School of Medicine

Large regions of the genome that were once referred to as “junk” DNA have been linked to human heart failure, according to research led by Jeanne Nerbonne, PhD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Participants in the Faculty Reach Out Program (FROP), held earlier this month at the School of Medicine, attended a two-day workshop that included meetings with faculty to discuss clinical and research interests, tours of research facilities and networking opportunities with other FROP participants. FROP was initiated to create a pathway to recruit women and underrepresented minorities for faculty appointments.

Robyn I. Stone, PhD, noted researcher and leading international authority on aging and long-term care policy, will deliver the annual Friedman Lecture Thursday, May 8, in Brown Hall on the Danforth Campus of Washington University in St. Louis. A panel discussion will follow. The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to noon and is free and open to the public. For details and to register, visit here.

Fiona Marshall, PhD, professor of archaeology in Arts & Sciences, was one of seven faculty members to receive the Graduate Student Senate’s Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award during an April 9 ceremony in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge.

Construction of a new medical records customer-service office will begin the evening of Monday, April 21, in the Center for Advanced Medicine (CAM) lobby. The office — part of Barnes-Jewish Hospital — is relocating to CAM from the first floor of Shoenberg Pavilion as part of the Campus Renewal Project.

A new center at the School of Medicine will help scientists use the power of the immune system to fight infections and cancers. The Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs is part of BioMed21, Washington University’s initiative to accelerate basic science discoveries into improved diagnosis and treatment for patients.

Robert W. Gereau IV, PhD, has been named the Dr. Seymour and Rose T. Brown Professor of Anesthesiology at the School of Medicine. He studies the molecular mechanisms involved in pain sensation, and his research includes optogenetics, which uses light signals to activate or deactivate nerve cells responsible for transmitting pain signals to the brain.

Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton has announced the creation of new four-year fellowships in the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, made possible by a generous gift from William H. Danforth. Danforth hopes the new fellowships will attract highly motivated students to this field of study and foster a culture of intellectual entrepreneurship focused on research and innovation in plant sciences.

At a recent WUSTL Board of Trustees meeting, several faculty members were appointed with tenure, promoted with tenure or granted tenure.

Students at the School of Medicine will perform “Young Frankenstein” April 24-26 in Whelpley Auditorium at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, which abuts the Medical Campus. The performance is the school’s ninth annual completely student-run musical.