School of Medicine

Salmon and other freshwater fish and amphibians supercharge their ability to see red and infrared light. Scientists at the School of Medicine have shown that this evolutionary adaptation hinges on the activity of an enzyme that converts vitamin A1 to vitamin A2, enabling the aquatic creatures to more easily navigate murky waters.

At the Washington University in St. Louis Board of Trustees meeting Oct. 2, the following faculty members were appointed with tenure or promoted with tenure, effective Oct. 2 unless otherwise indicated.

To show their appreciation for exemplary service in medical education, School of Medicine students presented the school’s faculty and house staff with the Distinguished Service Teaching Awards for the 2014-15 academic year. The honors are initiated by students and implemented with support from the Office of Medical Student Education.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) has honored Washington University child psychiatrists John N. Constantino, MD, and Joan L. Luby, MD, for their pioneering research with children.

Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, the Bixby Professor of Surgery and head of the Department of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been elected a member of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

David H. Gutmann, MD, PhD, the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor and director of the Washington University Neurofibromatosis Center, recently was appointed to the Advisory Council for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

School of Medicine scientists have identified a master gene involved in orchestrating the regrowth of peripheral nerves — the nerves that extend from the spinal column to the hands and feet and have the ability to regenerate and help people regain some movement and sensation. Understanding how these nerves regenerate may aid efforts to regrow spinal cord neurons.

Elaine R. Mardis, PhD, the Robert E. and Louise F. Dunn Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the School of Medicine, has been named editor-in-chief of the journal Molecular Case Studies.

Drug abusers are not completely abandoning prescription opioids for heroin, according to School of Medicine researchers. Instead, many use the two concurrently based on their availability. The researchers’ findings also reveal regional variations in the use of heroin and prescription painkillers.

Timothy Lohman, PhD, the Brennecke Professor of Molecular Biophysics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, was named a 2015 Biophysical Society Fellow.