News & Events

We are honored to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating McDonnell Scholars at the 2025 Recognition Ceremony on May 13—a remarkable group of WashU students representing a wide range of disciplines and global perspectives.

In Spring 2025, McDonnell Academy Scholars had the opportunity to engage with Dr. Jaymin Amin, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Corning Incorporated, as part of the Academy’s Lunch with a Leader series.

Through immersive experiences at iconic landmarks, esteemed cultural institutions, and the heart of the world’s financial hub, the Scholars gained invaluable insights. Explore the reflections and lessons learned from several McDonnell Scholars, who discovered new dimensions of leadership and community during the 2025 Cohort Trip to New York City.

Eleven distinguished senior McDonnell Scholars competed for top honors and recognition at the annual McDonnell Academy PhD-in-3D competition held on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.

Young-Shin Jun, professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering, is among seven faculty members at WashU and 471 new fellows selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the most distinct honors in the scientific community.

The McDonnell International Scholars Academy 2020, 2023, and 2024 cohorts recently concluded a transformative trip to New York City from March 8-12, 2025. Designed to expand the Scholars’ global perspectives, leadership skills, and sense of community, the trip offered invaluable experiences through visits to iconic landmarks, cultural institutions, and the world’s financial epicenter.

The McDonnell Academy hosted an insightful S.T. Lee Endowed Lectureship at WashU and reception featuring Dr. Sam Myers, who explored the critical intersection of human health and environmental stability.

WashU’s McDonnell International Scholars Academy is pleased to share that the Mark S. Wrighton Award will now be $25,000, beginning in 2025—more than doubling from its previous amount of $10,000.

Thanks to the incredible support of our McDonnell Academy Alumni, we achieved our goal of providing 22 personalized welcome letters to the 2024 cohort of McDonnell Scholars.

Robert Kasumba, a 3rd-year McDonnell Scholar, is making a meaningful impact as a board member of the Harambee Center, a nonprofit fostering cultural exchange between East Africa and North America.

Through this comprehensive and hopeful perspective, Dr. Samuel Myers, MD, MPH will present strategies to mitigate environmental changes, including controlling toxic exposures, investing in clean energy, and improving urban design.

On November 9, 2024, the McDonnell Scholars brought the Global Food Science Experience to Saint Louis Science Center Sci-FEAST.

Through immersive experiences at iconic landmarks, esteemed cultural institutions, and the heart of the world’s financial hub, the Scholars gained invaluable insights. Explore the reflections and lessons learned from several McDonnell Scholars, who discovered new dimensions of leadership and community during the 2025 Cohort Trip to New York City.

Robert Kasumba, a 3rd-year McDonnell Scholar, is making a meaningful impact as a board member of the Harambee Center, a nonprofit fostering cultural exchange between East Africa and North America.

On November 9, 2024, the McDonnell Scholars brought the Global Food Science Experience to Saint Louis Science Center Sci-FEAST.

The McDonnell International Scholars Academy is dedicated to facilitating opportunities for Scholars to engage with global industry leaders to enhance their professional development and advance their careers.

This visit was to allow the Scholars to explore career opportunities within the Purina enterprise and allow our friends at Purina to meet Scholars from various disciplines.

The McDonnell Academy takes pride in recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of McDonnell Scholar Allison Martinez Mejia, who continues to distinguish herself through remarkable academic and research achievements.

As a McDonnell Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis, I’ve been fortunate to be part of a diverse and supportive academic network.

Washington, DC: A monumental recall

During a special visit to Bayer Crop Science in St. Louis, over 20 McDonnell Scholars had the opportunity to network with experts across multiple sectors during panel sessions. They also gained firsthand knowledge of Bayer’s unique B4U Program and its impact on healthcare and agriculture.

By: Jorge Concha and Felipe Quaassdorff, McDonnell Scholars

by Tewodros Liyew, McDonnell Scholar

Jorge Concha Tagle, McDonnell Scholar

Eleven distinguished senior McDonnell Scholars competed for top honors and recognition at the annual McDonnell Academy PhD-in-3D competition held on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.

Robert Kasumba, a 3rd-year McDonnell Scholar, is making a meaningful impact as a board member of the Harambee Center, a nonprofit fostering cultural exchange between East Africa and North America.

The McDonnell Academy takes pride in recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of McDonnell Scholar Allison Martinez Mejia, who continues to distinguish herself through remarkable academic and research achievements.

As a McDonnell Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis, I’ve been fortunate to be part of a diverse and supportive academic network.

By: Jorge Concha and Felipe Quaassdorff, McDonnell Scholars

Sherria Ayuandini, a devoted board game fan, frequently hosted game nights with the McDonnell Academy Scholars when she lived in St. Louis. Dr. Ayuandini is a McDonnell Academy alumnus and partner Scholar from the University of Indonesia. Her 30th birthday bash, a colossal game night, became the “highlight of her decade” as many Scholars joined […]

Young-Shin Jun, professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering, is among seven faculty members at WashU and 471 new fellows selected by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the most distinct honors in the scientific community.

A total of 20 projects won, allowing research examining a whole host of issues, from the cyber defense of medical devices to the impacts of affordable housing on physical activity and health in Brazil. Funding for this year’s cycle is made possible with support from the Office of the Provost, the “Here and Next” strategic plan, and the Millard family gift to the McDonnell International Scholars Academy. By the numbers

Nurturing research through Global Accelerator Grants Since its 2020 inception, the McDonnell Academy Seed Grant initiative has served as researchers’ starting point. This year, we expanded it by integrating the McDonnell Academy Global Accelerator Grant, enhancing opportunities for endeavors gaining momentum. This crucial support nurtures initial ideas, ensures preliminary data collection, and propels projects to […]

ICHAD Director Fred Ssewamala and Dr. Mary McKay discuss engaging adolescents in research and policy on Uganda’s morning show at NTV

The key objective of the Global Health Seed Funding effort was to help stimulate new global health research collaborations, strengthen existing partnerships and projects, and help faculty become more competitive for larger, extramural grant opportunities. 

This year’s awards are made possible by the McDonnell International Scholars Academy and the Office of the Provost’s joint investment of nearly half a million dollars.

Proscovia Nabunya, assistant professor at the Brown School and Co-Director of the International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD); and Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, have received a five-year $1.2 million research grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to address depression among youth living with HIV in Uganda.

The McDonnell International Scholars Academy is pleased to announce the second cycle of its Global Incubator Seed Grants Initiative.

Professors of radiation oncology at Washington University in St. Louis are teaming up with the Uganda Cancer Institute and Makerere University School of Medicine in Africa to modernize radiation therapy for cancer patients. WashU’s collaboration with the Uganda Cancer Institute is supported by the McDonnell Academy’s 2021 Global Incubator Seed Grant initiative. Makerere University is […]

The McDonnell Academy COVID-19 Seed Grant Initiative reports positive outcomes in the first year since the project’s launch in October 2020. The initiative awarded $250,000 total to kick-start 10 research projects chosen from a highly competitive applicant pool, which included 34 WashU teams from six of the university’s schools and 23 partner institutions. The projects address the international social, […]

The China Journal of Social Work has honored work by an international team of scholars with the 2020 Best Article award for their study on the rebirth of social work in mainland China. The international team includes scholars from Saint Louis University, Peking University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Washington University’s Center for Social Development. In a […]

We are honored to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating McDonnell Scholars at the 2025 Recognition Ceremony on May 13—a remarkable group of WashU students representing a wide range of disciplines and global perspectives.

In Spring 2025, McDonnell Academy Scholars had the opportunity to engage with Dr. Jaymin Amin, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Corning Incorporated, as part of the Academy’s Lunch with a Leader series.

The McDonnell Academy hosted an insightful S.T. Lee Endowed Lectureship at WashU and reception featuring Dr. Sam Myers, who explored the critical intersection of human health and environmental stability.

Through this comprehensive and hopeful perspective, Dr. Samuel Myers, MD, MPH will present strategies to mitigate environmental changes, including controlling toxic exposures, investing in clean energy, and improving urban design.

The McDonnell Scholars Academy is thrilled to partner with the Saint Louis Science Center to bring the “Global Food Science Experience” to the St. Louis community on Nov 9th.

The McDonnell Academy Cabot Corporation-Xinsheng Zhang Endowed Lectureship at Washington University in St. Louis presents a discussion on US-China relations.

The day after WashU’s 2024 commencement, the McDonnell Academy hosted a recognition ceremony to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of our graduating Scholars.

The McDonnell Scholars Academy at Washington University will host its annual recognition ceremony.

Similar to the University of Queensland’s 3MT Competition, this event promises an evening of engaging presentations based on research being conducted at WashU.

Fostering stronger connections, McDonnell Academy introduces Alumni Regional Events—a new initiative for global community engagement. This initiative seeks to engage the St. Louis McDonnell Academy alumni and expand professional networks. We hope this local initiative will serve as a blueprint for similar initiatives among our regional alumni, both in the US and abroad. Join our […]

At the recent McDonnell Academy Cabot Zhang Lecture, an engaging panel explored the impact of collaboration on innovative healthcare. Zhi Min Sim, director of partnerships and strategy at Tsinghua Medicine – Tsinghua University, along with distinguished leaders of the US China Heartland Association (USHCA) including Min Fan, executive director, and former Missouri governor Bob Holden, chairman and president, shared their insights on the future of innovative healthcare, underscoring the shared commitment to shaping the future of healthcare through collaborative initiatives. 

An Unforgettable Experience: Reflecting on the April 8 Eclipse In the quiet setting of Perryville, Missouri, an extraordinary event unfolded on April 8th, 2024. McDonnell Scholars, WashU faculty, McDonnell Academy collaborators, and guests of John McDonnell and his foundation team, came together for a captivating celestial phenomenon: the total solar eclipse. Despite encountering several traffic […]

We are honored to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating McDonnell Scholars at the 2025 Recognition Ceremony on May 13—a remarkable group of WashU students representing a wide range of disciplines and global perspectives.

WashU’s McDonnell International Scholars Academy is pleased to share that the Mark S. Wrighton Award will now be $25,000, beginning in 2025—more than doubling from its previous amount of $10,000.

Thanks to the incredible support of our McDonnell Academy Alumni, we achieved our goal of providing 22 personalized welcome letters to the 2024 cohort of McDonnell Scholars.

The McDonnell Academy Scholar for Life Initiative aims to enhance and sustain alumni engagement with the McDonnell Academy, WashU, and the St. Louis region through targeted initiatives aligned with WashU’s Here and Next strategic plan. Welcome Letter Writing Alumni write personalized welcome letters to new Scholars, sharing their own experiences and offering guidance. This initiative […]

An honor that recognizes alumni who exemplify global leadership, academic excellence, and a sustained commitment to the mission of the Academy.

Staying engaged with the McDonnell International Scholars Academy can connect you to a network of alumni and Scholars in your community and around the world.

Celebrating Connections: Highlighting the St. Louis McDonnell Academy Alumni Reception We recently had the pleasure of hosting the St. Louis McDonnell Academy Alumni Reception, a great event that brought together a wonderful group St. Louis alumni, along with their families. The event facilitated the reconnection of old friends and the formation of new connections amid […]

Fostering stronger connections, McDonnell Academy introduces Alumni Regional Events—a new initiative for global community engagement. This initiative seeks to engage the St. Louis McDonnell Academy alumni and expand professional networks. We hope this local initiative will serve as a blueprint for similar initiatives among our regional alumni, both in the US and abroad. Join our […]

Introducing Dr. Fernando Lopez, recipient of the 2023 Mark S. Wrighton Award for McDonnell Academy Alumni—an honor that celebrates distinguished alumni who demonstrate outstanding leadership, global engagement, and continued dedication to the values of the McDonnell Academy. In this conversation with Laura Benoist, director of the McDonnell Academy, Dr. Lopez discusses his time as a […]

McDonnell Academy alumna Chuanmei Zhu, who earned her PhD in Plant and Microbial Bioscience from WashU in 2014, recently reconnected with Laura Benoist, director of the McDonnell Academy. Zhu currently serves as the VP of Data Science, Partnership, and Outreach at Premier Strategy Consulting, LLC. Her success is a testament to how McDonnell Academy graduates […]

Sherria Ayuandini, a devoted board game fan, frequently hosted game nights with the McDonnell Academy Scholars when she lived in St. Louis. Dr. Ayuandini is a McDonnell Academy alumnus and partner Scholar from the University of Indonesia. Her 30th birthday bash, a colossal game night, became the “highlight of her decade” as many Scholars joined […]

This year, the McDonnell Academy Flash Mentoring sessions provided opportunities for engagement through a virtual model. Open to all McDonnell Academy Scholars and our alumni around the world, we hosted two sessions during the fall semester and plan to host more sessions in Spring 2023.  Scholars were able to chat one-on-one with multiple alumni about academics, career experiences, […]