Author: Diane Duke Williams

Women whose bodies have high levels of chemicals found in plastics, personal-care products, common household items and the environment experience menopause two to four years earlier than women with lower levels of these chemicals, according to a new study.

Beginning Jan. 5, visitor parking rates at Washington University School of Medicine’s Metro and Clayton garages will change to align with garage visitor parking rates of the School of Medicine’s hospital partners.

Eighty-one staff members in the Facilities Management Department at Washington University School of Medicine recently earned the title of Facility Management Professional (FMP) from the International Facility Management Association. The department set a national record by having so many employees earn this title in less than four months. Professionals who become FMPs complete a series of comprehensive exams covering four areas: operations and maintenance, project management, finance and business, and leadership and strategy.

After fleeing his war-torn homeland, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Justin Serugo was relocated to St. Louis, where he eventually landed a job at the School of Medicine. He now works on a childhood malnutrition project.

A novel program at the School of Medicine suggests that peer trainers who coach parents over the phone on managing their children’s asthma can sharply reduce the number of days the kids experience symptoms. The program also dramatically decreased ER visits and hospitalizations among low-income children with Medicaid insurance.

Washington University, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and the March of Dimes are launching the March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis.

Starting Monday, Nov. 10, utility work on Kingshighway Boulevard will require evening lane closures for about two weeks. The lane closures will begin at 6 p.m. and end at 2 a.m. to minimize disruption to traffic. Contractors will close only one lane at a time, retaining two through lanes.

George Macones, MD, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has been named the new steering committee chair for the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network (MFMU) at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Faculty in the Division of Emergency Medicine are hosting a regional conference on out-of-hospital medicine from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Oct. 23 and 24, at the Renaissance Grand Hotel in St. Louis. Out-of-hospital medicine refers to treatment provided by emergency medical services (EMS) that operate under the supervision of physicians.

Kelle H. Moley, MD, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors medical scientists in the United States can receive. Moley was honored for her professional achievement in the health sciences.