Issue 86, June 2025

As I reflect upon the past month, it is with a heavy heart that I acknowledge the profound challenges that have tested our resilience. The devastating tornado that tore through our region has deeply impacted our community – uprooting individuals, damaging our environment, and tragically claiming lives within the greater St. Louis area. Many of our learners, staff, and faculty experienced prolonged power loss, property damage, displacement, and other hardships. The loss of life within our community is a stark reminder of the fragility of human existence. We mourn those who have passed and extend our deepest condolences to their families and loved ones. | Full Excerpt

Dr. Lia Logio, Vice Dean for Medical Education at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, will be the Keynote Speaker for Education Day on October 14, 2025. This year's event will center on the theme "Cultivating Joy & Meaning in Health Professions Education." Engage in a day of insightful educational sessions, celebrate outstanding achievements with our award recipients, and welcome new inductees into the Academy of Educators. | Additional Information

Application Deadline: August 29, 2025
Enhance your research with the support of a highly trained, motivated graduate student. Faculty are invited to submit part-time research assistantship opportunities for first- and second-year students across four MS programs within WashU Medicine: Applied Health Behavior Research (AHBR), Biostatistics, Biostatistics & Data Science, and Biomedical Informatics. Submit a position or learn more by completing this form. Contact Sara O’Neal with questions. | More Information

The Clinical Research Training Center is offering several opportunities to accelerate your career in clinical research through coursework and mentored training. Enroll now in the summer Bench Fundamentals for Translational Research course or the Clinical Investigation Bootcamp. Explore programs for all training levels, including the TL1 Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Programs, and the KL2 Career Development Awards Program for junior faculty. Contact the CRTC with questions. | More Information

NEW WashU Internal Application Deadline: Monday, June 16, 2025
Macy Foundation Information | WashU Internal Information
The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation seeks early-career faculty with 3 to 8 years of experience and the potential to be leaders in medical or nursing education and offers salary support, funds to support a scholarly project in education, and participation in national faculty development activities with a community of health professions education scholars. They are seeking applicants with projects related to the learning environment. Each medical school may nominate one applicant each year. Questions? Contact Dr. Doug Larsen or Dr. Eve Colson, both Macy Faculty Scholars committee members. 

Application Deadline: Sunday, June 22, 2025, 11:59PM
Learn More & Apply Here
The Academy of Educators is now accepting applications for 2025 membership. We are an institutional collaboration of educators who together foster a culture of educational excellence and an institutionally valued community of leaders in health science education. The Academy is service-based, and those elected are expected to actively participate in Academy events, including attendance and participation in scheduled Academy meetings.

Application Deadline: August 1, 2025
Applications are now open for the DBBS Student Fellowship which offers support to trainees who have limited access to external, competitive fellowships that qualify for a standard merit award. DBBS students may apply for this award after completing a thesis proposal. Read more and apply here. Questions? Contact Heather Ahrens.

Date/Time: Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 5:00-6:00PM
Location: FLTC - 2nd Floor, Room 205 | Register here
In this workshop, participants will learn the purpose of written narrative assessments, the components of high-quality written narrative assessments, and how to write high-quality narrative comments on assessment forms. The Office of Medical Student Education requests that any clinicians who work with an medical students attend the workshop if they haven't already. Questions? Contact the Academy. An OMSE collaboration.

Date/Time: Saturday, June 7 & Monday, July 21, 2025, 9:00AM-3:00PM
Location: Shared upon registration | Register here
In 101, participants will learn about IPE competencies and emerging CIPE longitudinal curriculum through simulation, role-play, and videos. In 201, participants will explore conflict management styles and role-play various interprofessional team scenarios, debriefing to discuss challenges faced and how they were addressed.

Pride Poster Making Session & T-Shirt Pick Up
Date/Time: Tuesday, June 24, 2025, 4:00PM-6:00PM | RSVP
Location: Farrell Learning and Teaching Center, Room 301
Come make Pride Posters and meet new friends! Dinner provided.

Pride Festival & Parade
Festival Date/Time: Saturday, June 28 & Sunday, June 29, 2025
Parade Date/Time: Sunday, June 29, 2005, 10:00AM-2:00PM
Pride has always been both a celebration and a protest - a recognition of how far we’ve come, and a call to action for the work that remains. Pride is a moment to affirm our commitment to compassion, dignity, and healthcare for every member in our society. Your presence sends a powerful message to the community: you belong here. You, your families, and colleagues are invited to march at the upcoming Pride Parade and support preparation for this important event. Parade Sign-up, T-shirt orders, and volunteer information can be found here. 

As covered in the May 2025 EdUpdate Newsletter, two grants awarded to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis will help students discern answers to these questions and many more. With new accessible equipment, learners will gain hands-on experiences to deepen their understanding of how to compassionately care for patients with disabilities. | Full Story

The Center for Interprofessional Practice & Education welcomed Master Interprofessional Educators, student leaders, and the Center’s interns to celebrate and induct its latest group of Master Interprofessional Educators (MIEs). The MIE community is now 85 strong across fourteen healthcare professions. Congratulations Abigail Bell, MD, Jill Johnson, PT, DPT, Julian Magee, PT, DPT, ATC, Jessica Pittman, MD, MPH, Kaytlin Reedy-Rogier, MSW, and Emily Somerville, OTD, OTR/L. | Full Story

The Gold Humanism Honor Society Induction Ceremony was held in May at The Thaxton, as we celebrated the 28 newest student, resident, and faculty inductees and brought all current WashU GHHS members together. GHHS is a national medical honor society that recognizes and celebrates individuals who demonstrate excellence in clinical care, compassion, and dedication to humanism in service. Inductees were nominated by their peers, residents, or faculty members. | 2025 Inductees | Learn about the Society

St. Louis Arc presented Wanda Mahoney, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, with a Bravo Award for partnering with the organization in its mission to empower people with disabilities to live their best life. In May, St. Louis Arc celebrated its transition-to-adult-life program, which Mahoney has been an active part of for six years through her mentored scholarship opportunities for students and her consultative services. | Full Story

The inaugural ACGME/WashU Medicine Academy of Educators Developing Faculty Competencies in Assessment course wrapped up successfully on April 30, 2025. Participants gained invaluable insights into educational assessment, competency-based education and their practical applications. Save the date for the 2026 course, scheduled for April 7th to 9th. For more details, please visit the Academy website here. 

The Program in Physical Therapy has many accolades to celebrate. Left to right: 
WashU Medicine’s Program in Physical Therapy has been ranked #1 (again!) in the 2025 Best Physical Therapy Programs by U.S. News & World Report. This national recognition reflects our continued excellence in education, research, and clinical care. The Program celebrated its 10th year in the #1 spot with cupcakes and a juice box toast.
Steven B. Ambler, PT, DPT, PhD, MPH, OCS, Director of Education for the Program in Physical Therapy, has graduated from the 9-month Pivotal Leaders Program at WashU Medicine. 
Sidney Baudendistel, Post-doctoral Research Associate, published Characteristics of responders to interventions for Parkinson disease: a scoping systematic review – reflecting a long-term research by the Earhart Lab, advancing knowledge in Parkinson disease interventions.
Jennifer Brown, Senior Manager of Marketing Services, completed the competitive ILE Program. Over nine months, Jenny and her cohort dedicated 12 hours monthly to 22 workshops and coaching sessions. 
Dr. Theresa Spitznagle was honored with the 2025 Dean’s Impact Award, recognizing her international contributions, especially in women’s health care across Ethiopia, Nigeria, St. Louis, and Seattle, and her leadership in nonprofits like the Global Women’s Health Initiative and Worldwide Fistula Fund. 
Dakota Kamm, MSP PhD candidate, published his inaugural first-author paper at WashU: Adipose stromal cells in the human rotator cuff are resistant to fibrotic microenvironmental cues. The study identifies a novel source of mesenchymal stem cells with promising potential for fibrosis-related therapies and regenerative medicine.
Corey Woldenberg, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy & Orthopaedic Surgery, has been named Co-chair for the USASP Pain, Movement & Rehabilitation Science Special Interest Group.

As a New York Times wellness writer, Jancee Dunn has seen, and heard, a lot about wellness and happiness. In this column, she shares advice she has gleaned over the years about how to live a good and fulfilling life. | Full Story in NYT | Internet Archive

The world can feel chaotic and overwhelming right now. Mindfulness can help. Washington Post writer Elahe Izadi talks meditation, mindfulness, and fear with therapist Tara Brach. | Full Story

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