School of Medicine

Tracy Spitznagle, associate professor of physical therapy and of obstetrics and gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named to the board of directors of the Worldwide Fistula Fund.

Stroke can lead to a wide range of problems such as depression and difficulty moving, speaking and paying attention. A new study led by Maurizio Corbetta, MD, at the School of Medicine has found evidence that stroke damage to “cables” buried inside the brain plays an important role in these impairments.

M. Farooq Rai, PhD, assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery and an investigator in the laboratory of Linda Sandell, PhD, the Mildred B. Simon Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a five-year, $924,201 Pathway to Independence grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research titled “Genetic and Molecular Insights Into Cartilage Regeneration, Primary and Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis.”

Evaluating military personnel with blast-related mild traumatic brain injuries, researchers have found that early symptoms of post-traumatic stress, such as anxiety, emotional numbness, flashbacks and irritability, are the strongest predictors of later disability. The study was led by the School of Medicine.

Solar panels are being installed on the rooftop of the building at 4488 Forest Park Ave. on the Medical Campus. The building houses the Washington University Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and Forest Park Pediatrics.

To highlight a few of the many African-Americans leading the way in science, a series of posters highlighting African-Americans in science and technology is being displayed on the Medical School and Danforth campuses from March 4-April 17.

New research suggests that widely used statin therapy provides the most benefit to patients with the highest genetic risk of heart attack. Using a relatively straightforward genetic analysis, the researchers, including Nathan O. Stitziel, MD, PhD, assessed heart attack risk independently of the traditional risk factors.

Carey-Ann Burnham, PhD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a one-year, $58,750 grant from The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences for research titled “Sequencing and Culture-Based Evaluation of Skin Flora Following Decolonization.”

Stephen Oh, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has received a Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award and a Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award, both totaling $486,000, for research titled “Targeting Aberrant Signaling Pathways in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms.”

Melissa Hopkins, assistant vice chancellor and assistant dean of facilities operations at the School of Medicine, excels at multi-tasking. At work, she oversees facilities engineering, design and construction, support services, business operations and protective services. At home, she and her husband have three children with plans to adopt three more. Further, she also shares custody of three children and has three adult sons from a previous marriage.