This Week@WesternU, May 30-June 2, 2017
WesternU graduates nearly 1,000 new health professionals
In five ceremonies over three days, Western University of Health Sciences’ nine colleges graduated nearly 1,000 new health care providers, lauding them for their accomplishments and urging them to make a mark on the world.
Click here to read the full story and to view the slideshows.
WesternU COMP-Northwest to graduate 94 osteopathic physicians
Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest (COMP-Northwest) will celebrate its third commencement at 10 a.m. Friday, June 2, 2017 at the COMP-Northwest campus, 200 Mullins Drive, Lebanon, Oregon.
At Commencement, 94 medical students will be awarded their Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine diplomas. The event will be open to the public; seating will open at 9 a.m. Click here to read the full story.
We encourage all WesternU faculty, staff, students and family members attending Commencement to join us on social media by tagging and mentioning us on Twitter and Instagram, and finding us on Facebook. Please use the hashtag #COMPNW2017. Click here for more information about the Lebanon Commencement ceremony: http://commencement.westernu.edu/lebanon/
From University Advancement:
WesternU’s 7th Annual Towne & Gown Golf Classic set for June 12
Western University of Health Sciences invites the public to an exciting day of golf to benefit student scholarships. The annual Towne & Gown Golf Classic will be played Monday, June 12, 2017 at Glendora Country Club, 2400 Country Club Drive, Glendora, Calif. 91741. Registration and lunch starts at 11 a.m., followed by a noon shotgun start. A dinner and awards ceremony will follow.
Click here to visit the Towne & Gown website to register for the tournament.
Helicopter Drop
Everyone is invited to join the Towne & Gown Golf Classic Helicopter Drop. Whether you’re at the golf course or not, you will be able to be a part of this fun activity. The helicopter team will dump numbered golf balls over a designated hole, and the owner of the ball that lands in the hole (or closest to the pin) will win the 50-50 prize. The pricing to participate is as follows: $10 for one ball, $25 for three balls and $75 for 10 balls. This is another exciting way to benefit the Towne & Gown Endowed Scholarship Fund. Contact Courtney Schultz at 909-469-8495 or cschultz@westernu.edu for more information.
Thank you
University Advancement acknowledges the many donors who supported the scholarships that were distributed this past awards season. Approximately $6 million and 370 scholarships were presented to WesternU students at Honors Days, Graduate Awards Ceremonies, the East West Scholarship Dinner, and more! Thank you to all our generous donors.
From the College of Allied Health Professions:
Million Mothers March
The College of Allied Health Professions has adopted the Kennedy Austin Foundation as a partnering organization. The Department of Health Sciences has supported the foundation’s annual event, the Million Mothers March, through the Educational Leadership and Program Implementation courses. Our students have worked hard to help plan this very special event.
The Million Mothers March, which took place May 20, 2017 in Pomona, honors mothers and families who have lost children. Events included a march along Garey Avenue, a health fair and a balloon release to remember those who have been lost. CAHP and COMP students and faculty participated. Click here to view photos: http://webassets.westernu.edu/westernu-news/docs/DSC-0105.jpg
http://webassets.westernu.edu/westernu-news/docs/DSC-0130.jpg
From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:
3.3 Million-Year-Old Fossil Reveals the Antiquity of the Human Spine
COMP Assistant Professor Thierra Nalley, PhD, co-authored a paper analyzing the fossil skeleton of a 2 1/2-year-old toddler discovered in Dikika, Ethiopia. The findings, published last week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrate that portions of the human skeletal structure were established millions of years earlier than previously thought.
Carol V. Ward, Thierra K. Nalley, Fred Spoor, Paul Tafforeau, and Zeresenay Alemseged. Thoracic vertebral count and thoracolumbar transition in Australopithecus afarensis; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2017; doi:10.1073/pnas.1702229114.
Click here to read more and watch a video from the University of Missouri.
Click here to read the paper.
Kudos on accomplishments
Matt Wedel, PhD, of COMP and CPM, was an invited speaker at the Riverside Telescope Makers’ Conference in Big Bear over Memorial Day weekend. He gave two public lectures, “Exploring the Universe with Binoculars,” and “Observing the Scale of the Cosmos.”
Dr. Wedel also gave a two-hour interview about his paleontology research on Fist Full of Podcasts, which is freely available here:
http://fistfullofpodcasts.com/2017/05/bonus-episode-life-in-the-age-of-giants/
From the College of Pharmacy:
Kudos on accomplishments
The College of Pharmacy won second place for the 2017 Health Innovations Prize, awarded by the Center for Civic Policy and Leadership (CCPL). CCPL engages leaders from throughout the Inland region to support building healthy, safe and peaceful communities.
The College of Pharmacy was recognized at the 2017 National Innovative Communities Conference at the Ontario Convention Center May 24. Click here to read the case study.
Click here for more information about the NIC Conference: https://www.pic-nicc.org/
The following publication is based on a collaborative effort led by Dr. Janice Hoffman with three current PPAD members (Eunice Chung, Anandi V. Law and James D. Scott) one previous (Karl Hess); and an alumnus (Brandon Samson), which showcases COP’s professionalism curriculum.
Hoffman, J. Overview of a co-curricular professional development program in a college of pharmacy. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning (2017),
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2017.01.010
http://www.pharmacyteaching.com/article/S1877-1297(16)30022-3/pdf
Dr. Cynthia Jackevicius and her former fellows (Lingyun Lu and Noelle de Leon) and physician collaborators at the VAGLA published an article examining the benefits of an interdisciplinary post-discharge heart failure clinic on 90-day adherence to medications.
Lu J, Jackevicius CA, de Leon NK, Chang DS, Warner AL, Mody FV. Impact of a multi-disciplinary heart failure post-discharge management clinic on evidence-based medication adherence. Clin Ther 2017
http://www.clinicaltherapeutics.com/article/S0149-2918(17)30293-X/fulltext
Dr. Jaejin An and her collaborators at Kaiser published the following: An J, Niu F, Zheng C, Rashid N, Mendes RA, Dills D, Vo L, Singh P, Bruno A, Lang DT, Le PT, Jazdzewski KP, Aranda G Jr. Warfarin Management and Outcomes in Patients with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation Within an Integrated Health Care System. J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2017 Jun;23(6):700-712.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28530526
Dr. Peter Oelschlaeger and his collaborators published the following: Chang Y-N, Xiang Y, Zhang Y-J, Wang W-M, Chen C, Oelschlaeger P, Yang K-W. Carbamylmethyl Mercaptoacetate Thioether: A Novel Scaffold for the Development of L1 Metallo-β-lactamase Inhibitors. ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 2017;8(5):527-32. doi: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.7b00058.
From the College of Podiatric Medicine:
Kudos on accomplishments
Second-year College of Podiatric Medicine students Laura Przondo and Brittany Mammano had articles published in the national American Podiatric Medical Student Association News. Both young women tackled challenging subjects. Mammano wrote “A Student Perspective on the VA Provider Equity Act (HR 1058),” exploring the inequities faced by podiatrists in the veterans’ health system. Przondo explored the issue of access to podiatric care, most particularly diabetic foot care, in rural areas in an article titled “Where Lies the Greatest Need.” Both referenced the exceptional education and training they receive at WesternU that prepares them to be the future of podiatric medicine and surgery.
