Students to build homes, make connections

Washington University in St. Louis junior Sarah Small can’t wire a socket or install a toilet. But this spring break, she will be part of a team of 16 students from the university’s Habitat for Humanity chapter building a home in Georgia. Small will capture the experience on the university’s Instagram account.

Attend Sling Health Demo Day in April

Sling Health Network is a student-run biotechnology incubator that provides resources, training and mentorship to teams of students working to solve real-life clinical problems. RSVP to attend the group’s Demo Day, starting at 6 p.m. April 13.  

New way to fight sepsis: Rev up patients’ immune systems

A small clinical trial led by Richard S. Hotchkiss, MD, at the School of Medicine, shows that a drug that revs up the immune system holds promise in treating sepsis. The approach goes against the grain of earlier strategies that have relied on antibiotics and inflammatory medications to tamp down the immune system.

Ladenson honored by clinical chemistry society

Jack H. Ladenson, the Oree M. Carroll and Lillian B. Ladenson Professor of Clinical Chemistry in Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received the 2017 Distinguished Award for Contributions to Cardiovascular Diagnostics from the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry.

Decoy molecules target E. coli to treat UTIs in mice

kidney tissue
School of Medicine researchers report they found a way to treat urinary tract infections without using antibiotics, at least in mice. The scientists are working on an alternative that would prevent bacteria from causing disease.

Psychology student McDarby wins gerontology award

Meghan McDarby, a graduate student in psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has been selected for a James McKenney Student Travel Award from the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education.

Why customer-facing companies have happier workers

It’s possible the Keebler Elves aren’t as happy at work as they seem. Or SpongeBob SquarePants’ dour fast-food colleague Squidward might be a little cheerier than he lets on. New research from Olin Business School shows that people working in customer-facing companies, such as retailers (or cartoon burger joints), tend to be happier at work, while workers for companies further removed — manufacturing, for example (or treehouse cookie factories) — tend to be less happy.

Healing the deep wounds of violence

With the creation and launch this summer of the St. Louis Area Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program (STL-HVIP), a citywide network of hospital-based intervention and ongoing support, the St. Louis medical community is taking a significant step to help patients heal from acts of violence.