School of Medicine

Listed below are this month’s featured news stories. • Can less protein ward off cancer? (week of Dec. 6) • Clinical Simulation Center (week of Dec. 13) • Malaria drug for metabolic syndrome (week of Dec. 20) • Cutting calories and bone density (week of Dec. 27)

Photo by Susan SternerFinding comfort while grieving.The parties, family gatherings, gift exchanges and other activities of the holiday season can provide a much-needed distraction from the events of the world. But for those who have lost a loved one, the holidays are often less a distraction and more a reminder of loss. A psychologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis says for those who are grieving, a “normal” holiday season may not be possible, but there are strategies that can be used to help things go more smoothly.

The Genome Sequencing Center has been awarded a $156 million, four-year grant to use DNA sequencing to unlock the secrets of human diseases. The grant is among the largest awarded to the University and one of only three given by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) to U.S. sequencing centers.

By counting how many of seven easy-to-obtain health factors an elderly heart-failure patient has, physicians can estimate the patient’s risk of dying.

Steven N. Blair, an expert in the associations between lifestyle and health, is foundation’s first visiting scholar.

Photo by Robert BostonWomen in Science Day brings about 100 St. Louis city high school students to campus for hands-on activities and career advice.

A lecturer from Rwanda is at the School of Medicine learning how to improve care for Rwandans who suffer from the metabolic syndromes associated with HIV/AIDS.

The University is laying plans for how it would respond if a pandemic flu strikes the St. Louis region.

Medical and graduate students who volunteer for science outreach programs don’t just help underrepresented public school students consider careers in science, according to a survey published last week in Science. They also help themselves.

A $7.7 million grant will establish a new center for asthma research at the School of Medicine. Directed by Michael J. Holtzman, M.D., the Selma and Herman Seldin Professor of Medicine, the center will investigate the cause of asthma to develop new treatments for the disease. The center’s funding comes from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health.