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This Week@WesternU, Sept. 13-17, 2010

by Rodney Tanaka

September 13, 2010

Read 4 mins

From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:

Blood Drive

WesternU will hold a blood drive on Sept. 22-23 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Banfield Veterinary Clinic Center Student Commons (BVCC Commons). The need is constant. The gratification instant. Give Blood. All donors will receive a Mimi’s Café gift certificate for a free appetizer.

To schedule an appointment log onto www.redcrossblood.org and enter sponsor code: westun. Walk-ins also welcome. Identification is required.

From the College of Allied Health Professions:

Department of Physical Therapy Education News

Assistant Professor Janet Konecne, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, has been invited to be a speaker for the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce at their meeting and luncheon to be held on Sept. 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Landmark Center in Anaheim. Dr. Konecne will address “Physical Therapy and Balance – Aging Issues and Prevention.”

From the College of Pharmacy:

Kudos on accomplishments

An article by Assistant Professor Patrick Chan, PharmD, PhD, “Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Considerations in Geriatrics,” is featured in the California Journal of Health-System Pharmacy September/October 2010 issue.

Click here to view the article (scroll down to page 5).

From the College of Veterinary Medicine:

Kudos on accomplishments

Veterinary immunology Professor Dr. Tom Phillips was a collaborator with an international team of virologists and immunologists on a recently published study that addresses the role of the secondary RNA structure in the splicing of viral mRNA species. This study used feline immunodeficiency virus as a model. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus, similar to human (HIV), simian (SIV), and bovine (BIV) immunodeficiency viruses, which causes immunodeficiency and neurological disease in its natural host, the domestic cat, similar to that of HIV in humans. The complete citation is: Na H, Huisman W, Ellestad KK, Phillips TR, Power C. Domain- and nucleotide-specific Rev response element regulation of feline immunodeficiency virus production. Virology. 2010 Sep 1;404(2):246-60.

Dr. Tom Phillips, Dr. Peggy Barr and Dr. Pia Phillips have joined with Dr. Steven Henriksen and others to publish a study of the interaction of methamphetamine use with virus diseases that have great societal impact. The group plans further publications related to this important work. The complete citation is: Huitron-Resendiz S, Henriksen SJ, Barr MC, Testa MP, Crawford E, Parsons LH, Sanchez-Alavez M, Phillips TR. Methamphetamine and lentivirus interactions: reciprocal enhancement of central nervous system disease. J Neurovirol. 2010 Aug;16(4):268-78.

Veterinary internist and Assistant Professor Dr. Pedro Diniz published a collaborative study of a common tick as a vector for Anaplasmosis and Erlichiosis in dogs. This study was designed to assess the effects of either simultaneous or sequential experimental infections with E. canis and A. platys on hematological and serological parameters, duration of infection, and efficacy of doxycycline therapy in dogs infected with one or both organisms. The study was a collaboration with scientists at Idexx Laboratories and North Carolina State University. The authors from IDEXX have been working with Drs. Breitschwerdt, Diniz and Gaunt for a number of years on vector-borne diseases and collaborated to design, analyze and interpret the data generated in this study.

The complete citation is: Experimental infection and co-infection of dogs with Anaplasma platys and Ehrlichia canis: hematologic, serologic and molecular findings

SD Gaunt, MJ Beall, BA Stillman2, L Lorentzen, PPVP Diniz, R Chandrashekar, EB Breitschwerdt. Parasites & Vectors 2010, 3:33

From the College of Dental Medicine:

Kudos on accomplishments

On Sept. 1, 2010, the College of Dental Medicine hosted a lunch meeting for the California Dental Association Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the Association. More information on the Foundation is at www.cdafoundation.org.

The Associate Executive Director of the Foundation, Jennifer Stolo, made a presentation to the CDM students, faculty and staff. The Executive Director of the Tri-County Dental Society, Penny Gage, also spoke, and faculty and students talked about why they support the Foundation. Dean James Koelbl, who serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, spoke about the various activities in which the Foundation is involved.

CDM also presented CDA Foundation scholarship awards to two students.

As a result of the program, CDM students and faculty contributed $1,977 to the Foundation. Eighty-five percent of CDM’s total student body made individual donations, and now qualify as “Student Friends of the CDA Foundation.” Their names will be noted on donor materials that are publicized at all major CDA functions.

Dean Koelbl was invited to present a talk on “Leadership and Professionalism in Dental Education” at the Annual Meeting of the Northern California Section of the American College of Dentists on Sept. 11, 2010 in San Francisco. This meeting was held in conjunction with the California Dental Association Fall Scientific Session, San Francisco, Sept. 9-11, 2010.

The American College of Dentists, the oldest national honorary organization for dentists, was founded in 1920 to elevate the standards of dentistry, to encourage graduate study, and to grant Fellowship to those who have done meritorious work. Its members have exemplified excellence through outstanding leadership and exceptional contributions to dentistry and society. Dr. Koelbl was inducted into Fellowship in the American College of Dentists in 1985.

Announcements

Health Screening & Resource Fair

WesternU and Assemblywoman Norma Torres invite the public to a free Health Screening & Resource Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010, on the WesternU campus. Click here to read more.

L.A. County Fair

WesternU is co-sponsoring an exhibit on human anatomy at the Los Angeles County Fair, which runs through Oct. 3.

Click here to read more and to view a slideshow.

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