This Week@WesternU, May 3-7, 2010

Commencement 2010

The 29th Annual Commencement Exercises for Western University of Health Sciences will be held on May 20-21, 2010 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena, Calif.

Here are some important reminders to graduates regarding commencement. Please forward to friends and family as appropriate.

Graduate Reminders

Regalia: Remember your cap, gown and tassel. A bag/coat check will be provided. Also, if you purchased your own hood, remember to give it to your family hooders. Remember that your family hooders need to bring their Family Hooder Passes to be admitted to the Loge Family Hooder Seating area.

Commencement Web site: The commencement Web site at http://www.westernu.edu/commencement/ has all kinds of useful information including parking maps, directions, and instructions. Please pull all necessary information from the site before heading to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium!

Live Webcast: We are pleased to announce that the commencement ceremonies will be Webcast live at http://www.westernu.edu/commencement/live-start.htm. Please let those who are not attending know, so they can watch you online! Click here for more information on the live Webcast.

Ordering Photos: Many professional photos will be taken at graduation – if you’re interested in purchasing any of these photos please pick up an orange photography contact info sheet in the Gold Room or at the outside information booth.

Guest Reminders

Doors Close Early: The front doors will close at 9:20 for AM ceremonies and 2:50 for PM ceremonies and will re-open after the processional, invocation and national anthem. It’s essential that all of your guests are seated in the auditorium prior to the doors closing. If your friends/relatives tend to be late… you might tell them it starts 30 minutes earlier.

Tickets Required (for CAHP/CGN and COMP ceremonies): Remember your tickets, as all attendees must have a ticket to enter the auditorium! All tickets have been distributed to graduates so we unfortunately do not have any more to give. For ticket questions, contact Cathy Davis (cdavis@westernu.edu).

College of Allied Health Professions

College of Graduate Nursing

Thursday, May 20, 9:30 a.m.

Keynote Speaker: Joseph Dunn, Esq.

California Medical Association Chief Executive Officer

College of Pharmacy

Thursday, May 20, 3 p.m.

Keynote Speaker: Alan T. Kiyohara, PharmD, FCSHP

Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy Operations Leader for Southern California

College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific

Friday, May 21, 9:30 a.m.

Keynote Speaker: Larry A. Wickless, DO

American Osteopathic Association President

College of Veterinary Medicine

Friday, May 21, 3 p.m.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald

Veterinarian featured on Animal Planet’s “Emergency Vets”

From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:

Kudos on accomplishments

Dr. Lony Castro, Chair of the Department of Ob-Gyn, was a guest speaker at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center’s 5th Annual Ob/Gyn Symposium. The symposium was held in El Paso, Texas April 30-May 1, 2010. Dr. Castro spoke on the following topics: Contribution of Elective Inductions to Maternal Morbidity and Mortality, Underlying Causes of Maternal Mortality, and Physician-Patient Communication-The Need for Greater Interaction.

On April 21, Dr. Castro gave the Faculty Development Lecture at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Her topic was “The Healing Power of Touch: The value of teaching the residents the physical exam.”

Dr. Vishwanath Venketaraman’s work is featured on the cover of the Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, the Official Journal of the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research, Vol. 30, No. 3, March 2010. Click here to view the cover and for additional information.

From the College of Allied Health Professions:

Department of Physician Assistant Education News

Two Western University PA students received scholarships from the Physician Assistant Foundation this week: Amanda Thistle, PA-S ’11, and Michelle Roberts, PA-S ’11. They were selected from 244 applicants from 89 Physician Assistant Programs. A carefully designed matrix scored the students based upon their academic record, need, professional and community service, issues in health care and a final professional statement. Michelle and Amanda were awarded their scholarship and certificates in a presentation before one of their classes last week. Congratulations to Amanda and Michelle for their achievement.

Two weeks ago, the PA students assisted Dr. Alan Cundari with a local Pow Wow held in Pomona. The students provided health screenings to all that participated in the Pow Wow. The mayor of Pomona was present and received a few screenings for himself. A big thank you to Dr. Cundari and the PA students for taking the time to serve those in need.

Department of Physical Therapy Education News

Associate Professor Georgeanne Vlad recently taught the American Physical Therapy Associations’s two-day Clinical Instructor Education and Credentialing Program at UCLA Medical Center in West Los Angeles with Dorcas Tominaga, DPT ’06, serving as the course co-instructor. Among the more than 50 participants were three alumni: Steve Ho, MPT ’02, who works at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, and Ellen Towles, MPT ’01, and Elaine Wong, MPT ’02, who both work at UCLA Medical Center.

Kudos on Accomplishments

Congratulations to MSHS Student Ani Sarkissian. Ani served as one of the editors for Humanism, which received an award from AACOM for Excellence in Communication.

From the College of Pharmacy:

College of Pharmacy’s Advanced Elective Poster day

The College of Pharmacy will host its Annual Advanced Elective (AE) Poster day on Thursday, May 6 from 9 a.m. to noon. PharmD candidates preparing to graduate on May 20 will present their capstone project in the form of a poster along the hallways of the first floor of the HPC. You are invited to view more than 100 posters that will be on display. For more information on the AE program, please visit http://www.westernu.edu/xp/edu/pharmacy/pharmd_curriculum.xml

Kudos on accomplishments

Congratulations to Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences faculty members Sunil Prabhu, Ying Huang and Jeff Wang and MSPS alumnus Sravan Penchala on the following publications:

Lien EJ, Lien LL, Wang J. Longevity depends on a balance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors: use of TCMs and natural products. Curr Drug Discov Technol. 2010 Mar 1;7(1):13-21. EJ Lien and LL Lien are with USC School of Pharmacy.

Wang S, Penchala S, Prabhu S, Wang J, Huang Y. Molecular basis of traditional Chinese medicine in cancer chemoprevention. Curr Drug Discov Technol. 2010 Mar 1;7(1):67-75. S. Wang was a summer intern working in Dr. Huang’s lab.

From the College of Dental Medicine:

Kudos on accomplishments

The article “Donor Spotlight: Student Friends – the New Generation” in the April 29, 2010 edition of the California Dental Association Foundation News highlights CDM’s 100 percent participation in the program. Read the article here.

To read more about CDM’s involvement in CDA Foundation’s “Friends” drive, click here.

From University Advancement:

In addition to being honored at the recent East West Scholarship Dinner, members of the Taiwanese American Medical Alliance (TAMA) who generously donated more than $21,000 will receive full naming rights to the 2nd Floor Work Station in the new Patient Care Center. Through the leadership of TAMA President Jeffery Young, DO, members include Taiwanese American physicians, dentists, pharmacist, nurses and allied health professionals from various areas of the United States.

Guillermo Valenzuela, MD, Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, recently committed $25,000 to naming an exam room in the new Patient Care Center. Dr. Valenzuela has been a generous supporter of COMP/WesternU since 2002 and this naming opportunity is very special as it will be dedicated in memory of a close friend to COMP and WesternU.

WesternU Gifts

Recently, Tony Chan, PharmD, and his wife Virginia Chan, PharmD, generously committed to $100,000 to name the 1st floor lobby of the new Health Education Center. Nick Martinez, Director of Development (COMP) said, “The Chans are examples of all of us. Their generous support of the Capital Campaign and WesternU will help make it possible for us to achieve our campaign goal to support WesternU’s expansion. We hope other members of our community will follow Tony and Virginia’s example and donate to this worthy cause.”

Thanks to an anonymous donor, Western University of Health Sciences received a $400,000 pledge for the President Discretionary Fund. This generous gift will support an array of programs to advance the teaching excellence here at the University.

New Alumni Connection

The April 2010 edition of WesternU’s alumni e-newsletter, The Alumni Connection, is now available. The latest edition features information on University and College events, the on-campus sculpture exhibit, the Health Education Center Recital Hall dedication and more. News for future editions can be e-mailed to Russel Heskin, director of Alumni Relations, at rheskin@westernu.edu.

Announcements

The first WesternU Preview Day for prospective students attracted about 1,000 visitors to campus on Saturday, May 1. The event, organized by the Office of University Recruitment, was an opportunity for prospective students to come to campus to hear from President Philip Pumerantz, learn about IPE, meet with the deans, faculty and students from our nine colleges and Post-Bac program, as well as tour our new campus facilities. Special guests included Board of Trustees members Dr. Richard Bond and the Honorable Maureen Duffy-Lewis. The next WesternU Preview Day will be held on Wednesday, June 9, 2010. More than 600 prospective students have already registered to attend.

For more information about WesternU Preview Day, click here.

National Health Service Corps 2010 Scholarship Program

Deadline to submit applications to the NHSC 2010 Scholarship Program is 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time June 1, 2010. Scholarship recipients work in primary care and serve a community that needs you! Full tuition as well as a monthly stipend for all scholarship recipients. Who is eligible: Medicine (DO or MD), Dentistry, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistants. 125 scholarships for 2010 will be awarded by Sept. 30, 2010.

Read the “Application and Program Guidance” at www.nhsc.hrsa.gov/scholarship

Complete and submit your online application, by going to https://healthcareheroes.hrsa.gov/nhscsp/

Complete and mail in supporting documentation. Instructions are in the “Application and Program Guidance.” Call with application questions at 1-800-221-9393 on weekdays or e-mail at CallCenter@hrsa.gov

From Outtakes:

Special – extended hours of operation

We will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 5 and May 10-13.

Have you tried our Sunrise Special? Just $2.50 will get you an egg and cheese muffin and a tall brewed Starbucks coffee every day of the week!

Five for $5 menu for the week of May 3-7

Monday: Fried chicken, salad of the day, house-baked cookie and 16 oz Tazo iced tea or 16 oz bottled water

Tuesday: English muffin with egg, cheese and ham, fruit salad, Danish and 16 oz Starbucks coffee

Wednesday: Half Greek sandwich, chicken, marinated cucumber, feta cheese, tomato and Kalamata spread on a focaccia bread, house-made chips, lemon bar and 16 oz Tazo iced tea

Thursday: Scrambled eggs , tater tots, sausage link, toast and 16 oz Starbucks coffee or 16 oz orange juice

Friday: Pasta ragu with garlic bread, small green salad and 16 oz Tazo iced tea or 16 oz bottle water

Look no further than Outtakes for a great meal at a great price – every day!

Located on the ground floor of the new Health Education Center. To learn more and see our daily specials, please visit us at www.cafebonappetit.com/westernu