The WashU Public Health Moment

September 14, 2025

WashU Public Health is rapidly expanding with new people, spaces and initiatives. In August, faculty and staff gathered to begin shaping the school’s strategic plan.

Survey shows decline in confidence ahead of flu season

The Lauren and Lee Fixel Distinguished Professor of Public Health talks hunger, nutrition and the promise she sees in the new School of Public Health

The weekly Talking Public Health seminar series features presentations by leading thinkers in public health at WashU and elsewhere.

Maura Kepper, MPH, PhD, assistant professor of public health at the School of Public Health, gave a talk September 10 titled, "From Insight to Impact: Designing Sustainable, Context-Aware, and Personalized Care for Chronic Conditions."

This week, Ginger McKay, MA, PhD, assistant professor of public health at the School of Public Health, will speak at noon Wednesday, September 17, on "Reducing Excessive Antibiotic Use in Pediatric Surgeries, and the Future of Implementation Science in Antibiotic Stewardship." The talk will be in the Havana Room, on the second floor of 4240 Duncan Avenue, and also will be available via Zoom.

Morven McLean, MSc, PhD, the executive director of networks and innovation, director of the Food and Agriculture Research Mission (FARM), and professor of practice at WashU Public Health, has joined the external advisory board of H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech, a new startup incubator program designed to accelerate the vetting, development, and growth of early-stage agricultural ventures.

Morgan Shields, MS, PhD, an assistant professor at WashU Public Health, delivered a keynote address titled, "The Value of Trust as a North Star in Helping Services, and How we Might Get There," at the National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy's annual conference last week.

WashU Public Health’s Rodrigo Reis talked with KMOX about his study highlighting major gaps in access to healthy food, transportation and open spaces in the city — especially in north St. Louis. (Source: KMOX)

Nearly half (47%) of St. Louis adults surveyed reported hearing about a recall of “radioactive shrimp” in the last seven days; only 18% reported hearing about wide racial gaps in infant mortality in Missouri during the same time. 

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

Mohammed Abba-Aji, MD, MPH, a lecturer in WashU's Public Health & Society program and the special projects manager at WashU Public Health, co-authored an editorial, "Countering the arms industry as a commercial determinant of health," in the British Medical Journal. The editorial is part of a series on the role of the arms trade in health.

WashU Public Health's Matthew Kreuter, MPH, PhD, the Kahn Family Professor of Public Health; Rachel Garg, MPH, PhD, an assistant professor; Alexis Marsh, LCSW, the network manager for the Health Communications Collaborative Innovation Research Network; Olivia Weng, MSPH, a doctoral student in public health sciences; Victoria De La Vega, MPH, a research project coordinator; Cameron Dunn, a research assistant; and Kimberly Johnson, MPH, PhD, a professor at the Brown School and a member of the secondary faculty at WashU Public Health; co-authored,"Wastewater monitoring: improving public awareness and understanding in the United States, May 2024," published in Public Health Reports.

Todd Combs, MA, PhD, a research assistant professor at WashU Public Health, and Veronica Chaitan, MPH, a senior data analyst at WashU Public Health's Center for Public Health Systems Science, co-authored, "Feasibility and impact of local retail tobacco policy in the United States: views from research and practice," published in Health Promotion Practice.

During a Public Health Ideas conversation, Dean Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, asks Phillip Marotta, PhD, an assistant professor at the Brown School and a secondary faculty member at WashU Public Health, what he is hopeful about. The question capped a discussion about how the criminal justice system affects health disparities, harm reduction and substance use.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube →

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.

 Visit schoolofpublichealth.washu.edu for the latest news and information, and follow us on social media.