Campus & Community

Mark Oppenheimer, a well-known religion journalist and author, is the new executive editor of Religion & Politics, an online journal published by WashU’s John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics.

The Washington University Board of Trustees appointed numerous faculty with tenure, promoted faculty with tenure, and granted tenure at its meeting May 3. Their tenure takes effect July 1 unless otherwise indicated. 

Bettina Drake will be the inaugural faculty director of the St. Louis Confluence Collaborative for Community-Engaged Research, Teaching and Practice, effective July 1, Provost Beverly Wendland announced.

Gary Weil, MD, has been named the inaugural Gerald and Judith Medoff Professor of Infectious Diseases at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Weil received the honor in recognition of his efforts to eliminate parasitic worm diseases as global public health threats.

Andrew Knight, vice dean for education and globalization and professor of organizational behavior at Olin Business School, has been named executive director of WashU’s George and Carol Bauer Leaders Academy and senior advisor to the chancellor for leadership, effective July 1, announced Chancellor Andrew D. Martin. Knight succeeds Kurt Dirks, who has accepted an appointment at the University of Utah. 

Chancellor Andrew D. Martin has established a Global Advisory Council to maximize the impact of the university’s global efforts in research, education, patient care, recruitment and advancement.

Cassandra M. Pruitt, MD, a professor of pediatrics, has been named director of the Division of Academic Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, one of the world’s most influential public health leaders, will become the inaugural Margaret C. Ryan Dean of the planned School of Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis, effective Jan. 1. In this critical leadership role, Galea will help shape and launch WashU’s first new school in 100 years.

Sana D. Karam, MD, PhD, a renowned radiation oncologist widely known for cutting-edge cancer research that combines radiation therapy and immunotherapy to treat head and neck, and pancreatic tumors, has been named the James S. McDonnell Professor of Radiation Oncology and head of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the School of Medicine.

Jennifer Heemstra was installed as the Charles Allen Thomas Professor in Chemistry in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis during a ceremony April 10 at the Whittemore House. Her lab is focused on harnessing the capabilities of proteins and nucleic acids to address unmet needs in biomedicine and the environment.