Author: Kelly Wiese Niemeyer

Carlos Ponce, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neuroscience at the School of Medicine, is one of 20 people to receive a 2020 Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering. Packard fellows are among the nation’s top early-career scientists. Ponce studies how visual recognition works in the brain.

Thomas M. Maddox, MD, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been selected to serve as a trustee of the American College of Cardiology, an international professional society for cardiovascular care providers. He will serve a three-year term on the board of trustees beginning in April.

The Gerry and Bob Virgil Ethic of Service Award recognizes members of the university community who exemplify service and engagement with the St. Louis region. Honorees include alumni, employees, retirees, students and volunteers. The nomination deadline is Nov. 1.

Joni Westerhouse, associate vice chancellor and associate dean in the Office of Medical Public Affairs at Washington University School of Medicine, has received the 2020 Distinguished Service Award from the Group on Institutional Advancement of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The Department of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine has named pediatricians Vikas Dharnidharka, MD, and Margaret Lozovatsky, MD, to the newly created roles of vice chair of clinical investigation and vice chair of clinical informatics.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have received a grant to study the role of brain inflammation in Parkinson’s disease. The project focuses on whether inflammation aids the spread of Parkinson’s damage throughout the brain.

The Office of Sustainability invites members of the university community to take part in the people’s ecochallenge Oct. 7-28. Join the WashU team and take individual actions in areas such as waste, energy, health and justice.

The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded Oct. 5 to three scientists for groundbreaking research that led to the discovery of the hepatitis C virus. One of those scientists — virologist Charles M. Rice — conducted his seminal work while on the faculty of Washington University School of Medicine.

Julie K. Schwarz, MD, PhD, professor of radiation oncology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been elected vice president of the Radiation Research Society. She will go on to serve as president beginning in October 2022. 

School of Medicine researchers have received renewed National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center. The center’s researchers study genetic and environmental factors that contribute to developmental disabilities.