Newsroom Stories

A new study, led by Jenine K. Harris, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School, examined the use of the hashtag #childhoodobesity in tweets to track Twitter conversations about the issue of overweight kids.

Emil Unanue, MD, the Paul and Ellen Lacy Professor of Pathology and Immunology, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Immunologists. The award is the organization’s highest honor.

Re-examination of a circa 100,000-year-old archaic early human skull found 35 years ago in northern China has revealed the surprising presence of an inner-ear formation long thought to occur only in Neandertals.

Renowned saxophonist Jay Hutson has performed with everyone from Frankie Valli and Aretha Franklin to the Pointer Sisters and Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs. On Thursday, July 10, Hutson and his band da Wolvez will launch WUSTL’s Jazz in July series. Subsequent concerts will feature San Francisco trumpeter Erik Jekabson (pictured) and the university’s own Kara Baldus, among others.

Bradley L. Schlaggar, MD, PhD, head of the Division of Pediatric and Developmental Neurology at the School of Medicine, has been awarded the Frank Hatch “Sparkplug” Award for Enlightened Public Service by The John Merck Fund.

The Venus Flytrap, with its two leaf jaws that sense when an insect approaches and quickly snap shut, is one of nature’s clearest examples of biology and mechanics working together to sustain life. Four doctoral students at Washington University in St. Louis will have the opportunity to take a closer look at this intersection under a five-year, $921,040 grant.

Researchers at the School of Medicine are leading a nationwide clinical trial to determine whether one of the most commonly used probiotics can safely and effectively treat infants and toddlers suffering from acute gastroenteritis, otherwise known as stomach virus or “stomach flu.” David Schnadower, MD, is the trial’s principal investigator.

David C. Linehan, MD, has been named the inaugural Neidorff Family and Robert C. Packman Professor at the School of Medicine. Linehan is a professor of surgery and chief of the Section of Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic and Gastrointestinal Surgery.

Arnold Bullock, MD, is highly regarded for his expertise in urology and his community outreach efforts, which are helping to reduce cancer disparities. He has been named the inaugural Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Urology at the School of Medicine.

Jeffrey A. Lowell, MD, of the School of Medicine is also a commander in the U.S. Navy. He currently is deployed to Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, Africa. He’s checked in to tell us about his experience there — and about the gratitude of service members who recently received care packages from some generous Washington University employees.