washington university school of medicine

Several offices in facilities management at the School of Medicine are consolidating services and business operations beginning May 5. They will be located on the first floor of Olin Residence Hall. Custodial services, facilities engineering and parking and transportation will merge in the newly named Facilities Integrated Service Center (FISC).

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.

Scientists researching pediatric lung disease, childhood cancer, malaria and short bowel syndrome will share $3.1 million in new grants from the Children’s Discovery Institute (CDI). The grants, announced earlier this year, will fund 10 research initiatives at the School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

George A. Macones, MD, the Mitchell and Elaine Yanow Professor and head of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Jeffrey F. Peipert, MD, the Robert J. Terry Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, have been named deputy editors of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

The Washington University Medical Center is undergoing the initial phases of a transformation that primarily will feature expansions of St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Siteman Cancer Center. It also will include more space for Washington University Physicians clinics and diagnostics and new facilities for women and infants, oncology and surgical services. If you’re curious about the expansion, renderings will be on display and staff will be on hand to answer questions March 10 and 11 at two campus locations.

​​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.

The St. Louis region has experienced a sharp uptick in flu cases in recent weeks, according to Washington University physicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital who say they are dealing with a severe flu outbreak that includes deaths from the illness. The deaths primarily were of otherwise healthy young and middle-aged adults not vaccinated against influenza, according to the physicians.

While back braces have been used for decades to treat scoliosis, studies of their effectiveness have been inconclusive. But new results from a clinical trial provide the strongest evidence yet that braces work in a significant percentage of cases. Shown is one of the principal investigators, Matthew B. Dobbs, MD, examining an X-ray of a patient whose spine was fused to treat scoliosis.

Studying spinal fluid from people at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, School of Medicine researchers have found that a gene variation that had not been considered risky actually can increase the chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease when it occurs in tandem with another gene variant known to elevate risk. Shown is an image of a brain with a buildup of amyloid deposits (highest amounts in yellow and red) that collect to form senile plaques in patients with Alzheimer’s.

​​Anthony Odibo, MD, specializes in identifying and treating high-risk pregnancies using ultrasound and genetic testing. In his research, he evaluates the effectiveness of fetal surgeries and diagnostic techniques before birth.​