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The name Charles Fleming might not be universally known in St. Louis, but it should be. The first African American graduate of Washington University’s University College with a B.A. in architecture in 1961, Fleming would go on to become one of the most successful Modernist architects in St. Louis, with offices across the country in Atlanta, Washington D.C., and San Francisco. And, at a time when federal assistance in home mortgages discriminated against African Americans, he helped members of his community work toward home ownership. Fleming died in St. Louis on July 8, 2024.

Area health systems including BJC HealthCare and WashU are addressing community concerns by collaborating on the Community Health Needs Assessment, investing in local businesses, donating, volunteering, and more.

Physicians, scientists, patients and WashU leaders — all united in hope — gathered Sept. 10 to celebrate the new home for world-class cancer care on the Washington University Medical Campus. The nine-story, 657,250-square-foot building will be devoted exclusively to outpatient care at Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and will welcome its first patients Sept. 30.

How do older adults understand and experience ageism? The Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging, at WashU is organizing community focus groups to increase knowledge about ageism for intervention development. 

Mark Kamimura-Jiménez has been instrumental in Washington University’s efforts to center diversity and inclusion for the entire student body and university community, fostering a learning environment that enriches and supports students from all backgrounds.

The Great Rivers Biennial, an arts collaboration between the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM) and the Gateway Foundation that spotlights and challenges local artists, will open at CAM on September 6. Three St. Louis artists have been chosen to display new work including Ronald Young, a WashU alum who is known for his use of mixed-media and sculptural assemblage. Young uses found materials (for instance, ropes, bricks, and nails) to create works that speak to his environment and the resilient history of Black Americans.

Carla Bailey, director of learning and development for Human Resources at WashU, has been named one of Women We Admire’s “Top 50 Women Leaders of St. Louis for 2024” for her development and delivery of leadership and team-building programs and workshops.

A new cancer center, under construction for three years, will open to patients at the end of September. Siteman Cancer Center’s new nine-story, 657,250-square-foot building, located at 4500 Forest Park Ave. on Washington University’s medical school campus, is slated to open Sept. 30. Siteman, a collaboration of BJC Health Care’s Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, said the building will be dedicated exclusively to outpatient cancer care.

A 2019 Washington University Environmental Racism report found Black and low-income residents bear the brunt of the region’s unhealthy air quality. The report was a breath of fresh air to those affected by the region’s poor air quality. It was also a wake-up call for churches within the report’s most at-risk communities, many of which stepped up to work toward drastically increasing the area’s air quality monitoring capability.

When Kamala Harris and Donald Trump faceoff in a presidential debate Tuesday in Philadelphia, the atmosphere will be much different than what’s taken place at Washington University for more than 30 years.