Medicine & Health

A sense of purpose in life — whether it’s a high-minded quest to make a difference or a simple hobby with personal meaning — can offer potent protection against loneliness, according to research from Patrick Hill in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

Orthopedic clinics at the School of Medicine ask patients to fill out an electronic questionnaire at each visit. Analyzing data from questions about anxiety and depression, researchers have found that as patients’ musculoskeletal health improves, anxiety and depression don’t necessarily follow suit.

Researchers at the School of Medicine have found that combining regular exercise with a 10% loss of body weight more than doubles sensitivity to insulin, offering important health benefits.

A study by researchers at the School of Medicine reveals that household and community poverty may influence brain health in children. Childhood obesity and lower cognitive function may explain, at least partially, poverty’s influence on the brain.

Neal Patwari and graduate students Francesca Bonetta-Misteli and Di Huang at the McKelvey School of Engineering found that even while pulse oximeters have been adjusted to account for darker skin tones, bias remains and must be fixed.

Microbiome pioneer Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, at the School of Medicine, has won the 2023 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research.

Ting Wang, a national leader in genetics and genomics who has led groundbreaking studies in how the genome is regulated, has been named head of the Department of Genetics at the School of Medicine. A computational biologist, he will begin his new role Aug. 1.

This fall, Washington University will launch a new mental health doctoral training program that will expand clinical mental health services on campus while cultivating a new generation of expert psychologists. 

Colin A. Martin, MD, a specialist in intestinal rehabilitation surgery and an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in surgery, has been named director of the Division of Pediatric Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the School of Medicine.