Author: Elizabethe Holland Durando

Bradley L. Schlaggar, MD, PhD, head of the Division of Pediatric and Developmental Neurology at the School of Medicine, has been awarded the Frank Hatch “Sparkplug” Award for Enlightened Public Service by The John Merck Fund.

Researchers at the School of Medicine are leading a nationwide clinical trial to determine whether one of the most commonly used probiotics can safely and effectively treat infants and toddlers suffering from acute gastroenteritis, otherwise known as stomach virus or “stomach flu.” David Schnadower, MD, is the trial’s principal investigator.

Jeffrey A. Lowell, MD, of the School of Medicine is also a commander in the U.S. Navy. He currently is deployed to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, Africa. He’s checked in to tell us about his experience there — and about the gratitude of service members who recently received care packages from some generous Washington University employees.

Pirooz Eghtesady, MD, PhD, has been named the first Emerson Chair in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. He is a professor of surgery and of pediatrics and is chief of the section of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at the School of Medicine.

Barry Siegel, MD, professor of radiology at the School of Medicine, was awarded the Benedict Cassen Prize for Research in Nuclear Medicine during the annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. The meeting was June 7-11 in St. Louis.

Gammon Earhart, PhD, professor of physical therapy, has been named director of the Program in Physical Therapy at Washington University School of Medicine, effective July 1. Also a professor of neurobiology and neurology, Earhart joined the faculty in 2004.

Marcus E. Raichle, MD, a Washington University professor internationally renowned for his contributions to advancing the frontiers of cognitive neuroscience, is one of three scientists awarded this year’s prestigious Kavli Prize in Neuroscience.

Mary Langston Parker, MD, a dedicated physician, researcher and director of student health services at Washington University, died Saturday, May 24, 2014, from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Parker was an associate professor emeritus of preventive medicine and a mother of five.

Faculty and staff at Washington University School of Medicine are invited to a WUSTLnomics forum and brown-bag lunch from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 27. The forum, the focus of which will be the university’s efficiency efforts, will be in Moore Auditorium, on the first floor of the North Building.

Scientists have advanced a brain-scanning technology that tracks what the brain is doing by shining dozens of tiny LED lights on the head. The technique compares favorably to other approaches but avoids the radiation exposure and bulky magnets the others require, according to new research at the School of Medicine.