In St. Louis, For St. Louis

At a critical juncture for agriculture and public health, Washington University in St. Louis is launching the Food and Agriculture Research Mission (FARM), an ambitious initiative that aims to address challenges in agricultural production, food distribution and access to nutritious foods by developing practical, scalable solutions for global impact. “The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated,” said WashU Chancellor Andrew D. Martin, who has long advocated for this initiative. “Hunger, malnutrition and environmental degradation are not distant threats — they are present crises demanding immediate, coordinated action. “We have the opportunity to interrupt these consequences by applying innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems,” he added. “Together, with our partners in St. Louis and beyond, we will transform how we grow food, nourish communities and sustain the environment — because the health of regional, national and global populations depends on it.”

WashU Advocates are raising awareness about WashU’s mission with government officials, communicating how the university works to solve societal challenges and improve lives in the region and beyond.

Researchers from the Brown School’s Evaluation Center and Center for Social Development (CSD) will assess the impact of a new financial initiative aimed at closing the racial wealth gap in St. Louis.

Yixin Chen, professor of computer science & engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering, was given the St. Louis Innovator Award by the Bar Association of Metropolitan Saint Louis at its inaugural Spirit of Innovation Awards Jan. 23, 2025. Chen was selected his contributions and dedication to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in our region, specifically, in AI and large-language models and their applications in health care and legal practices.

The Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) Diagnostic Center of Excellence was established in 2019 to solve the trickiest medical mysteries in Missouri and nearby states. Now, the center is expanding. Buoyed by the renewal of the center’s five-year, $3.8 million grant, the UDN leadership team plans to increase outreach to medically underserved communities and increase capacity from 30 to 50 patients a year. The center has established a collaboration with the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, an organization dedicated to improving the quality, accessibility and affordability of health care.

Members of the WashU and St. Louis communities may now recycle their glass in the Ripple Glass depository in the West Campus parking lot. Ripple Glass is a Missouri business offering circular solutions to keep glass out of landfills. By separating out glass at the source, Ripple Glass’ collection method has a 98% recovery rate – the remaining 2% is just the caps, labels, lids and corks.

This February, WashU officially became the host of a Ripple Glass collection site. This exciting new addition offers WashU and the surrounding community a new and high-impact option to recycle their glass bottles and jars.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has launched the Center for Rare, Undiagnosed and Genetic Diseases, supported by an $8.5 million grant from Children’s Discovery Institute (CDI), a partnership with St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation and WashU Medicine. The new center brings together WashU Medicine researchers and the rare disease patient community, creating a collaborative network to drive innovative research and accelerate drug discovery.

A new era for public health has begun at Washington University in St. Louis, marked by a two-day celebration welcoming Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, as the inaugural Margaret C. Ryan Dean of the School of Public Health and the Eugene S. and Constance Kahn Distinguished Professor in Public Health. The events featured a public lecture as part of WashU’s Assembly Series and a formal installation ceremony honoring the leaders and donors who have laid the foundation for the new School of Public Health. The ceremony signified the launch of WashU’s first new school in a century, an ambitious undertaking aimed at transforming public health research, education and practice.

Two Washington University in St. Louis faculty members are being honored by the Academy of Science – St. Louis for their contributions to science: Peng Bai, an associate professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, and Ram Dixit, a professor and chair of biology in Arts & Sciences. The awards will be presented at the Outstanding St. Louis Scientists Awards Ceremony April 3 at the Missouri Botanical Garden.