| ||||||||
 | ||||||||
 | ||||||||
| Sept. 28, 2006 | ||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
 | Of note Bruce Backus, assistant vice chancellor for Environmental Health & Safety, recently received a certificate of appreciation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in recognition of his "outstanding contribution and commitment as chair of the Colleges and Universities Sector Coordinating Committee (2003-06) and to a sustainable future for colleges and universities." ... Larry Taber, Ph.D., professor of biomedical engineering, recently received two four-year grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and one four-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). From NIH he received $1,214,615 for "Computational Modeling of Developmental Processes," and $1,464,619 for "Computational and Experimental Study of Early Cardiac Morphogenesis." From NSF he received $987,000 for "Mathematical Models of Brain Morphogenesis." ... Anne Rihanek, clinical social worker in the Division of Oncology, has been selected by the Top Ladies of Distinction Inc., to receive its "Breast Cancer Pink Orchid Honor" for her work with the Living With Breast Cancer Education & Support Group offered through the Siteman Cancer Center. Top Ladies of Distinction Inc. is a national organization composed of professional women who are dedicated to ensuring a better quality of life for youth, women, senior citizens and the beautification of the environment. ... Linda B. Cottler, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology in psychiatry and director of the Epidemiology and Prevention Research Group, is one of 48 women nationwide chosen for the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women, dedicated to preparing senior women faculty for leadership at academic health centers. In the 12 years since the ELAM program began, Cottler is only the second Washington University representative selected to participate. The other was Leslie E. Kahl, M.D., professor of medicine and associate dean for student affairs. The ELAM curriculum combines traditional master's of business administration training oriented toward the academic health center environment with personal and professional development. ... The Washington University School of Medicine Sleep Medicine Center recently received accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine as a provider of the Accredited Sleep Technologist Education Program. The School of Medicine's center is one of the first sites in the nation to earn the accreditation. The program provides 80 hours of education and 18 months of on-the-job training for the skills required of a sleep technologist. ... Tracy E. Faxel, a biomedical engineering senior, was one of five summer interns at Pfizer-St. Louis to win the company's 2006 Summer Intern Poster Session and Competition. The annual event helps student interns illustrate their research through posters and allows them to talk about their work to hundreds of scientists and business colleagues over the course of two hours. The 34 participants were judged by a panel of Pfizer employees. ... William A. Peck, M.D., the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Medicine and director of the Center for Health Policy, has received a two-year, $331,675 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health for a project titled "The Effects of Missouri Medicaid Cutbacks on Recipients — Measuring Coverage, Care and Health Status Changes." Introducing new faculty members The following are among the new faculty members at the University. Others will be introduced periodically in this space. Markus Baer joins the Olin School of Business as assistant professor of organizational behavior. Baer earned a master's in psychology at the University of Giessen and is expected to complete his doctoral work this fall. His research interests focus on creativity and innovation in organizations considering a wide range of determinants, such as personality, contextual forces and social relationships, including sibling relationships. Radhakrishnan (Radha) Gopalan, Ph.D., joins the Olin School of Business as assistant professor of finance. Gopalan's research focus is on issues surrounding corporate governance. His research includes work relating to emerging markets and family-owned firms within those markets. He has also studied why public firms choose to go private and how institutional investors in the United States influence governance. He earned a doctorate from the University of Michigan. Todd A. Gormley, Ph.D., joins the Olin School of Business as assistant professor of finance. Gormley earned a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006 and wrote his dissertation on banking and corporate finance in developing countries. Gormley's research interests focus on financial markets in poor and developing countries. Gormley was a visiting scholar at the International Monetary Fund in April 2005. Anne Marie Knott, Ph.D., was a visiting assistant professor of entrepreneurship and management during the 2005-06 school year. She joins the Olin faculty as assistant professor of strategy. Knott earned a doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1996. She was an assistant professor of management (part-time) at California State University, Northridge, from 1993-95. Knott was an assistant professor of management at the Wharton School of Business from 1995-2004. Her research examines the optimal environment and policies — economic, industrial and firm — for innovation. Ozge Turut, D.B.A., joins the Olin School of Business as assistant professor of marketing. Turut earned a doctorate from the Harvard Business School, concentrating in marketing. Her work focuses on when firms go public with their innovations and when they choose to keep the innovation to themselves. She has also written about the role market research plays for firms in determining where to commit their research and development dollars: in innovation or imitation. Turut is originally from Turkey and earned an undergraduate degree from Bogazici University in Istanbul in electrical and electronics engineering. She earned an M.B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University. Obituary: Janina Brajtburg, 84 Janina Brajtburg, Ph.D., research associate professor emeritus of infectious diseases, died Saturday, Sept. 9, 2006, of kidney failure in Philadelphia. She was 84. Brajtburg joined the Washington University faculty in 1968, when she and her family emigrated from Poland. She retired in 1993. Notables policy Submit all Notables to | |