WashU Experts

Jennifer Layden of Bursky Public Health explains conflicting childhood vaccine guidance, drawing on her experience leading state outbreak responses and national vaccination efforts at the CDC.

Leading WashU experts offer first-time college students their advice on topics such as how to thrive socially and academically and how to take care of physical and emotional well-being.

WashU career expert Norma Guerra Gaier explains why students should engage with their career center early and often; how career centers have evolved in this challenging economy; and why your major matters less than you think.

Countless incoming college students are wondering if they will find “their people” at college. Fannie Bialek, a WashU philosopher and friendship expert, tells students they might not know yet who “their people” are — and that’s a good thing.

WashU clinical psychologist Kirk Dougher says new students need to learn how to manage stress, navigate the healthcare system and grow into a person who can handle what comes next. Parents can help by showing support while encouraging their child to take the lead in their own healthcare.

People join movements for many reasons. The American Revolution was no different, says Peter Kastor, a professor of history at WashU. “They all agree on liberty. They disagree on what it means.”

Fewer than half of Americans, around 49%, believe that all people in this country have the ability to achieve the American Dream, according to a recent survey from the Public Religion Research Institute. Among those under age 30, it falls to 36%. This should serve as a wake-up call for all of us, says WashU’s Mark Rank.

Fatherhood today is shaped by two powerful expectations: to be actively involved in caregiving and to provide financially, according to research by Patrick Ishizuka, assistant professor of sociology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

Tazeen Ali, an assistant professor of religion and politics at Washington University in St. Louis, says Thomas Jefferson’s Quran confronts us with the question of what the founders themselves knew they couldn’t avoid: Will the promises of 1776 stop at the edge of our own religion, or will they extend to Muslims and beyond?

Researchers at WashU McKelvey Engineering are addressing the challenges of scaling up carbon dioxide electrolysis for industrial use.