News

Aditi Ramakrishnan MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, recognized early in her research career that community engagement would be critical. The Center for Community Health Partnership and Research talked with Aditi about her journey.   Aditi, we first met you in 2023 when you reached out for community engagement mentorship related […]

Rachel Presti, MD, PhD has been named the Dr. J. William Campbell Professor of Medicine at Washington University. This professorship, established by John Doerr to honor the legacy of Dr. William “Bill” Campbell — an exceptional clinical infectious disease physician— recognizes outstanding contributions to clinically impactful research, transformative leadership, and exceptional patient care in infectious diseases. Bill Powderly, MD, Dr. Presti’s infectious diseases […]

The Department of Medicine is proud to announce that over 170 of our faculty have been selected for the 2026 Castle Connolly Top Doctors® list. The Top Doctors® selection process is entirely merit-based. Doctors cannot pay to be listed. These doctors are best-in-class healthcare providers, embodying excellence in clinical care as well as interpersonal skills. More information […]

A first-of-its-kind genomics study led by Sumanth Gandra, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Public Health at WashU Medicine, examined the spread of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, or CRE, in a surgical intensive care unit in India. Published in Nature Communications on July 22, 2026 the study found that more than a quarter of patients were already colonized with CRE when they arrived in the ICU, including some with no prior hospital exposure, and that about one-third of patients who were initially negative acquired CRE during their hospital stay.

It is my pleasure to announce that Dr. William G. Powderly will be named the Larry J. Shapiro Distinguished Professor in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences on August 1st. Dr. Powderly is currently the Dr. J. William Campbell Professor of Medicine and Director of the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS), and Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Science at […]

A new study from the Mitreva lab sheds light on the relationship between the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica and its bacterial endosymbiont, Neorickettsia. Researchers found that while these bacteria are widely present in fluke populations across the Americas and Europe, they show low genetic diversity and strong geographic patterning. Their results suggest a complex evolutionary history shaped by […]

Douglas Kepko, DO joins the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Assistant Professor as of July 2026. Dr. Kepko earned his medical degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine before completing residency at Summa Health. During residency, he focused on educating medical students and interns prior to starting fellowship […]

Adam Schafer, MD, PhD joins the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Assistant Professor as of July 2026. In addition to his faculty position, Dr. Schafer is directing the Antibiotic Stewardship Program at Missouri Baptist Medical Center. In this role, he will help build the OPAT program. Dr. Schafer’s research […]

Abigail Vanderheiden, PhD joins the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Instructor as of July 2026. Dr. Vanderheiden obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2016. Her graduate studies focused on investigating innate immune signaling pathways during West Nile Virus and SARS-CoV-2 infection in […]

Dr. Joshua Nordman joins the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Assistant Professor as of July 2026. Originally from northern Illinois, he attended medical school at University of Illinois before completing his residency and infectious disease fellowship at WashU. Dr. Nordman’s primary interests are in clinical infectious disease, with particular […]

Jenny Hyde, PhD joins the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Associate Professor as of July 2026. Research in the Hyde lab is centered on efforts to define virus-host interactions, with a particular focus on how viral encoded RNA and RNA structures contribute to immune evasion, pathogenesis, and transmission. In […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working with state and federal partners to investigate several outbreaks of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal disease caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. In a health alert published July 14, the CDC reported 1,645 known cases of cyclosporiasis nationwide May to July of 2026. The primary symptom of an infection is watery […]

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Dr. Elvin Geng has been appointed as the Virginia Minnich Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Washington University.  Dr. Geng exemplifies the qualities this endowed professorship recognizes, including outstanding clinically impactful research and transformative leadership in education and mentoring. He received his MD and MPH in Epidemiology from Columbia University, completed […]

Dr. Zanetta Chang joins the Department of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Instructor as of July 2026 after completing her internal medicine residency and ID fellowship through the WashU Medicine Physician-Scientist Training Program.

The bacteria enterotoxigenic E. coli and Shigella together cause hundreds of millions of infections each year and are among the leading causes of diarrheal death, especially in children. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis points to a shared biological feature of these gut pathogens that could lead to a vaccine that protects against both.

Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, the Herbert S. Gasser Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Molecular Microbiology, and Pathology & Immunology, has been honored with multiple rankings and awards among the world’s top scientists by Research.com, including No. 10 in the world among the Best Scientists for 2026 in Microbiology. Dr. Diamond was also honored […]

At WashU Medicine, virologist Jacco Boon, PhD, Division of Infectious Diseases, is turning his attention to a growing but often overlooked public health concern: tick-borne viruses in Missouri and across the Midwest.

This summer marks the close of a remarkable decade of growth and transformation under the leadership of David H. Perlmutter, MD, Executive Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs and the George and Carol Bauer Dean of Medicine. In April, Dr. Perlmutter delivered his final State of the School address, reflecting on the many accomplishments that have shaped WashU Medicine and the strong foundation that positions us for continued success. I am deeply grateful for his vision, leadership, and unwavering commitment to our institution.

Hookworms, intestinal parasites that infect hundreds of millions of people in under-resourced tropical regions around the globe, have evolved to survive inside the human gut for years, secreting molecules that enable co-existence with their hosts. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have harnessed that biological mechanism for potential human benefit, […]

WashU Medicine infectious diseases researchers have developed a practical use of artificial intelligence to enhance patient safety, while potentially reducing costs and improving efficiency at hospitals. Abby Sung, MD, an assistant professor of medicine, and colleagues in the Division of Infectious Diseases, WashU McKelvey School of Engineering AI for Health Institute, and Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH) found that a large language model (LLM) can strengthen a semi-automated surveillance tool used by infection prevention. Dr. Sung, the primary investigator of the study, said the goal was to see if mandatory infection surveillance process could be […]