This Week@WesternU, Sept. 15-19, 2014
WesternU dedicates Lawrence F. Gosenfeld, D.O. Research Laboratory
Western University of Health Sciences honored a longtime friend and supporter of the university in dedicating the Lawrence F. Gosenfeld, D.O. Research Laboratory Sept. 11, 2014.
Dr. Gosenfeld gave a $2.25 million gift to WesternU in his will, with $2 million dedicated to student scholarships and $250,000 to expanding the laboratories in WesternU’s Health Education Center.
WesternU Founding President Philip Pumerantz, PhD, said Dr. Gosenfeld was one of the first professors he hired in the early 1980s.
“”He was very loyal and very skillful. Everybody liked him,”” Pumerantz said. “”Larry Gosenfeld is a very important part of this university. He was responsible in large part for its successes. Through the years there have been a lot of people like that. But he stands out.””
Click here to read the full story and to view a slideshow.
WesternU holds Sept. 11 memorial
Western University of Health Sciences’ Military Medical Student Association held a Sept. 11 memorial service in Ethan Allen Park on WesternU’s Pomona, Calif. campus.
The ceremony, held Sept. 11, 2014, brought together WesternU administrators, faculty, staff and students, invited dignitaries, and representatives from the Pomona Police Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department to honor those who died and those who continue to serve in the military and as first responders.
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WesternU hosts discussion of drug formularies
California Sen. Norma Torres, the California Biotechnology Foundation (CBF) and the California Partnership for Access to Treatment (CPAT) held a complimentary luncheon seminar Sept. 8, 2014 at Western University of Health Sciences to discuss health insurance exchange drug formularies in California.
The seminar was designed to educate health care advocates, providers and consumers about insurance plan options, and provide tools for more transparency to help patients select the plan that best meets their health and budget needs.
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Collaborating Across Borders
Vice Provost Sheree Aston, OD, MA, PhD, is the U.S. Chair of the upcoming Collaborating Across Borders (CAB V) conference in Roanoke (fall 2015).
The event, sponsored every two years by the American Interprofessional Health Collaborative and the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative, is the premier North American conference on educating and implementing effective health care teams.
The call for pre-conference workshops was recently posted. The call for abstracts will be posted later this month. Information can be found at
From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:
COMP takes the long view of health care
College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) student Kenneth Chang, DO ’18, recently sat in the lobby of WesternU’s Patient Care Center and talked with Chino resident Angel Gomez. He asked Gomez about his medications, his blood pressure readings, and whether he’s drinking enough water every day.
“”He’s helping me a lot. He’s a good man,”” Gomez said. “”He’s going to be a good doctor.””
The student doctor and patient are part of the Longitudinal Chronic Care Course (LC3), a pilot program at COMP. Chang will take care of Gomez throughout his time as a COMP student.
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COMP news
Often heralded as the “”stethoscope of the future,”” ultrasound is rapidly becoming a staple of clinical diagnostics and practice throughout various medical specialties. Gabriella Woods (OMSII) and Blaire Bokal Davison (OMSII), co-presidents of the Ultrasound Club, have created an Ultrasound Club here at COMP, which seeks to enhance our students’ ability to excel and practice in the ever-changing clinical world. The Ultrasound Club has worked to build a curriculum for both first- and second-year students that builds upon the basic science and clinical classes. First-year students are learning ultrasound procedures paired with their anatomy curriculum to further enforce the anatomy learned in lecture and cadaver lab, while second-year students attend workshops that follow their systems classes. Ultrasound Club aims to educate and develop this critically relevant skill in an effort to better prepare students for rotations, residency and future clinical practice.
COMP students have decided it’s time they include evidence-based nutrition education into their curriculum. Lead by Dr. Dreibelbis on the Lebanon campus and Dr. Fraix on the Pomona campus, student leaders have come together to create the “”Nutrition in Medicine”” series that provides 14 hours of elective nutrition education into the medical school curriculum. In promoting this innovative series, Dr. Dreibelbis and Dr. Fraix have become the first directors of wellness in the nation as they seek to pioneer and grow this ever important aspect of medicine.
The Student DO of the Month is designed by the Council of Leaders to recognize one student each month for outstanding commitment, leadership, service, academic excellence, or all around support for the university and the osteopathic profession. OMS II Pradhab Kirupaharan was named the August SDOM.
COMP-Northwest is planning a Community Health Fair for the Lebanon community. The event is sponsored by ACOFP Medical Students, and is slated from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18 in Eastmoreland. The fair aims to promote a healthy lifestyle, via nutritious eating, exercise and relaxation techniques and will be open to the public.
Click here to view a flier.
From the Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences:
Kudos on accomplishments
Assistant Professor Manal Swairjo, PhD, received a National Institutes of Health Research Project Grant (RO1) for $429,713 per year for five years for the project “”RNA Modifications: Structure and Mechanism.””
Due to the spread of threatening bacterial infections resistant to multiple antibiotics, there is an urgent need to identify new targets and develop novel antibacterial agents. The proposed research will uncover the molecular and structural basis for the essentiality of four newly characterized bacterial proteins involved in the biosynthesis of a modified RNA nucleotide in bacteria, thus enabling future development of a new class of molecular targets for antibacterial agents to combat resistant infections.
Click here for more information.
From the College of Veterinary Medicine:
Kudos on accomplishments
Dr. David Kersey presented a talk, “”Bridging basic and applied sciences for giant panda reproduction,”” for the student chapter of Society of Theriogenology.
Dr. Kersey was also appointed to the Advisory Board for Pandas International. PI is a nonprofit organization that promotes and supports conservation activities for the giant pandas. Dr. Kersey has traveled extensively to China to assist with the reproduction of the giant pandas. This fall he will again visit China to set up an endocrine lab at a new giant panda breeding facility.
From the College of Allied Health Professions:
WesternU to host softball games against the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team
The Physical Therapy Department at Western University of Health Sciences will host a double-header softball game against the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team (WWAST) on Oct. 4, 2014.
Gates open at 3 p.m. Games will be at 4 and 7 p.m. at San Manuel Stadium, 280 South E. St., San Bernardino, California – home of the Inland Empire 66ers minor league baseball team.
Click here to read the full story.
From University Advancement:
Alumni news
Staff members from Advancement and COMP were in Monterey, Calif. Sept. 12-13 for the Osteopathic Physicians & Surgeons of California’s 25th Annual Fall Conference (Sept. 12-14). More than 150 alumni and several COMP students were among the conference’s 450 attendees who came through the exhibit hall.
On Saturday, Sept. 20, the Alumni Office is hosting a reception-style dinner at Grimaldi’s Pizzeria in the Palazzo Las Vegas during the Vision Expo West Conference (Sept. 17-20). Those planning to attend are asked to
register online for the reception by this Wednesday, Sept. 17. More than 80 alumni, students, faculty, staff, and guests have already registered.
The Alumni Office is hosting a reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 at COMP-Northwest following the Oregon-ACOFP Primary Care Seminar that day. WesternU alumni living in Oregon will be joined by COMP-Northwest students, faculty and staff. Attendees can register for the reception at
alumni@westernu.edu or (909) 469-ALUM.
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