This Week@WesternU, Nov. 14-18, 2011
World Diabetes Day
The Western Diabetes Institute wants everyone to be aware that today, Nov. 14, is World Diabetes Day. Click here for more information about World Diabetes Day. Click here for more information about the Western Diabetes Institute.
From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:
Kudos on accomplishments
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, MD, has appointed COMP-Northwest Associate Professor & Vice Chair of Pediatrics Alissa Craft, DO, to the Health Evidence Review Commission.
From the College of Allied Health Professions:
Department of Physical Therapy Education News
The DPT Class of 2012 was victorious in winning both championship games last week by defeating the DPT Class of 2014 in volleyball and the OD Class of 2014 in basketball. The enthusiasm was apparent in all the teams that participated in the games during National Physical Therapy Month, with such keen athletic talent and strong defensive play resulting in the close final score of 6-5 in the basketball game. The Physical Therapy Advocacy Club (PTAC) wants to thank all the students, staff and faculty who came out to compete and support their teams during the several weeks of tournament play.
From the College of Pharmacy:
Kudos on accomplishments
An article by Dr. Cynthia Jackevicius received favorable reviews in the BMJ Evidence Updates that helps clinicians stay up to date by providing weekly information on relevant high-quality evidence. Click here for more information.
The anticoagulation service that Assistant Professor Roger Klotz and Dr. Micah Hata provide in a local community pharmacy has received further recognition in an American Society of Health System Pharmacists news brief. Click here to read the story.
Former MSPS student Krishna Muppidi and her co-advisers in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Guru Betageri and Dr. Jeffrey Wang, along with Dr. Andrew Pumerantz and Dr. Vishwanath Venketaraman of COMP and others, have published two journal articles this year based on Muppidi’s thesis study in the MSPS program:
Muppidi K, Wang J, Betageri G, Pumerantz AS. PEGylated liposome-encapsulation increases lung tissue concentration of vancomycin. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 55, 4537-42, 2011.
Pumerantz AS, Muppidi K, Agnihotri S, Guerra C, Venketaraman V, Wang J, Betageri B. Liposomal vancomycin: preparation and intracellular killing of MRSA, Int J Antimicrob Agents 37, 140-4, 2011.
From the College of Veterinary Medicine:
Kudos on accomplishments
Veterinary parasitologist and Professor Dr. Malika Kachani was one of two invited reviewers of ongoing research projects funded by the European Union under “framework 7” in several African and European countries to control neglected zoonotic diseases and encourage the “One Health” approach. The European Commission brought Dr. Kachani to Johannesburg, South Africa where she reviewed projects involving 20 institutions from the UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Morocco, Mali, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda. She was selected as a reviewer because of her efforts on neglected zoonotic diseases in Africa, One Health and global health which complemented the other reviewer’s background on socio-economics, cost of diseases and global health issues.
During this visit to Johannesburg, Dr. Kachani attended a Joint Colloquium on zoonoses and neglected infectious diseases of Africa, held simultaneously in the same venue. Dr. Kachani contributed to the workshop discussions and shared her experience on the various topics.
Veterinary internist Dr. Pedro Diniz collaborated with colleagues at North Carolina State University, IDEXX Laboratories and a private practice in Minnesota to generate a report of 18 “Typical and Atypical Manifestations of Anaplasma phagocytophilum Infection in Dogs.” The manuscript continues Dr. Diniz’s pursuit of tick-borne diseases.
The complete citation is: Matthew DE, PPVP Diniz, MJ Beall, BA Stillman, R Chandrashekar, EB Breitschwerdt; “Typical and Atypical Manifestations of Anaplasma phagocytophilum Infection in Dogs” J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 2011; 47:e86–e94. DOI 10.5326/JAAHA-MS-5578
Veterinary internist Dr. Pedro Diniz received notice of a research grant sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica to conduct a study of “Prevalence of Leptospiruria and Antibodies Against Leptospira SPP in Sick Dogs in Southern California.” The total approved budget was $29,960 which includes $5,000 in matching funds from the CVM. In addition, lab tests for this study will be supported by IDEXX, at the approximately annual cost of $150,000 to $250,000.
This study is a collaboration with Dr. Amy Raines at The Humane Society of San Bernardino Valley. The investigators will likely evaluate 100 dogs each month and expect that the results of this study will define the incidence and seasonality of canine leptospirosis in southern California. These data will help local veterinary practitioners define the current risk for Leptospira infection and evaluate the current protocols for immunoprophylaxis for this organism. In addition, they expect to detect dogs shedding Leptospira in the urine, which is a cause of great concern for public health and can be prevented with vaccination.
From the College of Optometry:
Kudos on accomplishments
Dr. Jie Shen and Dr. Joshua Cameron received their Fellowship with the American Academy of Optometry during the recent Academy meeting Oct. 12-15, 2011 in Boston.
