This Week@WesternU, Oct. 24-28, 2016
A Tribute to Caring
WesternU will hold its annual fundraising gala “A Tribute to Caring” (ATC) Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California. Registration and entertainment begin at 6:30 p.m. and the dinner and program begin at 7:30 p.m. VCA Inc., represented by President and Chief Executive Officer Robert L. Antin, will receive the Corporate Award for Excellence in Health Care. Proceeds from ATC benefit student scholarships. Click here to visit the ATC website for more information and to purchase tickets.
WesternU receives grant to encourage underrepresented students to enter health professions
Western University of Health Sciences is one of 13 institutions nationwide that received a grant to provide a summer enrichment program supporting students who are underrepresented in the health professions.
WesternU received a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP), organized by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Dental Education Association. Click here to read the full story.
Vectoring in on Zika
Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona) hosted a roundtable discussion to learn about policy issues, concerns, and ideas related to the Zika virus on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016 at Western University of Health Sciences.
Torres was interested in learning how vector control is reducing mosquito-borne diseases and how public health professionals are preparing to confront Zika.
The roundtable included Robert Warren, DO ’01, Chief Medical Officer of the WesternU Medical Center and assistant professor of family medicine for the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP), and Nishita Patel, MD, COMP assistant professor of internal medicine, division of infectious disease. Also on hand were Kenn Fujioka, PhD, district manager, San Gabriel Valley Mosquito & Vector Control District, and PIO Jason Farned, among others.
Click here to read more and to view a slideshow.
From the College of Dental Medicine:
ADEA report
CDM had a significant presence at the American Dental Educators Association (ADEA) annual Business, Finance, and Clinic Administration meeting in Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 6-8, 2016. The meeting was co-hosted by Dr. David Lazarchik, Associate Dean for Patient Care and Clinical Education, and presentations focused on “Leadership, Innovation, and Technology” in dental education. CDM Associate Professors Hubert Chan (Assistant Dean for Clinical Education) and Alexander Lee (Coordinator of Dental Informatics) spoke about an innovative and easy to use mobile app developed by CDM for providing formative feedback to students in the preclinical and clinical settings. Suzanne Adolphson, Director of Patient Care Services, spoke about using Qualtrics at multiple clinic sites for Continuous Quality Improvement. A panel of deans from other institutions spoke about the need for continuous efforts to maintain levels of technology that provide WesternU graduates the needed experience to function in the health care environments of the future. In addition to these meeting activities, Dr. Lazarchik serves as Chair, ADEA Section on Clinic Administration, and Adolphson serves as Secretary, ADEA Section on Business and Financial Administration.
From the College of Pharmacy:
Kudos on accomplishments
The WesternU College of Pharmacy’s chapter of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), advised by Early Assurance Programs Manager Ligaya Chan, won the Most Improved Award at the NCPA Annual Convention. Click here to read more.
From the College of Podiatric Medicine:
Kudos on accomplishments
CPM Dean Lawrence Harkless, DPM, recently returned from Mexico City (Oct. 12-13) where he presented/spoke at the following:
La Academia Nacional de Medicina, Seminario “Retos y Oportunidades en Diabetes” (The National Academy of Medicine, Seminar “Challenges and Opportunities in Diabetes”). Presentation: “Retos de la Investagacion Cronicas” (“Challenges Investigating Chronic Cases”)
26th Annual Curso Multidisciplinario de Diabetes, Ciudad de Mexico. “Conferencia Magistral” (Keynote Address): “That Ye May Know A Forty Year Diabetic Foot Journey.”
From the College of Veterinary Medicine:
Kudos on accomplishments
Dr. Malika Kachani, CVM Professor of Parasitology, received an invitation from the World Health Organization (WHO) to extend her membership on the Expert Advisory Panel on Zoonosis. Her current panel membership was scheduled to expire in December 2016. When invited by the WHO to become a panel member, that member undertakes to contribute technical information on developments in their field and to offer advice as appropriate, spontaneously or upon request.
Dr. Kachani, who is an Office of International de Epizooties (OIE) expert in Veterinary Legislation Support Program (VLSP), has also been invited along with other VLSP experts from various countries to attend a VLSP expert seminar in Paris in December. The purpose of this conference is to introduce the VLSP experts to the new OIE/FAO Peste des Petit Ruminants (PPR) Global Control and Eradication Strategy, which identifies the updating of national veterinary legislation as a fundamental element of the global PPR eradication effort. In addition, the OIE will use the gathering to solicit feedback from VLSP experts on their mission experiences and their use of the VLSP tools.
Dr. Babak Faramarzi, CVM Associate Professor, had two presentations at the recent 2016 American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) in Seattle, Wash. The first, titled “Histo-functional properties of the equine digital cushion in Quarter Horses,” was co-authored by Dr. Wael Khamas (CVM Professor) and Linnea Lantz (Dr. Faramarzi’s former graduate student and presently a second-year DO candidate). The second presentation was titled “Development of foal thoracic limb hoof and phalanges based on radiographic measurements: birth to 12 months of age.” Co-authors included third-year DVM student Allison Salinger and Drs. Y. Nout-Lomas and A. Kaneps.
Dr. Mohammad Mir, CVM Associate Professor, was recently notified of his manuscript being published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The manuscript demonstrates the identification of three lead inhibitors that have potential for therapeutic intervention of rodent borne hantavirus disease. The inhibitors were identified using a high throughput screening approach of a large chemical library of more than 100,000 chemical compounds. The manuscript can be accessed at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27733686
From the College of Optometry:
An Inspirational Evening with Tom Sullivan
6-9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016 in the Health Education Center. Learn about InfantSEE, a no-cost public health program developed by The AOA (American Optometric Association) Foundation and the Allergan Foundation. Click here to view a flier.
From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:
Medical Anatomy Center news
WesternU was the most represented institution regarding student research posters and oral presentations at the recent World Congress of Ultrasound in Medical Education in Texas. The projects ranged from innovative use of ultrasound during years 1 and 2, integration of ultrasound with cutting-edge medical technology, and point-of-care procedures for prehospital, hospital, and clinic care. Brion Benninger, MD, Professor of Medical Innovation, Technology & Research, mentored 17 students on 21 research projects including 12 COMP-Northwest students, three post-baccalaureate, one baccalaureate, and one high school student: Dylan Rogers, Robert Mousselli, Petter Overton-Harris, Sachi Patel, Fardis Tavangari, Gabe Hocum, Jenny Tran, Cody Laverdiere, Hillary Swift, David Sanders, Scott Goddard, Ciaran Smythe, Wilson Chen, Avanka Dias, Connor Weston, Kendall Crawford and David Wang.
Dr. Benninger presented wearing Google Glass discussing its use in medical education and integrating Telequantum medical skills for the future of Telehealth.
From Western Diabetes Institute:
WDI in the spotlight
Western Diabetes Institute is featured on the American Diabetes Association’s website in the “Greater L.A. Education Recognized Program Spotlight.” Click here to visit the website.
From University Advancement:
Sudden Snack
On the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 19, the Alumni Office hosted another of their Sudden Snack events on the Esplanade near Ethan Allen Park, distributing 672 Snickers Ice Cream Bars to current students in just 30 minutes. Now in its fifth year, Sudden Snack is held a few times each year to increase awareness of the Alumni Association among current students, as well as to acknowledge the students’ hard work. The events are typically timed to coincide with the end of the first-year students’ IPE small group meetings, one of the few times that such a large group of students seem to all be on the same schedule. On-campus students received an email from the Alumni Office just about an hour before the event begins (hence the event’s name), inviting them to come out to enjoy a little treat. Pictures from the event can be viewed online at http://westernu.smugmug.com/WesternU-Alumni/SuddenSnackFall2016.
