Issue 83, March 2025

At the February Academy of Educators meeting, Dr. Casey Reimer (Director of Deaf Education Studies and Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology) submitted a terrific teaching pearl. She challenged us to reflect on our most impactful teachers, exploring why they stuck out. I LOVE this teaching pearl, and I loved the answers my colleagues shared. The exercise demonstrated the breadth and similarities in the qualities we hold dear as educators and how lessons learned from these important role models shape who we become as teachers, and what we individually value most in our work. Full Excerpt.

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Share What Inspires You
We are creating a new section within the EdUpdate. We welcome students, residents, fellows, faculty, and staff to submit brief stories, poems, or art that depict something from your school or work experiences that inspires you, gives you hope, shows courage, or provides you with meaning. This is not a competition; it is a way of grounding us all in the many reasons why we are here and why we continue, even in tough times, to be grateful to do what we do. Thank you for sharing ~ Dr. Eva Aagaard | Submit Inspirations here. 

Dr. Amjad Musleh has been named the new Director of the Gateway Coaching Program at WashU Medicine. Dr. Musleh, an accomplished clinician in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Emergency Medicine and dedicated educator, brings a wealth of experience and passion for student development to this role. Full story here. 

After 41+ years, Cathy Sweeney is retiring March 31st. Cathy joined WashU and the CME office in 1983, not long after the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) was established. She has played an essential role in supporting CME’s growth, adapting to new accreditation standards, technologies, and the evolving landscape of medical education.

She has been the backbone of many essential operations, serving as a registrar, meeting coordinator, Mini Medical School coordinator, and industry coordinator with unparalleled dedication. Her ability to build strong relationships, solve problems on the fly, and keep everything running smoothly has made a lasting impact on the WashU community. We are so thankful for Cathy and all of her contributions and wish her the very best in retirement!

The Education Day committee invites faculty and learners throughout WashU Medicine to submit an abstract for a poster or oral presentation at Education Day on October 14, 2025. We welcome a wide variety of abstracts representing both education research and innovative approaches to education across the health professions and across learner stages from undergraduate through post-graduate (including continuing education). Works in progress and submissions from students, residents, and fellows are welcome. Submission deadline: May 1, 2025. Additional information | Submit your abstract

Small Grants Program
Application Deadline: Sunday, March 30, 2025, 11:59PM
Learn More & Apply Here
Projects must be focused on the scholarship of teaching and learning, rather than biomedical discovery or application. Proposals may originate from any unit within the School of Medicine. The principal investigator must be a WashU Medicine faculty member. Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded based on a competitive review process. Questions: Contact MERU. A MERU collaboration.

Population Health Sciences offers the following certificate programs. Apply here by April 15th for a fall 2025 start date. Questions? Email: MPHS@wustl.edu or visit mphs.wustl.edu. 

Certificate of Clinical Effectiveness
Enhance your research expertise and impact by developing the strong methodological skills needed for clinical outcomes research. Designed for physicians and clinical doctorates, including MD, DO, DPT, PhD, and PharmD as well as current doctoral students.

Certificate in Health Equity and Disparities
Gain an in-depth understanding of health disparities and the social determinants of health. Ideal for people with a master’s or doctoral degree or current MD, DO, DPT, PhD, and PharmD students.

Date: March 19, 2025, 6:00PM 
Location: Clark-Fox Forum, Hillman Hall, Danforth Campus
Details here
WashU medical students, occupational therapy and physical therapy students, residents, fellows, and faculty are invited to the third annual In Our Words event. Storytellers and visual artists have just been announced. The 2025 theme is “Identity."

Date/Time: Friday, March 21, 2025, 11:00AM-12:30PM
Location: Virtual or EPNEC Seminar Rooms B | Information here
The Class of 2025 and their guests will gather on the 1st floor of EPNEC in the Great Rooms and Auditorium. The entire WashU Medicine community is invited to join virtually via the livestream link. There will also be an in-person viewing location on the 2nd floor of the Eric P. Newman Education Center in Seminar Rooms B.

Date/Time: Tuesday, March 25, 2025, 8:00AM-10:30AM
Location: Lot 58, adjacent to First Congregational Church of St. Louis
Electronic waste represents most of the toxic waste in landfills. Be kind and get rid of your e-waste and personal confidential papers like computers and accessories, lawn equipment, power tools, kitchen appliances, anything with a cord. Plus, CDs, DVDs, and, yes, VHS tapes.

Date/Time: Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 12:00PM-5:00PM
Location: Moore Auditorium | RSVP for lunch by March 7th
The DBBS spring 2025 Ethics seminar will be delivered by Dr. Jim DuBois, Steven J. Bander Professor of Medical Ethics and Professionalism, WashU Medicine. DuBois will speak on the topics of why we do research as well as research ethics. DuBois directs the Center for Clinical Research Ethics and leads the Professional and Social Issues Lab, which has a special focus on helping researchers to conduct high-quality research with integrity by fostering good decision-making, management, and leadership practices. 

View details & register for this and other events here.
Mind the Mindset: Promoting Our Own Growth Mindset
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 2:00-3:30PM
Location: Virtual
Join us for an inspiring online workshop designed to cultivate a growth mindset and drive professional excellence. By attending this workshop, you’ll gain the tools and knowledge to describe what a growth mindset is (is not), understand the impact of a growth mindset, and develop strategies for promoting a growth mindset.

Date/Time: Thursday, April 3, 2025, 1:00PM-5:30PM
Location: EPNEC - Great Room A/B | Register here
This year’s theme is Strategies for Success: Embracing Transitions & Unconventional Pathways. This event is open to all (faculty, staff, trainees) and will feature several speakers including Dr. Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, Director of Health for the City of St. Louis, followed by a networking reception with light refreshments. Collaboratively hosted by the Forum for Women in Medicine (FWIM) and Advancing Women in Academic Medicine (AWAM).

WashU OT students collaborated with fellow WashU engineering and design students during the 10-day 2025 Assistive Tech Make-a-Thon. This event, in its second year, tasks students with the mission of designing and producing a prototype of an Assisteve Tech (AT) device for people with disabilities. Featured on STL NPR, listen here or read more here.

Congratulations to Catherine Lang, PT, PhD, FAPTA, who was recently installed as the inaugural Barbara J. Norton Professor in Physical Therapy during a memorable Professorship Installation Ceremony and Reception. Congrats, Dr. Lang, on this well-deserved recognition!

The Program in Genetic Counseling was awarded full accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling. This accreditation is good for 6 years. Graduating its first class in 2023 and preparing to graduate its third cohort in May, the Program has seen growth and success in its short time and looks forward to many years of training excellent genetic counselors to serve the growing need for competent and innovative medical genetics professionals. Thanks to Rachael Bradshaw, MS, CGC, Tomi Toler, MS, CGC, Erin Linnenbringer, PhD, MS, CGC, Dr. Marwan Shinawi, Elizabeth Witthaus, Dr. Katherine King, Meagan Corliss, MS, CGC, and Dr. Patricia Dickson, Genetics and Genomic Medicine for all your hard work! Congratulations!

The Medical Scientist Training Program Committee has announced the recipients of this year's Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Medical Science Fellows. These Fellowships recognize superior accomplishments in biomedical research by doctoral students at Washington University. Please join us in congratulating: Kia Barclay, PhD student, Mandy Chan, PhD student, Mina Farag, MD/PhD student, Tim Kong, MD/PhD, student, Rachel Mintz, MD/PhD student, Morgan Timm, MD/PhD student, and Turan Tufan, PhD student. The program also selected Junedh Amrute, MD/PhD student and Mitchell Kim, MD/PhD student as recipients of the David M. Kipnis Award in Biomedical Sciences for the Department of Developmental Biology.

David Vermette, MD, MBA, MHS-MedEd and his wife have welcomed a new baby! Isabella Mae arrived mid-February and mother and baby are doing well. Welcome to the world, Isabella! Vermette is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine & Pediatrics, Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, Division of General Medicine & Geriatrics, Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine and a Gateway Curriculum Coach. 

In this Korn Ferry article, author Daniel Goleman explores the concept of recognizing that we cannot control our circumstances, but we can control how we respond to them. Full article here. 

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