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The best teachers never stop learning. That is why the School of Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) at Washington University in St. Louis, in collaboration with partner Teach St. Louis, has opened its Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning (MATL) program to veteran teachers who work in high-need classrooms. Initially designed for novice teachers in the Teach St. Louis Residency, now known as Teach St. Louis, the MATL program introduces educators to instructional strategies that accelerate better learning outcomes. CAPS also is introducing a new certificate for educators who already have a master’s degree but want to further their skills. 

BioSTL, the biosciences economic development organization, has named a new leader for its investment arm. The organization said this week that Dr. James McCarter, a Washington University-trained physician and biologist, has been named a senior vice president of BioSTL and senior managing director of BioGenerator Ventures.

Dr. Katherine Weilbaecher was concerned about the trends. As an oncologist at WashU Medicine specializing in metastatic breast cancer, she noticed Black patients from North County were coming to her office with more advanced cancers. She recently created a mammography clinic targeted to the high-risk population to find those cancers earlier and ensure patients receive follow-up care.

The employment gain by the St. Louis metro area that ranked as the fourth highest percentage increase in the nation is an indicator of progress, but it must be sustained for the rest of this decade to charge the region’s narrative, some officials say. Federal data released Oct. 4 showed that the number of non-farm employees in the St. Louis region grew 2.6% from August 2023 to August 2024. That’s an addition of 36,600 employees, from 1,422,200 a year ago to 1,458,800 in August, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Only the metro areas of Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Indianapolis showed larger percentage increases.

A motion-activated nightlight in the hall. A bench in the shower. Non-slip tape on rug corners. Practitioners like Susan Stark, professor of occupational therapy at WashU Medicine, have long turned toward these simple, proven strategies to reduce a person’s risk of falling. Through the Home Hazard Removal Program (HARP), a one-on-one intervention system Stark designed, she strives to bring these kinds of solutions to as many older adults as possible. HARP has already reached nearly 1,000 St. Louis-area residences.

The Summer Teacher Researcher Program administered by WashU’s Institute for School Partnership (ISP) is one of many ways the ISP supports partnership and outreach opportunities between WashU faculty and local educators.

The Prevention Research Center at WashU (PRC) was first funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1994. Its goal was to develop and implement evidence-based strategies to reduce health disparities and improve public health outcomes. Today, the PRC at WashU focuses on prevention strategies for chronic diseases, including cancer, obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Rather than working in isolation, this multidisciplinary team — comprising faculty, staff and students — engages directly with communities, taking a grassroots approach to co-design and implement solutions.

Although Vice President Kamala Harris is the first-ever Indian American candidate to win a major party’s nomination for the U.S. presidency, it would be wrong to assume she has “the Indian American vote” among St. Louisans — or anywhere else in the country — locked in. Harris’ historic candidacy has, however, ignited conversations about Indian Americans and voting. This is especially important in St. Louis because U.S. Census data show Indians make up the fastest-growing immigrant population in the St. Louis region, and second in the nation overall. Three Indian Americans in St. Louis including Jacob Chacko, executive director of Washington University’s Center of Diversity & Inclusion, spoke with St. Louis on the Air about their lives in the Midwest and how politics have played a role.

At its heart, the St. Louis Fellows Program at Washington University is a commitment to the region. And St. Louis Fellows make St. Louis stronger, healthier and more vibrant through their summertime actions, such as dressing bullet wounds at the Bullet Related Injury Clinic, supporting caregivers at the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Missouri Chapter, and developing education programs at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. WashU’s Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement manages the program and covers the full cost of stipends for the fellows.

A beloved St. Louis tradition for 52 years, the Great Forest Park Balloon Glow and Race attracted nearly 150,000 attendees over two days in September. WashU sponsored one of 47 balloons on display at Emerson Central Fields in Forest Park. At the main stage, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin expressed his pride in St. Louis, while WashU’s Chamber Choir serenaded the crowd with “Up, Up and Away.”