • ADHD risk factors (week of Apr. 4) • Fixing flat feet (week of Apr. 11) • Nanoparticle tracking system (week of Apr. 18) • DHA and Alzheimer’s (week of Apr. 25)

Nearly 40 percent of babies with a condition known as Simpson Golabi Behmel syndrome will die soon after birth, likely because of heart problems related to the disorder, which causes them to grow too quickly. Researchers funded by the Children’s Discovery Institute are pursuing a unique new approach to treating this disorder: they’re hoping to use long chains of sugar molecules to coax troublemaking cells back to good behavior.