Research centers at Washington University in St. Louis study a wide variety of public health issues that affect local, national, and global communities.
Institute for Public Health
There are six centers at the Institute for Public Health, all of which seek to make connections and advance public health across campus and beyond.
More details can be found on each center’s individual site:
Center for Community Health Partnership & Research
Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging
Global Health Center
Center for Health Economics & Policy
Center for Dissemination & Implementation
Public Health Data & Training Center
Siteman Cancer Center
The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is an international leader in cancer treatment, research, prevention, education and community outreach. It is the only cancer center in Missouri and within a 240-mile radius of St. Louis to hold the prestigious Comprehensive Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute and membership in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. From radiological techniques in cancer diagnosis and therapy to stem cell biology, researchers at the Siteman Cancer Center are closing in on important advances in cancer care and prevention.
Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences
The overall goal of the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences is to serve as the intellectual and physical home for clinical and translational research, clinical research training and career development to help overcome the traditional boundaries between disciplines, departments and institutions.
Siteman Biostatistics Shared Resource
The Siteman Biostatistics Shared Resource (SBSR) facility is a shared resource core supporting consultation on biostatistics and epidemiology. The facility supports cancer research through experimental designs, study monitoring and data analyses. The faculty and staff utilize efficient methods that reflect the “best practices” in biostatistics and epidemiology. Examples of SBSR core work include: NIH-funded peer reviewed cancer grants and pilot and small-scale studies to become part of successful applications for peer-reviewed funding.
The Genome Institute
The Genome Institute is a world leader in genomics research. The institute played a leadership role in The Human Genome Project and continue to advance the state of the art in genome sequencing and its application to human health.
The Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
The Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (Knight ADRC) aims to advance research on clinical, genetic, neuropathological, neuroanatomical, biomedical, psychosocial, and neuropsychological aspects of Alzheimer’s disease and related brain disorders, with a goal of developing more effective treatments and an eventual cure.
Center for Mental Health Services Research
Through its national network of collaborative research partners, the Center for Mental Health Services Research works with public social service agencies to build a base of evidence designed to address the challenges of delivering mental health services to vulnerable populations. The center is one of only 11 centers of its kind in the country and the only one part of a social work school.
Prevention Research Center in St. Louis
The Prevention Research Center in St. Louis is a joint effort between Washington University in St. Louis and Saint Louis University. The center explores the behaviors that place Americans at risk for chronic diseases such as obesity, cancer and stroke. Center researchers are particularly concerned with the improvement of the quality of life among special populations: the young, the elderly and the uninsured.
Center for Public Health Systems Science
The mission of the Center for Public Health Systems Science (formerly the Center for Tobacco Policy Research) is to create sustainable solutions to public health problems. They achieve this by conducting research and evaluation, leading to better integration of theory and practice; greater understanding of whole systems; improve health policies; and rapid adoption of evidence-based policies and procedures.
Center for Violence and Injury Prevention
The Center for Violence and Injury Prevention is a CDC-funded research center that pulls from multiple disciplines and partnerships to advance the prevention science and develop evidence-based, real-world strategies for preventing child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, sexual violence and suicide attempts.
Health Communication Research Laboratory
Health Communication Research Laboratory is one of the leading centers in the U.S. dedicated to the research, development and dissemination of health communication programs that enhance the health of individuals and populations.
Center for Obesity Prevention and Policy Research
The Center for Obesity Prevention and Policy Research develops and disseminates new knowledge to inform the creation and implementation of programs and policies designed to prevent obesity.
Center for Diabetes Translation Research
The Center for Diabetes Translation Research focuses on translating interventions that have demonstrated efficacy into real world health-care settings, communities and populations at risk. The center leverages the scientific resources of multiple NIH and other funded centers relevant to the prevention of Type 2 diabetes at Washington University.
Diabetes Research and Training Center
The Diabetes Research and Training Center provides resources for the support and coordination of the research and training activities in diabetes and related metabolic and endocrine disorders of a large and growing number of independently funded but highly interactive investigators.
The Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer Center
TREC is part of a National Cancer Institute (NCI) major research initiative aimed at reducing cancer linked with obesity, poor diet and low levels of physical activity. This innovative transdisciplinary approach to cancer research moves beyond traditional risk factor associations to look at multilevel and multigenerational associations. Through four research projects and five cores, TREC@WUSTL aims to answer the question: What are the factors in the molecular and social environments that influence energetics to produce cancer throughout the lifespan?
Transplant Epidemiology Research Collaboration
TERC’s mission is to establish multidisciplinary groups among the different schools of Washington University, focusing on outcome research in transplantation.