Category: Alumni

Hilary Reno, MD, PhD presents on opening day of the STD Prevention Conference on how testing for STD’s plummeted during the pandemic

Public health experts discussed how nationwide trends of gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis testing and diagnosis have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic at a virtual roundtable as part of the 2020 STD Prevention Conference September 14. Reported cases of the sexually transmitted diseases/infections declined during shelter-in-place orders throughout much of the United States in March, […]

ID faculty receive funding from Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital to conduct COVID-19 research

The Washington University Institute of Clinical & Translational Sciences,  with support from The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital (FBJH), has awarded funding to faculty members for COVID-19 translational research. The grants, part of the COVID-19 Research Funding Program, provide critical financial support for research that has the potential to influence COVID-19 patient care within the next […]

Journal of Infectious Diseases publishes supplement 2020 Inclusion, Diversity, Access and Equity in Infectious Diseases: Nurturing the Next Generation of Clinicians, Scientists and Leaders

A new collection of articles, now available online, highlights the critical importance of nurturing a diverse next generation of infectious diseases specialists and leaders. Published as an IDSA-sponsored supplement to The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the articles build on a 2019 supplement, part of an ongoing effort to improve inclusion, diversity, access, and equity within IDSA and the […]

Independent scientists are calling on drugmakers to be more transparent about COVID-19 clinical trials and safety concerns. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, MD, MPH joins several media outlets to discuss facts over fear.

Dr. Hlatshwayo Davis, ID fellow alumna ’18 and instructor of medicine, speaks to NBC News Now about COVID-19 vaccine transparency , the rising numbers in the Midwest and indoor dining during the pandemiic. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, MD, MPH was recently featured in several media channels speaking on COVID-19, community engagement and advocacy for marginalized communities. […]

Novel clinical trial launched to test multiple therapeutics to treat COVID-19

The Infectious Disease Clinical Research Unit at Washington University School of Medicine has launched the ACTIV-2 Outpatient Monoclonal Antibodies and Other Therapies Trial, which will be conducted by the AIDS Clinical Trials Group. The school’s Infectious Disease Clinical Research Unit is one of 25 initial sites conducting ACTIV-2, which includes both phase 2 and phase […]

Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, M.D., MPH, shares her opinion with Newsweek “Rushing a COVID-19 Vaccine Risks Leaving Behind the People Most at Risk”

Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, MD, MPH, ID alumae ’18, is a clinical instructor in infectious diseases at Washington University School of Medicine and the John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis, as well as an infectious diseases physician and researcher.  Dr. Davis discusses how there are alarmingly few vaccine volunteers from the communities who have […]

Gerome Escota, MD, honored with “Sidney S. Pearl, MD, ’32 Clinical Teacher of the Year”

In 1979, Sidney S. Pearl, MD, alumnus of the class of 1932, established an award for inspirational teaching to be chosen by the medical school graduating class, from among the clinical faculty. The award was presented to Dr. Escota at the MD Commencement Recognition Ceremony 2020 by Dr. Brian Hickman, medical education representative and member […]

IDSA honors Rachel Presti, MD, PhD, among distinguished physicians, scientists with FIDSA Designation

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the nation’s leading infectious diseases professional society, recognizes the distinguished physicians and scientists from the United States and around the world who were elected this year to be Fellows of IDSA. This year, Rachel M. Presti, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Division,  was honored with […]

Spec selected Deputy Editor of Mycoses

Andrej Spec, MD, MSCI, assistant has accepted the role as deputy editor of Mycoses. Dr. Spec is also an associate editor for Open Forum Infectious Diseases (OFID), and serves on the editorial boards of Medical Mycology and Clinical Infectious Diseases (CID).

More than 2300 employees and student volunteers take part in rapid COVID-19 saliva study

On short notice, the School of Medicine put out a call for volunteers — with the hope of recruiting 2,000 people. The campus community responded, and we were able to analyze saliva samples from 2,314 employee and student volunteer participants. Through this study, researchers assessed our ability to test a large number of people for […]

Podcast: Where does life in the U.S. stand six months into the pandemic?

This episode of ‘Show Me the Science’ looks at where the nation has come and where we may be headed as coronavirus infections and deaths continue to rise. A new episode of our podcast, “Show Me the Science,” has been posted. At present, these podcast episodes are highlighting research and patient care on the Washington […]

Washington University develops COVID-19 saliva test

Test is faster, simpler than nasal, oral swab tests and enables screening on a massive scale A new saliva test to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been developed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Results from the COVID-19 diagnostic test are available in a few hours and, ideally, able to […]

Washington University, St. Louis County collaborate on COVID-19 survey

Washington University in St. Louis, the St. Louis County Department of Public Health and other collaborators are conducting a survey of St. Louis County residents and offering COVID-19 testing to gauge the prevalence of and risk factors for the illness. Working with the county, Washington University’s Institute for Public Health is teaming up with other local public health and […]

Meet our ID Fellowship Program Leaders

The Infectious Diseases Division introduces the leaders of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program. Gerome Escota, MD has been named co-director of the ID Fellowship Program. Dr. Escota has been involved in the fellowship program as associate director. He completed his medicine degree at the College of Medicine, University of the Philippines in 2004, and ID […]

Rachel Presti, MD, PhD leads Washington University effort to conduct COVID-19 vaccine trials in collaboration with Saint Louis University

As U.S. scientists ramp up a national effort to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine candidates at clinical trial sites across the country, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Saint Louis University Center for Vaccine Development have been tapped to join the historic effort to find a COVID-19 vaccine that can prevent […]

Andrej Spec, MD, MSCI, assistant professor at WUSM ID co-authors editorial of the downsides of lowered rigor seen during the COVID outbreak.

The medical community must contend with an unprecedented deluge of scientific information during the worst pandemic in a century. In an effort to ensure rapid dissemination of studies, the rise of non-peered pathways, including the use of pre-print services and the apparent trend of publication by press releases, Drs. Spec and Ilan Schwartz argue that […]

M. Joshua Hendrix, MD, instructor in medicine/2020 ID fellow graduate, and others shows the importance of wearing masks to slow the spread of COVID19.

Absence of Apparent Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from Two Stylists After Exposure at a Hair Salon with a Universal Face Covering Policy — Springfield, Missouri, May 2020 Weekly / July 17, 2020 / 69(28);930-932 On July 14, 2020, this report was posted online as an MMWR Early Release. SummaryWhat is already known about this topic? Consistent and correct use […]

Dr. Powderly weighs in on US withdrawal from the WHO

WashU Expert: America gains nothing by leaving WHO ‘Cutting this collaboration in the middle of a pandemic is foolish at best’ President Donald Trump’s recent announcement to suspend U.S. funding to, and withdraw from, the World Health Organization is “counter to our interests in addressing our needs to save the lives and further the health of […]