Newsroom Stories

Five scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a combined $2 million in grants for their innovative approaches to fighting cancer. The awards are from the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Research Fund.

Children with traumatic brain injuries are more likely to survive and avoid long-term disabilities when treated with an aggressive approach involving neurologists, neurosurgeons and other critical-care specialists, a new study shows. St. Louis Children’s Hospital patient Drew Mitchem, injured in a sledding accident, had a full recovery after the protocol was followed in his treatment.

Applications to the U.S. Fulbright Program from WUSTL hit a record high 62 this year, helping the university once again reach the list of top U.S. Fulbright producers. Interest in the program is up thanks to the support of program advocates on campus and an emphasis on global thinking.

Dining Services staff recently collaborated to create a festive gingerbread Graham Chapel, now on view in Danforth University Center. The finished product took a little more than a week to complete, using an estimated 40 lbs. of royal icing to hold the chapel together.

While many may see “taking Christ out of Christmas” as a recent phenomenon, the roots of secular Christmas celebrations and commercialization go deep into American history, says Anne Blankenship, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate at the John C. Danforth Center for Religion & Politics at Washington University in St. Louis.

Pulitzer Prize-winning political journalist and author George F. Will visited campus Tuesday, Dec. 4, to deliver the fall 2012 keynote speech for the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics in Graham Chapel. While on campus, Will visited with students and faculty members, along with Sen. John C. Danforth.

WUSTL has been named a Truman Foundation Honor Institution because of its two Truman Scholarship winners this year and its sustained success in helping students win Truman Scholarships to pursue careers in public service. The highly competitive federal scholarship is awarded based on academic performance, leadership and dedication to public service.

As the holidays draw near, expect the usual onslaught of well-intentioned suggestions for lifestyle changes guaranteed to make you healthier, wealthier and wiser in the new year. Talk is cheap, but these 13 New Year’s resolutions for 2013 are backed up by decades of research. If your resolve needs strengthening, click through the embedded web links to learn more about the research behind the resolutions, including tips on using your smart phone to quit smoking and the best way to pay down your holiday debt.

​Douglas W. Hanto, MD, PhD, is the new associate dean for continuing medical education (CME) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Patients with sickle cell disease rely more on the emergency room as they move from pediatric to adult health care, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other institutions.