This Week@WesternU, May 6-10, 2019
WesternU to celebrate Commencement, Temple Grandin among speakers
More than 1,000 degrees will be awarded during Western University of Health Sciences Commencement Exercises in Pasadena, California. and Lebanon, Oregon in May 2019.
WesternU will award diplomas to nearly 1,000 graduates during five Commencement ceremonies for its nine colleges May 22-24, 2019 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. More than 100 COMP-Northwest graduates will celebrate Commencement Friday, May 31, 2019 on WesternU’s Lebanon campus.
“Our Commencements are landmark events for many reasons, not least of which is as a symbol of our WesternU commitment to ensuring future health professionals have the best possible skills, knowledge and support to ease suffering for those needing care while also enhancing health and wellness,” said WesternU President Daniel R. Wilson, MD, PhD. “As we celebrate our graduates, we celebrate our special University, and the effort all of us make toward advancing the WesternU mission and philosophy throughout our region and increasingly across the world.”
Click here to read the full story.
WesternU COMP-Northwest prepares to graduate 104 osteopathic physicians
Western University of Health Sciences’ Oregon campus will celebrate its fifth Commencement on Friday, May 31, 2019 on the WesternU-Oregon Campus at 200 Mullins Drive in Lebanon. Doors will open at 9 a.m. and the ceremony will begin at 10.
At Commencement, 104 medical students from the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest will earn their Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine. These new physicians will join more than 400 alumni who have graduated from WesternU COMP-Northwest.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown will deliver the Governor’s Address at the ceremony. Governor Brown earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder. She moved to Oregon to attend Lewis and Clark’s Northwestern School of Law, where she received her law degree and Certificate in Environmental Law. Prior to serving as Oregon’s 38th governor, she served as Oregon’s Secretary of State, where Governor Brown was a leader in increasing government transparency and accountability.
The keynote address will be delivered by Oregon’s 34th governor, Barbara Roberts. Governor Roberts was elected in 1990, becoming the first woman governor in Oregon and one of the first 10 female governors in the nation.
Click here to read the full story.
Click here for more information about Commencement ceremonies in Pasadena, California: https://commencement.westernu.edu/pomona/
Click here for information about the COMP-Northwest Commencement ceremony in Lebanon, Oregon: https://commencement.westernu.edu/lebanon/
WesternU Commencement on social media
For everyone participating in and attending Commencement ceremonies: Help us make the 2019 Commencement ceremonies memorable. You can help us make a virtual scrapbook on social media by tagging and mentioning us on Twitter and Instagram (@westernunews), and finding us on Facebook (@westernuniversityofhealthsciences).
Please use the hashtag #WesternUGrad2019 for ceremonies in Pasadena that take place May 22-24 and for the ceremony in Lebanon on Friday, May 31.
WesternU helps shepherd Care Harbor mega-clinic to Pomona
Hundreds of thousands of Southern California residents are without health insurance and do not have a medical home. The problem is staggering and requires a massive response. Care Harbor has addressed this need by holding nine free mega health clinics in downtown Los Angeles over the past several years, serving about 25,000 patients and providing close to 140,000 free services for an estimated value of care exceeding $20 million.
Western University of Health Sciences, in collaboration with other major local institutions, answered the call to help bring Care Harbor to Pomona. WesternU played a key role in planning the event, and hundreds of WesternU students, faculty and staff volunteered April 27-28, 2019 at Care Harbor Fairplex.
Click here to read the full story and to watch a video.
Kudos on accomplishments
WesternU Vice President for External and Clinical Affairs David Baron, DO, MSEd, was named to the National Addiction Policy Forum Scientific Advisory Board. He will be advising on addiction education training for health professionals and the public.
From the College of Health Sciences:
Your Journey to PA School
On a recent Saturday, WesternU was visited by approximately 300 Pre-PA (Physician Assistant) students from around Southern California. Your Journey to PA School – 7th Annual Conference was the event that interested so many people to come to WesternU on that Saturday. This conference is the brainchild of PA 2008 Alumnus Anthony Gauthier. Anthony is proud of his profession and his alma mater. His personal mission is to help people get into the PA Profession by educating them in what they need to do and know to gain admittance to a PA program.
At the Saturday conference, he provided the Pre-PAs with speakers who provided guidance in the PA application process, how to write an effective personal statement, how to present and prepare themselves for interviews. He facilitated a communication network by allowing any PA Program to set up a booth to interact with the Pre-PA attendees. Obviously, WesternU had a booth that was run by the PA students, a few of whom had attended previous Your Journey to PA School conferences. PA Gauthier was able to gather around 20 vendors (other PA programs, white coat companies, PA medical book authors) and even had WesternU PA students demonstrate basic suturing techniques.
PA Gauthier donated $500 to the PA program as a gesture of thanks for allowing WesternU to host the event. It was the largest attended Pre-PA conference he has had to date.
The PA faculty and I are proud to see our alumni promoting their chosen profession and paying honor to the alma mater. Kudos to Anthony Gauthier!
From the College of Dental Medicine:
Associate Professor Jeff Lloyd, DDS
It is with a heavy heart that CDM announces the loss of one of our own. A dearly beloved friend and colleague, Dr. Jeff Lloyd, passed away after a brief illness on April 9, 2019. Dr. Lloyd joined CDM as a part-time faculty in 2010, while still operating his successful dental practice in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Dr. Lloyd’s love for teaching general dentistry was immediately apparent, and he soon expressed an interest in a full-time position. During CDM’s Honor’s Day and Senior Award Ceremony on April 25, the College announced the establishment of a fund for the Dr. Jeff Lloyd Scholarship in General Dentistry to be awarded to a student who demonstrates an interest and aptitude in the practice of full-scope, quality general dentistry. In addition, the college renamed the Part-Time Faculty Award as the “Dr. Jeff Lloyd Outstanding Part-Time Faculty Award” as it was felt he already “owned” it after his three wins of this award. Dr. Lloyd was a passionate, dedicated, caring and outstanding member of the College who leaves a legacy of enthusiasm and love for teaching general dentistry at the highest level. He is and will always be deeply missed.
Click here to read more.
From the College of Pharmacy:
Kudos on accomplishments
Dr. Hyma Gogineni co-authored a chapter on Rheumatoid Arthritis in PharmacotherapyFirst: A Multimedia Learning Resource. PharmacotherapFirst is an APhA online peer-reviewed resource focused on diseases state and patient management. Chapter: Rheumatoid Arthritis. Textbook PharmacotherapyFirst: A Multimedia Learning Resource. Authors: Nkem Nonyel and Hyma Gogineni
From the College of Veterinary Medicine:
Kudos on accomplishments
CVM Associate Professor Babak Faramarzi was recently informed that two abstracts were accepted for presentation at the annual conference of American Association of Veterinary Anatomists (Calgary, Canada). Authors list includes CVM students Julissa Hoogeveen and Alexis Awrey, Dr. Dongbin Lee (Dr. Faramarzi’s former Post Doctoral fellow), Dr. Carvallo (UC Davis pathologist), Dr. Frank Dong (GCBS biostatistician), and CVM Professor Wael Khamas.
CVM faculty members Dr. Gagandeep Kaur and Dr. Teresa Morishita were recently announced as new members of The Teaching Academy of the Consortium of West Region Colleges of Veterinary Medicine. The mission of the regional teaching academy (RTA) is to ensure that the members of the consortium collaborate to develop, implement and sustain the best practices in veterinary medical and biomedical education in our colleges.
From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:
Kudos on accomplishments
WesternU COMP-Northwest medical students presented at last month’s AACOM Conference on the DREAM program. The DREAM program is a free enrichment program offered by the medical school designed to promote diversity on campus and in the greater osteopathic medicine community. During last year’s inaugural run of the program, 14 pre-med students spent 2.5 days exploring the journey of medical school – from getting into medical school; insight into post-graduate opportunities; and much more.
The AACOM presentation was led by second-year medical students Omar Rachdi, Jan Garo, Giulia Di Bella, and Jordan Bilbrew. Mirabelle Fernandes Paul, EdD, WesternU COMP-Northwest Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, provided mentorship for the project.
“These leaders graced my office week after week with their unwillingness to accept things the way they were,” Fernandes Paul said. “They brought their desire for change, allyship and inclusivity and here we are almost two years later, telling you our story of grassroots leadership, student leadership, and the desire of this fierce-some foursome to transform the makeup of their future profession.”
From WesternU Health:
Clinical trials at WesternU Health – Pomona
SURPASS-4 Study: What’s missing from your type 2 diabetes management? If you’re looking for a different way to manage your A1c levels, the SURPASS-4 Study may interest you. We’re recruiting adults for a clinical research study of a once-a-week study drug for type 2 diabetes, and you may be able to take part. Talk to your doctor to learn more.
Click here to view a flier.
SELECT: Have you ever had a heart attack or stroke? Do you have poor circulation? Have you considered participating in a clinical study? Research has shown that treatment with semaglutide may reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack in people with type 2 diabetes. In a study called SELECT, we will check to see if semaglutide reduces the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke in people with overweight or obesity. Click here to read more.
GAZELLE: Living with type 1 diabetes? Consider the GAZELLE study. If you are an adult between ages 18 and 65 living with type 1 diabetes, you may be eligible to take part in the GAZELLE clinical research trial. This trial will look at an investigational fast-acting insulin to see if it works as effectively as an existing fast-acting insulin already being used to treat diabetes. Trial-related medications, procedures, equipment and supplies will be provided at no cost; health insurance is not required to participate.
Click here to read more.
