Lower rotavirus vaccination rates could land more kids in hospital (Links to an external site)
If fewer babies in the U.S. get the rotavirus vaccine, thousands more children could end up in the hospital or emergency department each year with severe diarrhea and vomiting by age 2, according to a new modeling study led by a WashU Medicine researcher published Oct. 26 in JAMA Network Open. Rotavirus is one of […]
Why dangerous fungi are on the rise (Links to an external site)
Deadly fungal diseases were once considered very rare, but the proliferation of Candida auris points to a troubling trend: dangerous fungi are increasingly finding new opportunities to infect us, and human activity is spurring them on. Andrej Spec, MD, MSCI provides prospective for this piece in Time magazine.
New WashU Medicine research supports consideration of HCV treatment during lactation
Researchers at WashU Medicine have published the first study to measure glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) levels in breastmilk among postpartum women treated for chronic hepatitis C. The findings suggest infant exposure through breastfeeding is minimal, providing reassuring evidence to support consideration of GLE/PIB during lactation. This study helps address an important gap in postpartum HCV care, especially […]
The DOM Insider Volume 32 (Links to an external site)
Welcome to the fall edition of The DOM Insider, This is a busy time in Medicine as our inpatient and outpatient practices are growing. We have many new faculty starting this year and we welcomed new residents and fellows. All of our fellowships have a large number of applicants from across the country and our residency has a record number of applicants. We look forward to celebrating Fellowship Match Day, December 2.
Controversy over oral fosfomycin for complicated urinary tract infection (Links to an external site)
Barbara Trautner, MD, PhD, Gerald and Judith Medoff Professor of Infectious Diseases, Professor of Medicine, Co-Chief, Infectious Diseases Division, WashU Medicine, is a co-author of a recently-published response to a letter to the editor in Clinical Infectious Diseases. In it, Trautner and four other infectious diseases experts explain that oral fosfomycin was not recommended as […]
$11 million grant to investigate why resident microbes go rogue (Links to an external site)
A collaborative team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have been awarded a nearly $11 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study how gut bacteria transition from benign colonizers into disease-causing agents.
WashU Medicine study points to new way to target filarial worms
Led by Makedonka Mitreva, PhD, the research found that repurposed GPCR antagonists and new analogs can reduce adult worm burden and fertility. Researchers at WashU Medicine have reported a promising new strategy for fighting filarial worms, a group of parasites that cause serious chronic diseases such as river blindness. The study, led by Makedonka Mitreva, […]
Infectious Diseases fellows Cunningham and Hendrix receive the 2026 Knowlton Incentive for Excellence Award
The Division of Infectious Diseases is proud to announce that Cody Cunningham, MD, PhD, a second-year Infectious Disease Fellow, and Christian Hendrix, MD, MS, a recent Infectious Diseases Fellowship graduate, have been named recipients of the 2026 Knowlton Incentive for Excellence Award. The Knowlton Incentive for Excellence Award program recognizes physicians at Barnes-Jewish Hospital who […]
Vazquez receives NIH R01 grant to improve early detection of hospital-onset sepsis
WashU Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases proudly congratulates M. Cristina Vazquez Guillamet, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, on receiving her first NIH R01 grant. The five-year award will support her research project, “Graph Neural Networks and Longitudinal Mediation Analysis for Hospital-Onset Sepsis to Improve Early Detection and Uncover Modifiable Risk Factors.” A Research Project (R01) […]
2025-2026 Academic Year – Faculty Promotions (Links to an external site)
Excellence, innovation, and dedication are hallmarks of our faculty, and we are proud to celebrate those whose accomplishments have earned promotion during the 2025-2026 academic year. These promotions recognize individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, advanced discovery through research, inspired learners through education, and delivered outstanding patient care. The Department of Medicine congratulates our newly […]
Visiting speaker presents at annual J. Russell Little, MD Lectureship
This year’s J. Russell Little, MD Lectureship, was held on September 24, 2026 at Clopton Auditorium in the Wohl Clinic. Wendy Armstrong, MD, FIDSA, Professor of Medicine and Division head of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine, presented “Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US: Progress, Challenges […]
Prize supports hunt for broad-spectrum antivirals (Links to an external site)
Researchers at WashU Medicine led by Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, the Herbert S. Gasser Professor in the John T. Milliken Department of Medicine, received a $2.5 million SMART Antiviral Prize to support their search for the first broad-spectrum antivirals to treat chikungunya and related viruses. The prize is part of a multistage competition run […]
NIH grant supports study of gut microbes and blood cell production (Links to an external site)
Megan Baldridge, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine at WashU Medicine, has received a four-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to study how bacteria living in the gut help the body maintain a healthy supply of blood cells. […]
DOLF reaches final stage of onchocerciasis clinical trial in Liberia
A WashU Medicine-led research team is nearing a major milestone in a clinical trial in Liberia aimed at improving treatment for onchocerciasis, or river blindness. The study, Safety and Efficacy of Novel Combination Regimens for Treatment of Onchocerciasis, has reached its final stage, with participants undergoing final examinations and surgical nodule removal procedures 24 months after initial treatment.
Dr. Kristin Mondy joins the Department of Medicine (Links to an external site)
Kristin Mondy, MD, joins the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as a professor as of September 2026.
Dr. Vanessa Kung joins the Department of Medicine (Links to an external site)
Vanessa Kung, MD, PhD, joins the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Assistant Professor as of August 2026.
Reno Awarded Bursky School of Public Health Community Engagement Award
Hilary E. L. Reno, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine the Infectious Diseases Division at Washington University School of Medicine, secondary faculty with the WashU Bursky School of Public Health, and Medical Director of the St. Louis STI/HIV Prevention Training Center (STL PTC) has been awarded the 2026 WashU Bursky School of Public Health Community […]
ISPE names Butler as Fellow
Anne Mobley Butler, PhD, MS, an Associate Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, and secondary faculty in the Bursky School of Public Health and the School of Medicine Division of Public Health Sciences, has been named a Fellow of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE). This recommendation by the ISPE Board of Directors reflects Butler’s sustained and meaningful contributions of […]
Liang elected to HIV Medicine Association Board of Directors
Advanced Practice Provider aims to break down barriers to HIV care and prevention through a patient-centered approach. Philana Liang, a physician assistant in the Division of Infectious Diseases at WashU Medicine, has been elected to serve on the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) Board of Directors. HIVMA, which is part of the Infectious Diseases Society of […]
Lasting connections in Infectious Diseases
Infectious Diseases Co-Chief Barbara Trautner, MD, PhD, taught about UTI at the George Washington University ID Board Review course. There she happened to see two recent graduates of the WashU ID Fellowship Training Program – Christian Hendrix, MD, and Ali Hixon, MD, PhD. Both completed the ID Fellowship in June 2026. Dr. Hendrix is currently […]