This Week@WesternU, Dec. 18-22, 2017
WesternU View
The latest edition of WesternU View is now available.
The Fall 2017 edition features a cover story on WesternU President Daniel R. Wilson, MD, PhD, speaking about the University’s future during the Inauguration/Convocation ceremony. It also features fascinating stories on Dale Carrison, DO ’87, who is a WesternU alum and an emergency room physician who was called to work on that fateful night in Las Vegas, October 1, 2017 and how the WesternU Eye Care Institute helped Jacob Green after he suffered a brain injury that affected his vision. You can view the magazine online at http://webassets.westernu.edu/westernu-news/public-affairs/wu-view-fall-2017/index.html.
Click here to view past editions of the View and other WesternU publications.
From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:
WesternU COMP-Northwest medical students honor donor patients at annual memorial service
Western University of Health Sciences honored donor patients December 8 with a memorial service for the medical students’ first patients. As the first name and occupation of each donor was read aloud, students lit a candle in the donor’s honor.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with many of your loved ones over the last few months,” Matthew Zeller, student body president for the WesternU COMP-Northwest Class of 2021, told a packed lecture hall of family members of donor patients. Zeller explained that the students refer to the donors as their “first patients.”
“This gift has not merely impacted those of us who worked with our first patients, but this gift will impact all of our future patients,” Zeller said. “Some may believe that the end of life is the end of someone’s impact on others, but this is not true with your loved ones.”
Click here to read the full story.
Kudos on accomplishments
Dr. Glen Kisby (COMP-Northwest) and Dr. Jacob Raber (Oregon Health Sciences University) were awarded (both as PIs) an R21 grant from the NIEHS. The focus of these studies is to determine if chronic exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke (SHS) is an important risk factor for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor for dementia. Dr. Raber will for the first time expose mice to second-hand cigarette smoke for a year and then examine its impact on cognition. Dr. Kisby’s lab will examine the brain of these mice for metabolic changes and associated pathological markers of MCI/dementia. Dr. Raber will purchase a state-of-the art smoke exposure machine to accurately deliver SHS to mice in order to replicate the human experience. Purchase of this smoke machine will provide future research opportunities between our labs to investigate the impact of other forms of tobacco smoke (e.g., hookah, e-cigarettes) and cannabis on the mature and developing human brain.
Research study
Please help us spread the word about a research study being conducted at WesternU.
Have you been diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes for at least one year? If you are at least 18 years of age, you may qualify to participate in a clinical research study of an investigational, rapid acting diabetic medication. If eligible, you will receive at no cost:
– Study-related medical examinations
– Study-related investigational medication
– Diabetes testing supplies
– Compensation for time and travel (where permitted)
– Diet and lifestyle counseling
For more information, or to find out if you qualify, please contact Albert Medina by phone at 909-469-8626 or by email at amedina@westernu.edu.
Click here to read more: http://webassets.westernu.edu/westernu-news/docs/SathananthanAirani-Advertisement-Study-4053776-efc15081-brochure.pdf
From the College of Pharmacy:
Kudos on accomplishments
Dr. Emmanuelle Schwartzman was selected as a recipient of the ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) Foundation 2017 Pharmacy Residency Excellence Preceptor Award. This award recognizes excellence as a residency preceptor. Dr. Schwartzman, who has been precepting residents since 2009, has served as a primary preceptor of her PGY1 residency for five years and in her role as Director of Residency and Fellowship Training for the past three years has served as a coordinator and mentor to all our post-docs in PPAD. The award was officially bestowed during the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting, Dec. 3-7, 2017 in Orlando, FL.
The WesternU student chapter of the California Society of Health-System Pharmacists was awarded the ASHP Professional Development Award for 2017, recognizing exceptional professional development projects. Those selected for the award were asked to present their winning projects at the Student Society Showcase at the Midyear Clinical Meeting and were also provided a ribbon to display on their poster. Click here to read more.
Dr. Mark Nguyen co-authored a publication with his former resident, Nikki Zhu. Tanios MA, Nguyen HM, Cantillep AA, Nassiry A, Zhu JN. Effect of Sedatives and Analgesics Practices during Therapeutic Hypothermia Management Following Cardiac Arrest. Arch Emerg Med Crit Care2017; 2(3): 1031.
Dr. Sheryl Chow served as moderator for two Scientific Sessions at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Anaheim, Calif. Nov. 10-14, 2017. “The Pendulum of Biomarkers for Heart Failure: Which way will it swing?” and “Emerging Science of Cardio-Oncology.”
As Chair of the AHA Clinical Pharmacology Committee of the Clinical Cardiology Council, she led the in-person meeting and also served as a member of the AHA Leadership Committee Meeting.
Dr. Cynthia Jackevicius has a recent publication. The first author, Dr. Aya (Fukuma) Ozaki, is a WesternU alum who Dr. Jackevicius mentored as a student in the WesternU Summer Research Fellowship Program in 2015 and since then in this ongoing project. The other co-author is Dr. Sari Nakagawa, who has been Dr. Jackevicius’ long-time collaborator in Japan. Ozaki AF, Nakagawa S, Jackevicius CA. Cross-cultural comparison of pharmacy students’ attitudes, knowledge, practice and barriers regarding evidence-based medicine. Am J Pharm Ed 2017; Published online ahead of print Dec 12, 2017. doi/pdf/10.5688/ajpe6710
http://www.ajpe.org/doi/pdf/10.5688/ajpe6710
From the College of Veterinary Medicine:
Kudos on accomplishments
CVM Assistant Professor Zarah Hedge was recently informed that she passed her specialty boards and is now a Diplomat of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners with a Specialty emphasis in Shelter Medicine. Dr. Hedge is not only a 2009 grad of WesternU CVM, but she is in charge of the recently opened East Valley Animal Shelter.
CVM Associate Professor Miguel D. Saggese was invited again 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 Oct. 21-22. These lectures are 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 was invited to Bogotá, Colombia Nov. 1-4 to be one of the guest speakers at the 2nd Congreso Latino Americano de Medicina y Conservación de Especies Neotropicales and 3rd Conferencia Internacional Sobre Medicina de Animales Salvajes organized by Alvefas- Latin-American Wildlife Veterinary Association. On Nov. 1, Dr. Saggese gave a “Workshop on Emergency Medicine of Raptors.” In the following days, Dr. Saggese gave two guest lectures on “Infectious Diseases of Wild and Captive Raptors” and “Health Studies on Wild Raptors Populations.” Finally, on Nov. 4, as part of a special Symposium on Conservation Medicine, Dr. Saggese presented, “Conservation Medicine and Birds of Prey.”
On Nov. 7 and 12, Dr. Saggese attended the Raptor Research Foundation Annual conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he presented a four-hour workshop “Handling and Taking Biomedical Samples in Raptors,” aimed to early-career raptor researchers, biologists, and students.
By the end of the 2017 RRF annual conference, Dr. Saggese finished his two-year term as RRF’s President, and received a Certificate of Officer Appreciation in recognition of his service.
Between Dec. 4-7, Dr. Saggese was invited by the Mexico City Zoos (Chapultepec, Aragon, and Coyote zoos), Mexico city, Mexico, to train their veterinarians and other staff on Raptor Biomedicine and Conservation. Dr. Saggese lectured on “Emergent Diseases of Raptors,” “Challenges in Raptor Conservation,” “Captive Raptors Management,” and “Raptor Toxicology” and provided recommendations about husbandry and biomedical management for the raptors held in captivity at these zoos.
From the Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences:
Kudos on accomplishments
GCBS Professor Q. Quinn Li with his collaborators recently published a research paper in The Plant Journal (in press; 2016 impact factor 5.9) titled “Alternative polyadenylation is involved in auxin-based plant growth and development.” In this article, they extended the understanding of functions of alternative polyadenylation in terms of hormonal responses in relationship with growth and development. This is the first dissection of 3’-untranslated regions of all transcripts that responding to hormonal treatment in the model plant Arabidopsis.
From the College of Dental Medicine:
Kudos on accomplishments
Joel M. Laudenbach, DMD, Assistant Professor of Oral Medicine & Geriatric Dentistry, Coordinator of the Advanced Oral Diagnosis Workgroup, College of Dental Medicine published the following: Adjunctive Cytologic Testing for Oral Cavity Lesions. Dental and Oral Health Expert Viewpoints, Medscape Dentistry, WebMD LLC. December 15, 2017.
From University Advancement:
Student Study Days
The office of Annual Giving held its fifth annual Student Study Days event on Monday, Dec. 11 and Wednesday, Dec. 13. Free snacks were provided to more than 250 happy and appreciative students to help them stay energized during their preparations for final exams. Free granola bars, chips sponsored by Frito Lay, fruit, hot chocolate, water and coffee were handed out.
