This Week@WesternU, April 11-15, 2011
Announcements
Dr. Robert L. Austin Endowed Lectureship
The 2nd Dr. Robert L. Austin Endowed Lectureship in Pediatric Medicine and Pediatric Health Care Policy, held April 5, featured pediatric and autism specialist Dr. Robert W. Sears. Click here to view a story and photo gallery.
Extravaganza
Students, staff and faculty enjoyed food and fun in support of WesternU’s Student Government Association clubs during the Extravaganza Wednesday, April 6. The event was highlighted by gladiator jousting and free goodies. Click here to view a slideshow.
Preview Day
Registration is open for the fifth WesternU Preview Day on Saturday, May 7, 2011, highlighting health education opportunities offered at WesternU. Click here to read more.
Athletes for Autism
Anthesis Autism Services and the Pomona Valley Workshop (PVW) will have their 2nd annual Athletes for Autism event at WesternU’s Ethan Allen Park on Saturday, April 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fun and games for the participants with autism will be the main feature. Free dental, foot, eye and health screenings will also be given. The event is for individuals with autism of all ages and their parents/providers within the Inland Empire. The event is free but donations are greatly appreciated. For more information, call PVW’s Anthesis Autism Services at 909-624-3108, ext. 22, or e-mail College of Podiatric Medicine Assistant Professor Dr. Patris Toney at ptoney@westernu.edu.
From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:
Kudos on accomplishments
Andrew S. Pumerantz, DO, FACP, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Internal Medicine , Chief, Division of Infectious Disease, was invited to speak at the first Symposium on Bacteriology and Infection as part of the first World Congress of Microbes-2011 in Beijing, China on July 31. His talk was titled, “Liposomal Vancomycin: Targeting Intracellular Parasitism in MRSA Infection.”
The AOA Program Training and Review Council recently approved Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation-Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation new residency program. Congratulations to Marcel Fraix, DO, and his team.
Dr. Michael Finley, Associate Dean of Medical Education, was recently appointed to a three-year term on the Board of Directors of the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME). This is a great example of how COMP/WesternU is being asked to lead the profession. Click here to visit the NBOME website.
COMP hosted a “COMP Alumni CME Day” on April 9, 2011 on the WesternU campus. The event included eight hours of informative lectures and CME credit. Topics focused on current critical issues such as chronic kidney disease, geriatric patients and a presentation titled “Looking Through the Eyes of a Child.”
From the College of Allied Health Professions:
Department of Physical Therapy Education News
Associate Professor Casey Chaney, PT, PhD, OCS, CSCS, Professor David Selkowitz, PT, PhD, OCS, DAAPM, and Natalie Forsberg, DPT ’12, recently attended a Legislative Day in Sacramento sponsored by the California Physical Therapy Association. More than 200 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants and students participated in this annual advocacy program to learn about bills in the legislature that have a direct impact on physical therapy and to promote the physical therapy profession. Participants met with legislators and their staff members who represent their home and/or business cities and voiced opposition to AB 783 (would legalize employment of physical therapists by medical and podiatric medical corporations) and opposition to AB 374 (would provide licensure and regulation of athletic trainers by an Athletic Trainer Licensing Committee to be established within the Medical Board of California).
From the College of Veterinary Medicine:
Open House
More the 2,500 people attended the College of Veterinary Medicine’s sixth annual Open House April 2, on the WesternU campus.
Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts participated in the event, earning scouting badges as they learned about various aspects of animal care from students, staff and faculty. The Aquarium of the Pacific’s Aquarium on Wheels returned, along with K-9 unit demonstrations, shelter pet adoptions, pet microchipping and pet vaccinations. Click here to view a slideshow.
Kudos on accomplishments
Veterinary faculty members Dr. Tom Phillips, Dr. Pia (Testa) Phillips and Dr. Margaret Barr along with WesternU Vice President for Research and Biotechnology Dr. Steven Henriksen and collaborators from Scripps Institute (La Jolla) have published a significant body of work regarding the interactions of Lentivirus with methamphetamine (a drug of abuse). This research is of significance to our institution and our society.
The complete citation is: Salvador Huitron-Resendiz, Steven J. Henriksen, Margaret C. Barr, Maria P. Testa, Elena Crawford, Loren H. Parsons, Manuel Sanchez and Tom R. Phillips Methamphetamine and Lentivirus Interactions: Reciprocal Enhancement of CNS Disease. Journal of NeuroVirology. 2010 Jul;16(4):268-78.
College of Veterinary Medicine faculty members Tracy McNamara, DVM, Professor of Pathology, and Miguel D. Saggese DVM, MS, PhD, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Avian/Wildlife Diseases, were invited to the 77th Annual Meeting of the American Mosquito Control Association held in Anaheim March 20-24, 2011. Both presented during the symposium “Where the Wild Things Are: Wildlife, Exotic Animals, Vectors and the Diseases They Share.” Dr. McNamara presented “What was learned from study of West Nile virus (WNV) in zoo species?” and Dr. Saggese presented “West Nile virus infection in Neotropical raptors.”
Abstracts have been published in the proceedings of that meeting: Proceedings of the American Mosquito Control Association 77th Annual Meeting, March 2011. Lal S. Mian (Editor) p. 54.
Veterinary Assistant Professor Dr. Babak Faramarzi has published a study of the force distribution in equine foot and its remodeling in response to repeated stress. This is part of a larger study of the equine hoof (equivalent to the human middle digit), important because it absorbs and distributes at all times the weight of the animal and energy of impact during athletic performance. Funding for the study was provided by Ontario (Canada) Horse Racing Association and Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph. Co-authors are OVC faculty members: Dr. Antonio Cruz (a surgeon from Dept. of Clinical Studies) and William Sears (Statistician from Dept. of Population Medicine).
The complete citation is: Changes in hoof surface strain distribution in response to moderate exercise in Standardbreds. Babak Faramarzi, DVM, PhD; Antonio M. Cruz, DVM, MVM, MSc, DrMedVet; William C. Sears, MSc, MS. American Journal of Veterinary Research. April 2011, Vol. 72, No. 4, Pages 484-490
Veterinary Assistant Professor Dr. Pedro Diniz has published a scholarly review and national survey of Erlichia infection in dogs in Brazil. The international team of collaborators includes scientists from eight prestigious institutions including WesternU.
The complete citation is: Vieira, RF et. al., Erlichiosis in Brazil. Rev. Bras. Parasitol. Vet., Jaboticabal, v.20, n.1, p. 1-12, Jan-Mar 2011.
From the Pumerantz Library:
National Library Week 2011
The Harriet K. & Philip Pumerantz Library will offer several programs during National Library Week, April 10-16. For more information about National Library Week and to sign up for these programs online, please see the Library Blog.
The weeklong schedule of events kicks off with “EndNote Beyond the Basics: Cite While You Write and Output Styles,” today, April 11, 5-6 p.m. It is recommended that attendees have prior experience using EndNote for this program, but it is not required. In this program, using Cite While You Write with Microsoft Word will be demonstrated. You will also learn how to customize output styles in EndNote. Facilitated by Alicia Saulpaugh, MLIS.
Click here for a complete list of activities and further information.
