This Week@WesternU March 31-April 4, 2014

Inspirational speakers tapped for WesternU’s Trends in Autism Conference

When Jeremy Sicile-Kira was diagnosed with autism more than 20 years ago, his mother, Chantal, was told to find a good institution for him. Instead, she helped steer him toward the self-determined life he wants to have as a productive young man.

"Autism is an important aspect of my place in the world. There are many hardships to having autism, including difficulties with communicating verbally," Jeremy Sicile-Kira says on his website, www.jeremysvision.com. "Yet, a good thing about my autism is my capacity to see beautiful colors even in dust. My ability to paint the colors I see in my dreams is the greatest gift I have."

Jeremy and Chantal Sicile-Kira will serve as the keynote speakers at the 13th Annual Trends in Autism Conference April 12, 2014 at Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E. Second St., Pomona, Calif. Click here to read the full story.

Click here for more information and to register.

WesternU’s East West Dinner raises money for student scholarships

Academic excellence, community service and commitment to philanthropy will take center stage at Western University of Health Sciences’ 8th Annual East West Scholarship Dinner. The event, to be held April 12, 2014 in San Gabriel, Calif., will honor Jonathan Y.H. Wu, MD, PhD, President and Chairman of AHMC Healthcare Inc., operator of a Southern California network of hospitals that employs more than 2,500 physicians and treats more than 200,000 patients annually. Click here to read the full story.

From the College of Pharmacy:

Ray Symposium

Please join us for the 8th annual Ray Symposium at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, 2014. This year, our speaker is Eileen Crimmins, PhD, the AARP Chair in Gerontology at the USC Davis School of Gerontology and director of the USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health. A recent Institute of Medicine report compares American’s health to other high-income countries. The report finds that Americans have a significant health disadvantage resulting from a combination of factors including individual behaviors, environment, social and economic disparities, and public health policies. Dr. Crimmins will be addressing these and other findings in her presentation, "Shorter Lives, Poorer Health."

Click here for more information.

From the College of Optometry:

FOE donation

The Fraternal Order of Eagles will donate optical aids to Western University of Health Sciences that will help visually impaired children through the California School for the Blind low vision clinic program.

The donation is open to media and will take place at 9 a.m. Thursday, April 10, 2014 in the WesternU Eye Care Center, 795 E. Second St., Pomona, Calif. 91766. Click here to read the full story.

From the College of Allied Health Professions:

Associate Professor/Recruitment and Alumni Liaison Georgeanne Vlad, PT, MA, will be teaching the two-day Clinical Instructor and Education Credentialing Program from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) April 5-6 at Pediatric Therapy Network in Torrance. Professor Vlad has been teaching this program since 2003 and was recently awarded recertification of her status as an APTA Credentialed Clinical Trainer through 2016.

From the College of Veterinary Medicine:

Open House

The College of Veterinary Medicine will hold its ninth annual Open House from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 5, 2014 along the campus’ Esplanade at 799 E. Second Street, Pomona, Calif. The Open House is a way for the College to reach out to the community and introduce WesternU and CVM. It also gives guests an opportunity to learn about the veterinary profession, pet care and animal awareness. Click here to read more.

Kudos on accomplishments

CVM Assistant Professor Dr. David Forster and the Shelter Club, along with the Ontario-based Mercy House, recently held a free vaccine clinic for homeless and low-income pet owners. They made use of the VACs mobile clinic and they also were able to disperse donated pet food along with the vaccines.

CVM Professor Dr. Victoria Voith presented two papers recently at the IFAAB meeting in Tucson, Ari., “Use of Dog Head-Halters and Restraint (Response Prevention) Techniques” and "Aggression and Castration Controversy." She also participated in two panels on the same topics.

CVM Associate Professor Dr. Jennifer Buur will travel to the California Science Center to be a judge at the 63rd annual California State Science Fair April 28-29. This year they expect about 1,000 participants from 400 schools throughout the state who will meet in competition for awards totaling $50,000. It is open to State of California students in grades 6-12.

CVM Professor Dr. Beth Boynton is presenting a poster at the National Academy of Practitioners. She is also being inducted as a practitioner at the meeting. The title of her poster is “A Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Investigation of Health Professional Students’ Empathy.” The event is to be held in Alexandria, Va., April 4-5.

CVM Professor Dr. Malika Kachani traveled to her home country of Morocco to present a course on One Health and zoonotic diseases to a group of tutors including veterinarians, physicians and biologists from the Maghreb and the Sahel. This was a five-day course and was a contribution to the zoonotic diseases module of a European Union project. She was invited by the European Union project coordinator and the Department of Parasitology of the Veterinary School in Morocco.

From the College of Graduate Nursing:

Kudos on accomplishments

Dr. Rodney Hicks, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, FAAN, FAANP, published the following article: Hicks, R. (2014) Understanding Medication Compounding Issues. AORN J99 (April 2014) 467-476. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2013.07.021.

From University Advancement:

College of Optometry scholarship milestone

Drs. Kambiz Silani and Vipal Gandhi, alumni from the College of Optometry’s inaugural Class of 2013, have pledged to create an annual scholarship supporting students who demonstrate leadership and top clinical skills in a patient-care setting. This is the College of Optometry’s first scholarship established by alumni.

Alumni news

On Saturday, March 22, the WesternU Alumni Association hosted a dinner in Newport Beach during the California Association for Nurse Practitioners Annual Educational Conference. More than 50 CGN alumni, students, faculty and staff were on hand to enjoy the event.

Follow us on Twitter at @WesternUNews

Find us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/WesternUniversityofHealthSciences

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

909-623-6116