Brown School

Why do some St. Louis neighborhoods rebound while others languish? That’s the question that will be at the forefront of a talk presented by Henry S. Webber, executive vice chancellor for administration at Washington University in St. Louis, and Todd Swanstrom, PhD, the E. Desmond Lee Endowed
 Professor in Community Collaboration and Public Policy at the University of Missouri St. Louis. That lecture, “Neighborhood Change in the St. Louis Region Since 1970: What Explains Neighborhood Success” takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, in the Lee Auditorium of the Missouri History Museum.

Debra Haire-Joshu, PhD, associate dean for research in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, is looking for mothers between the ages of 18-45 with a child 2-4 years old to participate in a study. She wants to investigate whether new Parents as Teachers family wellness information encourages families to lead more active lifestyles and lose weight.

The Brown School community celebrated its expansion Sept. 24 with a ceremonial groundbreaking for an innovative new building of approximately 105,000-square feet set to open in the summer of 2015. When completed, the new facility will double the Brown School’s footprint on the Danforth Campus and bring the school, as Lawlor said in his remarks, into a “new era.”

Just a few days after the Affordable Care Act’s mandatory insurance component becomes law, the principal architect of the Massachusetts health care system and chief advisor to President Obama’s plan will be on campus to explain how it works and how it will benefit society. MIT economist and renowned health care expert Jonathan Gruber will deliver an Assembly Series lecture on “Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It’s Necessary, How It Works” at 6 p.m. Friday, October 4 in Brown Hall Room 100 on the Washington University Danforth Campus.

Each year in the St. Louis region, thousands of African American students drop out of high school. According to a newly released policy brief — “How does health influence school dropout?” — health and education are closely related, and there are patterns related to health that increase the risk of high school dropout. The brief is the second of five in a yearlong, multidisciplinary study called “For the Sake of All: A Report on the Health and Well-Being of African Americans in St. Louis.” Its author is William F. Tate, PhD, the Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and chair of the Department of Education in Arts & Sciences.

The Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, an international leader in educating students in social work and public health, will conduct a groundbreaking ceremony on an innovative new building — east of Brown and Goldfarb halls of approximately 105,000 square feet. The event begins at 4 p.m. today, Sept. 24.

Low-income youth in developing countries will save their money in a formal account when given the right opportunity. That’s a key point in a groundbreaking study called YouthSave, shared by Lissa Johnson, director of administration for the Center for Social Development (CSD), at the YouthSave Learning and Exchange Event in Washington, D.C., this month. CSD is a research center in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Holden Thorp, PhD, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at Washington University in St. Louis, has appointed an eight-member committee to identify candidates for the position of dean of the School of Law. Daniel Keating, JD, the Tyrrell Williams Professor of Law, will serve as interim dean. At the law school, Keating has served twice as interim dean, as well as vice dean and associate dean.

​Public health is becoming one of the most pressing social concerns facing the global community, and it’s an issue Alfredo Palacio recognized years ago as president of the Republic of Ecuador. Palacio will visit Washington University during its annual Global Health Week Sept. 23-27 and give an Assembly Series talk on “Government and Health Care: Perspectives from a President and a Physician” at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, in Graham Chapel.

My Name Is Strong, a Clinton Global Initiative project, hosts an art exhibit Friday, Sept. 20 at Union Avenue Church. Some 45 works, including this piece(left) by Brown School student Kyle Brandt-Lubart, explore the issue of gender-based violence and celebrate the strength of its survivors.