ThisWeek@WesternU Sept. 4-8, 2017
WesternU launching Center for Innovation
Western University of Health Sciences will host a special symposium and exhibition about future trends in health and education to launch the University’s new Center for Innovation on Wednesday, September 6, 2017.
The symposium will be from noon to 1 p.m. in WesternU Health Education Center Lecture Hall 1, followed by a technology exhibition from 1 to 3 p.m. showcasing virtual reality education technology, high-speed 3-D printing and scanning exhibits, augmented reality stations, the Microsoft Mixed-Reality platform – Hololens, and a gamification booth showing how game-based learning transforms passive learning into dynamic and engaging experiences.
Click here to read the full story.
Click here to view the Facebook invitation.
Click here to watch a video from Nicholas Webb.
Dr. Philip Pumerantz Distinguished Lectureship
You’re invited to the 9th annual Pumerantz Lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, September 7, 2017 in Health Education Center Lecture Hall 1, 701 E. Second St, Pomona, Calif. 91766.
The guest speaker is health care futurist, entrepreneur and inventor Nicholas Webb, LHD.
This lectureship, in honor of WesternU’s founder and president emeritus, is made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Elaine Sarkaria and the late Dr. Daljit Sarkaria of Orange, California.
The lecture is free and open to all, and will be live streamed to the COMP-Northwest campus. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.
Click here for more information.
LEAD celebrates Open House
On August 30, students, faculty and staff from all nine colleges came to celebrate LEAD’s first Open House. Visitors took interest in all that LEAD has to offer and learned about the value of various services including academic counseling and well-being. The Open House is yet another event in the ongoing tradition of highlighting LEAD and its important contribution to student success. In addition to refreshments and music, the lobby and Rx:RENEW space were open to playing games, creating works of art and more. LEAD’s motto, “A student who feels well does well,” has found expression yet again in this new event at the LEAD Department in HSC. To see pictures of the event go to https://www.facebook.com/WesternULEAD/
From the College of Veterinary Medicine
Kudos on Accomplishments
Assistant Professor Jijun Hao recently published two articles. The first article, “Polymodal allosteric regulation of Type 1 Serine/Theonine Kinase Receptors via a conserved electrostatic lock,” was published in PLoS Computational Biology. The article was in conjunction with his WesternU collaborators, Dr. Yun Luo’s group from the College of Pharmacy and Dr. Jerome Lacroix from the Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences. CVM technician Chen Xie was a co-author. The second article by Dr. Hao, “Regulation of Stemness in Carcinoma Cells,” was published in Stem Cells International.
Associate Professor Babak Faramarzi and some colleagues’ research abstract was accepted by the American Association of Veterinary Anatomists and presented at the 2017 annual conference in Auburn, Alabama, by Dr. Wael Khamas. The abstract, “Histological assessment of digital cushion (DC) in racing horses,” was authored by Faramarzi, B., Lee, D. (Dr. Faramarzi’s post-doctoral fellow), Lantz, L. (Dr. Faramarzi’s former graduate student, currently a DO candidate), Carvallo, F. (UC Davis faculty/pathologist) and Khamas, W. (CVM anatomist). This stud for the first time showed the histologic architecture of the digital cushion in racing horses. Recent advances in diagnostic imaging, and in particular MRI, have shown correlations among several anatomical structures and foot lameness in horses (the annual cost of lameness in horses exceeds one billion dollars). This study provides valuable information on a complicated structure and the role of the digital cushion in supporting internal structures of the foot and preventing catastrophic injuries.
From the College of Pharmacy
Kudos on Accomplishments
Dr. James Scott and collaborators have published a Delphi expert panel study on precepting pharmacy students that appears in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy:
Ignoffo R, Chan L, Knapp K, Chan E, Ip E, Bandy J, Besinque K, Colbert J, Duby JJ, Galanto JS, Gloudeman M, Havard P, Lackey G, Lozano E, Scott J, Stewart TL. Efficient and effective precepting of pharmacy students in acute and ambulatory care rotations: A Delphi expert panel study. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2017 Aug 22. pii: ajhp170181. doi: 10.2146/ajhp170181. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 28830868.
From the College of Dental Medicine
Kudos on Accomplishments
Congratulations are in order for the Community Based Dental Education (CBDE) team for being awarded a $75,000 grant from Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Southern California Region for the Improving Oral Health Delivery System through Technologies and Interprofessional Care. This is a one-year grant from Sept. 1, 2017, to Sept. 1, 2018. The focus is on the virtual dental home delivery system, utilization of a mobile dental app for referrals, and the IPE curriculum. The majority of the grant budget is for CBDE part-time personnel. Congratulations to the entire CBDE team and kudos to Josih Hostetler as the primary author.
From the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific:
Kudos on accomplishments
Drs. Lisa Warren and Robyn Dreibelbis Receive Arnold P. Gold Foundation’s Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award:
COMP Dean Paula Crone recognized Dr. Lisa Warren and Dr. Robyn Dreibelbis as recipients of Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award. The Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award recognizes a faculty member (DO or MD) who demonstrates clinical excellence and outstanding compassion in the delivery of care, and who shows respect for patients, their families and health care colleagues. Click here to read the full story. Click here to read more.
Dr. Vishwanath Venketaraman Receives COMP Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching and Education:
Dean Paula Crone presented a medallion and citation to Dr. Vishy Venketaraman, the recipient of the COMP Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching and Education. This award recognizes a faculty member from COMP’s Pomona and Lebanon campuses for excellence in teaching, contributions to the educational mission of COMP, demonstrated concern for students’ learning and a commitment to high standards of professional life.
Several members of COMP Faculty were recognized for their contributions:
COMP Dean Paula Crone congratulated members of COMP Faculty, who were voted either by the faculty or students for distinction in a variety of areas.
Teamwork- Dr. Jesse Sanchez; Unsung Hero-Dr. Yadi Fernandez-Sweeny; Student Focus- Dr. Lisa Warren; Respect for Human Dignity-Dr. Anna Yeung; Lifelong Learning in Research-Dr. Airani Sathananthan; Lifelong Learning in Teaching-Dr. Rebecca Giusti; Personal & Professional Goal Achievement- Dr. Vishy Venketaraman; Community Service: Dr. Steven Lam; Professionalism- Dr. Marian Safaoui;
DO 2019 Student Voted Outstanding Clinical Faculty-Dr. Adriana Pollak; DO 2020 Student Voted Outstanding Clinical Faculty-Dr. David Redding; DO 2019 Student Voted Outstanding BMS Faculty-Dr. Vishy Venketaraman; DO 2020 Student Voted Outstanding BMS Faculty-Dr. Robert Pechnick.
COMP Seminar Series
COMP will hold its monthly seminar from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, September 15, 2017 in Compatriots Hall, HSC, Pomona, with live streaming to Eastmoreland in Lebanon. Michael Petrascheck, PhD, Associate Professor, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, will present “Targeting Aging to Target Age-Related Disease.” The COMP Seminar Series, which is open to everyone on campus, runs once a month from September to May. Lunch will be provided with RSVP by noon Wednesday, September 13, to kking@westernu.edu. Click here to view the flier.
From the Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences:
Kudos on accomplishments
Dr. Michel Baudry, Dean of GCBS, chaired a symposium during the meeting of the International Society of Neurochemistry in Paris August 20-24, 2017, titled “Do strengthened synapses account for memory storage?” One of the invited participants was Dr. Susumu Tonegawa, Nobel laureate in Physiology and Medicine.
From the Pumerantz Library:
Surviving & Thriving: AIDS, Politics and Culture
The Harriet K. & Philip Pumerantz Library is hosting the National Medical Library traveling exhibit “Surviving & Thriving: AIDS, Politics, and Culture” through October 7, 2017. This exhibit explores the response to the AIDS epidemic since its 1981 appearance in the United States. For further information call Mary Helen Ellis at ext. 5321.
The NAMES project AIDS Memorial Quilt was conceived as a celebration of the lives of people lost to AIDS. The Harriet K. & Philip Pumerantz Library and Lorraine Halverson of the College of Allied Health Professions are providing the opportunity for you to create a block for a loved one to be displayed in the library and then added to the quilt project after the National Library of Medicine exhibit leaves the library.
If you wish to create a block, contact Lorraine Halverson for supplies and guidance. lahalverson@westernu.edu or 909-469-5390.
Alumni Mixer News
On August 31, 2017, WesternU alumni from the Inland Empire area came together to enjoy great food, drink and conversation at the latest Alumni Networking Mixer at Punch Bowl Social in Rancho Cucamonga. The colleges were widely represented, with DOs, ODs, DVMs, PTs, and PAs in attendance. It was a fun evening that included meeting new acquaintances and catching up with old friends. Visit https://westernu.smugmug.com/Rancho-Cucamonga-Alumni-Mixer/i-RfKWKL3/A for pictures of the event.
