2025-26 Academic Year of Impact |
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Dear colleagues and friends,
As we reflect on another year in the Department of Medicine, I am filled with gratitude and pride for the extraordinary dedication of our faculty, staff, and trainees. While we continue to navigate challenges across academic medicine and healthcare, your resilience, compassion, and unwavering commitment to our missions have allowed us to make meaningful progress in patient care, research, education, and service.
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This year brought an important leadership transition for WashU Medicine. We are grateful for the decade of exceptional leadership and growth under David H. Perlmutter, MD, and are pleased to welcome Bruce D. Levy, MD, as our new Dean of Medicine and Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine. As we build on our strong foundation, we look forward to continued collaboration, innovation, and excellence under his leadership.
Our department continues to demonstrate remarkable success of our research programs. This past year, we secured $213 million in research funding, with 1,400 grants and more than 2,000 publications. Our clinical trial portfolio grew to $77.76 million reflecting our commitment to translating scientific discoveries into innovative treatments and improved outcomes for patients. These achievements highlight the breadth of research taking place across our divisions and the dedication of our investigators and research teams to advancing human health.
Our clinical programs continue to grow to meet the needs of our patients and communities. With nearly 700,000 outpatient visits and 28,000 inpatient admissions, our faculty and clinical teams remain committed to providing outstanding, compassionate care to individuals and the broad community we serve. We are expanding access to primary care and specialized services and strengthening our clinical programs while maintaining focused on the patient experience.
Education and mentorship remain central to our mission. This year, we welcomed 76 new faculty, and promoted 68 faculty, strengthening our department and advancing faculty careers. Our residency and fellowship programs continue to attract exceptional talent, and we take great pride in preparing the next generation of physicians, researchers, and leaders in medicine.
Our 2025-26 Year of Impact report highlights the remarkable discoveries, clinical advancements, educational achievements, honors, and milestones that have shaped this year. While the numbers tell an impressive story, they represent something far more important — the collective efforts of individuals and teams whose work makes a lasting difference every day.
Thank you for your continued dedication to our department, our patients, our learners, and one another. I am deeply appreciative of all that you do and remain optimistic about the opportunities ahead. Together, we will continue to build on our accomplishments and advance the important work that defines the Department of Medicine.
Warm regards,
Vicky Fraser, MD, Adolphus Busch Professor of Medicine, Chair, Department of Medicine
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Discovery of viral entry routes into cells points to future prevention, treatment strategies
Researchers at WashU Medicine have identified key pathways that two deadly viruses use to invade human cells and have developed decoy molecules that block infection. Read article»
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Gene-edited stem cell transplant shows promise for aggressive blood cancers
For highly aggressive blood cancers, stem cell transplantation is often the only potentially curative treatment. Yet even after transplantation, these cancers frequently return. Read article»
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People with poor mental health report worse care worldwide
A new multinational study found that people with poor mental health consistently report lower-quality health care experiences across diverse health systems. Read article»
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| Grants bolster research on myelodysplastic syndromes
The Edward P. Evans Foundation has awarded three-year, $750,000 Discovery Research Grants to Jeremy Baeten, PhD, and Matthew Walter, MD, both in the Division of Oncology at WashU Medicine. Read article»
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Alison Antes, PhD – Director, Master of Science in Clinical Investigation Degree Program Read article»
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| Daniel Cooper, MD –
Director, Electrophysiology Lab
Read article»
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| Farhan Katchi, MD –
Co-Director of the Advanced Cardiac Imaging (CT/MR) Program Read article»
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Marty Kerrigan, MD – Clerkship Director of Internal Medicine
Read article»
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| Michael Lin, MD, SFHM, MPH – Section Chief of Hospital Medicine
Read article»
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| Emma Ludwig, MD – Associate Program Director for the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship
Read article»
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| Margaret L. McNairy, MD, MSC – Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine
Read article»
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Justin S. Sadhu, MD, MPHS, FACC – Director, Cardiology/Medicine Firm Medical
Read article»
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Timothy Smith, DPhil, MD – Director, Electrophysiology Fellowship Read article»
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Barbara W. Trautner, MD, PhD – Co-Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases Read article»
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Rodrigo Vazquez Guillamet, MD – Director, COPD Comprehensive Care Program Read article»
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Janet S. Lee, MD (middle) named inaugural Selma and Herman Seldin Distinguished Professor of Medicine Read article» |
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Deborah J. Lenschow, MD, PhD (right) named inaugural John S. Daniels Professor Read article» |
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Ravi Vij, MD (second from right) named inaugural Jeffrey S. and Prue H. Gershman Distinguished Professor Read article» |
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Matthew A. Ciorba, MD – William B. Kountz Professor of Medicine Read article» |
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Leslie Stuart Gewin, MD – Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Renal Diseases Read article» |
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Jeffrey R. Millman, PhD – Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Professor of Endocrinology Read article» |
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| Large Funded Research Grants |
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| Principal Investigator | Division/Group | Sponsor | Grant | Award Total |
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Dipersio, John F.
| Oncology
| BlueSphere Bio
| UCART2 for the treatment of patients with T cell lymphoma/leukemia
| 6,250,000
| Ding, Li
| Oncology
| National Institute Of Health | Human Prostate Tumor Atlas Center
| 3,097,561
| | Yokoyama, Wayne M. | Rheumatology | National Institute Of Health | Natural killer cells subvert immune checkpoint therapy of tumors | 2,546,132 | | Diamond, Michael | Infectious Diseases | National Institute Of Health | Structure-Function Analysis of Mxra8 Interaction with Alphaviruses | 2,541,989 | | Finck, Brian N. | Nutritional Science & Obesity Medicine |
National Institute Of Health |
Targeting hepatic stellate cell metabolism to treat steatotic liver disease | 2,237,881 | | Chen, Ying | Nephrology | National Institute Of Health | Activating Autophagy to Treat Uromodulin-Associated Genetic Chronic Kidney Disease
| 2,211,750 | | Ding, Li | Oncology | National Institute Of Health | Washington University Participant Engagement and Cancer Genomic Sequencing Center | 2,019,606 | | Krais, John J. | Oncology | National Institute Of Health | Regulation of the mitotic DNA damage response | 1,555,000 | | Bernal-Mizrachi, Carlos | Endocrinology, Metabolism & Lipid Research
| National Institute Of Health | Vitamin D Deficiency, Insulin Resistance and Cardiovascular disease | 1,472,523 |
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Our people are the foundation of our success. We are grateful for the dedication, expertise, and passion of each team member recognized this year and thank them for their service to WashU Medicine and the Department of Medicine. |
| 5 Years | 10 Years | 15 Years | 20 Years | 25 Years | 30+ Years |
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| 185 | 68 | 38 | 28 | 30 | 11 |
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Chang-Panesso named Perlmutter Career Development Assistant Professor
The professorships, funded by the Merck Foundation, are named for Roger M. Perlmutter, MD, PhD, a distinguished alumnus of WashU Medicine’s Roy Vagelos Medical Scientist Training Program who later led global research and development at Merck. Read article»
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| Murakami receives American Society of Transplantation Award
The award recognizes her scientific leadership, commitment to improving long-term transplant outcomes, and growing national impact as a physician-scientist. Read article»
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Davidson receives 2026 Distinguished Mentor Award from American Gastroenterological Association
Dr. Davidson, who joined the WashU Medicine faculty in 1998, is a leading expert in hereditary and familial gastrointestinal cancers. Read article»
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Hassan named recipient of 2026 John Haddad Young Investigator Award
The award supports early-career American Society for Bone and Mineral Research investigators participating in the 2026 AIMM-ASBMR Young Investigators’ Meeting. Read article»
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| Herrlich elected to American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Each year, the AAAS Council elects members whose efforts to advance science and its applications are considered scientifically or socially distinguished. Read article»
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Klein recognized by Endocrine Society for outstanding research
The annual award recognizes an accomplished scientist who has made substantial contributions to understanding the progression and treatment of endocrine and metabolic diseases. Read article»
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| Mahmoud received inaugural Jack Sarver Prize for groundbreaking research
The Jack Sarver Prize in Clinical Science and the Jack Sarver Prize in Basic Science were established through a gift to the American Heart Association in honor of Jack Sarver, who died of heart disease in 1979. Read article»
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| Vermette named Macy Faculty Scholar
The Macy Faculty Scholars Program, now in its second decade, identifies and supports promising early-career educators in medicine and nursing.
Read article»
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Eight Department of Medicine faculty received 2026 Dean’s Impact Awards |
The 2026 theme is “Honoring the Focused Excellence of Exemplary Clinicians and Researchers.”
Recipients of the Dean’s Impact Awards represent the compassion, innovation and commitment needed to advance clinical care, education and research through meaningful, community-focused initiatives.
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(top l-r) Drs. Ernie-Paul Barrette, Alan C. Braverman, C. Prakash Gyawali, and Deborah Parks (bottom l-r) Chelsea Pearson, Ramaswamy Govindan, Daniel Rosenbluth, and Marcos Rothstein
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Antes received Exemplary Educator Award; Dao received Rising Star Award |
Dr. Alison Antes holding award
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Dr. Tony Dao holding award
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Two Department of Medicine faculty members were honored by the Academy of Educators. Alison Antes, PhD, received the Exemplary Educator Award for sustained excellence in education, mentorship and researcher development, while Tony Dao, MD, received the Rising Star Award for his impact as an emerging educator. Read article»
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| | Six Department of Medicine faculty inducted into Academy of Educators
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(top l-r) Drs. Tony Dao, Randy Laine, and Basia Michalski-McNeely (bottom l-r) Kieran Patel, Prashanth Thakker, and Sandeep Tripathy
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The Academy of Educators at WashU Medicine fosters a culture of educational excellence and supports a community of leaders in health sciences education. Through programs, workshops, grants and awards, the academy helps educators continue to develop their skills and advance their careers. Read article»
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| 2025 and 2026 Castle Connolly Top Doctors®
The Department of Medicine recognized faculty selected to the 2025 and 2026 Castle Connolly Top Doctors® lists. Selections are based solely on merit, and physicians cannot pay for inclusion. Honorees are recognized for excellence in clinical care and interpersonal skills. The list is also published annually by St. Louis Magazine.
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Stuart A. Kornfeld, MD, David C. and Betty Farrell Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Medicine, 88
Read article» |
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William Edwin (Ed) Magee, Sr, MD, Emeritus Clinical Professor of Medicine, 98
Read article»
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| Steven L. Teitelbaum, MD, Professor of Pathology and Immunology, 87
Read article» |
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| Brian Andrew Van Tine, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and of Pediatrics, 53
Read article» |
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A heart for life: How one woman’s transplant journey came full circle at Barnes-Jewish Hospital
When Ashley Brooks, RN, BSN, (left) was born, the first hint her parents received that something was out of the ordinary was that nurses didn’t bring their infant daughter from the nursery to their room when it was time to eat. Read article»
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WashU Medicine MD, OT, PT students treated patients together at Pro Bono Health Clinic
Makenna Dixon remembered the many appointments she attended as a child. Her mother lived with autoimmune diseases that required countless trips to physical therapy. Read article»
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Innovative CAR-T cell therapy received FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation
A cell-based immunotherapy designed to treat rare and aggressive blood cancers received Breakthrough Therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Read article»
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| Who wrote the book on medicine? We did!
Renowned for excellence in patient care, research and education, WashU Medicine is also a publishing powerhouse, home to the No. 1-selling medical textbook in the world. Read article»
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WashU Medicine team performed region’s first procedure using breakthrough valve technology
Cardiologists and cardiac surgeons from WashU Medicine’s cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgery divisions used the used newest technology to successfully treat a high-risk patient with a failing heart valve. Read article»
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Personalized vaccine showed promise against aggressive brain cancer
A personalized vaccine for glioblastoma, a fast-growing and incurable brain cancer, proved safe and generated robust immune responses that appeared to extend recurrence-free survival for some patients following surgery. Read article»
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Plaza West Tower: The final stretch to opening day
As construction wound down and most workers moved on, the work of the BJC activation team accelerated. Activation is the process of preparing the tower for patient care after construction is complete. Watch video»
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| 2025-26 Top scores in ambulatory patient experience
Congratulations on being recognized for achieving a patient experience score in the 98th percentile at WashU Medicine. Read article»
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Most Viewed Medicine Grand Round |
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Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome and the Next Frontier of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention |
Speaker: Chiadi Ndumele, MD, PhD, MHS
Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology Division of Cardiology Department of Medicine Johns Hopkins University
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The Guller Family Lecture in Preventative Cardiology |
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As we reflect on another year of growth, innovation and achievement, the Department of Medicine remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing patient care, education, research and community impact. Together, we look forward to continuing our tradition of excellence while shaping the future of medicine for the communities we serve.
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This content pertains exclusively to the 2025-2026 academic year, covering the period from
July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.
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