Medicine & Health

The Friday, Dec. 6, meeting of the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees focused on the challenges and opportunities for the School of Medicine, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. The board also elected a new trustee, WUSTL alumnus Richard P. Mattione, PhD (pictured).

Greg Sibbel, a third-year graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis, died Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, from Ewing’s sarcoma. He had turned 26 the day before.

In search of better cancer treatments, Xiaowei Wang, PhD, and his colleagues at the School of Medicine have designed synthetic molecules that combine the advantages of two experimental RNA therapies.

The World Health Organization has released new guidelines for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition, based in large part on research at the School of Medicine. Shown is the school’s Mark Manary, MD, whose research helped spur the changes.

Heart disease, cancer and diabetes are chronic diseases that account for $1.1 billion in hospital charges, affecting many individuals and families. The need to better understand these issues is examined in the fifth and final policy brief from the groundbreaking study “For the Sake of All: A Report on the Health and Well-Being of African Americans in St. Louis.”

Coffee or tea? One of founders of an emerging field that combines economics and brain science reports new insights into decisions in which two choices are equally appealing.

David M. Holtzman, MD, and Randall J. Bateman, MD, have been chosen as co-recipients of the Chancellor’s Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Washington University in St. Louis.

John Olson Jr., MD, PhD, a 1998 graduate of the Washington University General Surgery Residency Program, will give a lecture in honor of the late Keith D. Amos, MD, at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10, in Connor Auditorium at the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center on the Medical Campus. Olson also will receive an alumni award named for Amos.

Older adults who have good vision when tested at their eye doctors’ offices may not see as well at home. A new study from researchers at the School of Medicine suggests dim lighting may be the culprit.

Epidemiologists have designed a better method to quantify a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, according to Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The model could help identify women at high risk of breast cancer who may benefit from prevention strategies that reduce the chances of developing the disease.