This Week@WesternU, March 3-7, 2014

Allopathic and Osteopathic medical communities commit to a single Graduate Medical Education accreditation system

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) have agreed to a single accreditation system for graduate medical education (GME) programs in the U.S.

“This recognizes the important contributions of the osteopathic profession to health care,” said Western University of Health Sciences President Philip Pumerantz, PhD. “Osteopathic physicians are an important part of the health professions who have improved the quality of life for people and communities throughout the world.”

“This is an historic time in our osteopathic history, and represents the opportunity to enter a new era of collaboration,” said Paula Crone, DO ’92, dean of WesternU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. “It ensures that our osteopathic medical students across the country have the residency and fellowship training that they are working so hard to obtain and deserve. It will take all of us working together to provide enough physicians to take care of our patients and communities across the United States. Our osteopathic future is brighter than ever.”

Click here to read the full story.

WesternU to hold Trends in Autism Conference April 12, 2014

The 13th annual Trends in Autism Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 12, 2014 at Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E. Second St., Pomona, Calif.

The keynote speakers will be Chantal Sicile-Kira and Jeremy Sicile-Kira. Chantal Sicile-Kira is a leading author on autism and is the founder of www.autismcollege.com. She will sign books after the talk.

This event is open to health professionals, therapists, teachers, parents and adults with autism. Click here to view a flier. For more information, email face@westernu.edu. Visit WesternU’s Faculty for Autism Collaboration & Education (FACE) at http://www.westernu.edu/face/.

From the College of Dental Medicine:

Kudos on accomplishments

The American Student Dental Association held its Annual Session Feb. 26-March 1 in Anaheim, Calif. Dr. Elizabeth Andrews provided the opening ceremony remarks and CDM student Nicholas Bumacod, DMD ’16, presented “Palatal Expansion Hindered by Acne Medication Isotrentoin Analyzed Using Cone-beam CT.” http://www.asdanet.org/posters/

From the College of Podiatric Medicine:

Kudos on accomplishments

Dr. Lester Jones received the Los Angeles County Podiatric Medical Society (LACPMS) Star Award for Educational Excellence on Feb. 2, 2014. LACPMS gives the award to one individual on an annual basis for education and/or service to the profession, residents, students and society.

From the Western Diabetes Institute:

Kudos on accomplishments

Students, staff, and faculty from Western Diabetes Institute, the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific and the Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences published an article called “Cytokine Levels in Plasma Samples of Individuals with HIV Infection” in the Austin Journal of Clinical Immunology.

Click here to view the article.

From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:

Kudos on accomplishments

Congratulations to Fadi Arodaki (OMS IV) who won first place in the first Poster Competition at the Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California (OPSC) 53rd Annual Convention and Exhibition Feb. 5-9 in San Diego. Co-authors were Elizabeth Barrera, DO ’12, and Assistant Professor Airani Sathananthan, MD.

Dr. Brion Benninger recently mentored and took three COMP-Northwest students to the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) conference in New York. All three students – Andy Berglund, Kurtis Webster, and Eric Vinceslio – had their work accepted and were highly praised for their level of professionalism while presenting their research. Click here to read more.

From the College of Pharmacy:

Kudos on accomplishments

Dr. Olivia Phung received funds from Merck to conduct a systematic review to determine the prevalence of clinical inertia in patients with type 2 diabetes. This grant is for $30,000 over a nine-month period.

Dr. Hyma Gogineni presented a poster: Hyma Gogineni, Adrian W. Lee (PharmD candidate) and Olivia Phung. Tobacco Cessation Strategies in Patients with Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review. Poster at SRNT (Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco), on Feb. 7, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nev. The acceptance rate for this conference is about 40 percent.

From the College of Allied Health Professions:

Department of Physical Therapy Education News

Assistant Professor Mary Hudson-McKinney, PT, DPT, MS, NCS , along with 23 students from the DPT Classes of 2015 and 2016, participated in the College of Pharmacy Student Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Day held recently on campus. During a four-hour session, Dr. Hudson-McKinney and the DPT students provided instruction and practice in the use of a variety of DME that may be obtained by persons in a pharmacy.

From University Advancement:

Dr. Pete Frelinger Family Scholarship Endowment

COMP alumna Jennifer Linzmeyer, DO ’97, has established a $21,000 COMP family endowed scholarship, the Dr. Pete Frelinger Family Scholarship Endowment, in honor of her father, Dr. Pete Frelinger.

Dr. Frelinger, a close friend to WesternU President Philip Pumerantz, PhD, received a Founders Award from Dr. Pumerantz in 1978. Dr. Linzmeyer is happy to continue the family tradition of giving, and “creating a legacy to make her father proud.” Her brother, Richard E. Frelinger, DO, is an alumnus from the class of 1989.

Alumni news

The WesternU Alumni Association sponsored the MSHS Student/Alumni Networking Mixer on Feb. 28 at the Yard House in Chino Hills. Several MSHS alumni and students braved the stormy weather to interact with one another as they enjoyed complimentary appetizers.

From the Pumerantz Library:

Beginning March 10 and running until April 19, the Pumerantz Library is showcasing Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic and Medicine. Read the blog for more details.

Dr. Wedel talk and book signing

The Pumerantz library is sponsoring a talk and book signing of Dr. Vicki Wedel’s new book “Broken Bones: Anthropological analysis of blunt force trauma,” to be held 4-6 p.m. March 13 in HEC Classroom A. For details please read the blog.

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Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E. Second St., Pomona, Calif. 91766

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