C. Everett Koop is Coming to Downtown Pomona; Will Select Winners of Health Poster Contest

Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, MD, ScD, will make a public

appearance in downtown Pomona on Friday, March 5, to judge the finalists

of a student anti-smoking poster contest on the campus of Western

University of Health Sciences (WesternU).

Dr. Koop will then present savings bonds to the top five participants. The

contest is a joint project of WesternU, the Pomona Unified School District

and the WesternU student chapter of California Doctors Ought to Care (Cal-

DOC). Following the distribution of the awards, Dr. Koop will hold a brief

question and answer session with the audience.

The 3:30 p.m. event is open to the public and the community is invited to

attend. Guided tours of the WesternU campus will be available to

interested parties.

“”One of Cal-DOC’s main missions is the education of young people about the

dangers of smoking,”” said D.J. Powell, a first-year medical student at

WesternU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific and president of

the University’s Cal-DOC student chapter. “”We thought a poster contest

with Dr. Koop as the final judge would be a great way for Pomona’s young

people to learn of smoking’s hazards.””

More than 130 fifth and sixth grade PUSD students submitted entries in

the “”No Butts About It, Smoking is Bad for Your Health”” poster creating

contest. Two posters from each fifth and/or sixth grade class will be

forwarded to WesternU in late February where University students will

select the top five.

Dr. Koop will chose two honorable mentions, as well as the third, second

and first place winners. He will award a savings bond of $250 to the first-

place winner, $150 to the creator of the poster that comes in second, and

$50 to the third-place winner. Winners of the honorable mention

designation will each receive a savings bond of $25.

In addition, the winning posters will go on display Saturday, March 13, at

the Second Street Artwalk in downtown Pomona.

Dr. Koop is visiting WesternU to receive the Elie Wiesel Humanism in

Healing Award, the University’s highest honor. WesternU will present the

award to Dr. Koop during a gala dinner dance at the Hotel Inter-

Continental in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 6. The Pomona-based

University is honoring Dr. Koop for his contributions to science and

public health, specifically in regard to how his contributions have

benefited people with disabilities.

The Elie Wiesel Humanism in Healing Award, named for the internationally

renowned Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor, is presented annually to

an individual who best represents the philosophy and values of the

University, and who has actively incorporated them toward the betterment

of the human condition.

The March 6 gala is a fundraiser to benefit WesternU’s Center for

Disability Issues and the Health Professions (CDIHP). Filmmaker and

community activist Rob Reiner is honorary chair; television news anchor

and disabled rights activist Bree Walker will act as master of ceremonies.

The event is open to the public; tickets are $150 per person.

WesternU founded the CDIHP to prepare health care professionals to better

meet the primary care needs of people with disabilities. Under the

direction of nationally renowned disabled rights activist Brenda Premo,

the CDIHP will emphasize both immediate reforms in educational curriculum

as well as long-term research on policies and related issues.

For more information regarding Dr. Koop’s March 5 visit to the WesternU

campus, contact the University’s Events and Programs Department at (909)

469-5365.

For reservations or more information regarding the March 6 gala, contact

WesternU’s Campaign Development Department at (909) 469-5362.