This Week@WesternU, Sept. 30-Oct. 4, 2013

WesternU alumna Paula Crone, DO, named dean of COMP

For the first time in its 36-year history, Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific will be helmed by one of its own. Paula Crone, DO ’92, has been named Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP), effective today, Sept. 30, 2013.

“Dr. Crone’s appointment represents the first time that a COMP alumnus has been selected to serve as its dean. She will not only provide leadership and direction to the faculty and staff of the college, but she will also have the capacity to galvanize the alumni of the college to become more active participants in advancing its mission, as well as that of the university,” said WesternU President Philip Pumerantz, PhD.

“With the looming implementation of the Affordable Care Act facing the nation and our own institution, Dr. Crone’s experience as a humanistic, committed family physician, and her academic leadership in bringing forth our DO program in Lebanon, will put her firmly in control of guiding this university on its course to prepare all health professions for the form of practice that will evolve during the middle of this century.”

Click here to read the full story.

Pumerantz Lectureship to be held Oct. 24, 2013

The fifth annual Dr. Philip Pumerantz Distinguished Lectureship at Western University of Health Sciences will feature Louis W. Sullivan, MD, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) as keynote speaker.

The Pumerantz Lecture will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013 in Lecture Hall II of WesternU’s Health Education Center, 701 E. Second St., Pomona, Calif. 91766.

Click here to read the full story.

Together We Read

The Pomona Public Library’s annual Together We Read program will once again kick off at Western University of Health Sciences.

This year’s book selection is “Farewell to Manzanar” by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston. The memoir describes the experiences of Wakatsuki and her family before, during and after their imprisonment in the Manzanar internment camp during World War II.

The kick-off event will be held Friday, Oct. 4, 2013 in WesternU’s Health Education Center, Lecture Hall 2, 701 E. Second St., Pomona, Calif. 91766. A reception will be held from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by the main speaking event. Bruce Embrey, co-chair of the Manzanar Committee, will lead a discussion of “Farewell to Manzanar.” Click here to view a flier. Click here to view the full story.

The Pomona Public Library will hold its first 3K Walk-A-Thon, “Together We Walk, Together We Read,” on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013. Click here to view a flier. Click here to visit the Friends of the Pomona Public Library website.

From the College of Dental Medicine:

The College of Dental Medicine is now part of a nationwide effort to reduce early childhood caries (ECC) and improve oral disease management in the pediatric population. WesternU will be working with other universities, hospital-based dental programs, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and community based programs in more than 20 states to combat the rise in ECC.

The College was selected to join Phase III of the Early Childhood Caries Collaborative, managed by the DentaQuest Institute and the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICHQ).

Click here to read the full story.

From the College of Graduate Nursing:

WesternU’s National Student Nurses Association (NSNA) is organizing a team and raising money for the CHOC Walk in the Park Oct. 13, 2013. The 5K walk through Disneyland and California Adventure raises money for Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). College of Graduate Nursing students have been rotating through CHOC for their clinicals and preceptorships, and they want to give back to CHOC and the community by fundraising and supporting such a great cause. To donate, please visit: http://choc.convio.net/goto/WesternUNursing.

For additional information, please visit http://choc.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=2013CHOCWalkhome.

Click here to view a flier.

Kudos on accomplishments

College of Graduate Nursing student Kyle L. Martin received a 2013 Graduate Student Foundation Scholarship from the American Assembly for Men in Nursing Foundation. He will be formally recognized at the foundation’s 38th Annual Conference at the Newark Airport Hilton Hotel and Conference Center on Oct. 23-25, 2013. Martin is a second-year student in the Master of Science in Nursing–Entry program.

From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:

COMP alumna Robyn Jacoby, DO ’98, was named “Best Doctor” in the Claremont Courier’s “Best of Claremont” issue (scroll down to page 10). Dr. Jacoby practices at the Claremont Medical Center, part of Chaparral Medical group.

Kudos on accomplishments

Dr. Joseph V. Davis, chair of Department of Surgery, has been nominated for the “Mentor of the Year” award through the AOA Medical Education Society.

Dr. Nishita Patel will provide the 2013 Infectious Disease Update at the American College of Physicians scientific meeting Nov. 3 in Marina Del Rey.

Click here for more information: http://www.acponline.org/meetings/chapter/2013-2014/scal-2013.pdf

OPSO Conference highlights

COMP-Northwest was well represented at the Fall CME Conference for the Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons of Oregon (OPSO), which took place Sept. 20-22 in Portland, Oregon:

Derrick Sorweide, DO, an assistant professor with COMP-Northwest’s Family Medicine Department, was elected to become the next president of OPSO. Dr. Sorweide was nominated to the presidency by OPSO’s Board of Directors and has started his two-year term. Dr. Sorweide is replacing Robyn Dreibelbis, DO, Family Medicine vice chair, who has served the last two years as the state association’s president.

COMP Dean Paula M. Crone, DO, presented Senator Alan Bates, DO, the co-legislator of the year award at the conference. Senator Bates is a long-time member of the Oregon Senate Health Care Committee, Human Services Committee, and Rural Health Policy Committee. Senator Bates is an advocate and supporter of osteopathic medicine and education.

Brion Benninger, MD, COMP-Northwest anatomy professor, led a workshop titled “First Time Ultrasound for the Experienced Clinician” on Sept. 19 in conjunction with the Fall CME Conference. COMP-Northwest medical students Stephanie Duckett and Adam Mina were integral in the presentation of the hands-on workshop. Attendees were impressed with the teamwork between Dr. Benninger and student-doctors Duckett and Mina. All attendees asked Dr. Benninger for more training in the uses of ultrasound in a clinical setting.

Under Dr. Brion Benninger’s guidance and leadership, COMP-Northwest medical students Patrick Bevan, Nicholas Brown, and Michael Kahan were guest speakers at the OPSO conference. The three student-doctors presented their platform oral presentations delivered at the American Association of Clinical Anatomists’ annual meeting in July. Bevan presented “Ultrasound Management of Distal Radius.” Brown presented “Combining Video Otoscopy with Middle Ear Dissection in the Anatomy Lab.” Kahan presented “Turf Toe, Common & Misunderstood.”

Katherine Fisher, DO, COMP-Northwest assistant professor, was named OPSO’s 2013 DO of the Year at the conference. The award is in “grateful recognition of her leadership, dedication, and personal commitment to the osteopathic profession and the people of Oregon.”

From the College of Pharmacy:

Congratulations to Dr. Peter Oelschlaeger, MSPS Student Alec LaCuran, MSPS Alumna Eleanor Liu and Cal Poly Pomona Alumnus Kevin Peff on their most recent article:

Pegg KM, Liu E, LaCuran A, Oelschlaeger P Biochemical Characterization of IMP-30, a Metallo-{beta}-Lactamase with Enhanced Activity toward Ceftazidime. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2013, 57(10): 5122, DOI: 10.1128/AAC.02341-12.

Link to Article

From the College of Allied Health Professions:

Department of Physical Therapy Education News

Department of Physical Therapy Education alumni, faculty, and students participated in the California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA) Annual Conference recently held in Pasadena. More than 850 professionals from throughout the state attended this two-day event. As a sponsor of the conference, the WesternU logo was imprinted on the official conference tote bag given out at registration. In addition, the department had a booth in the exhibit hall to promote WesternU and the Advanced Standing (transitional) DPT degree for current physical therapists. More than 40 alumni, faculty, and students enjoyed a reception hosted by WesternU Alumni Relations. More than 50 students from the DPT classes of 2014, 2015, and 2016 attended the conference with 43 of them volunteering their time in a variety of roles.

Professor David Selkowitz, PT, PhD, OCS, DAAPM, was presented with the “CPTA Physical Therapist Faculty Research Publication Award” for his article “Which Exercises Target the Gluteal Muscles While Minimizing Activation of the Tensor Fascia Lata?,” which was published in the Journal of Sports Physical Therapy in February 2013. Assistant Professor Janet Konecne, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, was an invited speaker for a presentation, “Positioning Your Business for Wellness,” Associate Professor/Recruitment & Alumni Liaison Georgeanne Vlad, PT, MA, was an invited speaker for an Oxford Debate and panel presentation in the “Ethics Forum,” and DPT 2013 Alumni Grant Hirayama, Theresa Mendoza, Deanna Schmitt, Shucri Janini, and Associate Professor Casey Chaney, PT, PhD, CSCS, OCS, had a poster presentation on “The Effects of Kinesio Tex Gold Tape on Vertical Jump, 20-M Sprint, and Self-Perception of Physical Performance in High School Basketball Players.”

From the Patient Care Center:

As children head back to school after the summer break, the Eye Care Center (ECC) at Western University of Health Sciences reminds parents that good vision is critical to learning.

The ECC is giving away a limited number of backpacks filled with school supplies as an incentive to bring your child in for a comprehensive eye examination.

Click here for more information.

From University Advancement:

Alumni News

On Saturday, Sept. 21, the Alumni Office hosted two receptions for alumni, students, faculty and staff. Two dozen attendees were in Portland, Ore., at the Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons of Oregon’s Fall CME Conference, and more than 40 attendees were in Pasadena, Calif., at the California Physical Therapy Association’s Annual Conference.

This week, the Alumni Office will be staffing an exhibit booth at the American Osteopathic Association’s OMED Convention in Las Vegas, Nev., and they will be hosting a reception there at Border Grill in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on Wednesday, Oct. 2. They will be hosting a reception at the Renaissance Palm Springs hotel during the California Academy of Physician Assistants’ Annual Conference in Palm Springs, Calif. on Friday, Oct. 4.

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