Page 1083 – The Source | Washington University in St. Louis

Understanding how connections rewire after spinal cord injury

Restoring function after spinal cord injury, which damages the connections that carry messages from the brain to the body and back, depends on forming new connections between the surviving nerve cells. With a five-year, nearly $1.7-million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science, is using novel methods to study how these nerve cells grow and make new connections to reroute signals that could restore function and movement in people with these debilitating injuries.

Campus & Community

‘Day of Discovery and Dialogue’ over; next steps continue

The discovery was an important first step; the dialogue continues. That’s the takeaway more than 600 participants from within the Washington University in St. Louis community heard in a unique, universitywide forum called “Race & Ethnicity: A Day of Discovery and Dialogue” that took place Feb. 5 and 6.

Kulkarni receives excellence award, grants

Shashikant Kulkarni, PhD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received an award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry for excellence in partnering in “Next Generation Sequencing — Standardization of Clinical Testing.”

Duncan/Newstead intersection to close Feb. 25

Starting Feb. 25 and continuing for about two months, the intersection of Duncan and Newstead avenues will close as a Metropolitan Sewer District storm sewer line upgrade continues. Sections of Duncan east of Newstead have been closed during the project but will reopen when the intersection closes. Boyle is expected to reopen this spring.

Campus & Community

Washington People: Josh Whitman

Seven things you should know about the energetic and driven Josh Whitman, the John M. Schael Director of Athletics at Washington University in St. Louis, who is six months into the job and working nonstop to build an already-successful athletics department into the best in NCAA Division III.

Campus & Community

Staff members chosen for South Korea study-abroad program

Five staff members of Washington University in St. Louis will travel to South Korea in June 2015 through the Global Diversity Overseas Seminar, a professional development opportunity for staff that looks at diversity from a global perspective.

Campus & Community

Medical school art show illustrates range of talents

The School of Medicine’s 11th Annual Art Show is underway in the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center atrium on the Medical Campus. Visitors may view the art through Feb. 11.

Humanities & Society

Diabetes interventions should be localized, Brown School study finds

Factors associated with the prevalence of diabetes vary by geographic region in the United States, according to new research from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis led by J. Aaron Hipp, PhD. The findings suggest that approaches to combating the disease should be localized.

Medicine & Health

$5 million funds research to develop drugs for common cold, respiratory diseases

A Washington University drug discovery program, led by Michael Holtzman, MD, has received three grants totaling more than $5 million to develop new medical therapeutics for respiratory diseases. The target illnesses range from the common cold to life-threatening lung disease.

Medicine & Health

IUD, implant contraception effective beyond FDA-approved use

New research shows that the hormonal intrauterine device (IUD) and the contraceptive implant remain highly effective one year beyond their approved duration of use, according to a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.