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This Week@WesternU, Aug. 31-Sept. 4, 2015

by Rodney Tanaka

August 31, 2015

Read 4 mins

J and K Virtual Reality Learning Center
Many people had the opportunity to visit the J and K Virtual Reality Learning Center (VRLC) for the first time last week at multiple events. Housed on the first floor of the Pumerantz Library, the VRLC merges an innovative curriculum model with cutting-edge technology to deliver a deeply engaging learning experience that will broaden understanding of human anatomy, improve retention and test scores, and ultimately lead to enhanced patient care.
Click here to visit the J and K Virtual Reality Learning Center webpage.

WesternU View
The latest WesternU View magazine features a cover story on Founding President Philip Pumerantz, Commencement coverage, and much more. Click here to read the magazine. Click here to browse all of WesternU’s publications.

 

From the College of Pharmacy:

WesternU College of Pharmacy among top pharmacy research institutions
Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Pharmacy (COP) is ranked No. 3 among private colleges in obtaining grant research funding, according to a recently-released report from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).

COP reported about $1.9 million in grants for the government’s fiscal calendar ending Sept. 30, 2014, ranking it third among private colleges of pharmacy in the U.S., behind only the University of Southern California and Northeastern University. COP ranks No. 6 in National Institutes of Health grants. There are 135 schools and colleges of pharmacy, including 69 private institutions and 66 publicly-supported institutions.

Click here to read the full story.

Kudos on accomplishments
Professor Roger Klotz presented a talk titled, ”Pharmacist Provided Physical Assessment in a Community Pharmacy,” at the American College of Apothecaries Fall Pharmacy Conference held August 14-15, 2015 in Denver, Colorado.

The Gamma Sigma Chapter of Rho Chi Society, led by faculty adviser Dr. Emmanuelle Schwartzman and Chapter President Shawn Healer, is being recognized with an award for its project proposal, “Match Me” Rho Chi Residency Education Series. The award includes $500 and an engraved plaque which will be presented at the Society’s Annual Meeting in March 2016. This is the Chapter’s third award in the past three years.

Maria Lambros, PhD, was elected Secretary/Treasurer of American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Physical Pharmacy and Biopharmaceutics Section.  Dr. Lambros will be developing programming, contributing to committees, developing focus groups and serving the association by carrying out its vision and mission.

 

From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:

Kudos on accomplishments
COMP alumni Paul Dilloway, DO ’14, and Tatjana Josic, DO ’14, were part of a team that published “Hypoglycemia Reported in Patient Safety Network” in the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Research. Click here to read the article.

John T. Pham, DO, was recently reappointed to the Bureau of Osteopathic Education for the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). As a member of the Bureau, Dr. Pham will help advance osteopathic medicine and strengthen osteopathic culture. Dr. Pham is the Vice Chair of the Department of Family Medicine and the Chair of the Admissions Committee at COMP-Northwest.

Brion Benninger, MD MSc, Professor of Medical Innovation, Technology & Research, and Clinical Anatomy, Executive Director, Medical Anatomy Center, mentored two Lebanon high school students during an eight-week innovative clinical anatomy research experience this summer, which was sponsored by Timberview Care Center in Albany, Oregon. Kendall Crawford completed a project titled “Using triple feedback by integrating surface anatomy with ultrasound imaging as a powerful learning tool.” Molly Ferguson completed a project titled “Introducing stereostructural anatomy using Sectra 3D imaging while applying the cognitive load theory.” Each student provided a platform presentation and a poster. Both students received the highest accolades for their poster presentations, which will be submitted for acceptance at a national medical conference. Dr. Benninger thanked Timberview Care Center and Saturday Academy for supporting the student’s full time summer projects using the innovative technology housed in the McDaniel teaching & research lab from the Medical Anatomy Center.

 

From the College of Veterinary Medicine:

Kudos on accomplishments
Dr. Faramarzi had his two graduate students, L. Lantz and M. Nowlin from the Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences, attend and present at the AAVA symposium held recently at Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, in Pullman, Wash. Both abstracts were accepted for podium presentations: Faramarzi, B., Lantz, L., and Khamas, W. “Characterization of the Digital Cushion in Quarter Horses” and Faramarzi, B., Nowlin, M., and Khamas, W., “Histological Evaluation of Impar Ligament in Healthy Horses.”

The College of Veterinary Medicine held its first Backyard Poultry Workshop Saturday, Aug. 22. The event was organized by Monica Della Maggiore from the California Poultry Federation and Dr. Miguel D. Saggese, CVM Associate Professor. WesternU backyard poultry owners, veterinary students and veterinarians from Southern California attended the daylong event. The program included talks by CVM Professor Dr. Ellen Collisson (Update on Avian Influenza), CVM Professor Dr. Teresa Morishita (Backyard Biosecurity), and Dr. Miguel D. Saggese (Common diseases of backyard poultry). Additional presentations were made by Dr. Richard Blatchford, UC Davis, PhD candidate Amy Murillo from UC Riverside, and Monica Della Maggiore. The workshop helped to build community between backyard flock owners, veterinarians and scientists and provided an important service to the Southern California community of backyard flock owners, the poultry industry and the general public. The workshop was so well-received that a spring 2016 workshop is being planned. Dr. Saggese would like to thank the CVM staff for all their assistance.

Dr. Brian Oakley was invited to participate in a technical workshop sponsored by the USDA National Poultry Research Center. The workshop, titled “Microbial genomics, metagenomics and microbiomics” was held in Athens, GA, August 17-20, and attended by approximately 40 researchers from academia, government and industry. Participants shared various tools and strategies for analyzing sequence data to answer a wide variety of biological questions. Applications ranged from full genome sequencing to environmental metagenomics to design and validation of taxon-specific diagnostic assays. Dr. Oakley used examples from the poultry gastrointestinal microbiome to present a variety of specific tools to characterize and compare microbial communities using 16S rRNA gene sequences.

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