July Medical News from Missouri Cures

July 2019 | E-Newsletter

Missouri Cures Education Foundation is a statewide non-profit alliance working to promote & protect medical advances to improve the health of Missourians and stimulate the economy in our state. Donations are tax-deductible & support education and outreach programs.

Director's Notes:

Thank you to our supporters in Kansas City for making the K.C. Women in Science, Entrepreneurship & Research (WISER) conference a great success. Over 150 women attended the event that highlighted two panel discussions focused on Kansas City women in science, research, innovation and entrepreneurship. Panelists discussed the success and challenges they have faced in male dominated fields, the importance of mentorship and believing in yourself to achieve your goals. Nominating female colleagues and making sure women’s voices are heard on boards and committees plays an important role as women make their way to the top in these fields. One general theme that was heard throughout the conference was that Kansas City is a supportive and engaging community for women in science, entrepreneurship and research.

Learn more about the Missouri Cures Education Foundation’s WISER events.

Kindest regards,

Dena Ladd

Executive Director

Missouri Cures

[email protected]

News Around Missouri:

University of Missouri:

MU launches Precision Medicine Institute

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MU Dean discovers multifaceted inspiration

Washington University:

Alzheimer’s missing link ID’d, answering what tips brain’s decline

Danforth Center:

New research reveals sustainable method to produce lifesaving opiate antidotes at a reduced cost

Spotlight:

WISE Woman:

Dr. Randi Foraker is the Director of the Center for Population Health Informatics at the Institute for Informatics and an Associate Professor of General Medical Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr. Foraker also serves as Director of the Public Health Data and Training Center for the Institute for Public Health where she is focused on applying epidemiology and informatics techniques to solve problems in the population health domain. Dr. Foraker specializes in the design of population-based studies and the integration of electronic health record data with socioeconomic indicators, and is well recognized in the field of cardiovascular disease epidemiology. Her recent research has focused on the application of clinical decision support to complement risk scoring in primary care, cardiology, and oncology. Learn more about her work.

Meet a Researcher

Toni Kutchen, Ph. D. serves as Vice President for Research and is the Oliver M. Langenberg Distinguished Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Research in Dr. Kutchen’s lab is aimed at elucidating the biosynthetic pathways of selected medicinal compounds in plants and developing improved sources of these chemicals. The lab investigates how plants make special chemicals called natural products. These chemicals frequently are used as medicines, either as pure compounds by pharmaceutical industry, or as mixtures in traditional medicines. Recently, her lab discovered a way to produce life-saving opiate antidotes at a fraction of the cost. You can read more about her fascinating research here.