February 22, 2026

A new study by researchers at WashU School of Public Health shows that falls are tightly linked to Alzheimer's disease. The findings indicate that older adults with a history of falls experience significantly faster cognitive decline than those with no such history.

Annie Mayer Bridwell has been named executive director of the Ryan Institute for Interdisciplinary Health Solutions at WashU Public Health. She will oversee institute initiatives and expand cross-sector partnerships to address health challenges.

High prescription drug prices are not caused by any single company or practice, but by the system itself, says WashU Law's Rachel Sachs, a member of the WashU Public Health secondary faculty.

Tyler Frank is one of several WashU Public Health doctoral students who will graduate this spring with a PhD. He talks here about his research focus and his time at WashU.

Syeed Iskander, an assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at North Dakota State University, gave a talk Tuesday, February 17. His presentation was titled, "Environmental systems in exposure pathways: Linking lifestyle, environmental, and human health."

Also last week, Andrew Medina-Marino, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, gave a talk Thursday, February 19, titled, “Addressing inequities in tuberculosis care: Men’s health and diagnostic service delivery."

Media coverage of WashU Public Health's people, research, and other news.

WashU Public Health's Matthew Kreuter joins KMOX's Total Information A.M. show to discusses iHeard, a health listening project that aims to find out what local people know, believe and care about in regard to health. (Source: KMOX)

WashU Public Health's Tim McBride, a health policy expert, says that the Rural Health Transformation Fund doesn't offset the losses to rural hospitals due to Medicaid cuts in President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill." (Source: The Daily Yonder)

WashU Law's Rachel Sachs, a member of the WashU Public Health secondary faculty, says a new federal program that leverages the power of Medicaid can help states that struggle to negotiate pricing agreements for high-cost therapies on their own. (Source: Washington Post)

Hey, Valentine, did you know that February is Heart Health Month? We asked St. Louis adults to name three things a person can do to keep their heart healthy. We received 516 answers. Here’s what we learned.

iHeard is a listening project of the Health Communication Research Laboratory at WashU Public Health. 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.

WashU Public Health faculty members Lindsay Stark, a professor; Ilana Seff, a research associate professor; and Lora Iannotti, the Lauren and Lee Fixel Distinguished Professor, co-authored, "Parenting under the triple burden of violence, depression, and poor diet quality: An intergenerational mother-child syndemic in Nepal," published in PLoS Global Public Health.

WashU Public Health secondary faculty members Peter U. Fischer, a professor, and Philip Budge, an associate professor, both at WashU Medicine, co-authored, "The Death to Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic Filariasis (DOLF) project: Accomplishments and ongoing research," published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Fischer is the director, and Budge is the director of clinical research for the DOLF project.

WashU Public Health secondary faculty members Hannah Szlyk, an assistant professor, and Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, a professor, both at WashU Medicine, co-authored, "Comparing pregnant and postpartum client and provider feedback on a digital health intervention for substance use recovery: A qualitative study," published in JMIR Formative Research.

In this episode, "Aging safely and independently at home," host Salma Abdalla speaks with Susy Stark, a professor at WashU Public Health, about the role of the home environment in shaping health outcomes for older adults.

Drawing on decades of experience as an occupational therapist and community-based researcher, Stark discusses why falls are not inevitable, but are instead a result of the mismatch between how homes are designed and how our bodies age. The conversation explores the promise of community-based care, the challenges of translating evidence into policy, and why aging is as much a societal issue as an individual challenge.

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

In The Healthiest Goldfish this week, Dean Galea co-authors a piece with Salma Abdalla, WashU Public Health assistant professor. They write about, "A Purple Public Health: What is public health for? Revisiting our core purpose in a polarized world."

Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 4 p.m. CT
At WashU and online

Better Ways of Knowing is a multiyear initiative led by the Healthier Futures Lab at WashU School of Public Health, in collaboration with the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research. The focus of this initiative’s convening is “Asking Better Questions to Improve the Health of Populations.” 

Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 9 a.m. CT
At WashU and online

This symposium brings together leading voices to consider the future for global health amid reduced commitments to health-related development assistance, as well as calls to reform or replace the institutions underpinning global health policy and coordination since the end of World War II.

1 Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130

[email protected]

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