Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have received two grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) totaling more than $5 million to study two types of parasitic worm infection that cause devastating illness in millions of people worldwide.

Washington University School of Medicine is one of more than 30 genome sequencing hubs worldwide participating in a study to sequence the DNA of young, healthy adults and children who develop severe COVID-19 despite having no underlying medical problems.

Until recently, researchers have not inspected the interplay between three common chemicals found in drinking water. Research from the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis has found they all affect each other and a closer look is needed.

Trish Kohl and Lora Iannotti, associate professors at Washington University’s Brown School, have received a five-year $3.2 million grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health to study stunted growth and development in children in Haiti.

Researchers at the School of Medicine are helming a global study of an estimated 30,000 health-care workers to establish whether the antimalaria drug chloroquine might prevent or reduce the severity of COVID-19 infections in such workers.

Across St. Louis, America and the globe, the 3,298 graduates of Washington University in St. Louis gathered in front of screens May 14-15 to watch recognition ceremonies for their schools, academic departments and affinity groups. The virtual events replaced on-campus Commencement, which was postponed for the first time in university history due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Washington University faculty, students and staff routinely travel around the world to conduct research, study and strengthen relationships with partner institutions. Getting hundreds of WashU community members back from abroad during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic presented an enormous challenge. Here’s how it happened.

From digital memory books, Class of 2020 regalia T-shirts and messages of congratulations from celebrities and athletes, Washington University in St. Louis staff found new ways to celebrate students and honor the tradition of Commencement in the era of coronavirus.

Washington University in St. Louis plans to welcome the graduating Class of 2020 back to campus for an in-person Commencement ceremony on May 30, 2021. This event will take the place of the ceremony originally scheduled for May 15, 2020, that was canceled due to public health concerns in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spanish-speaking students and faculty at the School of Medicine have collaborated with community leaders to create and disseminate information in Spanish about the novel coronavirus for the St. Louis region’s Latino population.