The WashU Public Health Moment

September 7, 2025

In livability analysis, city scores well on walkability, poorly on quality of public policy

Working in partnership with communities, WashU School of Public Health launches a new initiative to improve nutrition and health locally, nationally and globally.

WashU Public Health assistant professor works to identify and address barriers that prevent individuals from accessing consistent, effective care

Dean Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, talks with Morgan Shields MS, PhD, an assistant professor at WashU School of Public Health, about mental health, substance use, and the personal autonomy of those with mental illness.

In this episode, Maria Glymour, ScD, a professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health, speaks with host Salma Abdalla, MBBS, DrPH, an assistant professor at WashU School of Public Health, about capturing complex social phenomena impacting health in research and the landscape of dementia research. From asking the right questions to identifying appropriate methods and data, thinking about who the evidence will be useful for, and understanding the potential influences of funders, the conversation explores how research can help change policies.

"Complicating the Narrative” is hosted by Professor Abdalla and supported by WashU Public Health and the Frick Initiative.

The weekly Talking Public Health seminar series features presentations by leading thinkers in public health at WashU and elsewhere. Speakers present their work and engage with the audience to advance the ideas that shape public health. Mary Politi, PhD, a professor at WashU Public Health, spoke September 3 on "Multilevel Interventions Supporting Health Decisions Across Settings."

This week, Maura Kepper, MPH, PhD, assistant professor at WashU Public Health, will speak at noon Wednesday, September 10, on “From insight to impact: Designing sustainable, context-aware, and personalized care for chronic conditions.” The talk will be held in the Havana Room, on the second floor of 4240 Duncan Avenue and also will be available via Zoom.

Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, the Margaret C. Ryan Dean of the School of Public Health, the Eugene S. and Constance Kahn Distinguished Professor in Public Health, and the vice provost for interdisciplinary initiatives at Washington University, will deliver the keynote address for the 2025 Homer G. Phillips Public Health Lecture Series on Friday, October 10. His talk is titled “Why Health? What We Need to Think About When We Think About Health.” The lecture series honors the legacy of Homer G. Phillips Hospital, once the premier training ground for African American medical professionals and a cornerstone of culturally competent care in St. Louis.

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Patrick Aguilar, MD, the managing director of health at WashU Olin Business and a secondary faculty member at WashU Public Health, says that people who don’t meet the restricted eligibility criteria can still obtain a COVID-19 vaccine, but the increased difficulty will deter some. (Source: St. Louis Public Radio)

As of July, St. Louisans exposed to nuclear waste are eligible to apply for compensation under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Awareness of the compensation reached its highest point in over a month this week (46%), up 13% from the prior week.

iHeard is a listening project of WashU Public Health's Health Communication Research Laboratory. iHeard surveys about 200 people weekly who live or work in St. Louis to find out what they know, believe and care about in regard to health.

Elvin Geng, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine at WashU Medicine and a secondary faculty member at WashU Public Health, co-authored, "Identifying care gaps along the HIV treatment failure cascade: A multistate analysis of viral load monitoring, re-suppression, and regimen switches in Zambia," published in PLOS Medicine.

WashU Public Health Assistant Professor Lindsey Filiatreau, MPH, PhD, and WashU Public Health secondary faculty Devin E. Banks, MS, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry at WashU Medicine; Phillip Marotta, MPH, PhD, an assistant professor at the Brown School and a secondary faculty member at WashU Public Health; and Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, PhD, a professor of psychiatry at WashU Medicine and secondary faculty at the School of Public Health, co-authored, "Attitudes and Subjective Norms Regarding Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Among Individuals in Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in the Greater St. Louis Area," published in the Journal of Drug Issues.

Ross Brownson, PhD, the Steven H. and Susan U. Lipstein Distinguished Professor at WashU Public Health, co-authored, "Sustainability of a Cash Transfer Program in Malawi: A CANCaRe Africa "Zero Abandonment" Pilot," published in Pediatric Blood & Cancer.

WashU School of Public Health’s first official students have begun their first semester at the newly established school.

Students come from a range of backgrounds — some are recent college graduates; others, experienced professionals pursuing new paths in public health. Together, they will work on advancing health equity and improving population health through education, research, and practice.

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Public Health Ideas convenings

Tuesday, September 23, 4 p.m. CT
At WashU and online

Join leading experts as they discuss policy frameworks, community solutions, and actionable strategies needed to protect and enhance biodiversity for food and nutrition security.

The WashU Public Health Moment is published by the School of Public Health Office of Communications. You can reach us at sphcomms@wustl.edu.

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