Author: Ken Duenke

An illustration from “When Grandpa Comes Home: A Story About Stroke,” an online book that teaches children how to cope when a relative suffers a strokeSpeedy treatment is essential to saving lives and preventing brain damage during a stroke. But the rapid pace of events also can leave patients and family members confused about what has happened and what to expect. That’s especially true for children whose parents or grandparents have a stroke. Now an online book is available to teach children about strokes.

Moms can reap financial benefits from a college degree.A social work professor at Washington University in St. Louis says that despite the latest evidence that single and married mothers can reap financial benefits from a college degree, current social policy discourages post-secondary education for women in poverty. More…

Gerald N. Izenberg, Ph.D., professor of history and co-director of the Literature and History Program, both in Arts & Sciences, will examine the complex notions of identity in a series of programs, beginning with the Assembly Series lecture, at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 21 in Graham Chapel. The Assembly Series talk is free and open to the public. Expanding on this theme, he will give a talk on “The Varieties of ‘We’: Collective Identities and their Conflicts,” for the Center for the Humanities, in which currently is a Faculty Fellow. The event begins at noon, Friday, March 23 in McDonnell Hall, Room 162. The final event, provided for the Century Series of the University’s Alumni & Development Programs, will be on “What, If Anything, Does Democracy Owe Identity?” at 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 26, in Lab Sciences 300.

Leading experts in the fields of mental health services, civic service and human behavior weigh in on issues of social change.

An abdominal MRI scan showing the locations of subcutaneous and visceral fatAs scientists learn more about the key role of inflammation in diabetes, heart disease and other disorders, new research from the School of Medicine suggests that fat in the belly may be an important promoter of that inflammation. It’s well known that excess fat is associated with disease, but the researchers have confirmed that fat cells inside the abdomen are secreting molecules that increase inflammation. It’s the first evidence of a potential mechanistic link between abdominal fat and systemic inflammation.

Photo by Jennifer SilverbergFreshman Jared Burkowitz watches as Mark Hartmann tops off fluids in Burkowitz’s car at a free travelers’ vehicle inspection service offered to students, faculty and staff March 3.

Photo by Kevin LowderDespite a low temperature that reached 19 degrees, the annual Relay For Life all-night walk around Bushyhead Track at Francis Field drew more than 2,000 participants March 3 to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Photo by Mary ButkusDred and Harriet Scott’s great-great granddaughter Lynne Jackson (center) and her father John Madison (left), Scott’s great-grandson, attend a reception March 1 at the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis, where their ancestors sued for their freedom from slavery in 1847.

A memorial service will be held for Oscar Chilson, Ph.D., adjunct instructor and professor emeritus of biology in Arts & Sciences, at 4 p.m. March 19 in the Ann W. Olin Women’s Building.

The University’s Board of Trustees met March 2 at the School of Medicine, where they heard a special presentation by internationally recognized scientist Jeffrey I. Gordon, M.D., according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.