This Week@WesternU, Dec. 12-16, 2016
From the College of Graduate Nursing:
WesternU College of Graduate Nursing hosts HealthImpact nursing forum
Nursing leaders discussed how to improve the health of Californians by improving nursing education at a special meeting held at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California Dec. 8, 2016.
HealthImpact, formerly the California Institute for Nursing & Health Care, stopped at WesternU as part of its “listening tour” to review and discuss its “Nursing Education Plan White Paper and Recommendations for California.”
Click here to read the full story.
From the College of Pharmacy:
Kudos on accomplishments
College of Pharmacy student Marvin Ortiz was named a 2016 National Hispanic Health Foundation (NHHF) Scholar. NHHF, the foundation of the National Hispanic Medical Association, developed this national scholarship program to reward Hispanic students in health professional programs for exceptional academic performance, leadership and commitment to serving the Hispanic community. Click here for more information:
http://www.nhmafoundation.org/index.php/scholarship-program/2016-scholarship-galas
From the College of Dental Medicine:
College of Dental Medicine students, faculty present at prestigious London trauma conference
A student and faculty team from Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Dental Medicine presented a poster at Trauma ’16, the International Conference on Trauma Medicine at Imperial College London Nov. 19-20, 2016.
College of Dental Medicine students Rishaad Taraporewalla and Sean Bringhurst presented under the guidance of Hooman Mir, DPM, MSc, FAPWCA, adjunct assistant professor for the College of Dental Medicine and VirtualU@WesternU. They were the first dental students accepted in the poster abstract competition in the conference’s 11-year history, and they placed in the top 10. Imperial College London consistently ranks among the top medical schools in the world.
Click here to read the full story.
First 5 LA
Click here to watch a video on the College of Dental Medicine providing dental care to more than 15,000 children through First 5 LA funding: https://youtu.be/MlxWumC4Qpg
Click here to read the full story: https://spark.adobe.com/page/I7o7JStiTNFXp/
From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:
Medical Anatomy Center (MAC) news
WesternU was the most represented institution presenting research at this year’s AMSUS – Association of Military Surgeons of the United States annual conference held in Washington, D.C. Nov. 29 to Dec. 2.
The Medical Anatomy Center had five research projects accepted and presented involving four COMP-Northwest military students and one WesternU master’s candidate student. Christopher Anthony, OMS I (Air Force), was the presenting first author on the use of Sectra technology for military medical use. Jacob Fletcher, OMS I (Army), was the presenting first author on OPUS Mini technology regarding use of ultrasound robotics with virtual reality and haptics. Christine Park, OMS II (2Lt Air Force), researched 3D/4D ultrasound with a Fukuda Denshi system of the abdomen and pelvis, and Casey Timmerman, OMS II (2Lt Air Force), researched Ductoscope use regarding breast screening. Wilson Chen, WesternU master’s student candidate presented on Sectra 3D technology with integrated orthopaedic software applied to lower limb anatomy and internal fixation. Dr. Brion Benninger, Professor and MAC Executive Director, presented on Flexible Intubation Optics, his intubation invention and technique, and he also mentored all the students. They received compliments for their presentations and innovative projects.
From the College of Veterinary Medicine:
Kudos on accomplishments
CVM Associate Professor Miguel D. Saggese was invited to Madrid, Spain by Improve International, a non-governmental organization with a goal to provide continuous professional development for veterinarians. Dr. Saggese lectured on several aspects of avian medicine. These lectures were part of a year-long course on exotic animal medicine aimed at veterinarians interested in becoming certified in Exotic Animal Practice. In addition to Dr. Saggese, who dictates all the modules on Avian Medicine, this program includes professors from the University of Georgia (USA), Universidad Nacional Autonoma (Mexico), the Centrol de Investigacion en Sanidad Animal (INIA-CISA), and the Facultat Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain, among others.
Dr. Saggese is also the author of an article recently published in the magazine Aves Argentinas in a special issue celebrating the 100th anniversary of this ornithological society, the oldest in Latin America. The article, written in lay language, summarizes Dr. Saggese’s recent research on Ospreys, and it can be accessed at
http://www.avesargentinas.org.ar/revista/aves-argentinas-n%C2%B0-46.
3 Day Startup Pomona:
WesternU students learn entrepreneurial skills
A group of Western University of Health Sciences students participated in 3 Day Startup (3DS) Pomona, where they learned entrepreneurial skills in a hands-on environment.
Pomona 3DS, which took place Oct. 28-30, 2016 at Cal Poly Pomona, was sponsored by WesternU, Cal Poly Pomona, the city of Pomona and the Pomona Chamber of Commerce. College of Veterinary Medicine students Hayley Sullivan and Oren Ofer, College of Optometry student Fayiz Mahgoub, and College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) student Gene Yoo participated. WesternU faculty members Dr. Ed Wagner (COMP), Dr. Munish Sharma (College of Optometry), Adam Hain (Center for Academic and Professional Enhancement), and Dr. Hannah Mirrashed (College of Veterinary Medicine) served as mentors.
In October 2015, WesternU agreed to sponsor 3DS with other community partners. WesternU’s organizers were CVM Professor of Parasitology & Global Health Malika Kachani, DVM, PhD, COMP Assistant Professor and Director of the Global and Community Health Center Maryam Othman MD, MPH, and second-year CVM student Christina Trabanco, president of WesternU’s Parasitology Club.
Click here to read the full story.
From the Patient Care Center:
IEHP audit
WesternU’s Patient Care Centers in Pomona and Rancho Cucamonga passed Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) audits with high marks. “This is a significant accomplishment with the prominence of IEHP, and it is a testament to excellent team work by our amazing medical assistants, clinicians and support staff,” said Rob Warren, DO, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, Patient Care Centers.
From University Advancement:
Advancement news
The Ahmanson Foundation has provided the College of Optometry with a grant of $87,200 for the purchase of initial instrumentation for their new virtual reality lab training system. The Eyesi Indirect Ophthalmoscope Simulator is an advanced technology that utilizes virtual and augmented reality to extend the range of diagnostic and clinical skills training available to optometry students. When using the system, students see a high fidelity, three-dimensional virtual patient who moves its eyes and blinks like a real patient. The simulator will allow students to learn to diagnose disease patterns and are presented with a database of more than 100 clinically relevant pathologies modeled after real patient cases.
Student Study Days
The office of Annual Giving held its fourth annual Student Study Days event on Dec. 6 and will again have the event on Wednesday, Dec. 14. Free snacks were provided to more than 200 happy and appreciative students to help them stay energized during their preparations for final exams. Free popcorn, chips sponsored by Frito Lay, fruit, hot chocolate, water and coffee were handed out. We look forward to sharing this special event again next week. Click here to view a flier.
Alumni news
On Monday, Dec. 5, the Alumni Office hosted a pizza lunch on campus for members of the DPM 2017 class, who were back on campus from rotations. The students enjoyed warm pizza, cold drinks, and sweet cookies, while they reconnected with one another for the last time before Commencement.
