Newsroom Stories

A new predictive measurement, called a PEPI score, could bring good news to many women diagnosed with advanced breast cancer — a low PEPI (preoperative endocrine prognostic index) score could show that they have little risk of relapse and can safely avoid chemotherapy after surgery. For others, a high PEPI score could warn that the risk of relapse after breast surgery is large and indicate that careful follow-up and aggressive therapy may be needed, say researchers at the School of Medicine.

Cancer death rates in the United States are highest among African Americans, but a new report shows that in Missouri the disparity in cancer incidence and death between African Americans and whites is declining. As a result, cancer incidence (the rate of newly diagnosed cases) between the races is equal, although the death rate will probably remain higher for African Americans for some time.

  Greenberg   “After [attending] the Democratic National Convention, the Vice Presidential Debate seems like a continuation of my firsthand experience in presidential politics. These experiences will no doubt broaden my knowledge and passion for such an important part of American democracy.” As co-president of Students for Choice, Greenberg helps advocate for issues of reproductive freedom in the St. Louis and the Washington University communities. Last summer she was selected to attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver by the University’s Gephardt Institute for Public Service Hometown: Boca Raton, FL

 Curtiss  “I’ve just returned from a summer internship in Ghana, and even in rural areas of West Africa, interest in the coming election is extremely high.” Curtiss interned with the Legal Resources Centre in Ghana. Her work focused on capacity building for community-based organizations, a process that helps people organize their communities to use their country’s legal structures to fight human rights abuse and push for government accountability. Her interests are focused at the intersection of social work and the law. Hometown: New York, NY

When compared with recent MD program graduates from U.S. medical schools, M.D./Ph.D. program graduates are more likely to be male, have less educational debt, choose certain medical specialties and plan for research to play a major role in their careers. Researchers at the School of Medicine recently published these findings in the Sept. 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Fischer“After several years of being involved with the College Republicans and campaigning at the grassroots level, it’s exciting to have the national stage come to us.” A lifelong Republican, Charis Fischer has taken a brief hiatus from her duties as a tour guide for the student admissions committee and as a volunteer at a local juvenile detention center to campaign for Sen. John McCain. Hometown: Short Hills, NJ

The Anheuser-Busch Hospitality Tent will be open on October 2 for credentialed media and visitors only. The Washington University campus offers a wide variety of eatery options, from coffee and doughnuts to full-scale restaurants. Surrounding neighborhoods, such as the Delmar Loop, the Central West End and the City of Clayton feature an eclectic mix of upscale and casual dining.

Harold BlumenfeldWithin a month of publishing his notorious collection Les Fleurs du mal (“Flowers of Evil,” 1857), the French poet Charles Baudelaire was charged with insulting public decency and ordered to remove six works from subsequent editions. Yet Baudelaire’s poems, which centered on themes of eroticism and mortality, would influence generations of writers. Now St. Louis composer Harold Blumenfeld has recorded Vers Sataniques (“Satanic Verse”), a major new piece based on Les Fleurs du mal, which will be featured as part of a mixed media concert Oct. 13.

Washington University’s Danforth Campus is centrally located in the St. Louis metropolitan area and is readily accessible from the major highways.

An array of panels, discussions, artistic expressions, lectures and other special events are taking place on the Danforth Campus throughout the presidential campaign season. To access the entire Election Programming calendar, visit any of the following Web sites: assemblyseries.wustl.edu, gephardtinstitute.wustl.edu, gpc.wustl.edu, and debate.wustl.edu.