Newsroom Stories

A laboratory testing kit that estimates the risk of breast cancer returning after anti-hormone treatment has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The technology is a step toward personalized medicine and could help standardize breast cancer diagnosis around the world. Researchers at the School of Medicine led the test’s development.

George Pepe, PhD, professor of classics in Arts & Sciences, received the David Hadas Teaching Award for his commitment to and excellence in teaching first-year undergraduates. On the WUSTL faculty for nearly 50 years, Pepe received the award Sept. 9 during the annual Arts & Sciences reception, held to celebrate the start of a new academic year, introduce new faculty and recognize the Hadas award winner.

Student Johnny Lee is bringing a taste of Washington University to his native Daejeon, South Korea. Lee just opened Johnny’s Pub, a place for pizza and pint. Beers on tap include Olin, Danforth, Wydown and Brookings. Lee studied business as a freshman, but returned home fulfill his military service obligation. He plans to come back (hopefully with a few growlers of the Brookings) once his service is complete.

A technology proposed by Lihong Wang, PhD, professor of engineering, may hold the key to detecting tumor cell circulation, potentially enabling earlier therapeutic interventions and curative surgical treatment and improving survival of patients with cancer.

Ernest Moniz, PhD, U.S. Secretary of Energy, will speak about President Barack Obama’s Climate Action Plan, at 2:30 pm on Oct. 4 in Laboratory Sciences Building, Room 300. Moniz’s talk is the 52nd annual Joseph W. Kennedy Memorial Lecture sponsored by the Department of Chemistry in Arts & Sciences. A reception will follow.

A newly launched digital archive offers a fresh look at the poetry and writing process of Pulitzer Prize winner James Merrill.

Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 1, seasonal flu vaccines will be available to School of Medicine employees and students. Vaccines also will be available to students and some employees on the Danforth Campus. New this year is that the vaccine is required for all students and employees who engage in patient care or work in buildings where patient care is provided or clinical research occurs. Shown is registered nurse Melanie Dill administering a flu shot.

The Brown School community celebrated its expansion Sept. 24 with a ceremonial groundbreaking for an innovative new building of approximately 105,000-square feet set to open in the summer of 2015. When completed, the new facility will double the Brown School’s footprint on the Danforth Campus and bring the school, as Lawlor said in his remarks, into a “new era.”

Just a few days after the Affordable Care Act’s mandatory insurance component becomes law, the principal architect of the Massachusetts health care system and chief advisor to President Obama’s plan will be on campus to explain how it works and how it will benefit society. MIT economist and renowned health care expert Jonathan Gruber will deliver an Assembly Series lecture on “Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It’s Necessary, How It Works” at 6 p.m. Friday, October 4 in Brown Hall Room 100 on the Washington University Danforth Campus.

The Department of Psychiatry is hosting a celebration Tuesday, Oct. 1, to mark the official launch of the Taylor Family Institute for Innovative Psychiatric Research. The institute, dedicated to advancing the science underlying the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric illnesses, was created with a $20 million gift from Andy and Barbara Taylor and the Crawford Taylor Foundation. Pictured are institute investigators.