Author: Susan Killenberg McGinn

Laurie Maffly-Kipp, the Archer Alexander Distinguished Professor in the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis, has been appointed interim dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education, effective July 1.

Barbara Geller, MD, an emerita professor of child psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, died Friday, May 8, 2020 in hospice in St. Louis after a brief illness. She was 81.

While they can never replace the exhilaration of being in a cap and gown sitting in Brookings Quadrangle surrounded by friends, family and faculty, plans are in place at Washington University in St. Louis to recognize our graduates’ important milestone through online ceremonies and celebrations.

Help celebrate and show your pride for the WashU Class of 2020 by visiting the Commencement website and downloading social media stickers and frames, Zoom backgrounds and printable signs.

A study led by the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis has found that stroke evaluations fell by nearly 40% during a period of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that many stroke patients are not seeking potentially life-saving medical treatment.

Bruce Backus, assistant vice chancellor for environmental health and safety at Washington University in St. Louis, will receive the Lifetime Achievement in Safety Award from BLR (Business & Legal Resources) for his three decades as a leader in improving safety and environmental performance.

Helen (Trudi) Spigel Riesenberg, PhD ’69, a former director of student activities and later director of the Assembly Series at Washington University in St. Louis, died Monday, March 30, 2020, at her home in Harpswell, Maine. She was 93.

With the cancellation of the May 15 Commencement ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin has appointed a 22-member Alternate Commencement Committee to provide recommendations on how the university can appropriately recognize the Class of 2020 in an in-person gathering when it is safe to do so.

In yet another major change with the key focus on protecting the health and well-being of the Washington University community and the St. Louis region in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the university has announced the suspension of all in-person summer programming, both on campus and internationally, until at least Aug. 1.

Washington University has created the WashU Crisis Response Fund to provide support to students and employees facing financial hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic.