Newsroom Stories

A program that helps obese patients improve healthy behaviors is associated with modest weight loss and improved blood pressure control in a high-risk, low-income group, according to Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH, at Washington University School of Medicine. Compared to those receiving usual care, the lifestyle intervention slowed increases in weight and blood pressure in this population of high-risk patients.

“The goal of our work is to create parks that are intrinsically urban — not places to escape from the city, but places to escape within the city.” So observes landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh, currently leading the design team charged with reimagining the 91-acre park surrounding St. Louis’ iconic Gateway Arch. On March 19, Van Valkenburgh will discuss his work as part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts’ spring Public Lecture Series.

After starting the season with three straight losses, the baseball team earned its ninth consecutive win to improve its record to 9-3 overall, 2-0 in UAA play. The victory over Brandeis matched the longest winning streak for the Bears since 2007. Updates also included on men’s and women’s track, softball, tennis and golf.

Research has shown that youth violence is a major cause of injury and death among Latinos. However, there is little understanding of violent behaviors of youths within various Latino ethnic subgroups such as Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Mexicans. Lorena Estrada-Martínez, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, recently examined how family dynamics and neighborhood racial/ethnic composition and socioeconomic status (SES) impact youth violence among Latino subgroups. “Higher levels of youth independence can reduce the risk of violence in primarily Latino neighborhoods,” Estrada-Martinez says. 

Lee E. Ohanian, PhD, professor of economics and director of the Ettinger Family Program in Macroeconomic Research at the University of California, Los Angeles, will present “Depressions, Crises, and Economic Policy: The 1930s and Today” at Washington University in St. Louis for the inaugural Lloyd Cole Lecture at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, in the Danforth University Center, Room 276.

Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton has announced two senior leadership appointments. Jennifer R. Smith, PhD, associate professor of earth and planetary sciences and of environmental studies, both in Arts & Sciences, has been named dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. Sharon Stahl, PhD, associate vice chancellor for students and dean of the First Year Center, has been named vice chancellor for students. They will fill the dual roles held by James E. McLeod before his death Sept. 6.

Bon Appetit, the food service company that manages WUSTL Dining Services, has announced its new farm animal welfare policy. The changes will affect meat, poultry and eggs served at WUSTL Dining Services locations. Under the new standards, Bon Appetit will employ the food service industry’s most comprehensive farm animal welfare policy to date, says Nadeem Siddiqui, director of WUSTL Dining Services.

Kathryn A. Dean, director of the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design and professor of architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, was installed as the JoAnne Stolaroff Cotsen Professor of Architecture. The ceremony was held Dec. 2, 2011, in Steinberg Auditorium.

A lone tenor takes the stage. Her voice is hushed and plaintive over a pair of drums but quickly grows full and strong as she’s joined by a score of fellow singers. The song is Jesu Ngowethu, a traditional Zulu spiritual, and it marks the beginning of African Grace, the new program by Soweto Gospel Choir. On March 23, the Grammy Award-winning ensemble will return to Washington University as part of the Edison Ovations Series.

Doctors at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, working with Shriners Hospital for Children and other institutions, have identified a promising new treatment for a rare and sometimes life-threatening bone disorder that can affect infants and young children. Known as hypophosphatasia, the condition upsets bone metabolism, blocking important minerals such as calcium from depositing in the skeleton.