This Week@WesternU, Jan. 25-29, 2010
From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:
COMP Team to Spearhead the Research Program for the 2010 American Osteopathic Association Conference
A proposal by Dr. Edward J. Wagner and Dr. Beatrice Saviola to run a three-day research program in its entirety during the 2010 AOA Conference in San Francisco in October was accepted by the Research Council for the American Osteopathic Association. The research program is divided into three themes:
Theme 1: Neurodegenerative Disease: how much closer are we to being able to stem the progressive tide?
Theme 2: Host-Pathogen Interactions-new insights into the body’s inherent ability to promote well being and respond to therapy
Theme 3: Therapeutic Utility of Cannabinoid Ligands: how do they work, and who would benefit?
There are 5-6 distinguished speakers for each theme, including Drs. Xiaoning Bi, Saviola, Vishwanath Venketaraman, Andrew Pumerantz, Vaibhav Tiwari, Wagner, Nissar Darmani, Michael Seffinger and Daniel Pearce from COMP.
Kudos on accomplishments
Dr. Brian Kraatz, Department of Anatomy, has been conducting paleontological research in the United Arab Emirates. The collaborative project was just highlighted in The National, Abu Dhabi’s English language newspaper:
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100116/NATIONAL/701159766
From the College of Allied Health Professions:
PA 20th Anniversary Celebration
The 20th anniversary celebration for the Physician Assistant Program will be held on Friday, Jan. 29. There will be a reception for Western University employees, faculty and staff from 4-6 p.m. in the foyer of the Health Science Center. Light refreshments will be served. We encourage all to share in the past 20 years and continued future success for the PA program.
A reception for alumni, preceptors, and anyone interested will be held in Compatriots Hall, HSC, from 6-7:30 p.m. Appetizers will be served. Tours of the campus will be provided so everyone can see the changes that have occurred on campus.
A free continuing medical education (CME) seminar will be held in the Health Science Center’s Lecture Hall East from 7:30-9:30 p.m. The seminar is titled “Chest X-ray Demystified” and will be presented by the Department of Physician Assistant Education faculty. The CME course has been approved by the American Academy of Physician Assistants for two hours of CME. Anyone who wants to participate is invited.
Department of Physical Therapy Education News
Assistant Professor Janet Konecne, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, spoke on Jan. 23 at the Southern California Band and Orchestra Association Conference in Long Beach. This association includes band and orchestra directors from throughout the state and is responsible for the adjudication that occurs in jazz, field shows, orchestral and band festivals. Dr. Konecne’s presentation on “Practically Perfect Posture” addressed the impact of posture and positioning on playing and performance in instrumental and vocal music.
From the Harris Family Center for Disability and Health Policy:
Kudos on accomplishments
CDHP Associate Director June Kailes worked with the city of Oakland to adopt Model Disaster Readiness Programs for people with disabilities.
Oakland’s Mass Care and Shelter Plan and all other emergency preparedness initiatives are adopting the functional needs framework for serving persons with disabilities and older adults.
“Disaster preparation and emergency response systems can be made more effective for people with disabilities, as well as for the population as a whole. An essential element of building appropriate levels of capacity is to move beyond use of the ‘special needs’ category and adopt a more accurate and flexible framework based on five essential functional areas: communication, medical, independence maintenance, supervision and transportation,” said June Isaacson Kailes, the City’s disability policy consultant.
For more complete information, visit http://www.jik.com/disaster.html and click on “New Items.”
