Judith Aberg, MD, and Pablo Tebas, MD, both prior ID Fellows at WashU, are among expert panelists developing NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines “Living Document”

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A panel of U.S. physicians, statisticians, and other experts has developed treatment guidelines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). These guidelines, intended for healthcare providers, are based on published and preliminary data and the clinical expertise of the panelists, many of whom are frontline clinicians caring for patients during the rapidly evolving pandemic. The guidelines are […]

5 Questions with Hilary Babcock, MD, professor of medicine, infectioius diseasess and Rachael Snyders, BJC Manager, Infection Prevention

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Hilary Babcock, infectious disease physician at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and Rachael Snyders, BJC Center for Clinical Excellence infection prevention manager, answer questions about personal protective equipment in this 6-minute video hosted by Emily Brasel, director of communications for BJC HealthCare. The video is part of “5 Questions with…,” an ongoing series in which leaders […]

COVID-19 survivors needed to donate blood plasma (Links to an external site)

School of Medicine news release •

COVID-19 survivors are needed to donate blood plasma. Infectious diseases physicians at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed an expanded access program to give blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors to critically ill patients. Infectious diseases physicians at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed an expanded access program […]

Washington University performs, the first in St. Louis, transfusion of antibodies from plasma into COVID-19 patient.

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Local COVID-19 patient gets experimental treatment based on century-old idea.  Washington University physicians are testing a treatment for COVID-19 that brings back a therapy used during the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic. The treatment involves transfusing antibodies from the plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients into patients battling COVID-19 infection. On Saturday, as reported by KSDK, doctors […]

Caline Mattar, MD, co-investigator of study to evaluate antidepressant as potential COVID-19 treatment

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Drug fluvoxamine may help prevent life-threatening ‘cytokine storm’ Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are launching a clinical trial in patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 but who are not sick enough to be hospitalized. The trial is investigating whether the antidepressant medication fluvoxamine, which is currently used to treat […]

WashU doctors answer coronavirus questions

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Jason Newland, professor of pediatrics and of infectious diseases, answers viewers’ questions about coronavirus as a frequent guest on KSDK. A number of our infectious disease physicians and fellows also answer daily questions from KSDK viewers. The answers are posted on the station’s website and included in evening newscasts.

Clinical trial launches to evaluate antimalarial drugs for COVID-19 treatment (Links to an external site)

School of Medicine news release •

Cigna/Express Scripts provided the drugs; open to COVID-19 patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is launching a clinical trial for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. The trial will investigate the effectiveness of different combinations of the antimalarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin in treating […]

Julia López, PhD, MPH, LCSW along with med students and community partners, are doing work to help disseminate COVID information to the Spanish-speaking community.

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This week faculty and fellows in ID are taking turns on topics with Spanish-speaking podcasts to air on Soy De Rancho Radio Online. Soy de Rancho was  established in St. Louis through the grassroots organization – Latinos en Axión STL. Speakers include: Juan Calix, MD, PhD, Instructor of Medicine completing Physician Scientist Training ProgramCarlos Mejia […]

Infectious Disease faculty member, Steve Lawrence, MD, warns St. Louis has a brief window of opportunity to slow the coronavirus

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Steven J. Lawrence, MD, MSc, Associate Professor of Medicine and Assistant Dean for Curriculum and Clinical Sciences, Office of Medical Student Education, has played an important role in communicating information about the COVID-19 pandemic to the St. Louis community.  He has responded to countless requests for interviews by radio and television outlets. Below is a […]

Drs. Bill Powderly, Jeff Milbrandt, and Sean Whelan lead COVID-19 research governance structure at Washington University

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University creates COVID-19 research governance structure Basic and clinical research relevant to COVID-19 are essential activities at Washington University. Conducting this research in the midst of a health-care system responding to a global pandemic poses a number of challenges, which the university is actively working to surmount. Even as we respect the enormous pressures facing […]

WashU Expert: The architecture of virus transmission (Links to an external site)

The Source •

Researchers propose new method for treating airborne pathogens The built environment often shapes the spread of disease. Many early cases of COVID-19, the 2019 novel coronavirus, centered on a seafood market in Wuhan City, China. Airports, hospitals and other gathering points can easily become sites of virus transmission.

Washington University medical students design reusable face shields

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Third-year medical students are developing reusable face shields to help protect health-care workers during the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, the first day of an elective class on COVID-19 response, students discussed the shortage of personal protective equipment and felt inspired by a call-to-action from Victoria J. Fraser, MD, the Adolphus Busch Professor of Medicine and […]

Possible COVID-19 treatment: transfusion of antibodies from recovered patients’ blood (Links to an external site)

School of Medicine news release •

Century-old idea applied to modern pandemic With no drugs or vaccines yet approved for COVID-19 and the number of U.S. cases increasing by the thousands every day, doctors are looking to revive a century-old therapy for infectious diseases: transfusing antibodies from the blood of recovered patients into people who are seriously ill.

Jennie Kwon, DO, MSCI will lead all COVID-19 related issues for WUSM Student and Occupational Health

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Robert J. Boston photograph Jennie Kwon named National Academy of Medicine fellow. HORIZONTAL environmental portrait. IF IN LAB, with PPE. BUT WE DEFINITELY ALSO NEED PHOTOS OF HER WITHOUT GOGGLES (so you will need to take some photos out of lab). We will need headshots of her to announce the honor — but we also would like other options as well.

Dr. Jennie H. Kwon, (ID fellow 2016) Assistant Professor of Infectious Disease in the Department of Medicine, Associate Medical Director for Infection Prevention, Barnes-Jewish Hospital Associate Hospital Epidemiologist, will become the Leader for all COVID-19 related issues for WUSM Student and Occupational Health. Dr. Kwon will work closely with Dr. Hilary Babcock, Professor of Infectious […]

Burnham Receives 2020 ASM Award

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Carey-Ann Burnham, PhD, FIDSA, Professor of Pathology & Immunology, Molecular Microbiology, Pediatrics, and Medicine, receives the American Society for Microbiology Award for Research and Leadership in Clinical Microbiology. The award recognizes an outstanding scientist/clinical microbiologist with distinguished research achievements and a record of innovation and advancement of the Clinical Microbiology profession. The American Academy of […]

Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Address COVID-19

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The Division of Public Health Sciences works to increase community knowledge amid growing concerns regarding coronavirus. Washington University in St. Louis is closely tracking the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In partnership with BJC Health Care, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is working to raise community awareness and develop a vaccine. School of Medicine faculty at BJC […]

2020 Distinguished Faculty Awards announced – Congratulations to Megan Baldridge, MD, PhD, Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, and Robyn Klein, MD, PhD

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Medical School faculty honored for dedication, achievements Washington University School of Medicine faculty members nominate their peers for Distinguished Faculty Awards. The honors are recognition of their colleagues’ wide-ranging achievements, talents and dedication. The recipients, recognized for excellence in clinical care, community service, research and teaching, received the awards in a ceremony Feb. 26 at […]

Medical School researchers – building the toolkit to fight COVID-19

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research for vaccines, drugs underway Across campus, a team led by Sean Whelan, PhD, the Marvin A. Brennecke Distinguished Professor and head of the Department of Molecular Microbiology, and Michael S. Diamond, MD, PhD, the Herbert S. Gasser Professor of Medicine, is looking for ways to treat COVID-19 or reduce its spread. “We had a discussion […]