Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) stands united by a commitment to research, education, and service. As part of this mission, WashU has appointed the first Larry Shapiro Scholar in Population Health, marking an important step in strengthening research and collaboration in the field.
Population Health Research at WashU
As research has increasingly pointed toward social, environmental, and behavioral factors contributing to health outcomes, WashU recognized a need for a focused effort on identifying the correlations and providing solutions. The university took steps in 2008 by establishing the Institute for Public Health, which served as a catalyst for launching programs such as the Master of Public Health within the Brown School. As the Institute’s work and public health efforts across the Brown School expanded, WashU advanced a transformative initiative. The School of Public Health, the first new school at the university in more than 100 years, opened in January 2025. Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, was welcomed as the Inaugural Margaret C. Ryan Dean of the School of Public Health to launch the school.
Career Development for Junior Faculty at WashU
Complementary to the School of Public Health, the WashU Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) was established in 2007 to accelerate the translation of research into health improvements for the community.
Through the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA), the ICTS supports the KL2 Career Development Awards Program (KL2) aimed at junior faculty. This program has been instrumental in elevating the skills of emerging leaders in translational science through mentored training, research funding, and a collaborative infrastructure. Although this program is grant-funded, WashU extends its impact by replicating the program’s structure and resources through institutionally-funded positions, allocations historically reserved for research in pediatrics and nursing. However, in 2025, this support evolved when William Powderly, MD, J William Campbell Professor of Medicine, ICTS Director, and Former Larry J. Shapiro Director of the Institute for Public Health, saw an opportunity to leverage the program’s structure and success to cultivate leaders in population health research.
United for Population Health Research
With generous support from the Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the School of Public Health and ICTS have established the Larry Shapiro Scholar Award, which will support the training and advancement of promising WashU junior faculty pursuing population health research.
This award honors the extraordinary tenure of Larry Shapiro, a long-time WashU leader and friend. Larry Shapiro, MD, served as Executive Vice Chancellor and Medical School Dean for 12 years. He was instrumental in establishing the Institute for Public Health and built an outstanding clinical program.
John Lynch, MD, President of the Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, shared his enthusiasm for the initiative:
Improving our community is a key goal for our Foundation and we are delighted to honor the legacy of Dr. Larry Shapiro by supporting young clinical scientists who pursue novel approaches to improve population health here in St. Louis, and nationally.
John Lynch, MD
Introducing the First Larry Shapiro Scholar in Population Health
On January 1, 2026, Nicholas Szoko, MD, PhD was appointed as the inaugural Larry Shapiro Scholar in Population Health.
Dr. Szoko is an Assistant Professor in Pediatrics with a secondary appointment at the School of Public Health. With his proposed project, “Addressing Dual Epidemics: Violent Injuries and Substance Use in Adolescents” Dr. Szoko will partner with adolescents and young adults, researchers, clinicians, and other practitioners to study the complex processes influencing substance use treatment in adolescents and young adults, with the goal of improving interventions.
Dr. Szoko’s work on the intersection of two epidemics – violence and drug use – in adolescence is timely and potentially very impactful and we look forward to supporting his career.
William Powderly, MD
Dr. Szoko has expressed his excitement for joining the program and its potential impact:
I am thrilled to be appointed as the inaugural Population Health Research Scholar! As someone who collaborates with investigators across numerous schools and departments, this innovative program aligns with my commitment to cross-cutting interdisciplinary research. By connecting with other early career scholars and honing my professional and leadership skills, I am confident that this training will support my transition to research independence.
Nicholas Szoko, MD, PhD
Through the Larry Shapiro Scholar in Population Health award, Dr. Szoko is hoping to fill gaps in his training and build a broad skillset in data science, community based participatory research, and implementation science.
We are delighted that Dr. Nick Szoko is serving as the first Larry Shapiro scholar. These scholarships—partnerships between the School of Public Health and the ICTS represent our next phase in advancing interdisciplinary population health science and scholarship at WashU. I am looking forward to seeing how Dr. Szoko’s work evolves, to learning from it, and to advancing a cohort of scholars who move forward interdisciplinary work at WashU, nationally, and globally.
Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH