School of Medicine

Some WUSTL faculty members have received awards from the Fulbright Program for academic pursuits in areas ranging from architecture to education to medicine. 

A recent gift of $1,025,000 will establish the Suren G. Dutia and Jas K. Grewal Global Impact Award in the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Washington University. The endowed fund will receive $1 million, with the remaining $25,000 to support awards made during the current academic year. Applications are being accepted until March 24 for awards to support business ventures aimed at catalyzing social change.

Researchers at the School of Medicine have demonstrated a new approach to treating muscular dystrophy. Mice with a form of the disease showed improved strength and heart function when treated with nanoparticles loaded with rapamycin, an immunosuppressive drug recently found to improve recycling of cellular waste.

Tread the Med, the School of Medicine’s popular 100-day wellness program that encourages participants to walk 10,000 steps each day, is set to begin Thursday, Feb. 27, with an Olympics-themed kickoff on the Medical Campus.

The School of Medicine’s 10th Annual Art Show, which features works by students, faculty and staff, is in the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center atrium through Friday, Feb. 21.

Although many health professionals who treat people with psychiatric problems overlook their patients’ smoking habits, new research at the School of Medicine shows that people who struggle with mood problems or addiction can safely quit smoking and that kicking the habit is associated with improved mental health.

Karen Seibert, PhD, research professor of pathology and immunology and of genetics, helps scientists connect and collaborate. Seibert, who does so with a mixture of warmth, optimism, enthusiasm and humor, is the director of Genomic Pathology Services at Washington University, a groundbreaking service that simultaneously analyzes many different genes to help patients and their doctors identify the best treatment options.

​​High-tech glasses developed at the School of Medicine may help surgeons visualize cancer cells, which glow blue when viewed through the eyewear. The wearable technology was used during surgery for the first time Feb. 10 at Siteman Cancer Center.

Laura Jean Bierut, MD, has been named the Alumni Endowed Professor of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine. Her work focuses on the genetic and environmental influences that contribute to addiction and other psychiatric disorders.

David M. Kipnis, MD, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, died at his home Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014, after a long illness. He was 86.