Newsroom Stories

Todd P. Margolis, MD, PhD, head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, has been named the new Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology. Margolis (right) is shown with Larry J. Shapiro, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine.

Noted American essayist and culture critic Gerald L. Early, PhD, has fond remembrances of when he introduced Maya Angelou before one of her three speaking engagements at Washington University in St. Louis. She delivered talks in Graham Chapel in 1981, 1984 and 1990.

“The Surrounding Game” is a documentary film about the game of Go co-directed by WUSTL graduate student Cole Pruitt. It follows two of America’s top young players as they compete to obtain professional rank in this subtle and elegant game. Implicit in the story is a larger question: Can a game this subtle and difficult, which has been pursued as a fine art in Asia for millennia, be transplanted to America, which does not have the culture or the training system to support it?

Media Advisory: A community conference that coincides with the release of a yearlong, groundbreaking study called “For the Sake of All: A Report on the Health and Well-Being of African Americans in St. Louis.” At the conference, the final report will be released that includes policy recommendations for the region. The conference will also include panel discussion of report topics, and invite community feedback on implications and next steps.

Marcus E. Raichle, MD, a Washington University professor internationally renowned for his contributions to advancing the frontiers of cognitive neuroscience, is one of three scientists awarded this year’s prestigious Kavli Prize in Neuroscience.

A nationwide survey of heroin users indicates they are attracted to the drug not only for the “high” but because it is less expensive and easier to get than prescription painkillers. Shown is the study’s principal investigator, Theodore J. Cicero, PhD, of the School of Medicine.

Washington University in St. Louis is pleased to announce the first cohort of its College Prep Program, a new multi-year initiative that will prepare high-achieving high school students with limited financial resources for college.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized Washington University in St. Louis for reducing its waste. Among other efforts, used cooking oil is recycled into biodiesel to fuel Bon Appétit campus delivery trucks. Here, executive chef Patrick McElroy (far right) explains the process.

Robert Schreiber, PhD, delivered the Stanley J. Korsmeyer Memorial Lecture in May. The annual lecture honors a beloved former Washington University medical oncologist and researcher whose groundbreaking discoveries opened new doors to understanding and treating cancer.

Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton presented Helen Kathleen Cook, PhD, of the Department of Anthropology, with the Gloria W. White Distinguished Service Award. The recognition was part of the annual Staff Day activities May 19.