School of Medicine

Kelli VanDussen, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the (Thaddeus) Stappenbeck Lab, has received a three-year, $174,750 grant from the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America for research titled “Defining The Basis of Epithelial Defects in Crohn’s Disease Patients.”

New research suggests that schizophrenia isn’t a single disease but a group of eight genetically distinct disorders, each with its own set of symptoms. The finding, in a study led by researchers at the School of Medicine, could be a first step toward improved diagnosis and treatment for the debilitating psychiatric illness.

School of Medicine employees ignored the unexpected chill in the air Friday, Sept. 12, and came out in droves for the annual employee appreciation picnic on the Medical Campus. The picnic was sponsored by the dean’s office and the Medical School Management Council.

Ellen Binder, MD, and Krikor Dikranian, MD, PhD, have been named the 2014-2016 Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Teaching Fellows at the School of Medicine. The two-year fellowships support awardees as they implement innovative ideas that enhance the education of medical students and residents.

Keke Fairfax, PhD, research instructor in pathology and immunology at the School of Medicine, has received a four-year, $308,000 grant from the American Heart Association for research titled “Understanding the Development of the Liver B Cell Compartment During Schistosomiasis: Development of a Novel Vaccine.”

The Metropolitan Sewer District project to upgrade the Duncan Avenue storm sewer will close the intersection of Duncan and Boyle avenues for approximately six weeks starting at 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 15. Employees who access campus parking via the intersection should plan to take alternate routes, such as Clayton and Forest Park avenues to Newstead or Taylor avenues.

A new study led by Michael J. Holtzman, MD, at the School of Medicine suggests that a fundamental antiviral defense mechanism is intact in asthma. This indicates that another aspect of the immune system must explain the difficulty people with asthma have when they encounter respiratory viruses.

​Mark Thoelke’s work ethic has contributed to his success in starting and leading the hospitalist division at Washington University School of Medicine. He has been called “the doctor’s doctor,” a term that refers to a physician whom another physician would recommend to family and friends.

Joseph Corbo, MD, PhD, associate professor of pathology and immunology, of genetics and of ophthalmology and visual sciences, has received a one-year, $25,000 grant from the Center for the Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases for research titled “High-Throughput Functional Analysis of Non-Coding Regions Related to Arrhythmias.”

Michael Wong, MD, PhD, has been named the Allen P. and Josephine B. Green Professor of Pediatric Neurology at the School of Medicine. Wong sees patients with pediatric epilepsy at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and specializes in basic research into the origins of the illness.