This Week@WesternU, Oct. 15-19, 2012
A Tribute to Caring
Western University of Health Sciences’ annual “A Tribute to Caring” gala, which raises money for student scholarships, will take place on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.
The theme this year is “Look How Far You’ve Brought Us,” honoring all of the supporters who have helped make WesternU the outstanding academic and patient care center that it is today. Click here to read the full story. Click here to visit the ATC website.
Walk to Stop Diabetes
Please join the WesternU Team for the American Diabetes Association Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes, Oct. 27, 2012 in Griffith Park, Los Angeles.
As a team, united in our desire to Stop Diabetes, we are asking for your support. Please make a donation to one of our team members or become one of us by joining our team. When we bring together dedicated team members and kind donors, the power we have as a group far outweighs what any of us could do alone.
Join the Western Diabetes Institute team at www.diabetes.org.
From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:
Kudos on accomplishments
Second-year COMP students Jennifer Aye and Audrey Jensen attended AD+ World Health’s Ruby Ball fundraiser on Oct. 13 thanks to the generous support of many COMP faculty. They were given the first “Dr. Pumerantz Humanism Award” due to their tireless efforts in international medicine, community health, the underserved and our homeless populations.
The money raised was donated to AD+ World Health and allowed Jennifer and Audrey to attend the event, held on board Judy Garland’s yacht “Sovereign.”
COMP alumna and Associate Clinical Professor Natalie Nevins, DO, is the founder and CEO/President of AD+ World Health, a nonprofit organization that provides sustainable health care to underserved regions in the U.S. and abroad. For more information, visit www.adworldhealth.com.
Dr. Elizabeth Rega and Dr. Brian Kraatz spoke at the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology Southwest regional meeting Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012. Dr. Rega’s topic was “Proliferative pathology of cervical vertebrae in ceratopsian dinosaurs.” Dr. Kraatz’s topic was “Ecological correlates to cranial morphology within Leporidae.” Click here to view the full list of speakers and topics.
Dr. Brion Benninger, MD MSc, Professor/Vice Chair, Medical Anatomical Sciences, Lebanon, organized the second annual interprofessional collaboration between the Lebanon Medical Anatomy Department and the REACH Emergency Medical Flight Services. The REACH team facilitated the learning of emergency airway management by assisting emergency cricothyrotomies, tracheotomies and intubation. In return, the flight surgeons and their REACH team added to their anatomical knowledge by having the opportunity to work with the donor cadaver patients. This was a unique experience for both the students and flight team to interact about life saving medical emergencies.
Three Basic Medical Sciences faculty from COMP-Northwest will be attending the Society for Neuroscience Meeting in New Orleans on Oct. 13-17, and giving poster presentations of their research.
Glen Kisby, PhD, “Distribution, Transport and Metabolism of L-BMAA in the Rodent Brain.” John Mata, PhD, “A cell spanning IKVAV expressing peptide for treatment of spinal cord injury.” Philip Brownell, PhD, “Vibration detection and afferent signal processing by tarsal slit sensilla of sand scorpions.”
Oregon Gov. Barbara Roberts toured the COMP-Northwest campus on Oct. 9. Gov. Roberts was at the helm of Oregon from 1991 to 1995, and to date is the only female governor Oregon has elected. After her tour, she met with faculty, staff and students at a reception.
Students and staff from COMP-Northwest attended the 68th Oregon Public Health Association Annual Conference and Meeting in Corvallis Oct. 8-9. The conference is a premier professional meeting of public health practitioners, academics, community leaders, and students throughout Oregon. COMP-Northwest students who attended and ran a booth at the conference were OMS-I Peter Fox, Emma Sachs, Cathryn Erickson, Rebecca Roach, and Michelle Sanderson, as well as OMS-II Meghan Sturdy.
From the College of Pharmacy:
Kudos on accomplishments
Dr. Karl Hess collaborated with College of Allied Health Professions faculty on an abstract that was presented at the Nonprescription Medicines Academy Meeting held in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the end of September.
Karl Hess, Mary Hudson-McKinney and Denise Schilling. An Interprofessional Medical Supplies Workshop: Changes in Student Pharmacist Knowledge, Attitudes/Beliefs, and Practice Habits.
Dr. Karl Hess, PPAD colleagues Drs. Schwartzman and Law, and Dr. Hess’ previous community pharmacy practice resident and WesternU alumna, Dr. Christine Gabrielian, who is currently a clinical pharmacist at Kaiser, Woodland Hills, recently published a paper, which was a product of Dr. Gabrielian’s residency project. The study found that student pharmacists positively impacted knowledge and awareness of health fair participants; as well as their intention to follow up with a provider. Click here to view the article. Karl M. Hess, Christine Gabrielian, Emmanuelle Schwartzman and Anandi V. Law. The Impact of Student Pharmacists at Health Fair Events. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 2012; 76 (8) Article 149.
Congratulations to Dr. Karl Hess and Dr. Janice Hoffman on their successful election to positions at the California Pharmacists Association (CPhA); Dr. Hess to the Academy of Educators Trustees and Dr. Hoffman to the Long Term Care Board of Directors.
From the College of Graduate Nursing:
Kudos on accomplishments
The College of Graduate Nursing’s Assistant Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program and Professor, Rodney W. Hicks, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, recently co-authored an article for the AORN (Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses) Journal titled “Identifying and minimizing risks for surgical patients with dermal implants” (Oct 2012, Vol. 96, No. 4, AORN Connections). The article addresses the additional challenges to patient safety within the perioperative environment concerning dermal implants (body piercings). Dr. Hicks will also be presenting this topic at the AORN Congress in March 2013.
From the College of Dental Medicine:
Kudos on accomplishments
College of Dental Medicine Associate Dean for Community Partnerships and Access to Care Timothy Martinez, DMD, will receive an award recognizing his contributions to making a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. Martinez is receiving an award at the 21st Annual Access Awards Luncheon today, Oct. 15, 2012, organized by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities. His award comes from Supervisor Gloria Molina. Click here to read the full story.
Robert Lamb, DDS, MS, President and Founder of Interdisciplinary Dental Education Academy (IDEA), presented Continuing Education on “Achieving Optimal Gingival Esthetics Around Immediately Restored Dental Implants: Prosthodontic and Surgical Protocols” and Heike Kramer, Dr. med. dent., M.Sc. and instructor at IDEA, presented on “Form Follows Function: Esthetic and Function in Harmony.”
The College held a Faculty and Staff Development day on Sept. 28, which was attended by most of the College faculty and staff. We learned more about each other and ourselves thanks to Dr. Gail Singer-Chang presenting on “Learning Styles and Emotional Intelligence” and Dagmar Cofer and Dr. Hector Arroyo teaching us about “Team Building/ Coaching Skills.” Drs. Venugopal and Pape provided insight into the ADEA Institute of Learning with an “Introduction to the Art and Science of Teaching” and Drs. Andrews and Elo taught us about the “Surgical Management of Complex Oral Pathology Lesions.” Tim Wood delivered a greater understanding of what CAPE has to offer (a lot including Lynda.com!) and Suzanne Adolphson covered Clinical Policies with the PCC staff.
From the College of Optometry:
College News
For the latest College of Optometry news, click here: http://www.westernu.edu/optometry-college-news.
From University Advancement:
Gift-in-kind donation to the College of Veterinary Medicine
Merial Limited has made a gift-in-kind donation of products for CVM students valued at more than $45,000. Students are able to use and evaluate the various types of products in real-world situations that they will be recommending and prescribing when they become Doctors of Veterinary Medicine.
Alumni events
On Friday, Oct. 5, the WesternU Alumni Association hosted 85 alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends at an evening reception in the Renaissance Hotel, Palm Springs during the California Academy of Physician Assistants’ Annual Conference. In the past, this annual reception was held on the Saturday night of the conference, and last year attracted just 21 attendees.
On Sunday, Oct. 7, the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific’s Charter Class of 1982 held their 30th Reunion at the home of Michael Rosenblatt, DO ’82, in La Jolla, Calif. President Philip Pumerantz, Senior Vice President Thomas Fox, longtime COMP Professor Richard Sugerman, and former Dean of Students Janet Dyer were joined by ten of the original 36 members of the class and their guests for an evening of reminiscing.
On Tuesday, Oct. 9, the WesternU Alumni Association hosted nearly 150 alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends at an evening reception during the American Osteopathic Association’s OMED Convention in San Diego at ALTITUDE SkyLounge, 22 stories up, on the roof of the Marriott Gaslamp Hotel. Attendees reconnected with their classmates and enjoyed complimentary food and drinks, along with the breathtaking view of San Diego, Coronado Island, and the sunset over the Pacific. Among the attendees were two osteopathic legends who were instrumental in the early days of COMP: Drs. Viola Frymann and Ethan Allen. Alumni were thrilled to take pictures and speak with these two nonagenarians, and Dr. Frymann, who still sees four patients a day, even addressed the crowd for a few minutes about the importance of pediatric care.
Upcoming events for alumni include the PT 20th Anniversary Celebration on campus, Oct. 18-20; dinner during the CSHP Conference in Las Vegas on Oct. 19; a reception in Phoenix on Oct. 26; and “A Tribute to Caring” in Anaheim on Nov. 10.
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