School of Medicine

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are using powerful DNA sequencing technology not only to identify mutations at the root of a patient’s tumor – considered key to personalizing cancer treatment – but to map the genetic evolution of disease and monitor response to treatment.

Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH, a disease prevention expert at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, will be recognized April 3 for his 30 years of fighting cancer before it starts.

More than half of all cancer is preventable, and society has the knowledge to act on this information today, according to Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH, the Niess-Gain Professor and other public health researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Siteman Cancer Center. 

Arthur Kleinman, MD, one of the world’s leading medical anthropologists, will speak on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis for the Assembly Series. His lecture, “The Quest for Moral Wisdom in Academic Life: Why William James Still Matters for the Art of Living,” will begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 5, in Graham Chapel.

Older adults who still drive will have an opportunity to find out how well they are fitting in their vehicles at a CarFit screening offered by occupational therapy students at Washington University School of Medicine at a CarFit event from 12:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m., Saturday, March 31.

What happens on the day before a colonoscopy may be just as important as the colon-screening test itself. Gastroenterologists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that when patients don’t adequately prep for the test by cleansing their colons, doctors often can’t see potentially dangerous pre-cancerous lesions.

Balancing research, patient care, administration and mentoring could be overwhelming to some, but Leonard Bacharier, MD, says it’s all about remembering one’s priorities. The WUSTL alumnus is now one of the leading pediatric asthma and allergy specialists nationwide, helping kids feel and breathe better.

Susan E. Mackinnon is one of three U.S. physicians to be honored with a Clinical Excellence Award by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., which publishes “America’s Top Doctors” and other guides to choosing physicians. She received the award March 26 in New York.

The Washington University Department of Orthopaedic Surgery is hosting young women from St. Louis-area high schools to encourage them to pursue careers in orthopaedic surgery and engineering. The program, called the Perry Initiative, aims to get young women interested in those technical fields where women currently comprise only 7 percent of the professional workforce.

David Levine, a fourth-year medical student, and his wife, Eli, learn that Levine matched in internal medicine at New York University at Match Day March 16. This year, 121 students matched to internships or residencies nationwide and in Canada.