Washington People

As an 8-year-old, Richard Vierstra tried out 190 of the 200 experiments in “The Golden Book of Chemistry.” As an adult, he has taken on the much harder task of designing experiments to reveal the secret chemistry of plants.

Rebecca Wanzo, associate professor of women, gender and sexuality studies in Arts & Sciences, discusses culture, cartooning and the Comics Studies Society, of which she is a founding board member.

Audrey R. Odom John, MD, PhD, is a globally recognized malaria expert at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She runs a nine-member research lab in the Division of Infectious Diseases. The researchers hope to develop new diagnostic tests for malaria detection as well as antimalarial drugs.

Joseph “Pepe” Schraibman shares his passion for teaching and what he has learned over decades in the classroom. He won a Distinguished Teaching Award from Arts & Sciences last year.

The associate professor in the School of Engineering & Applied Science works to create powerful sensors that can detect chemicals, biomarkers that could speed health-care diagnostics and new materials to clean dirty water.

Li Ding, associate professor at the School of Medicine, is a cryptographer of sorts. She develops computational tools to study the genetics of cancer.

Henry Schvey is a steadfast presence in the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, having directed more than 25 plays in his nearly 30-year tenure, in addition to teaching and writing. Now, a new memoir is adding to his body of work in the place he calls home.

To Emily Jungheim, MD, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the School of Medicine, family is everything. She helps couples who struggle with infertility.

The executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, talks about his history with St. Louis, the importance of personalized medicine and how the School of Medicine can be a leader in the field.

Mary M. McKay joined the Brown School as dean in July, bringing her expertise that blends social work, public policy and public health. Read more about McKay’s work, her reasons for joining the university and her goals on the Brown School website.