Newsroom Stories

Ralph J. Damiano Jr., MD, chief of cardiac surgery and the John M. Shoenberg Professor of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, was elected president of the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery for 2010-11.

Mary Jane Acuna, graduate student in anthropology in Arts & Sciences, and David A. Freidel, PhD, professor of anthropology, have received a one-year, $19,639 grant from the National Science Foundation for research titled “Monitoring the Development of Early Kingship at El Achiotal, a Preclassic (800 BCE-200 CE) Maya Frontier Royal Center in Northwestern Peten, Guatemala.” […]

A parasite estimated to afflict as many as 12 million people worldwide relies on a family of genes that should make it vulnerable to compounds developed to treat cancer and other disorders, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found.

A new Undergraduate Honors Program will be offered beginning this fall semester at University College, the adult, evening and continuing education division in Arts & Sciences. The honors program offers high-achieving students the opportunity to join a learning community dedicated to an exceptionally rigorous but flexible program of study that enables students to work closely with a faculty mentor on an independent project and earn the distinction of Latin honors.

A new bachelor of science in health care will be offered this fall semester at University College, the adult, evening and continuing education division in Arts & Sciences. The degree program, which begins with the start of the semester Aug. 31, provides an academic foundation for students pursuing managerial, clinical or research careers in health care.

A new degree, the bachelor of science in sustainability, that provides an interdisciplinary approach to understanding and resolving today’s most pressing and complex environmental, economic and social challenges, has been developed at University College, the adult, evening and continuing education division in Arts & Sciences. The program, which will be offered beginning with the start of the semester Aug. 31, treats sustainable living from multiple perspectives — scientific, political, economic, social, historical, philosophical, anthropological and literary. 

A largely unexplored world of viruses make their home in the lower intestine, and new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that each of us harbors a unique collection of these “friendly” viruses. The research is published in the journal Nature.

George Macones, MD, once lost a patient two days after she gave birth. He now cares for women who have had previous complicated pregnancies, have lost a fetus during pregnancy or are carrying twins or triplets. He also sees patients with pre-existing medical conditions such as high blood pressure or lupus.

Fifteen current or former WUSTL students have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships for the 2010-11 academic year. Nine are recently graduated seniors and six are graduate students. They will spend a full academic year in a host country.

Brian Marston (left), library web services developer; Jaleh Fazelian, Islamic studies librarian; and Brian Vetruba, Germanic studies librarian, examine an Amazon Kindle reading device during the Taste of Technology fair July 8 at Olin Library.