SPH convening this week

Science for Health Systems symposium

WashU School of Public Health, in partnership with the QuEST Network and WashU Medicine, will host the inaugural Science for Health Systems symposium this week on the Danforth Campus and online. The event, Wednesday, October 29 through Friday, October 31, will bring together global experts to explore how science can drive better performance, policy translation, and large-scale improvement.

Those who wish to attend the full conference in person at the Charles F. Knight Executive Education & Conference Center can find details and register here. Those interested in participating virtually can find details on the livestreamed sessions and register here. 

If you are interested in videos of and stories about SPH’s previous convenings, and details on other upcoming convenings, see the SPH webpage on these events.

From the associate dean for faculty affairs

Writing Accountability Groups

Danforth Faculty Affairs and Diversity is hosting Writing Accountability Groups (WAGs) for Danforth Campus untenured (tenure-track) professors. Faculty are invited to join the groups to develop a writing community for the 2025-2026 year. Members participate in three-hour writing and learning sessions once or twice a month. The first and last 10 to 15 minutes are spent identifying and reporting back on two to three writing goals for that session; 20 minutes are spent learning or refining “writing for productivity”; and the remaining time is spent writing independently while in community. The writing accountability groups will begin Wednesday, October 29, and go through April 15. 

Making teaching and research public

The Making Teaching & Research Public with Pressbooks event will be noon to 1 p.m. Friday, October 31, in the John M. Olin Library, Room 142. In this session, you will learn how WashU’s Pressbooks platform offers a direct path to publishing, along with practical strategies for writing public-facing scholarship. They will highlight the kinds of projects where Pressbooks excel — from class notes and lecture materials to dissertation chapters, works in progress, and reflective pieces for professional peers — and how open licensing lets authors control and expand their scholarly impact. 

Faculty success forums

The Office of the Provost has a new resource available to faculty who joined WashU during the 2024-2025 or 2025-2026 academic years. The Faculty Success Forums are designed to help orient new faculty to St. Louis, learn about funding opportunities, understand the tenure pathway, and build a successful academic career at WashU. These will begin October 28 and go through April 14.

From the interim associate dean for research

Funding opportunities

The Washington University Advancing Cancer Control Engaged Research Through Transformative Solutions (WashU-ACCERT) program is accepting applications for its Community Responsive Pilot Studies. The program provides up to $90,000 a year for two years to support projects. Letters of intent are due by 5 p.m. November 17, with full applications due March 1. Virtual information sessions begin October 27. 

SPH’s Center for Diabetes Translation Research is accepting grant applications for innovative translational research aimed at reducing the burden of diabetes. The program offers pilot grants of up to $50,000 for one year to support new clinical or translational projects. Letters of intent are due December 8 with full proposals due January 12. The program also offers small project grants of up to $5,000 for focused data collection or analysis, with applications accepted on a rolling basis. For more information or to apply, visit the Diabetes Pilot & Feasibility Program webpage. 

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Research Grant Program supports innovative studies aimed at understanding and preventing suicide. For 2024–2026, priority areas include research on ethnic and racial diversity, understudied high-risk populations, and survivors of suicide loss. Grants are open to investigators across disciplines, and fund both basic and applied research that includes a suicide outcome measure. Seven categories of grants are available, with awards up to $500,000 per year for three years, with a two-year funding window for most mechanisms. For more information on criteria and the application processes, visit this page on suicide prevention research grants. 

The Cancer Research Foundation Young Investigator Award supports early-career scientists launching independent research careers. This program provides funding to help generate critical preliminary data and strengthen applications for future external funding opportunities. Awardees receive about $100,000 over two years to advance innovative cancer research. Applications are due November 10. 

The CDC has released forecasted funding opportunities under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). These grants are designed to strengthen HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services across sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on health system resilience and equitable access to care. Prospective applicants are encouraged to explore related and upcoming CDC and HHS opportunities in the similar opportunities section for aligned funding aimed at advancing global HIV/AIDS relief and capacity building. For more details, visit the CDC PEPFAR Forecast on grants.gov.

Seminar on building a diverse funding portfolio

The next session of the Young Physician-Scientist series, “Building a Diverse Funding Portfolio,” brings experts from WashU Medicine and other research institutions together to share strategies for building a robust, diversified funding portfolio across foundation, federal, and industry channels. The event will be 3 p.m. November 19 via Zoom only. See details and register. For questions, email Jacqui Hawkins. 

2026 Digital Transformation Research Corps

WashU’s DI2 Accelerator invites WashU faculty and campus partners to submit proposals for the 2026 Digital Transformation Research Corps, a 10-week summer program that pairs faculty-led teams with student developers and data scientists to build AI- and software-driven research solutions. Selected teams receive comprehensive support — including student collaborators, technical project management, mentor guidance, and access to research infrastructure — with the aim of producing a viable prototype and positioning the project for external funding. Applications are due January 15. 

Invite a visiting scholar to WashU

The International Distinguished Visiting ScholarsProgram invites field-leading global scholars to visit WashU for short residencies, typically up to nine days, to foster collaboration, cultural exchange, and global-to-local learning. Nominations are welcome from all nationalities with special encouragement for visitors from low- and middle-income countries. The program provides up to $10,000 in funding. Submissions are due Friday, October 31.

SPH events this week

Talking Public Health with Susy Stark

At noon Wednesday, October 29, Susy Stark, PhD, professor of public health at the School of Public Health, will give a talk titled, “No Place Like Home.” The talk will be in the Havana Room, on the second floor of 4240 Duncan Avenue. The talk also will be available over Zoom. 

Other events this week

Staff Council Fall Forum; chancellor, Dean Galea among speakers

The Danforth Staff Council Fall Forum will take place 9 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, October 28, in Emerson Auditorium in Knight Hall and also will be available via Zoom. A light breakfast will be provided. Speakers at this event will be: Chancellor Andrew D. Martin; Nichol Luoma, executive vice chancellor for administration & chief administrative officer; David Gray, executive vice chancellor for finance and chief financial officer; Sandro Galea, the Margaret C. Ryan Dean, School of Public Health; Apryle Gladney, vice chancellor and human resources officer; and Haley Dolosic, Danforth Staff Council chair. Register here to attend in person or over Zoom.

Learn about Computational and Data Sciences PhD program

Data-minded students interested in learning about the Computational and Data Sciences PhD program are invited to a virtual information session at 4 p.m. Tuesday, October 28. Students choose among four academic tracks. SPH Professor Patrick Fowler, PhD, chairs the Public Health and Social Work track. Register here for more information.

Looking ahead

An introduction to the scholarship of WashU’s provost

At 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 4, WashU Provost Mark D. West will give an Assembly Series talk at Graham Chapel. The talk is titled, “An Introduction to the Scholarship of WashU’s Provost: Life and Love; Systems and Stories — and Japanese Law.” Register here. 

Skandalaris and public health entrepreneurship

From 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 4, the Skandalaris Center will host an event introducing opportunities for public health students, faculty and staff to engage with WashU’s innovation and startup ecosystem. From Launchpad to the Skandalaris Venture Competition, attendees will learn how entrepreneurship can shape their practicum and career paths. The event also includes pizza and informal conversation. Register for the public health entrepreneurship meeting.

Global Research Excellence Showcase

From 1:30 to 7 p.m. November 10, the Global Research Excellence Showcase in Hillman Hall’s Clark-Fox Forum will showcase WashU research from across borders and disciplines. Featured presenters are recipients of Global Incubator Seed Grants, which aim to harness the power of international partnerships to advance innovative research. The program culminates with awards and recognition. See here for details and to register.

Environmental research gathering

From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. November 13 in Umrath Lounge, the Center for the Environment invites WashU graduate students to attend the Graduate Student Interdisciplinary Environmental Research Dinner, an evening of presentations on climate scholarship with networking, community building and dinner. See here for details and to register.

Advancing diabetes research webinar

The Intergenerational Diabetes Research via Home Visiting Networks (IDRN) core — a collaboration between the WashU Center for Diabetes Translation Research and the national Parents as Teachers home-visiting program — is hosting a webinar from noon to 1 p.m. November 14. IDRN provides services to help investigators translate research into solutions aimed at preventing the familial transmission of type 2 diabetes, and improving population health. The webinar will explore how researchers can engage with the data and services available through IDRN. See here for details and to register.

Enola Proctor lecture on implementation science

The annual Enola Proctor Lecture will be at 9 a.m. November 21 in Holmes Lounge on the Danforth Campus and also will be available via webinar. Sponsored by SPH’s Dissemination & Implementation Science Innovation Research Network (DISIRN), the lecture will feature Greg Aarons, PhD, of the University of California, San Diego, who will speak on, “The Why and How of Leadership and Teamwork for Implementation.” See the lecture page for details and to register.Because of space constraints, registration is required.

SPH Toolbox

Let us know 

If you have SPH news, events or research to share, please send details to sphcomms@wustl.edu or  Elizabethe Holland Durando, SPH director of communications and change management.