Author: Chris Amelung

The Distinguished Service Teaching Awards (DSTAs) are presented by Washington University medical students to faculty and house staff in appreciation of exemplary service in medical student education. See the complete list of this year’s winners.

At the 10th anniversary poster session, School of Medicine dean Larry J. Shapiro is flanked by A. Greig Woodring, president and CEO of RGA International Ltd. (left) and Phillip S. Smalley, M.D., RGA’s vice president and medical director.On Nov. 20, the Longer Life Foundation (LLF), a cooperative effort between the School of Medicine and the Reinsurance Group of America (RGA), celebrated 10 years of independent research into improving methods for predicting long-term mortality from various diseases and promoting quality and quantity of life. So far, LLF has funded more than 48 research grants, awarding some $2 million to support studies on topics from cancer treatment and screening to diabetes and nutrition to suicide risk.

Robert BostonBrooks Goedeker, Adam Chestnut, Maurice Harris and Larry Chestnut load donated gifts into trucks to be delivered to needy families in the Forest Park Southeast Neighborhood.About 25 families in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood adjoining the Medical Campus will have a brighter holiday this year thanks to the generosity of School of Medicine employees. The Washington University Medical Center Redevelopment Corp. — which works closely with neighborhood groups in addressing employment, public improvements, home repair and security and public safety issues — has coordinated a Holiday Outreach Program for nearly 10 years.

In their efforts to understand the cells involved in normal bowel function, researchers at the School of Medicine have found that a common nutrient — Vitamin A, or its metabolite, retinoic acid — has a direct effect on the development of nerve cells, or neurons, in the bowel wall that control gastrointestinal function.

World Diabetes Day, the global awareness campaign for diabetes, will be celebrated on Nov. 14, 2008. The International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization introduced the campaign in 1991 in response to the alarming rise in diabetes prevalence. The date marks the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, conducted pioneering research that led to the discovery of insulin in 1922.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute imageThis MRI shows ventricular hypertrophy.Cardiac disorders such as valve problems or high blood pressure make the heart work harder to pump blood. This increased work can lead to enlargement (thickening) of the heart, or cardiac hypertrophy — a potentially life-threatening problem. But when heart problems cause the heart to enlarge, it doesn’t grow more muscle cells. Instead each individual cell grows bigger. Researchers at the School of Medicine have shown that this cellular enlargement leads to abnormal heart rhythms.

In a first for the St. Louis region, surgeons at the School of Medicine are removing patients’ gallbladders using a single small incision in the bellybutton that leaves only a barely visible scar. Surgery to remove the gallbladder is one of the most common operations performed in the United States. More than 750,000 patients undergo the procedure each year, often due to the formation of gallstones that cause intense pain.

SciFest 08, a new annual event at the St. Louis Science Center, brings together world-renowned scientists and experts – including those from Washington University – to help participants see science in a new way. There are hundreds of science experiences, including presentations and hands-on exhibits.

Sen. Joe Biden from Delaware and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, the vice presidential nominees of the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively, debated each other Oct. 2 in the Washington University in St. Louis Athletic Complex.

Nearly 8,000 students registered for the student ticket lottery hoping to gain attendance to the Oct. 2 vice presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis. Those students actually receiving tickets were extremely excited when they received them several hours before the debate.