Global health conversations

Written by Austin Smarch, masters of public health student, University of Michigan and participant in the Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program. The global health conversation hosted by Dr. Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, associate professor of psychiatry, focused on a paper that discussed the world of mHealth (mobile health) apps; how many exist, how they’re evaluated, […]

How molecular biology is making medicine more precise

Written by Tim Peterson, assistant professor, Washington University School of Medicine This post is a lay introduction on how molecular biology is increasingly being used to make diagnoses and treatments better tailored to individual patients. The Definitions For those who may not be familiar with molecular biology, there are three main types of molecules in […]

Precision medicine research in diverse populations

Written by Erin Linnenbringer, PhD, MS, assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, School of Medicine At the time of publishing, professor Linnenbringer was an instructor in the Department of Surgery Essential to Meeting the Goal of Reaching the Right Patient With the Right Treatment at the Right Time Many Americans have probably heard the […]

Driving data in precision medicine

Written by Philip Payne, PhD, FACMI, the Robert J. Terry Professor and founding director of the Institute for Informatics at the School of Medicine When I am asked to speak to the general public about the emerging role of informatics, I often start with an unusual example: buying an airline ticket. If I were to […]

Exploring marijuana advertising on Weedmaps, a popular online directory

The legalization of marijuana has become a trend in various states across the United States. As a result of looser marijuana policies, a whole new market for recreational marijuana retailers has developed in legalized states. The authors of this study sought to examine the online marijuana marketing practices on Weedmaps, a popular website for retailers. […]

The Discharge Summary Tracking System project: Ensuring community health center providers can care for patients after hospital discharge

Written by the Discharge Summary Tracking System project team [1] Our local community health centers are bustling with the activity of  primary care providers answering their patients’ vital inquiries. But what happens if their question regards a hospital visit of which the provider was never informed? “My patient exclaimed, ‘I’ve been shot!’” said primary care doctor […]

Interaction design: Understanding health and well-being

Written by Enrique Von Rohr, MA, director of research & technology and senior lecturer at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts In the spring of 2016, the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis offered a design class titled “Interaction Design: Understanding Health and Well-Being” to […]

Bringing a superfood down to earth

Genetically modified (GM) crops are mostly planted on large industrialized farms (mainly in the US, Brazil, and Argentina), but there continues to be keen interest in—and debate on—their utility for small farmers and poor consumers in the Global South. In this regard, “Golden Rice” has received the most attention. Golden Rice is a medical food, engineered […]

Venture out to Venture Café

Written by Stephanie Herbers, MSW/MPH, manager of the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Institute for Public Health Venture Café is a weekly gathering of St. Louis innovators and entrepreneurs working in education, arts, healthcare, manufacturing, social enterprise, and many other sectors. If you want to learn more about the St. Louis startup […]

Where’s my jetpack?

Hold That Thought is a podcast series produced by Arts & Sciences at Washington University that “aims to bring academic inquiry to a broader audience, with the unifying concept of exploring the many ways that researchers tackle issues affecting individuals, societies, and our worldwide community.” The podcast recently embarked on a series titled “Where’s My […]

The Skandalaris Center fosters entrepreneurship across campus

Washington University’s Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship serves as a hub for all of the entrepreneurship activities that take place across Washington University. As noted their website, “The Center provides unique opportunities to learn and apply entrepreneurial skills through business plan competitions, intensive skills sessions, mentoring, an internship program, and a pre-orientation program […]

Encore careers and entrepreneurship

By Karen Sanders, encore innovation fellow at the Brown School Americans love the entrepreneurial spirit. Many imagine that entrepreneur as young, wildly energetic, sparking on a great idea, without a lot to lose other than a bit of time or a handful of someone else’s venture capital. The implication is that youth and limitless tolerance […]