Building Healthy Communities

In the months following the tornadoes that struck several St. Louis neighborhoods, Washington University researchers have been working alongside community partners to better understand the environmental health impacts facing residents. Through the Environmental Health Initiative, teams are conducting neighborhood walkthroughs, listening sessions, and field assessments to identify concerns such as mold, debris exposure, and air-quality […]

Each Friday afternoon, medical, occupational-therapy and physical-therapy students collaborate to provide free services through the Pro Bono Health Clinic, addressing everything from diabetes and hypertension to mobility and memory challenges in a patient-first, one-stop model. Under faculty supervision, students lead the care team—listening attentively, adapting in real time and integrating social-needs referrals to ensure meaningful […]

Powell Hall has entered a bold new chapter. With the unveiling of the Jack C. Taylor Music Center, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has completed a $140 million renovation and 64,000-square-foot expansion—modernizing backstage and rehearsal spaces while preserving the hall’s iconic acoustics and historic ambiance. Read the New York Times story here.

Building health knowledge and trust in communities is one of the most urgent challenges facing public health today. iHeard St. Louis, a program of the Health Communication Research Laboratory at Washington University’s School of Public Health, is helping lead an evidence-based response. Launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, iHeard initially helped health officials respond more quickly to vaccine misinformation. Since then, the program has broadened its scope.

Randall Jotte, MD, a professor of emergency medicine at WashU Medicine, is a driving force behind the Hospital to Housing program. The innovative partnership with local organization St. Patrick’s Center and other agencies aims to improve medical outcomes and reduce health-care costs by providing housing support for high-frequency users of the emergency room.

Martin Mwita, who just turned 21, recently became the first patient in the St. Louis region to receive a gene therapy newly approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for sickle cell disease. Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and St. Louis Children’s Hospital are among only a few academic medical centers in the U.S. that have begun offering the treatment.

Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine has been ranked No. 13 of cancer centers nationwide by Newsweek. The recognition — part of the news magazine’s listing of America’s Best Hospitals for Specialized Care 2025 — makes Siteman the highest-ranked cancer center in Missouri, Illinois and beyond.

The Clinical Research Training Center (CRTC) TL1 program recently partnered with the Center for Community Health Partnership & Research (CCHPR) for an impactful day of community engagement. Serving as a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) session, this four-hour retreat encouraged two-way learning and building stronger community-academic ties.

On May 16, 2025, Centennial Christian Church in St. Louis, a longtime community partner of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, was devastated by an EF-3 tornado. Tragically, community leader Patricia Penelton lost her life, and fellow advocate Sherrill Jackson sustained injuries. Despite the destruction, the church and its partners including WashU’s Center for Community Health Partnership & Research (CCHPR) remain committed to rebuilding and continuing their mission of service and community engagement.

Last year, with funding from the Gephardt Institute’s St. Louis Impact Fund, three students at the WashU School of Medicine hosted a series of workshops aimed at helping St. Louis seniors take a more active role in their own health and well-being.