School of Medicine

A new study led by the School of Medicine shows that most Americans spend a lot of time sitting, despite public health messages that prolonged sitting is unhealthy. Such inactivity increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.

A policy change regarding the rules of lung distributions for transplants has had several unintended consequences, according to a new study from the School of Medicine.

Removing one gene caused normal muscle muscle fibers to grow to three times their normal size. Researchers at the School of Medicine have found that targeting a protein related to that gene with lithium can reduce muscle wasting in a rare form of muscular dystrophy.

Andwele Jolly, a business director at Washington University School of Medicine, has been named vice chairperson for the Missouri Foundation for Health. Jolly will serve as the vice chairperson for the foundation’s Board of Directors’ Executive Committee.

Pregnancy tests can sometimes give a false negative result to women several weeks into their pregnancies, according to research by Ann Gronowski, professor of pathology and immunology at the School of Medicine. Her findings led the FDA to change its standards for evaluating new pregnancy tests, but old tests with the false-negative problem are still on the market.

The Washington University School of Medicine will provide $100 million in scholarship funding, allowing as many as half of its medical students to attend tuition-free and providing others with partial support. Efforts to enhance the medical education program also will benefit.

The School of Medicine has led a new study showing that new Medicare reimbursement rules reduce financial penalties for safety-net hospitals. The change shifts some of the financial burden away from hospitals that care for the most vulnerable patients.

The Samuel R. Goldstein Leadership Awards in Medical Student Education recognize outstanding teaching and commitment to medical education. This year’s recipients are Brian Edelson, MD, PhD, Andrew J. White, MD, and Timothy Yau, MD.

From the beginning of his tenure, Mark Wrighton set out to put Washington University and its students and faculty on the map.

James McCarter, MD/PhD ’98, whose entrepreneurial spirit was nurtured while a grad student, has built his career on translational research.