January 6, 2023

In this month’s newsletter, we highlight the wide range of well-being offerings available within the department. Whether you’re looking to add movement to your day, improve mindfulness and sleep, focus on personal and professional development, become a better ally, deepen connections with coworkers, or enhance sustainability, we have resources and programs for you.

Department celebrates CRNA Class of 2022

Goldfarb School of Nursing, including the nurse anesthesia program, celebrated its commencement ceremony on Saturday, December 17, 2022, at Powell Symphony Hall. Overall, nine graduates completed their nurse anesthesia education and received a Doctor of Nursing Practice—the first cohort to graduate with a doctoral degree. Congratulations to the entire Class of 2022 Nurse Anesthesia cohort!

A Day in the Life of Waliah RaKhem, CRA

Waliah is originally from St. Louis, MO, and earned her undergraduate degree from Drake University and graduate degree from Washington University. She started her career at Washington University in 2002 in the Sponsored Projects Accounting Office as a Grants Analyst and went on to hold various roles in the Office of Sponsored Research Services and the Department of Pediatrics. She is now the senior research administrator for the department in the research division.

December 2, 2022

In this month’s newsletter, we explore the transformative power of feedback in shaping a positive culture. While feedback can be challenging, it is an act of caring that helps challenge assumptions, foster open dialogue, and create a community of support.

WashU, pharmacy scientists alter fentanyl, aim to make it less lethal, less addictive (Links to an external site)

fentanyl

A research team, led by scientists at the Center for Clinical Pharmacology at Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in St. Louis, have altered the chemical properties of fentanyl and the way that it binds to opioid receptors on nerve cells. The goal is to improve the drug’s safety profile without eliminating its ability to alleviate pain.

Majumdar Featured in Nature Chemical Biology (Links to an external site)

The paper highlights the work of Susruta Majumdar, Ph.D., associate professor of medicinal chemistry and pharmacology at University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, and his colleagues who examined the molecular differences between LFT and MP, and how they bind to MU opioid receptors.

Study elucidates mechanism of lipid regulation of ion channels

In a recent study published in Nature Communications on November 17, 2022, Wayland Cheng, MD, PhD, and colleagues solved the structure of a pentameric ligand-gated ion channel in an open-channel conformation using single particle cryo-electron microscopy.