Pathology & Immunology

Welcome Molly DeClue, MBA

We are excited to announce that Molly DeClue will be stepping into the role of Administrative Coordinator in the Office of Faculty Development.  Molly comes to Pathology & Immunology from Cardiology. Molly is eager to contribute to our continued growth and success and will be a great addition to OFD. She is currently working along with Janet Braun. After Janet's retirement, Molly will assume all the OFD responsibilities on February 10th  You will begin to see more of our office communications coming from her.

Please join us in welcoming Molly as she embarks on this new journey with us. We look forward to all the fantastic things she will accomplish in this role! She will be working hybrid with 3 days on campus.Her office is in the West Building on the 5th floor. Stop by and introduce yourself!

For this Faculty Feature, we spoke with Eleanor Castro, MD,  Assistant Professor in Anatomic and Molecular Pathology.

What is the overall research, educational, or clinical impact, as well as the impact on your career? What makes your project novel and/or innovative?

Each year, the BJH Microbiology laboratory conducts over 1.25 million antimicrobial susceptibility tests (AST) on nearly 100,000 clinical microbial isolates. These results not only guide patient-specific antimicrobial therapies but also inform local guidelines for prophylactic and empiric treatments. My project seeks to leverage the patterns emerging from these AST results, to detect shifts in local epidemiology over time and inform species-specific protocols for isolates acquiring resistance. The goal is to enhance clinical outcomes by harnessing this data to refine laboratory workflows and synergize our efforts with prescribing practices, ensuring more precise and effective patient care.

What was the most valuable part of the process for you? Impact on career?

While many funding opportunities exist for faculty, the true value of the SPARK initiative lies in providing a collaborative environment to discuss new projects, bringing together a group of experts who are genuinely invested in success of the project and the faculty member. The structured application process and preparation for the SPARK forum provided a critical deadline, helping to prioritize a project that might otherwise have been sidelined amidst other responsibilities.

Advice for colleagues considering participating in the program:

From my perspective, the SPARK initiative is best suited for a clearly defined research question or project. It requires considerable effort to distill your idea into a format that fosters meaningful discussion in only one hour, particularly when engaging with a diverse group of experts. However, the time spent refining your focus is immensely valuable. When selecting participants for your discussion, carefully consider the expertise they bring and how their feedback can contribute to the dialogue. Even if the conversation doesn’t immediately lead to concrete answers, it could lay the foundation for more in-depth, future discussions.

Are you interested in having your research project given a kickstart with the SPARK funding of up to $10,000? View all the requirements and application information on the SPARK webpage.

Next application cycle submissions due by February 13th.

P&I Faculty Lounge: Peer Check-in
February 12 | 12:05-12:50 pm

Topic: Preparing for and making the most of your annual faculty review

An informal “work in progress” update, where the “work” is your academic self.

Location: West building, 3rd floor, library
Lunch provided with registration by Feb. 5

Trivia "Night"
February 23, 2025 from 1-4 pm

Faculty, Fellows & Residents Gather your Teams!
Tables of 8-plus ones are welcome
Don't have 8? No problem. We will help fill your table. .

Location: Blueberry Hill Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd in The Loop

Have you gathered your trivia team together? Before registering, try to have your team firmed up. When you are ready:

*If you have a full or partial table, have 1 team member register your entire group.
*If you want to be added to a team that has open slots, register yourself only.

Registration Link If you need to make changes to your registration or have questions, please contact Janet Braun, Justavian Tillman or Ron Jackups.

Please register by February 14th.

Sponsored by The Office of Faculty Development and the Office of Education.

Empathetic Leadership in a Collaborative Environment
March 12, 12:05 - 12:50 via Zoom
Presented by Jennifer Heemstra, PhD
Chair and Professor of Chemistry

This 6 session course provides an introduction to the conduct of human research.

Course will occur via Zoom. Do not enroll if you are not available for all 6 sessions. Please note, the virtual class requires that your webcam be on for the entire course due to the interactive components and breakout work groups.

Course Dates
Session 1: Tuesday, March 18th, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Session 2: Thursday, March 20th, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Session 3: Tuesday, March 25th, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Session 4: Thursday, March 27th, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Session 5: Tuesday, April 1st, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Session 6: Thursday, April 3rd, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
 
Topics Covered

*Research at Washington University
*Clinical Research Coordinator Responsibilities
*Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
*Introduction to the IRB
*Conflicts of Interest
*Research Integrity
*HIPAA Privacy & Security
*Social/Behavioral Research
*Recruitment & Retention
*Informed Consent
*Case Report Forms & Study Phases
*Audits & Monitoring
*Coverage Analysis
*Building the Essentials for Multisite Research Management
*Risk Monitoring, Mitigating Research Risks, & Research Risk Assessments
*Case Studies in Compliance
*Writing a Protocol

Those who complete the course will receive Good Clinical Practice (GCP) credit & HIPAA Refresher credit.

Registration required. Seating is very limited. Location: Zoom.

By registering for this course, it is assumed you have pre-approval from your Business Manager to cover the cost of this course*. We will be asking for the Workday Cost Center (CC) and your financial contact information in the REDCap survey that will be sent to you after registration.

Register via this link to Learn@Work, and click the blue “Enroll” button.

Payment: The cost of the course is $30.

Cancellation Policy
Notice of cancellation is due by February 28th. After February 28th, the fee is non-refundable.

Questions? Please contact HRQA@wustl.edu for additional information. 

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Book Discussion
February 18, 4:05 - 4:50 pm via Zoom
2 copies of the book are still available to those who will attend the discussion. Contact Molly DeClue to request a copy.

About the Book:
For Glory Edim, that “friend of my mind” is books. Edim, who grew up in Virginia to Nigerian immigrant parents, started the popular Well-Read Black Girl book club at age thirty, eventually reaching a community of half a million readers. But her own love of books stretches far back.
 
Edim’s father moved back to Nigeria while she was still a child, marking the beginning of a series of traumatic changes and losses for her family. What became an escape, a safe space, and a second home for her and her brother was their local library. Books were where Edim found community, and as she grew older she discovered authors and ideas that she wasn’t being taught about in class. Reading wherever and whenever she could, be it in her dorm room or when traveling by subway or plane, she found the Black writers whose words would forever change her life: Nikki Giovanni, through children’s poetry cassettes; Maya Angelou, through a critical high school English teacher; Toni Morrison, while attending Morrison’s alma mater, Howard University; Audre Lorde, on a flight to Nigeria. In prose full of both joy and heartbreak, Edim recounts how these writers and so many others taught her how to value herself by helping her to find her own voice when her mother lost hers, to trust her feelings when her father remarried, and to create bonds with other Black women and uplift their stories.
 
Gather Me is a glowing testament to how the power of representation in literature can gather the disparate parts that make us who we are and assemble them into a portrait of discovery.