School of Medicine

Larry J. Shapiro, MD, has announced he will step down as executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of Washington University School of Medicine. He will continue at the helm until a national search is conducted and his replacement found.

Washington University Medical Center faculty, staff and students will perform their annual winter concert at 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, in the lobby of the Center for Advanced Medicine, 4921 Parkview Place. The event is free and open to the public.

David M. Ornitz, PhD, MD, the Alumni Endowed Professor of Developmental Biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a three-year, $300,000 grant from the March of Dimes Foundation for research titled “Mechanisms of FGF Signaling in Cochlear Development.”

Kelly Monk, PhD, assistant professor of developmental biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received three nerve research grants.

Enzymes linked to diabetes and obesity appear to play key roles in arthritis and leukemia, potentially opening up new avenues for treating these diverse diseases, according to researchers Clay Semenkovich, MD, (left) and Irfan Lodhi, PhD, at the School of Medicine.

James P. Keating, a meticulous physician who helped mold hundreds of medical residents, organized the first pediatric intensive care unit west of the Mississippi and was sought for his ability to solve mystery illnesses, died Dec. 25, 2014, in Cary, North Carolina.

Gaya Amarasinghe, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and immunology and of biochemisry and molecular biophysics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received three grants from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Thaddeus Stappenbeck, PhD, MD, and Matthew Ciorba, MD, assistant professor of medicine, both of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, have received a one-year, $152,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Oregon Health & Science University for research titled “Influence of Gene-environment Interactions on Innate Immune Function.”

New research demonstrates that obesity does not always go hand in hand with metabolic changes in the body that can lead to diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Washington University School of Medicine researchers found that a subset of obese people do not have common metabolic abnormalities associated with obesity, and they don’t develop them when they gain more weight.​

In 2014, Washington University continued to play a major role in the St. Louis community while students and alumni made their mark on campus. Among the stories were the debut of the $80 million Lofts of Washington University, a continued investment in Cortex, the innovation district, and two unforgettable alumni.