Humanities & Society

On Sept. 10, the Missouri legislature overrode a veto by Gov. Jay Nixon and enacted one of the United States’ strictest waiting periods for women seeking abortion. The law will require a 72-hour delay, and that delay won’t make women safer or improve health outcomes, said two experts on health and family law from the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis.

A tax on sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas, energy drinks, sweet teas and sports drinks could reduce obesity in adolescents, and exercise promotion such as after-school physical activity programs could impact younger children in the fight against fat. Those are the findings of a new national study co-authord by Ross Brownson, PhD, professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

On Sept. 17, Sherrilyn Ifill, the distinguished legal scholar and president/director-general of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. will visit campus to deliver an Assembly Series lecture, “From Brown to Ferguson: The Unfinished Business of Civil Rights” at noon in Anheuser-Busch Hall’s Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom on the Danforth Campus. Due to an expected large turnout, remote viewing sites within Anheuser-Busch Hall will be available.

Open Streets initiatives temporarily close streets to automobile traffic, so that people may use them for walking, bicycling, dancing, playing and socializing. Although the movement is gaining popularity in the United States — more than 100 different cities have hosted Open Streets events since 2008 — little is known about planning and implementing them. Brown School researchers Amy Eyler, PhD, and J. Aaron Hipp, PhD, explore the development and implementation of Open Streets initiatives and make recommendations for increasing the capacity of organizers to enhance their success.

As we age, all of us begin to think about what makes us tick and what kind of legacy we want to leave. For some, this manifests itself in the purchase of a motorcycle, a boat or an exotic vacation. But for others, the issues of age and transition are a bit more contemplative. Vanessa Fabbre, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, considers these issues in her paper “Gender Transitions in Later Life: The Significance of Time in Queer Aging,” recently published in the 2014 issue of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work.

Can a comprehensive picture of child well-being be established? And how can a deeper understanding of the nature of well-being help further its measurement? A new paper, co-authored by Ramesh Raghavan, MD, PhD, associate professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, attempts to tackle those questions.

​​Steven Rosenblum, who works in Arts & Sciences, recommends checking out LouFest this weekend, adding that the music festival is family-friendly. Founded by WUSTL’s Brian Cohen, the two-day event features four stages of music in Forest Park. Highlights include Outkast, Arctic Monkeys, Cake and Grouplove. 

In the wake of civil rights and social justice issues that have emerged following the death of African-American teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, the fall 2014 Washington University in St. Louis Assembly Series will feature presentations by several eminent civil rights scholars and authors, including NAACP executive Sherrilyn Ifill.

This summer, 14 students — seven from the Master of Public Health program, five from the Master of Social Work program and two dual-degree students — joined Lora Iannotti, PhD, on a trip to Haiti. The goal: Give students firsthand experience in issues related to global health, including: health policy, epidemiology, biostatistics and program planning.

First-year students at the School of Medicine recently participated in the traditional White Coat Ceremony — a rite of passage in which future doctors are welcomed to medical school and the medical profession. In addition to receiving their white coats, the 123 students recited an oath promising honesty and integrity.