This Week@WesternU, July 27-31, 2015
SMSPP students host health fair at House of Ruth
WesternU Summer Medical Sciences Prep Program (SMSPP) Class of 2015 students hosted a health fair at House of Ruth, providing information and resources for preventative health topics such as dental care, nutrition, vaccines, women’s health and many more. As part of their summer curriculum, 38 students entering the colleges of dental medicine, osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine, optometry and allied health professions (departments of physical therapy education and physician assistant studies) participated. Click here to view a Facebook photo gallery.
Faculty & Staff Luncheon & Silent Auction
The Department of University Advancement presented the 8th annual Faculty & Staff Luncheon & Silent Auction on Friday, July 24, 2015 with activities that included a cupcake contest, Dr. Ben Cohen Nok-Hockey Tournament, human foosball tournament, silent auction, and a delicious taco lunch provided by Cardenas Markets. The “Wild, Wild WesternU” event was attended by approximately 400 faculty and staff and raised more than $4,500 for Western University of Health Sciences’ University Scholarship Fund. Congratulations to the contest, tournament, and auction winners, and we thank everyone who joined in the afternoon of fun!
From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:
Kudos on accomplishments
Congratulations to Scott Helf, DO ’99, for being the first faculty member of COMP’s youngest department, the Department of Social Medicine and Healthcare Leadership, to be promoted from assistant to associate professor. Dr. Helf has been an integral and valued member of the department and COMP community by making multiple large-scale contributions that have allowed the department to measure and monitor its success while improving the education students receive.
Brion Benninger, MD, MSc, Professor & Executive Director, Medical Anatomy Center (MAC), mentored eight military students from COMP-Northwest who had their abstracts just accepted for the international military medical conference AMSUS. They will be presenting in December 2015. Projects included Sectra Visualization table, Ultrasound including 3D/4D ultrasound, Optical Head Display, and Google Glass.
From the College of Veterinary Medicine:
Kudos on accomplishments
CVM Assistant Professor Gagandeep Kaur gave a podium presentation at the Veterinary Behavior Symposium in Boston, Massachusetts. She presented results from her study, “Fluoxetine: prescribing habits and use in small animal practice.” Investigators for the study were veterinary behaviorist Dr. Victoria Voith and Dr. Peggy Schmidt. The meeting is held in conjunction with the AVMA convention and is attended by veterinary behaviorists, researchers and practitioners.
From the College of Pharmacy:
Kudos on accomplishments
Congratulations to Assistant Professor Dr. JaeJin An on her recent publication in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA). JaeJin An, Fang Niu, Daniel T. Lang, Kristin P. Jazdzewski, Paul T. Le, Nazia Rashid, Brian Meissner, Robert Mendes, Diana G. Dills, Gustavus Aranda, Jr., Amanda Bruno. J Am Heart Assoc. 2015;4:e001921 doi: 10.1161/JAHA.115.001921) This retrospective longitudinal observational cohort study in Kaiser patients inferred that continuation of antithrombotic therapy as well as maintaining an adequate level of TTR is beneficial to prevent strokes while minimizing bleeding events. Click here to view the article.
From the Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences:
Kudos on accomplishments
GCBS Dean Michel Baudry, PhD, and College of Pharmacy Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences Yun Luo, PhD, was awarded an R21 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) titled “Development of a selective calpain-2 inhibitor for the treatment of Angelman Syndrome.”
From the College of Allied Health Professions:
Kudos on accomplishments
Department of Physical Therapy Education Alumnus Carlos Roel, DPT ’10, who is a medical staff member on the U.S. Paralympic Soccer Team, reports that the U.S. team came in 7th place in the Cerebral Palsy Football World Championships 2015 (CPFWC) in June, which qualified them for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
From University Advancement:
Alumni news
On Saturday, July 25, about two dozen people attended the COMP Class of 2005 10-Year Reunion Dinner at Bice Ristorante in San Diego, California. A dozen members of the class gathered with their guests and a few staff to reminisce and mark this milestone occasion. Pictures from the event can be found online at http://westernu.smugmug.com/WesternU-Alumni/DO2005.
