Ssewamala receives NIH grant to train Ugandan researchers

A $1.5 million grant will provide state-of-the-art training for 18 early-career researchers in Uganda to strengthen the capacity of research institutions in the country to address HIV/AIDS and its burden on child and adolescent mental health. The five-year program will be led by Fred Ssewamala, the William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor at the Brown School and […]

Africa initiative

Developing transitions at the Africa Initiative

Benjamin Akande, assistant vice chancellor for international affairs-Africa and associate director of the Global Health Center at Washington University in St. Louis, has been named president of Champlain College in Vermont, effective July 1. During the past two years, the Africa initiative made headway on multiple fronts. The number of African students applying to the Graduate School […]

Water well Uganda

For a school in Uganda, clean water

The Washington University chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) has partnered with Bulubandi Primary School in Iganga, Uganda, to create an improved source for potable water. Students at the school did not have an inexpensive, clean source of water that was available for daily use, so EWB has instituted a five-year partnership with Bulubandi. The […]

Ssewamala Fred

Through financial literacy, empowerment for women

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, with Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda accounting for 48% of new infections. Women in sex work are at increased risk, and poverty is the most common reason for sex work. Nearly 1,000 women engaged in sex work in Uganda are being provided with savings […]

Benjamin Akande, director of the Africa initiative at Washington University in St. Louis, discusses the Initiative's progress at its inaugural meeting April 23.

Engaging with Africa

April 23, Washington University in St. Louis hosted the inaugural meeting of the university’s Africa initiative. The Africa initiative was founded in 2018 to enhance the university’s impact on the continent through research, teaching and entrepreneurship. Benjamin Akande, assistant vice chancellor for international affairs-Africa, reported at the meeting that there are 128 faculty members engaged […]

Child/Project Peanut Butter

Help for those who need it most: Fighting global childhood malnutrition

UNICEF estimates that some 16 million children under the age of five suffer from severe acute malnutrition. It is the largest contributor to child mortality in the world. To better serve in his capacity treating and studying global malnutrition, Washington University alum Zach Linneman completed the post-baccalaureate premedical program in University College at Washington University […]

Swollen legs of man with elephantiasis.

Hope in the fight against a devastating disease

Research led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to issue new guidelines for treating lymphatic filariasis – a devastating tropical disease that can cause elephantiasis. An estimated 70 million people worldwide are infected with the disease, which is spread by mosquitoes. It can cause massive […]

Mosquito on hand

Key findings could lead to new treatments for malaria

Sebastian Nasamu, an MD/PhD student at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, battled successive bouts of malaria as a child growing up in Ghana. He survived ­– and has committed himself to eradicating the disease. Now Nasamu, Daniel Goldberg, MD, PhD, and colleagues have identified two crucial enzymes in the malarial parasite’s arsenal: […]

Group of women bakers in Culver in Rwanda

Making an impact in the world

Washington University MBA student Markie Culver is driven by a desire to make a positive impact in the world. Culver is founder of The Women’s Bakery, a social enterprise that trains East African women to build, operate, manage and sustain their own bakeries, empowering them to invest in their health, their families and their communities. […]

Woman Baking in Rwanda bakery

Daily Bread: Economically empowering Women in rural Africa

For the second year in a row, a CEL Practicum team is traveling to Rwanda to consult for The Women’s Bakery (TWB), founded by Olin second year MBA Markey Culver. TWB offers women in rural Africa access to business education, life skills, and applied baking and nutrition skills. TWB’s training courses empower women to create […]