Newsroom Stories

During the summer months many of us will be bitten by bugs. Dr. Julia Graves and Dr. Ann Martin at the School of Medicine have some advice about how to prevent and treat many types of bug bites. Most bug bites are harmless, but others need prompt medical treatment.

A judge on July 16 approved a $660 million settlement between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and more than 500 alleged victims Frank K. Flinnof clergy abuse, the largest payout yet in a nationwide sex abuse scandal. Frank K. Flinn, adjunct professor of religious studies in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and author of the recently published “Encyclopedia of Catholicism,” comments.

Karen Coburn is co-author of the acclaimed book, “Letting Go: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding the College Years,” which, in its fourth printing, has sold nearly 300,000 copies. Coburn is often quoted in the national and international media for her tips on helping students and parents make a smooth transition from high school to college — from what to bring, to what to expect, to how to stay in touch.

The John M. Olin School of Business has received a major gift from the Bauer Foundation to establish the George and Carol Bauer Professorship in Organizational Ethics and Governance.

In recent years, sports hernias have sidelined many high-level athletes for months and, occasionally, prevented a return to competitive sports all together. New research at the School of Medicine shows that surgical repair of sports hernias using tension-free mesh, coupled with an innovative rehabilitation program, successfully returned athletes to competition in 93 percent of cases.

Gerald EarlyWhile baseball purists may be poised to place a “steroid-fueled” asterisk next to Bond’s name in the record books, to do so would be a mistake, one that follows an unfortunate pattern in the history of blacks in American sports, suggests Gerald Early, Ph.D., a noted essayist and book author who has written extensively on black culture and sports.

Steven SmithWhile members of the U.S. House and Senate are threatening to hold White House officials in contempt of Congress over the administration’s efforts to withhold testimony in an ongoing investigation of the controversial firings of U.S. attorneys, the dispute is likely to fizzle without much of a showdown, suggests a congressional expert from Washington University in St. Louis.

GoldbergAnne Carol Goldberg, M.D. was elected president of the National Lipid Association (NLA) at the association’s recent 2007 Annual Scientific Sessions in Scottsdale, Ariz. Goldberg is an associate professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and on staff at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Oncologist Matthew Ellis approaches breast cancer patients like Martha Christmas with an overarching goal: To provide personalized therapy that improves outcomes and preserves quality of life.Over the past two decades, the range of treatments for breast cancer has improved dramatically and so have the survival statistics. Today, more than 80 percent of patients can look forward to long-term freedom from disease. But that still leaves a group of patients with a persistently poor prognosis who need more therapy than the rest. How can outcomes be improved for these women?

Patricia OlynykPatricia Olynyk has been named director of the Graduate School of Art, part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. Olynyk is an internationally known artist whose prints and installations frequently employ microscopy and biomedical imaging technologies to explore the intersections between art and the life sciences. She previously served as professor in the School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, as well as a research associate professor in Michigan’s Life Sciences Institute.