Brown School

The FDA, through the new Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, is considering banning outdoor tobacco product advertising at various distances from schools and playgrounds. The tobacco industry is challenging these rules on First Amendment grounds, arguing that they would lead to a near complete ban on tobacco advertising in dense urban areas. A new study by the Center for Tobacco Policy Research (CTPR) at Washington University in St. Louis found that a 1000-foot buffer would still allow for tobacco ads. Smaller buffer zones of 350 feet may result in almost no reduction of outdoor tobacco advertising.

What happens to young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) once they graduate high school and are no longer entitled to services? In a first-of-its-kind study, Paul Shattuck, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, looked at rates of service use among young adults with an ASD during their first few years after leaving high school. He found that 39.1 percent of these youths received no speech therapy, mental health, medical diagnostics or case management services. Shattuck also found that the odds of not receiving any services were more than three times higher for African-American young adults compared with white young adults and more than five times higher for those with incomes of $25,000 or less relative to those with incomes over $75,000.

The inaugural class has been selected for the Professional Leadership Academy & Network (PLAN), a yearlong professional development program intended to cultivate future leaders at Washington University in St. Louis. And according to PLAN committee members, it was no easy task to choose the class of 26 from the “talented staff pool” of applicants.

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter will speak about her vision for ending the mental health crisis at 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 14, in Graham Chapel at Washington University in St. Louis.  In her recent book, Within Our Reach: Ending the Mental Health Crisis, Carter and co-authors offer an insightful, unsparing assessment of the state of mental health. Carter describes a system that continues to fail those in need, despite recent breakthroughs in treatment that can help most people with mental illnesses lead productive lives. A panel discussion with local and state representatives of the mental health community will follow Carter’s remarks.

The Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies at the Brown School will host a “Roaring Twenties” trivia night at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11, in Brown Hall Lounge. Tables of 8-10 players are available for $20 per person. In addition to the trivia competition, a silent auction will be held from throughout the week of Feb. 7-11 in Room 336 of Goldfarb Hall.

Yvonne Sparks, senior manager of community development for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, delivers the keynote address for the fifth annual “Financial Freedom Seminar: Recovering From the Recession, Reaching for the Future,” on Jan. 22, in Brown Hall. The Society of Black Student Social Workers at the Brown School hosted the seminar in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

WUSTL will host a free Saturday Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) Seminar Series in February titled “The Value of Justice.” The annual seminar series features WUSTL experts from the areas of philosophy, social work, political science and anthropology to address one of the most enduring concepts in social, religious, ethical and political thinking: the idea of justice.

The 2011 Geriatrics Symposium, organized by the St. Louis Times and hosted by the Brown School, was held Jan. 7 and focused on “Healthy Aging: Health Promotion & Disease Prevention.” “The event was a multidisciplinary look at aging,” says Nancy Morrow-Howell, PhD, the Ralph and Muriel Pumphrey Professor of Social Work at the Brown School who delivered a talk at the symposium. “The speakers made it clear that social, psychological, biological and spiritual aspects of aging must be considered in promoting a healthy aging society.”

The Gephardt Institute for Public Service at Washington University in St. Louis has announced the recipients of the Innovation Grants for Community-Based Teaching and Learning. The grants are intended to provide faculty members with financial support for curriculum development and implementation. The Gephardt Institute also offers technical expertise in key areas of community-based teaching and learning, such as reflection assignments, evaluation methods and tools for working effectively with community partners.

Henry S. Webber, executive vice chancellor for administration at Washington University in St. Louis, will participate on a panel to discuss strategies for economic development in the St. Louis region in the second installation of St. Louis Great Debates at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25, at the Missouri History Museum.