Commencement! - Western University of Health Sciences
Commencement! - Western University of Health Sciences
Commencement! - Western University of Health Sciences
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Magazine <strong>of</strong> <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> | Summer 2013<br />
<strong>Commencement</strong> !
M i s s i o n S t a t e m e n t<br />
To produce, in a humanistic tradition,<br />
health care pr<strong>of</strong>essionals and biomedical knowledge that will<br />
enhance and extend the quality <strong>of</strong> life in our communities.
S U M M E R 2 0 1 3<br />
WESTERNU<br />
View<br />
COMMENCEMENT 2013<br />
The university graduated the inaugural<br />
classes <strong>of</strong> its colleges <strong>of</strong> Dental Medicine,<br />
Optometry and Podiatric Medicine, and<br />
also acknowledged its 10,000th graduate.<br />
Pgs. 14-19<br />
PROFILE<br />
CONTENTS<br />
The Board <strong>of</strong> Trustees .........................................................2<br />
Message from the President ...............................................3<br />
Message from the Senior Vice President ............................4<br />
J-1 Visitor Program Holds First Luncheon...........................5<br />
Jacob’s Story........................................................................6<br />
Pg. 6<br />
COMP Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Retires After 30+ Years .........................10<br />
Jacob’s Story<br />
Diagnosed with leukemia, Jacob Adashek was<br />
undeterred as he made his transition from Pitzer<br />
College to COMP with support from both schools.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View<br />
A publication <strong>of</strong> the Public Affairs Department <strong>of</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
Advancement at <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>, Pomona, CA.<br />
Copyright 2013. Reproduction or other use <strong>of</strong> the contents <strong>of</strong> this<br />
publication are only by express permission <strong>of</strong> <strong>Western</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>. All rights reserved.<br />
Jeff Keating, Editor<br />
Rodney Tanaka, Senior Writer<br />
Jeff Malet, Writer/Photographer<br />
Mirza Hasanefendic, Daniel Tatum, Ryan Balber,<br />
Monica Preciado, Eric Reed, Contributing Photographers<br />
Paul Gettler, Graphic Designer<br />
Philip Pumerantz, PhD, President, <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong><br />
Thomas G. Fox, PhD, Senior Vice President<br />
CVM Pr<strong>of</strong>essor and PBL Pioneer Retires ...........................12<br />
<strong>Commencement</strong>!...............................................................14<br />
COMP Alumnus Now Asst. Dean at Touro.........................20<br />
Ray Symposium Addresses Obesity...................................22<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View News Roundup.........................................24<br />
COP Golf Scholarship Tourney Raises $13,000..................30<br />
East West Scholarship Dinner Honors Victor Law ............33<br />
Towne & Gown Golf Classic Raises More Than $34,000 ...34<br />
ECC Brings Implantable Telescope to SoCal......................36<br />
Alumni Class Notes............................................................38<br />
Alumni Calendar ...............................................................42<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Winter 2013 1
Board <strong>of</strong> Trustees<br />
Richard A. Bond, DO, FAAFP, DrPH,<br />
Chairman<br />
Philip Pumerantz, PhD, LHD<br />
(Hon.), President (ex <strong>of</strong>ficio)<br />
Linda L. Crans, BS<br />
Vice Chair<br />
Warren Lawless, LHD (Hon.),<br />
Chairman Emeritus<br />
John A. Forbing,<br />
Secretary<br />
Ethan R. Allen, DO,<br />
DSc (Hon.), Treasurer<br />
Tony L. Chan,<br />
PharmD<br />
Gene Barduson,<br />
MMath<br />
Maureen Duffy-Lewis,<br />
JD<br />
John T. McGwire,<br />
DDS<br />
Vincent J. Naimoli,<br />
BS, MS, MBA, LHD (Hon.)<br />
Mike Quick<br />
David Sadava,<br />
PhD<br />
Derek A. Samuel,<br />
MPT<br />
2 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
Message from the President<br />
This Summer 2013 edition <strong>of</strong> <strong>Western</strong>U View focuses on our most<br />
recent <strong>Commencement</strong>, which is a wonderfully exciting and rewarding<br />
event for all <strong>of</strong> us at the <strong>University</strong>.<br />
<strong>Commencement</strong> 2013 will always hold a special place in the history <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Western</strong>U, for it marked the first time that students from three <strong>of</strong> our<br />
newest colleges – Dental Medicine, Optometry and Podiatric Medicine<br />
– walked across the stage at Pasadena Civic Auditorium and received<br />
their diplomas. The new colleges graduated a total <strong>of</strong> 160 students on<br />
May 15 -- 73 from Optometry, 64 from Dental Medicine, and 23 from<br />
Podiatric Medicine.<br />
Activist and actor Edward James Olmos, whose own family has been affected by diabetes and other<br />
health issues, was the keynote speaker for this inaugural commencement ceremony. He urged the<br />
graduates to help as many people as possible, regardless <strong>of</strong> their circumstances.<br />
“There will be some who cannot pay you. Treat them. There will be people who need hospitals. Go<br />
find them. Pay it back by giving <strong>of</strong> yourself. We need saints out here in today's world, more than<br />
ever,” he said.<br />
Olmos’ stirring words once again reminded me <strong>of</strong> how important the teaching, learning and<br />
community service being performed at <strong>Western</strong>U is to the world. As you peruse the pages <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View, you’ll see how the commitment to healing our fellows plays out across campus and<br />
in our communities, and how <strong>Commencement</strong> is not so much an ending as it is the beginning <strong>of</strong> a<br />
life <strong>of</strong> service to others.<br />
I know you’ll join me in celebrating not only our new graduates, but all who serve as <strong>Western</strong>U’s<br />
ambassadors to the world.<br />
Philip Pumerantz, PhD<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 3
Message from the<br />
Senior Vice President<br />
Physics tells us that objects in motion tend to stay in motion. When we look at<br />
<strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>’ motion, it is not only continuing, but<br />
geometrically increasing.<br />
This year, for the first time, <strong>Western</strong>U graduated students from nine colleges.<br />
This magazine contains a number <strong>of</strong> articles and pictures about the<br />
commencements the <strong>University</strong> conducted to graduate those students. In<br />
addition to the thousands <strong>of</strong> people who physically attended the five ceremonies,<br />
hundreds <strong>of</strong> people from around the world tuned in over the Internet to watch<br />
the commencements. Individuals from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa, as well as North America,<br />
viewed the proceedings. How wonderful to be in Mombasa, Kenya, and watch a member <strong>of</strong> your family be<br />
awarded a pr<strong>of</strong>essional degree from a university in California. This reflects the reality that <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> has become a multinational resource for training health care providers.<br />
When this year’s commencements were finished, the ranks <strong>of</strong> <strong>University</strong> alumni exceeded 10,000, an<br />
accomplishment that is nothing short <strong>of</strong> remarkable when you realize the first class graduated in 1982 with 32<br />
students. The alumni body <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong> will now be growing at more than 1,000 students per year. The<br />
progress in the size and quality <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong>’s teaching, research, and patient care programs is equally<br />
remarkable. Recently, a member <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong> family told me the <strong>University</strong> is “on fire” with achievements.<br />
As you read through this issue <strong>of</strong> <strong>Western</strong>U View, I hope you can share our sense <strong>of</strong> excitement, not just with<br />
what has been accomplished, but in anticipation <strong>of</strong> a future defined by unlimited energy, and a spirit that<br />
believes nothing is impossible if you refuse to accept limits.<br />
Thomas G. Fox, PhD<br />
4 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
J-1 Visitor Program holds first scholar luncheon<br />
TThe Office <strong>of</strong> International Scholar Relations, J-1<br />
Exchange Visitor Program, held its first J-1 Scholar<br />
Luncheon on April 9, 2013. The event was hosted<br />
by J-1 Program administrators Jeannette Fitzpatrick,<br />
J-1 Responsible Officer, and Sasha Bates, J-1<br />
Alternate Responsible Officer. Nine <strong>of</strong> the 12<br />
current visiting scholars attended the gathering.<br />
Dr. Philip Pumerantz, <strong>Western</strong>U President, and<br />
Gary Gugelchuk, PhD, Provost and Chief Operating<br />
Officer, joined the luncheon to welcome the<br />
scholars and to listen as they<br />
shared about their research<br />
programs and cultural<br />
experiences while visiting<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U.<br />
The J-1 Exchange Visitor<br />
Program is administered by<br />
the U.S Department <strong>of</strong> State’s<br />
Department <strong>of</strong> Homeland<br />
Security. The purpose <strong>of</strong> the J-1 Program is “to<br />
promote international educational and cultural<br />
exchange in order to develop mutual<br />
understanding between the people <strong>of</strong> the United<br />
States and other countries.”<br />
<strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> has the<br />
honor <strong>of</strong> being a designated J-1 Program Sponsor,<br />
committed to global engagement through the<br />
exchange <strong>of</strong> knowledge shared between scholars <strong>of</strong><br />
other countries and the <strong>Western</strong>U campus<br />
community. The J-1 Program, in support <strong>of</strong> world<br />
peace, helps contribute to intellectual and cultural<br />
diversity<br />
through<br />
dedicated service<br />
to our visiting<br />
international<br />
scholars. To date,<br />
the <strong>University</strong><br />
has hosted 27 J-1<br />
Exchange<br />
Visitors on the<br />
Pomona campus.<br />
For more information about the J-1 Exchange Visitor<br />
Program, please visit the International Scholars website,<br />
www.westernu.edu/exchange-visitors-welcome.<br />
– Jeanette Fitzpatrick<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 5
PROFILE<br />
Jacob’s<br />
Story<br />
Jacob Adashek is more than a year<br />
away from enrolling in the College<br />
<strong>of</strong> Osteopathic Medicine <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Pacific, but he already feels like<br />
part <strong>of</strong> the family.<br />
JJacob Adashek is a second-year student at Pitzer<br />
College and is part <strong>of</strong> the college’s linkage<br />
program with COMP. But his fast track from<br />
Pitzer to COMP was upended when he was<br />
diagnosed with leukemia following the end <strong>of</strong><br />
his first year <strong>of</strong> undergraduate school.<br />
When he talked to Pitzer and COMP about his<br />
diagnosis, he was overwhelmed by the response<br />
and reassured about choosing this particular<br />
linkage program.<br />
“(Former COMP Dean Clinton Adams) said,<br />
‘Don’t worry about anything. Take as much time<br />
as you need. Get better. Your seat is reserved. I<br />
don’t care if you’re a year late, two years late. I’ll<br />
take care <strong>of</strong> it,’ ” Adashek said. “It put me at<br />
ease. It makes you want to be part <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U family even more. Pitzer and<br />
Photos by Jeff Malet<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U, I couldn’t thank them more for being<br />
understanding <strong>of</strong> my situation.”<br />
Adashek’s life changed after completing his first<br />
year at Pitzer in May 2011. While visiting his<br />
parents in San Diego during the break, he<br />
noticed a lesion on his lip that wasn’t going<br />
away.<br />
A dentist took a blood test, and found Adashek’s<br />
platelet count was 34,000, well below the<br />
average <strong>of</strong> 200,000. He went to the emergency<br />
room at UC San Diego, where his bone marrow<br />
was tested. From the ER he went to the bone<br />
marrow transplant wing. He had acute myeloid<br />
leukemia with MLL gene rearrangement, which<br />
gave him a poor prognosis and high risk. He<br />
needed a bone marrow transplant and spent 26<br />
days in the hospital undergoing treatment.<br />
6 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
None <strong>of</strong> his siblings were bone marrow matches. His<br />
high school friend, Jake Levey, who attends the<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Michigan, started a Facebook page<br />
encouraging people to register as bone marrow donors.<br />
“When you’re in high school, you have friends, but<br />
you don’t think about what these people will become.<br />
This was the year after graduation. More than 500<br />
people tested to see if they were bone marrow<br />
matches,” Adashek said. “It’s a feeling you can’t<br />
describe. There are remarkable people in this world.<br />
You think there aren’t good people, but there are good<br />
people. They’re all around you.”<br />
“I’m still recovering<br />
now. If you saw me,<br />
you’d never know.<br />
I have my hair back,<br />
my beard back. It’s<br />
been quite a<br />
process.”<br />
At the end <strong>of</strong> July 2011, he found five perfect matches.<br />
Only one-third <strong>of</strong> the population has perfect matches.<br />
He was admitted to the hospital on Sept. 18 for five<br />
days <strong>of</strong> pre-regiment – two days <strong>of</strong> high-dose<br />
chemotherapy and three days <strong>of</strong> total body<br />
irradiation. He was placed on a bed with his arms<br />
taped up so he didn’t move. He was exposed to highdose<br />
radiation (X-rays) in a three-day period to try to<br />
kill <strong>of</strong>f the cancer cells.<br />
The day <strong>of</strong> the bone marrow transplant is Day 0. By<br />
day plus 30 or 45, Adashek’s bone marrow and red<br />
blood cells had recovered.<br />
“The prognosis is I’m leukemia free,” he said.<br />
But he still has a long road to recovery. With the<br />
transplant, cells must engraft, usually within two<br />
weeks. His took a few months. He had to get a blood<br />
transfusion once a week for four hours each. He had<br />
more than 80 blood transfusions.<br />
“On one side, I was happy I don’t have leukemia. On<br />
the other side I was frustrated that I was requiring<br />
transfusions once or twice a week. There’s really<br />
nothing you can do about it. It’s a long process,”<br />
Adashek said. “Some people try to plan things out<br />
week by week. With my life, my situation, I need to do<br />
things minute by minute.”<br />
He needs to take immune suppression medications so<br />
the bone marrow transplant takes.<br />
“I’m still recovering now,” he said. “If you saw me,<br />
you’d never know. I have my hair back, my beard<br />
back. It’s been quite a process.”<br />
Adashek is grateful for his bone marrow donor, who<br />
lives in Israel.<br />
“I don’t know him. He doesn’t know anything about<br />
me,” Adashek said. “Without him I wouldn’t be here<br />
today.”<br />
In Israel, donor rules prohibit contact between a donor<br />
and recipient for two years. Adashek hopes to meet his<br />
donor in September 2013 when the two-year waiting<br />
period ends.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 7
“I wanted to thank<br />
him so much for the<br />
gift he gave me,” he<br />
said. “You can’t<br />
really thank a person<br />
for something like<br />
that. It’s the gift <strong>of</strong><br />
life. It’s not<br />
something you can<br />
put a price tag on.”<br />
He is also grateful to<br />
his parents, John<br />
and Debbie, who<br />
took him to all <strong>of</strong> his<br />
appointments and<br />
were with him<br />
through it all.<br />
“I have to thank my<br />
parents for<br />
everything they’ve<br />
done,” Adashek said.<br />
“I was in the hospital<br />
for more than 100<br />
days total. My mom<br />
and dad spent every<br />
day there with me.”<br />
He more recently<br />
was hospitalized for Jacob shows <strong>of</strong>f an app that shows his medical and test results and communications with his doctor.<br />
gall bladder surgery<br />
for two weeks. His father slept over every night.<br />
“Not everyone has that. I don’t know how I would do<br />
this without them,” Adashek said. “It’s a full-time job.<br />
Without my parents, it’s scary to say where I’d be.”<br />
Adashek has wanted to be a doctor since he was 15,<br />
and his experience as a patient has reinforced that<br />
decision. He started shadowing doctors and<br />
volunteering in the intensive care unit at a hospital in<br />
Milwaukee, where he grew up. He shadowed a<br />
dermatologist, cardiologist, plastic surgeon and<br />
thoracic surgeon.<br />
He applied to 26<br />
combined degree<br />
programs and was<br />
accepted to five <strong>of</strong><br />
them. <strong>Western</strong>U’s<br />
interpr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
education program<br />
intrigued him. The<br />
linkage program at<br />
Pitzer is three<br />
years undergrad,<br />
then four years at<br />
COMP.<br />
“When I heard<br />
about it, it really<br />
sparked my<br />
interest. I had<br />
experience <strong>of</strong><br />
being in an ICU.<br />
I was not naïve to<br />
the fact that it’s<br />
not just doctors.”<br />
He learned<br />
firsthand the<br />
importance <strong>of</strong><br />
teamwork when<br />
he was<br />
hospitalized. The<br />
nurses were there<br />
around the clock to<br />
care for him, and the doctor came in with a team once<br />
a day – a pharmacist, nurse practitioner and fellows.<br />
“Nurses are unbelievable people. People don’t<br />
understand how much nurses do, how<br />
underappreciated they are,” Adashek said. “When<br />
you’re in pain, it’s 1 a.m. and you’re lying in bed, the<br />
doctor isn’t the one holding your hand making you<br />
feel better. It’s the nurses.”<br />
When you’re a doctor, you meet patients in their most<br />
vulnerable state, Adashek said.<br />
8 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
“They’re coming to you for<br />
advice to try and better their<br />
lives, or to try to fix<br />
something wrong with<br />
them,” he said. “When you<br />
go to the doctor, you feel<br />
They are people: mothers, fathers,<br />
daughters, sons, brothers, and<br />
friends. During class, the students<br />
were once again reminded that<br />
their patients are more than a<br />
disease or a “case.”<br />
comfortable confiding in<br />
them, the trust. I know what<br />
it’s like to be on the other<br />
side. It makes you understand<br />
what they’re going through.<br />
The class learned about Adashek’s<br />
leukemia diagnosis and treatment<br />
as “Case 4,” and then Adashek gave<br />
them a personal view <strong>of</strong> the case.<br />
It makes you that much more<br />
“Just realize these are real people,”<br />
compassionate.”<br />
Adashek told the class. “It’s hard to<br />
Adashek has already made an Jacob visited <strong>Western</strong>U on Feb. 28, 2013, and spoke to first- and put into perspective. I am Case 4.<br />
second-year COMP and CPM students in First Year Lymphatic<br />
impression on COMP faculty<br />
Realize that everything you’re<br />
System class about his ordeal, taught by COMP pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong><br />
and students. COMP<br />
doing is leading up to you being<br />
immunology Gerald Thrush, PhD. Jacob was known as Case 4<br />
Assistant Dean <strong>of</strong> Pre-Clinical to the students, and gave them a meaningful account <strong>of</strong> what with real people. This is like a<br />
he has gone through.<br />
Education Gerald Thrush,<br />
challenge, a game, to figure out<br />
PhD, invited Adashek to<br />
what’s going on, but in the end it’s<br />
speak in his blood lymphatics class for first-year<br />
someone’s life.”<br />
Doctor <strong>of</strong> Osteopathic Medicine and Doctor <strong>of</strong><br />
The class gave him a standing ovation at the end <strong>of</strong><br />
Podiatric Medicine students.<br />
his presentation.<br />
Thrush first met Jacob as a high school senior when he<br />
applied for the Pitzer-COMP linkage program.<br />
His battle with leukemia will allow him to connect<br />
that much more with people, Adashek said.<br />
“Nurses are unbelievable people. People don’t understand how<br />
much nurses do, how underappreciated they are. When you’re in<br />
pain, it’s 1 a.m. and you’re lying in bed, the doctor isn’t the one<br />
holding your hand making you feel better. It’s the nurses.”<br />
“I will be able to look into their<br />
eyes, and hopefully they will see<br />
in me that I feel their pain and I<br />
know what they’re going<br />
through,” he said.<br />
The ordeal has made him<br />
– Jacob Adashek<br />
appreciate every single day,<br />
Adashek said. He likes the<br />
“Jake is a very intelligent, caring individual, and he’s quote, “Celebrate a bad day.”<br />
going to fit in here so nicely,” Thrush said. “He sees<br />
the big picture for any disease, and along with his<br />
“A lot <strong>of</strong> people have a bad day. But not everyone has<br />
compassion, these are traits that will help him become<br />
tomorrow,” he said. “I like to say that, ‘Celebrate a bad<br />
an excellent physician.”<br />
day,’ because there are people sitting in bed in a<br />
hospital and today is their last. They don’t get<br />
Dr. Thrush recalled a story that <strong>Western</strong>U President tomorrow to make it up.”<br />
Philip Pumerantz <strong>of</strong>ten tells prospective students, that<br />
their patients are not tissue on a microscope slide.<br />
–Rodney Tanaka<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 9
COMP<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
to retire<br />
after 30+<br />
years<br />
CCollege <strong>of</strong> Osteopathic Medicine <strong>of</strong> the Pacific<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Emeritus Rafi Younoszai, PhD, is<br />
retiring after serving <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> for more than 30 years. Along<br />
the way, he helped countless students and<br />
created community service student clubs that<br />
continue to thrive today, and he continues to<br />
inspire others to travel abroad to learn more<br />
about international medicine.<br />
He came to the College <strong>of</strong> Osteopathic<br />
Medicine <strong>of</strong> the Pacific in its infancy, driven<br />
by a great desire to teach. Osteopathic medical<br />
colleges were known to support good teaching,<br />
Younoszai said, and he also wanted to return<br />
to California, having earned his undergraduate<br />
degree at UC Berkeley.<br />
Younoszai and his family (L-R): son Adam, DO ’00, wife Barbara, and<br />
son Barak, DO ’98.<br />
Nadir Khan, PhD, then Dean <strong>of</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>, hired<br />
Younoszai and Gayle Nelson, PhD, on July 1,<br />
1979. They both taught gross anatomy to firstand<br />
second-year students.<br />
“Dr. Younoszai took an embryonic program <strong>of</strong><br />
anatomy from conception to adulthood. He<br />
brought new academic standards in anatomy<br />
laboratory exercises and specimen preparation,<br />
and he established the basis for the current<br />
anatomical museum,” said <strong>Western</strong>U<br />
Founding President Philip Pumerantz, PhD.<br />
“Equally important, he has served as a role<br />
model to generations <strong>of</strong> osteopathic physicians<br />
and students and to his colleagues. Although<br />
he is retiring, he will always be a valued<br />
member <strong>of</strong> our <strong>Western</strong>U family.”<br />
10 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
“<br />
COMP was in an outdoor mall, with one lecture hall,<br />
no individual faculty <strong>of</strong>fices and one dean and one<br />
receptionist, Younoszai said. COMP was mainly made<br />
up <strong>of</strong> non-traditional students – they were older, had<br />
been in the workforce<br />
for a while, and<br />
needed a change.<br />
“They wanted to<br />
become physicians,”<br />
Younoszai said. “They<br />
were dedicated people.<br />
They knew what they<br />
wanted and made up<br />
their minds. They<br />
were devoted people,<br />
hard-working and<br />
compassionate<br />
people.”<br />
Dr. Younoszai in his early years at COMP.<br />
Younoszai attended the 1988 National Council for<br />
International <strong>Health</strong> (NCIH) meeting in Washington,<br />
D.C. NCIH at that time was celebrating the 10-year<br />
anniversary <strong>of</strong> successes in its Primary <strong>Health</strong> Care<br />
(PHC) projects in many developing countries.<br />
It is through service learning that students learn to<br />
identify the community and its needs, how to provide<br />
for unmet needs, to reflect on their civic responsibilities,<br />
and how to interact with students from other<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essions...<br />
– Rafi Younoszai, PhD<br />
“<br />
The definition <strong>of</strong> primary health care at that time was<br />
also how osteopathic medicine defined itself,<br />
Younoszai said. At that conference, faculty from<br />
allopathic medical schools sending students abroad to<br />
learn about primary health care formed the Global<br />
<strong>Health</strong> Education Consortium (GHEC).<br />
The need for Academic <strong>Health</strong> Centers in the U.S. to<br />
provide health care to surrounding communities was<br />
also called for during the meeting, Younoszai said.<br />
In response, Younoszai helped COMP create the<br />
Pomona Community <strong>Health</strong> Action Team (PCHAT),<br />
which has been providing basic health screenings to<br />
the Pomona community since 1995. Pomona<br />
Homeless Outreach Project (PHOP) was established<br />
soon after. Both<br />
projects are<br />
student-run,<br />
supervised by<br />
COMP physicians,<br />
and are now part <strong>of</strong><br />
the students’<br />
service learning<br />
curriculum<br />
activities.<br />
“It is through<br />
service learning<br />
that students learn<br />
to identify the<br />
community and its<br />
needs, how to provide for unmet needs, to reflect on<br />
their civic responsibilities, and how to interact with<br />
students from other pr<strong>of</strong>essions,” Younoszai said.<br />
“Service learning provides them interpr<strong>of</strong>essional skills<br />
for their future medical homes.”<br />
Younoszai established the Rafi Younoszai Fourth Year<br />
Elective in International <strong>Health</strong>, an endowed<br />
scholarship that covers some travel expenses for the<br />
recipient’s international rotation.<br />
“I believe that our existing health care system does not<br />
provide adequate and equitable health care to our<br />
needy communities,” Younoszai said. “Primary health<br />
care models in developing countries can become<br />
models <strong>of</strong> the medical home concept presently<br />
becoming more popular in California. This could bring<br />
down the cost <strong>of</strong> health care and make it more<br />
equitable. We need primary care physicians to attend<br />
the needs <strong>of</strong> these communities in the U.S. Providing<br />
opportunities for our students to practice in primary<br />
health care clinics in developing countries will, I<br />
believe, help train and entice our students to serve in<br />
needy communities locally.” – Rodney Tanaka<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 11
College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary Medicine Dean Phillip Nelson, DVM, PhD, (left) presents the Dean’s Pioneer Award to<br />
Stephen Waldhalm, PhD, DVM, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Physiology.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary Medicine,<br />
PBL pioneer to retire<br />
The College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary Medicine celebrated<br />
the retirement <strong>of</strong> Stephen Waldhalm, PhD,<br />
DVM, a founding faculty member who helped<br />
develop the College’s problem-based learning<br />
(PBL) curriculum.<br />
At a reception held May 13, 2013 at <strong>Western</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> in Pomona, Calif.,<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary Medicine Dean Phillip<br />
Nelson, DVM, PhD, presented Waldhalm with<br />
the Dean’s Pioneer Award and announced that<br />
he is to be named Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Veterinary<br />
Medicine Emeritus, effective July 1, 2013.<br />
Waldhalm said he will miss the daily interaction<br />
with students, although he plans to return to<br />
campus to facilitate small-group discussions and<br />
provide other assistance. He is proud <strong>of</strong> the CVM<br />
faculty becoming adopters and champions <strong>of</strong><br />
PBL.<br />
“I always believed that if you truly understood<br />
the things a veterinarian does every day in<br />
routine practice, then you would truly have the<br />
right knowledge <strong>of</strong> medicine in hand to go out<br />
into the workplace,” he said. “It bothered me<br />
that traditional lecture-based curriculum was<br />
12 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
determined and delivered by a faculty that had<br />
become highly specialized in their focus area, and<br />
maybe lost sight <strong>of</strong> what graduates need when they<br />
first go into their pr<strong>of</strong>essional career. So if you go back<br />
to what a veterinarian does every day and you truly<br />
develop an understanding <strong>of</strong> the basic sciences<br />
underneath those activities, you would have the right<br />
education when you finish. That’s what PBL really is --<br />
the routine things veterinarians do every day, and the<br />
behavior <strong>of</strong> efficiently finding additional information<br />
at the time it is needed.”<br />
Waldhalm is the CVM Associate<br />
Dean for Faculty Affairs and<br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Physiology. He first<br />
came to the <strong>Western</strong>U campus in<br />
1998 to demonstrate problem-based<br />
learning during CVM’s founding. He<br />
then joined the CVM faculty in<br />
2002 to establish the PBL<br />
curriculum, after retiring from<br />
Mississippi State <strong>University</strong>.<br />
Bringing Waldhalm on board was<br />
probably the most critical hire for<br />
the College because <strong>of</strong> his PBL expertise, said Pr<strong>of</strong>essor<br />
<strong>of</strong> Radiology Gary Johnston, DVM, MS, DACVR, who<br />
is also a founding faculty member.<br />
“We had to have somebody who knew how to teach<br />
problem-based learning and how to interview faculty<br />
so we would know they would embrace it,” Johnston<br />
said. “He was a very integral part <strong>of</strong> getting this<br />
College <strong>of</strong>f the ground.”<br />
Dean Nelson thanked Waldhalm’s wife, Marilyn, for<br />
sharing her husband with CVM. He presented her<br />
with a bouquet <strong>of</strong> flowers and a gift certificate.<br />
“Watching this college grow over the past 10 years has<br />
been exciting for me,” Marilyn Waldhalm said. “The<br />
whole educational paradigm change, what’s happened<br />
in the pr<strong>of</strong>ession, is being led here at <strong>Western</strong>U by all<br />
<strong>of</strong> you. Steve may have been a conductor with PBL,<br />
but you’re the orchestra, and the music is beautiful.”<br />
The Waldhalms will help create a new Veterinary<br />
Student Leadership Award as an endowed scholarship<br />
at the college.<br />
“We both have gained so much by working through<br />
several veterinary pr<strong>of</strong>essional associations, and with<br />
the leaders in this pr<strong>of</strong>ession, and we would like to<br />
pay forward our appreciation,” Stephen Waldhalm<br />
said. “We see a need to encourage and reward active<br />
and passionate student leaders <strong>of</strong> the student chapters<br />
<strong>of</strong> the AVMA or AVMA-sanctioned<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essional veterinary organizations.<br />
This award will help attract students to<br />
leadership roles and encourage them to<br />
continue service to the veterinary<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>ession long into the future. We<br />
hope you will join us in this important<br />
effort, which will provide valued and<br />
needed scholarship support to<br />
generations <strong>of</strong> student leaders, the<br />
future heart <strong>of</strong> the pr<strong>of</strong>ession.”<br />
Waldhalm said he will devote his free<br />
time to his many hobbies, including<br />
flying simulated aircraft on the<br />
computer, woodworking, taking care <strong>of</strong> a new dog,<br />
and visiting his 11 grandchildren and one “grand-dog”<br />
spread throughout the country. The Waldhalms also<br />
have a home in Oregon and an RV in which to travel<br />
the country. He leaves the College with confidence<br />
that his work rests in good hands.<br />
“What I was hearing were the words and confidence in<br />
this program, and the dream and the vision and the<br />
innovation we had put together has become yours.<br />
The recruiting effort that brought you here was one <strong>of</strong><br />
the things that I’m most proud <strong>of</strong>,” Waldhalm said.<br />
“As a result <strong>of</strong> that, the students we graduated here<br />
who are consistently performing above the national<br />
average are the true paycheck, the true reward that<br />
comes to each <strong>of</strong> us now. And I’m just so grateful to<br />
have been able to make this investment with you and<br />
to see you take the mantle upon yourself to bring this<br />
program forward.”<br />
– Rodney Tanaka<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 13
<strong>Commencement</strong> !<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U graduates 932<br />
Class <strong>of</strong> 2013 DMD graduates Khan Waleed Askarzoi, left and Joshua Carpenter<br />
W<strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> marked<br />
two important milestones in its history<br />
May 15-17, as the university graduated the<br />
inaugural classes <strong>of</strong> its colleges <strong>of</strong> Dental<br />
Medicine, Optometry and Podiatric Medicine,<br />
and also<br />
acknowledged its<br />
10,000th<br />
graduate.<br />
He urged the graduates to help as many people<br />
as possible, regardless <strong>of</strong> their circumstances.<br />
“There will be some who cannot pay you. Treat<br />
them. There will be people who need hospitals.<br />
Go find them. Pay it back by giving <strong>of</strong> yourself.<br />
We need saints out here in<br />
today’s world, more than<br />
ever,” he said.<br />
Activist and actor<br />
He also thanked the graduates<br />
Edward James<br />
for choosing health care as a<br />
Olmos, whose<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>ession, and noted that<br />
own family has<br />
only with new generations <strong>of</strong><br />
been affected by<br />
healers can hope survive.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Podiatric Medicine Dean Lawrence Harkless, College <strong>of</strong><br />
diabetes and other<br />
Gesturing to himself and to<br />
Optometry Dean Elizabeth Hoppe, College <strong>of</strong> Dental Medicine Dean<br />
health issues, was<br />
the faculty assembled on stage<br />
Steven Friedrichsen, and keynote speaker Edward James Olmos.<br />
the keynote<br />
at the Pasadena Civic Center<br />
speaker for the inaugural commencement<br />
auditorium, he said “We’re<br />
ceremony for the podiatric medicine, optometry<br />
the wisdom. Youth is the hope. Hope without<br />
and dental colleges on Wednesday, May 15.<br />
wisdom is useless. Wisdom without hope dies.”<br />
14 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
Olmos then pledged to keep helping the needy and<br />
underserved, and closed his remarks with the rallying<br />
cry made famous by his SyFy Channel show,<br />
“Battlestar Galactica”: “So say we all!”<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Optometry graduate Jonathan Chan, OD<br />
’13, said he was grateful to be part <strong>of</strong> the inaugural<br />
class, and that while there were hardships along the<br />
way, “I think that’s what it takes to form the building<br />
blocks <strong>of</strong> a good program.”<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Podiatric Medicine graduate Josh Hunt,<br />
DPM ’13, said he made a lot <strong>of</strong> good friendships in his<br />
four years at <strong>Western</strong>U, and that being in the charter<br />
class required an ability to roll with the changes.<br />
“The best part was (the College administration)<br />
listened to our feedback, and we were able to see those<br />
changes implemented,” he said.<br />
In all, the <strong>University</strong> graduated 932 students from<br />
nine colleges over three days, during five ceremonies<br />
total.<br />
The second ceremony on May 15, following the<br />
inaugural CDM/CO/CPM graduation, was for the<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy, which gave diplomas to 147<br />
graduates – eight for Master <strong>of</strong> Science in<br />
Pharmaceutical <strong>Sciences</strong>, and 139 to new Doctors <strong>of</strong><br />
Pharmacy.<br />
“I feel very blessed to have gone through the<br />
curriculum here at <strong>Western</strong>U,” said College <strong>of</strong><br />
Pharmacy graduate Michael Trillanes, PharmD ’13,<br />
who will be entering a residency program at UC San<br />
Francisco.<br />
He said he’s ready to leave the comfort <strong>of</strong> <strong>Western</strong>U<br />
and take the next step. “It is scary. I feel the safety net<br />
is gone. You’re your own pharmacist. But I feel I’m<br />
ready.”<br />
<br />
On Thursday, May 16, ceremonies were held in the<br />
morning for the College <strong>of</strong> Allied <strong>Health</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>essions<br />
(CAHP) and the College <strong>of</strong> Graduate Nursing (CGN),<br />
and in the afternoon for the College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary<br />
Medicine (CVM).<br />
Connie Tsai, OD ’13<br />
Bob Dudzik, father <strong>of</strong> College <strong>of</strong> Dental Medicine<br />
graduate Christopher Dudzik, DMD ’13, said <strong>of</strong> his<br />
son: “I think his main concern will be for patients. He<br />
will make them comfortable. Sometimes there is a<br />
negative connotation to seeing a dentist. I think he’s<br />
going to bring a positive attitude to the pr<strong>of</strong>ession,<br />
and make people feel good about it.”<br />
The newest <strong>Western</strong>U colleges graduated a total <strong>of</strong> 160<br />
students on May 15 -- 73 from Optometry, 64 from<br />
Dental Medicine, and 23 from Podiatric Medicine.<br />
At the morning ceremony, keynote speaker Jason<br />
Hwang told the 272 total graduates from the two<br />
colleges that as new health pr<strong>of</strong>essionals, “your<br />
overarching mission is to protect and care for<br />
humanity.”<br />
Hwang, MD, MBA, an internal medicine physician<br />
who co-authored “The Innovator’s Prescription: A<br />
Disruptive Solution for <strong>Health</strong> Care,” said he believes<br />
three statements are true about health care as a whole:<br />
“There is no better industry to be part <strong>of</strong>. There is no<br />
more honorable pr<strong>of</strong>ession to be in. And there is no<br />
better time to be a health care pr<strong>of</strong>essional.”<br />
Bart Bosveld attended the ceremony to celebrate his<br />
wife, Suzette Grier Bosveld, who was attaining her<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 15
Doctor <strong>of</strong> Nursing Practice<br />
degree. “She’s a marvelous<br />
human being. She’s the<br />
quintessential nurse. She’s the<br />
nurse you would want to have at<br />
your bedside in the worst<br />
moments,” he said.<br />
Suzette has worked as a nurse for<br />
25 years, and she wanted to give<br />
back to the pr<strong>of</strong>ession, so she<br />
began teaching. She is now a<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Graduate Nursing<br />
faculty member.<br />
“Students love her. She has a way<br />
<strong>of</strong> teaching that oozes<br />
enthusiasm for nursing and<br />
taking care <strong>of</strong> individuals,” Bosveld said.<br />
<br />
That afternoon, veterinarian/comedian Kevin<br />
Fitzgerald, longtime host <strong>of</strong> the Animal Planet<br />
program “Emergency Vets,” and a 25-year<br />
veterinarian, told the College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary Medicine’s<br />
97 newly minted DVMs that they should not waste<br />
time learning any tricks <strong>of</strong> the trade, “because there<br />
are no tricks. You need to learn the art <strong>of</strong> veterinary<br />
medicine.”<br />
Fitzgerald also encouraged the graduates to stay on top<br />
<strong>of</strong> trends and techniques in their pr<strong>of</strong>ession, and to be<br />
willing to adapt to their patients and to society. “Be<br />
flexible. You have to adapt, or you become a<br />
dinosaur.”<br />
Fitzgerald closed with this guidance: “Stay hungry for<br />
knowledge. Be patient. Be flexible. And be cool.”<br />
Tho Nguyen, PharmD ’13, center,<br />
with daughter, left and husband, right<br />
combination <strong>of</strong> ceremony<br />
scheduling and her last name’s<br />
place in the alphabet – was<br />
celebrated by Dr. Richard Bond,<br />
chairman <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Western</strong>U Board<br />
<strong>of</strong> Trustees, who was the very first<br />
graduate <strong>of</strong> the College <strong>of</strong><br />
Osteopathic Medicine <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Pacific’s inaugural class in 1982.<br />
John and Pam Van Kurin, parents<br />
<strong>of</strong> graduate Ashley Van Kurin,<br />
DVM ’13, said their daughter<br />
wanted to come to <strong>Western</strong>U<br />
because <strong>of</strong> all the practical<br />
experience CVM students receive.<br />
The key to being a good in any<br />
health care field is good people skills, John Van Kurin<br />
said.<br />
“She’s (Ashley) great with people, and obviously she’s<br />
good with animals,” he said. “The key is<br />
demonstrating your passion about the client’s animal,<br />
and she’s got that. In working with dog and cat<br />
owners, once they see you have that loving<br />
personality, people get more comfortable with you as a<br />
doctor.”<br />
The Van Kurins also praised <strong>Western</strong>U’s tradition <strong>of</strong><br />
family hooding, wherein relatives and friends <strong>of</strong> the<br />
graduate place the shawl-like hood representing their<br />
graduate’s specialty over their head and on their<br />
shoulders following the awarding <strong>of</strong> their diploma.<br />
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for my wife<br />
and I to demonstrate how proud we are <strong>of</strong> her<br />
accomplishing this tremendous feat,” John said. “We<br />
know how much work went into getting to this<br />
moment. We’re making a memory today.”<br />
The CVM ceremony included a brief recognition for<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U’s 10,000th graduate, Maia Aerni, DVM, the<br />
first CVM graduate to receive her diploma in 2013.<br />
The landmark number – attached to Aerni through a<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U’s 32nd Annual <strong>Commencement</strong> exercises<br />
ended on Friday morning, May 17, with the awarding<br />
<strong>of</strong> 256 diplomas to graduates <strong>of</strong> the College <strong>of</strong><br />
Osteopathic Medicine <strong>of</strong> the Pacific and the Graduate<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Biomedical <strong>Sciences</strong>.<br />
Continued on page 18<br />
16 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
The College <strong>of</strong> Optometry, College <strong>of</strong> Dental Medicine and College <strong>of</strong> Podiatric<br />
Medicine reached a milestone in May, graduating their inaugural classes. But<br />
every milestone begins with a first step, or in this case, a first student.<br />
When Harout Khanjian, OD ’13, became the first student to be accepted to the<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U College <strong>of</strong> Optometry, his entire life changed.<br />
Dr. Khanjian had proposed to his fiancé, Lilian, but held <strong>of</strong>f on setting a wedding<br />
date until after he was accepted to optometry school. He found out he was<br />
accepted to the College <strong>of</strong> Optometry on Sept. 23, 2008, and the following day he<br />
and Lilian set a wedding date. They married on June 14, 2009; he started at<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U two months later.<br />
“This was a really big stepping<br />
stone in my life,” Khanjian said.<br />
“With this acceptance, not only<br />
was I able to fulfill my lifelong<br />
passion for the pr<strong>of</strong>ession, but also<br />
give back to my parents all they<br />
gave up for me. They sacrificed a<br />
lot in their lives to give me the<br />
opportunity that I had here in<br />
the U.S.”<br />
His family emigrated from Beirut,<br />
Lebanon, which at the time was<br />
engulfed in civil war.<br />
"My parents left all their<br />
possessions, family and money.<br />
They did not speak English. It was a big sacrifice so all three <strong>of</strong> their children could<br />
have a fair chance at an education,” he said. “That’s why school is so important.<br />
Looking back now, I’m proud to say that all three <strong>of</strong> their children are now<br />
physicians in the United States.”<br />
Taking a chance on a new school requires a special kind <strong>of</strong> personality, Khanjian<br />
said. But he and his classmates believed in the administration and the institution.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Optometry Founding Dean Elizabeth Hoppe did a lot more than start a<br />
school, he said.<br />
“She made my personal life, my career, and allowed me to be able to deliver care<br />
to thousands <strong>of</strong> patients,” Khanjian said. “Without her vision, none <strong>of</strong> my dreams<br />
were possible.”<br />
Harout Khanjian, OD ’13, left, Luisa Snyder, DMD ’13 and Sonia Mvuemba, DPM ’13<br />
“That’s what I like about him. To me, if everyone in a leadership position was like<br />
him, maybe the world would be better.”<br />
As members <strong>of</strong> their respective inaugural classes, these students were part <strong>of</strong> the<br />
launch <strong>of</strong> <strong>Western</strong>U’s Interpr<strong>of</strong>essional Education curriculum, which brings together<br />
multiple disciplines on campus. The goal is for <strong>Western</strong>U graduates to demonstrate<br />
an understanding <strong>of</strong> other health pr<strong>of</strong>essions and to provide and promote a team<br />
approach to patient care and health care management, leading to improved<br />
patient care.<br />
“I think IPE is a good idea to learn<br />
about every other pr<strong>of</strong>ession,” Dr.<br />
Mvuemba said. “We are Podiatry’s<br />
first class; when we started, many<br />
people didn’t know what podiatry<br />
was. It’s a way for us to explain our<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>ession, as well. It also helps you<br />
learn about other pr<strong>of</strong>essions and<br />
create a relationship and build a<br />
referral system.”<br />
Luisa Snyder, DMD ’13, was the first<br />
student accepted to the College <strong>of</strong><br />
Dental Medicine, and her husband,<br />
Nathan, may have been a close<br />
second. They were both invited to<br />
interview at <strong>Western</strong>U on the same day. Luisa was in class when she received the<br />
acceptance call from the College.<br />
“My heart started beating faster than ever, because my lifelong dream <strong>of</strong><br />
becoming a dentist was coming true at last. I did not know if my husband received<br />
the call as well, because we were at different locations at the university,” she said.<br />
“I remember riding my bicycle to his building and hoping for the best. When his<br />
class ended, he came out <strong>of</strong> the room, we exchanged looks, ran toward each other<br />
and hugged, and at that moment I knew that I would not have to go through this<br />
chapter <strong>of</strong> my life alone; I would have my soul mate with me.”<br />
They both graduated with DMD degrees in May, and they were both accepted to a<br />
General Practice Residency at the VA Hospital in West Los Angeles.<br />
During his four years at <strong>Western</strong>U, Khanjian not only maintained a successful<br />
marriage but also welcomed his daughter, Arpi.<br />
Sonia Mvuemba, DPM ’13, was also full <strong>of</strong> praise for the leader <strong>of</strong> her college,<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Podiatric Medicine Founding Dean Lawrence Harkless.<br />
“He talks to you and he’s open. He doesn’t look down on people,” she said.<br />
“I am extremely happy and proud <strong>of</strong> what we have accomplished. Graduation was<br />
something that seemed far in the future, and now that we have accomplished this<br />
goal it feels like a dream <strong>of</strong> its own,” Dr. Snyder said. “There are many<br />
experiences that will stay near to my heart, from the white coat ceremony, to<br />
entering the simulation clinic, to seeing my first real patient. All these experiences<br />
have shaped who I am and will continue to shape who I want to become as a<br />
dentist.”<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 17
Dr. Jason Hwang, pulling double duty as a <strong>Western</strong>U<br />
keynote speaker, told the graduates that the single<br />
largest issue they will face in the immediate future will<br />
be scope <strong>of</strong> practice, as the country begins adjusting to<br />
the mandates in the Affordable Care Act. How health<br />
care is provided must change through disruptive<br />
innovation, he said. “The alternative is to put our<br />
heads in the sand.<br />
“We all say that we want to help change health care<br />
for the better. Well, you already understand the need<br />
for innovations,” regardless <strong>of</strong> where they come from,<br />
he told the graduates.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Osteopathic Medicine <strong>of</strong> the Pacific<br />
graduate Petros Frousiakis, DO ’13, said he is relieved<br />
that medical school is over, and he is excited to move<br />
on to the next stage. He will be starting an orthopedic<br />
residency in Ventura.<br />
Scott Raskin, DO ’13<br />
“It hasn’t hit me yet that I’m going to be a doctor,” he<br />
admitted. “Today is mostly for my family and my<br />
friends, for all the sacrifices they had to make.”<br />
The Master <strong>of</strong> Science in Medical <strong>Sciences</strong> program,<br />
part <strong>of</strong> the Graduate College <strong>of</strong> Biomedical <strong>Sciences</strong>,<br />
helps aspiring health pr<strong>of</strong>essionals gain an edge when<br />
they apply for health pr<strong>of</strong>essions college programs.<br />
Tejal Kothari, MSMS ’13, will enter COMP in the fall.<br />
“It’s a good stepping stone,” she said. “We take a lot <strong>of</strong><br />
classes with the same faculty that teach in COMP. It’s a<br />
good way to prepare for next year.”<br />
– Jeff Keating and Rodney Tanaka<br />
Melissa Ellis, PA ’13 with her mother, Mary Helen, <strong>Western</strong>U librarian<br />
From l-r: Dr. Grant Dunbar, Dr. Brittany Neal, Dr. Victor Ramirez, Dr. Chad Schow<br />
18 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
<strong>Western</strong>U’s <strong>Commencement</strong> Exercises<br />
transmitted worldwide via Internet webcast<br />
A total <strong>of</strong> 44 countries viewed <strong>Western</strong>U’s 2013 <strong>Commencement</strong> Exercises on a variety <strong>of</strong><br />
electronic devices and platforms. The USA led the way with the most views at 1,489, followed<br />
by Canada with 53 and India with 46. Below is a list according to viewership.<br />
USA<br />
Canada<br />
India<br />
Japan<br />
Bosnia and Herzegovina<br />
Malaysia<br />
Argentina<br />
Kuwait<br />
UK<br />
Ghana<br />
Mexico<br />
Philippines<br />
South Africa<br />
Peru<br />
Spain<br />
Sweden<br />
Austria<br />
Colombia<br />
Israel<br />
Saudi Arabia<br />
Aruba<br />
Germany<br />
Islamic Republic <strong>of</strong> Iran<br />
Netherlands Antilles<br />
Taiwan<br />
Armenia<br />
Jamaica<br />
Korea<br />
Poland<br />
Russian Federation<br />
Belgium<br />
Bulgaria<br />
Denmark<br />
Finland<br />
Indonesia<br />
Italy<br />
Jordan<br />
Kenya<br />
New Zealand<br />
Pakistan<br />
Slovenia<br />
Turkey<br />
Ukraine<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 19
COMP alumnus<br />
now assistant<br />
dean at Touro<br />
WWhen Scott Jay Harris, DO ’90, was appointed<br />
the acting assistant dean <strong>of</strong> Clinical Education at<br />
Touro <strong>University</strong> Nevada College <strong>of</strong> Osteopathic<br />
Medicine (TUNCOM) in August 2012, he<br />
reflected on his career path. To put it mildly, he<br />
was surprised.<br />
He quickly wrote an email to a very influential<br />
man in his life – <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong><br />
<strong>Sciences</strong> Founding President Philip Pumerantz,<br />
PhD – telling him <strong>of</strong> his recent accomplishment<br />
and how life has taken him on this journey.<br />
Never in his life had Harris thought he’d be an<br />
administrator and teacher at Touro, a school that<br />
he says reminds him <strong>of</strong> when he was a student<br />
at what was then the College <strong>of</strong> Osteopathic<br />
Medicine <strong>of</strong> the Pacific (COMP) in the late<br />
1980s.<br />
“Once again, COMP (sorry, it’s still hard for me<br />
to just say <strong>Western</strong>U) has provided me with a<br />
pathway in life that has only been covered with<br />
the most wonderful scenery,” Harris wrote in the<br />
email to Pumerantz.<br />
20 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>20 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
“<br />
This journey that I’ve been on since I left (<strong>Western</strong>U) has just been<br />
a bunch <strong>of</strong> twists and turns. I just wanted to be a doctor and<br />
take care <strong>of</strong> people. I never expected to be an educator and an<br />
administrator.<br />
– Scott Jay Harris, DO<br />
Harris began teaching at Touro in 2007 after giving up<br />
his long-standing private practice in rheumatology. In<br />
addition to being dean, where he is responsible for<br />
students on clerkships in years three and four, he is<br />
course director for Public <strong>Health</strong> and Preventive<br />
Medicine. He also started a course, “Differential<br />
Diagnosis in Clinical Reasoning,” for freshman that<br />
carries over into their sophomore year.<br />
Harris’ father, Elliot, earned his DO degree from the<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons<br />
(COPS) in Los Angeles, and in 1962 became an<br />
amalgamated MD. He also taught <strong>Western</strong>U students<br />
for the brief time when there was a one-year<br />
traditional internship.<br />
“He was another huge influence on my life,” Harris<br />
said. “He was like me, who went to medical school as<br />
an older-aged person.”<br />
Harris pursued a medical degree later in life, at age 28,<br />
after cruising through undergraduate college. He<br />
started by working his way through nursing school as<br />
an EMT clerk, then was hired as an ER charge nurse<br />
upon graduation, solidifying his desire to become a<br />
physician.<br />
Harris said he grew up a lot while in nursing school<br />
and became a much better student. Not many schools<br />
were interested in him because <strong>of</strong> his lower grades and<br />
MCATs.<br />
“<br />
“<strong>Western</strong>U looked beyond that and gave me an<br />
opportunity, so when I got here, I looked at it as<br />
somebody giving me a second chance. I was going to<br />
make it the best effort I could possibly do, because I<br />
wanted to be a good doctor,” Harris said. “It was what<br />
I really wanted to do, plus I was fulfilling the family<br />
wishes. I realized I liked it and had a talent in it.”<br />
Harris said his goal when he came to <strong>Western</strong>U was to<br />
survive and be in the top half <strong>of</strong> his class. He ended up<br />
graduating No.1. Harris said he achieved a 3.97 GPA.<br />
Harris’ ascension to assistant dean at Touro was partly<br />
a result <strong>of</strong> circumstance. He took over for a friend and<br />
colleague after he was diagnosed with cancer; at the<br />
same time, the associate dean ran for a legislative seat<br />
and won.<br />
“This journey that I’ve been on since I left (<strong>Western</strong>U)<br />
has just been a bunch <strong>of</strong> twists and turns,” he said. “I<br />
just wanted to be a doctor and take care <strong>of</strong> people. I<br />
never expected to be an educator and an<br />
administrator.”<br />
In an email response to Harris, President Pumerantz<br />
said he was quite touched by Harris’ note, and was<br />
proud <strong>of</strong> his new career.<br />
“It is comforting to know that you are now one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
leaders in osteopathic medical education,” Pumerantz<br />
said.<br />
– Jeff Malet<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 21
Ray Symposium<br />
addresses<br />
obesity<br />
Patricia B. Crawford, DrPH, RD<br />
PPreventing obesity, and slowing and ultimately<br />
ending the national obesity epidemic, will<br />
require a cultural change that must be led by<br />
parents, educators, community leaders, and<br />
future generations <strong>of</strong> health pr<strong>of</strong>essionals, a<br />
national weight and health expert told a<br />
<strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> audience<br />
Thursday, April 18, 2013.<br />
Patricia B. Crawford, DrPH, RD, was the guest<br />
speaker at the <strong>University</strong>’s annual Ray<br />
Symposium – Global Lectures in <strong>Health</strong> Care<br />
event, which was presented by the College <strong>of</strong><br />
Pharmacy and the Interpr<strong>of</strong>essional Education<br />
program. The symposium honors Max D. Ray,<br />
MS, PharmD, dean emeritus <strong>of</strong> the College <strong>of</strong><br />
Pharmacy. It was held in Lecture Hall I <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>Health</strong> Education Center on the <strong>Western</strong>U<br />
campus.<br />
Crawford, director <strong>of</strong> the Robert C. and Veronica<br />
Atkins Center for Weight and <strong>Health</strong> at the<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> California, Berkeley, cited a<br />
number <strong>of</strong> statistics in describing the severity <strong>of</strong><br />
the obesity epidemic in the United States,<br />
including:<br />
• One out <strong>of</strong> three children, and two out <strong>of</strong><br />
three adults, are overweight or obese.<br />
• 37% <strong>of</strong> adults are pre-diabetic.<br />
• 3% <strong>of</strong> adults have undiagnosed type 2<br />
diabetes; 8% have a type 2 diagnosis.<br />
• Americans, on average, consume 12% more<br />
calories than they did 40 years ago (daily<br />
average <strong>of</strong> 1,996 calories in 1971-74 vs. 2,234<br />
calories in 2005-08).<br />
• On any given day, 30% to 40% <strong>of</strong> children eat<br />
fast food.<br />
• 20% <strong>of</strong> the weight increase in children from<br />
1977 to 2007 can be attributed to sugarsweetened<br />
beverages.<br />
22 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
• 21% ($190.2 billion) <strong>of</strong> annual medical spending in<br />
the U.S. is on obesity-related illness.<br />
• 23% <strong>of</strong> adolescents are diabetic or pre-diabetic.<br />
“If nothing else moves you about<br />
what I say, this is the (statistic)<br />
that should move you,” Crawford<br />
said <strong>of</strong> the adolescent<br />
diabetes/pre-diabetic figure. “This<br />
is unacceptable.”<br />
She did not point to a single<br />
cause for the surge in obesity<br />
over the past 40 years, but rather<br />
attributed it to a variety <strong>of</strong><br />
College <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy dean emeritus, Max Ray, PharmD<br />
factors, including poor access to<br />
fresh produce and food variety in urban communities;<br />
a lack <strong>of</strong> emphasis on physical activity, especially for<br />
children; the addition <strong>of</strong> calorie-laden sugar and<br />
carbohydrates to a broad range <strong>of</strong> food to make them<br />
more appealing; and an absence <strong>of</strong> meaningful<br />
nutrition education in communities and schools.<br />
“What we’ve done in this country is make it pretty<br />
darn easy to eat a lot <strong>of</strong> foods that makes us heavy,”<br />
she said.<br />
Crawford, who served as an adviser for the HBO series<br />
“The Weight <strong>of</strong> the Nation,” and is a member <strong>of</strong><br />
several weight- and obesity-related boards and<br />
committees, presented the recommendations from one<br />
<strong>of</strong> those groups – the Institute <strong>of</strong> Medicine’s<br />
Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention committee<br />
– for curbing the obesity epidemic. The<br />
recommendations, which take a whole-community<br />
approach to solving the problem, include:<br />
• Increasing places and opportunities for physical<br />
activity.<br />
only four hours <strong>of</strong> nutrition education per year,<br />
while older children and adolescents consume more<br />
than 7.5 hours <strong>of</strong> media each day. Nutrition<br />
information must be increased in schools and<br />
incorporated into the media<br />
children consume, Crawford said.<br />
• Making schools the focal point <strong>of</strong><br />
obesity prevention.<br />
Some small victories have been<br />
achieved in the battle against<br />
childhood obesity recently,<br />
Crawford said, including passage <strong>of</strong><br />
the <strong>Health</strong>y Hunger-Free Kids Act <strong>of</strong><br />
2012, which increases schools’<br />
federal reimbursement for lunches<br />
by 60 cents and gives the USDA authority for all foods<br />
sold at school. In California, passage <strong>of</strong> a law ending<br />
soda sales on school property also has curbed their<br />
consumption by young people.<br />
Consequently, school lunches are now, on average,<br />
healthier than lunches brought from home. Children<br />
receive up to half <strong>of</strong> their daily calories in a school<br />
setting, and with healthier choices available, “we’ve<br />
found that children are more likely to select healthy<br />
foods if they are <strong>of</strong>fered healthy foods,” she said.<br />
But much work clearly remains to be done, and<br />
Crawford – looking squarely into the eyes <strong>of</strong> the many<br />
health pr<strong>of</strong>essions students in the lecture hall – said<br />
care providers must be one <strong>of</strong> the main messengers<br />
about good nutrition and healthy lifestyles.<br />
“You, in a way, have the bully pulpit with your<br />
patients. They trust you. They believe you. It’s up to<br />
you, to adults – to all <strong>of</strong> us, really – to educate<br />
everyone. We can begin to make healthy choices the<br />
easy choice,” she said.<br />
• Reducing unhealthy food and beverage options, and<br />
making their healthy replacements affordable.<br />
• Transforming message environments about<br />
nutrition. Crawford noted that most schools <strong>of</strong>fer<br />
“We have to change the culture, and you all are the<br />
culture leaders. We can begin to start changing the<br />
environment in which our children live.”<br />
– Jeff Keating<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 23
W E S T E R N U V I E W<br />
PetSmart Charities® grants $300,000 to<br />
CVM for spay/neuter mobile unit<br />
The College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary Medicine received a<br />
$300,000 grant from PetSmart Charities to acquire,<br />
equip and operate a high-volume mobile spay/neuter<br />
vehicle.<br />
“This is a significant contribution to our academic<br />
program that doubles the College’s mobile capacity to<br />
address<br />
community<br />
needs in<br />
the Inland<br />
Empire and<br />
the L.A.<br />
basin,” said<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary Medicine Dean Phillip Nelson,<br />
DVM, PhD. “The support <strong>of</strong> the VACS II by PetSmart<br />
Charities, and the contribution <strong>of</strong> personnel and<br />
medical supplies by <strong>Western</strong>U College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary<br />
Medicine, will result in a partnership designed to<br />
provide a measurable impact on the population <strong>of</strong><br />
unowned/unwanted animals in local communities,<br />
while providing valuable learning experiences for our<br />
students.”<br />
The vehicle, VACS II (Veterinary Ambulatory<br />
Community Service), will be a key component <strong>of</strong> the<br />
college’s Shelter Medicine fourth-year rotation. VACS<br />
II, which is expected to begin operation in August<br />
2013, will take two to three fourth-year CVM students<br />
to area shelters to perform about 30 spays and neuters<br />
per day.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy receives<br />
eight-year accreditation<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U’s College <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy accreditation has<br />
been extended eight years, through June 2021. Eight<br />
years is the maximum term for an accreditation cycle.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U’s Doctor <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy (PharmD) program is<br />
accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy<br />
Education.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy Dean Daniel Robinson, PharmD,<br />
FASHP, thanked all those who participated in the selfstudy<br />
and the successful October 2012 accreditation<br />
visit.<br />
“We are very excited and proud <strong>of</strong> our full eight-year<br />
accreditation,” he said. “Preparation was an 18-month<br />
process that involved all <strong>of</strong> our faculty and staff, and<br />
many <strong>of</strong> our students. We have an amazing team that<br />
rallied behind our accreditation credo, ‘Nothing less<br />
than eight.’ We owe a special thanks to Drs. Sunil<br />
Prabhu and Wallace Murray for their leadership roles<br />
in orchestrating our campus efforts.”<br />
Accreditation for the College’s Continuing Pharmacy<br />
Education Program also has been extended, through<br />
January 2019. Six years is the maximum term for CE<br />
accreditation<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U provides free dental care to<br />
children during Give Kids A Smile<br />
Smiles were<br />
boundless when<br />
<strong>Western</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>’<br />
College <strong>of</strong><br />
Dental Medicine<br />
(CDM) students,<br />
faculty, and staff<br />
administered<br />
free dental care<br />
to more than 80<br />
children during<br />
the third annual<br />
Give Kids A<br />
Smile one-day<br />
volunteer<br />
initiative at The<br />
Dental student James Striland with his daughter<br />
and patient, Adelaide, 5.<br />
Dental Center<br />
on Saturday,<br />
Feb. 16, 2013.<br />
24 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
N E W S<br />
R O U N D U P<br />
CDM faculty and students provided children with free<br />
dental exams, cleanings, fluoride treatments, and<br />
sealants. The Dental Center at <strong>Western</strong>U and the Tri-<br />
County Dental Society teamed up to provide services<br />
to children in the community.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Podiatric Medicine Dean<br />
lauded for pioneering work in<br />
amputation prevention<br />
<strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> College <strong>of</strong><br />
Podiatric Medicine<br />
Founding Dean<br />
Lawrence B. Harkless,<br />
DPM, was named the<br />
2013 honoree for the<br />
Edward James Olmos<br />
Award for Advocacy in<br />
Amputation<br />
Prevention, presented<br />
by the DFCon Global<br />
Diabetic Foot<br />
Conference.<br />
Dean Lawrence Harkless<br />
The award was presented at the DFCon meeting March<br />
21-23, 2013 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los<br />
Angeles. DFCon is considered the foremost<br />
interdisciplinary, international conference on diabetic<br />
foot and amputation prevention.<br />
Dr. Harkless has taught and mentored thousands <strong>of</strong><br />
podiatric students, residents and interns. He is widely<br />
viewed as a leading pioneer in integrating podiatric<br />
medicine into mainstream medicine.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U researchers identify new<br />
mechanisms in learning and memory<br />
<strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> scientists<br />
published a study in The Journal <strong>of</strong> Neuroscience that<br />
adds new pieces to the puzzle <strong>of</strong> how we learn.<br />
The paper is titled “Calpain-2-mediated PTEN<br />
Degradation Contributes to BDNF-induced<br />
Stimulation <strong>of</strong> Dendritic Protein Synthesis,” by Victor<br />
Briz, Yu-Tien Hsu, Yi Li, Erin Lee, Xiaoning Bi, and<br />
Michel Baudry. It was published in the March 6, 2013<br />
edition <strong>of</strong> The Journal <strong>of</strong> Neuroscience.<br />
The study builds on 30 years <strong>of</strong> work by Graduate<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Biomedical <strong>Sciences</strong> Dean Michel Baudry,<br />
PhD. The paper tests the hypothesis that calpain<br />
activity is required for BDNF-stimulated local protein<br />
synthesis, a key step in the molecular mechanism<br />
underlying learning and memory.<br />
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its<br />
signaling pathway play an important role in the<br />
cellular mechanisms underlying long-term<br />
potentiation <strong>of</strong> synaptic transmission, a molecular<br />
mechanism <strong>of</strong> certain forms <strong>of</strong> long-term memory<br />
formation.<br />
The new publication determines that the mechanism<br />
by which BDNF can stimulate local protein synthesis is<br />
through BDNF-mediated stimulation <strong>of</strong> calpain. The<br />
paper also determines that the critical target <strong>of</strong> calpain<br />
to mediate this effect is PTEN (phosphatase and tensin<br />
homolog deleted on chromosome ten), a known<br />
tumor suppressor protein.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U hosts autism conference<br />
More than 200 health pr<strong>of</strong>essionals, educators, autism<br />
awareness<br />
advocates<br />
and parents<br />
turned out<br />
for the 11th<br />
annual<br />
Trends in<br />
Autism<br />
Conference<br />
on Saturday,<br />
April 6, 2013,<br />
at <strong>Western</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>. The conference was<br />
sponsored and coordinated by Casa Colina Centers for<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 25
Rehabilitation, with <strong>Western</strong>U serving as a<br />
Community Partner.<br />
Attendees heard from several speakers on a variety <strong>of</strong><br />
topics, including medical issues in autistic children;<br />
promoting success for people with autism; autism<br />
insurance law; knowing when to ask for an autism<br />
assessment; and an interpr<strong>of</strong>essional approach to<br />
autism. The daylong conference concluded with a<br />
panel <strong>of</strong> autism specialists fielding questions from<br />
parents, and others, about issues surrounding Autism<br />
Spectrum Disorder (ASD).<br />
All <strong>of</strong> the day’s events were held in the <strong>Health</strong><br />
Education Center on the <strong>Western</strong>U campus in<br />
downtown Pomona, California.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U President receives Northwest<br />
Osteopathic Medical Foundation award<br />
<strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong><br />
Founding President<br />
Philip Pumerantz, PhD,<br />
received the Northwest<br />
Osteopathic Medical<br />
Foundation’s Founders<br />
Award for Exceptional<br />
Accomplishment.<br />
The Founders Award<br />
honors an individual<br />
Dr. Philip Pumerantz<br />
whose achievements<br />
and contributions enhance the health <strong>of</strong><br />
communities. Paula Crone, DO, Vice President,<br />
Oregon Campus Operations and College <strong>of</strong><br />
Osteopathic Medicine <strong>of</strong> the Pacific Interim Dean,<br />
accepted the award on behalf <strong>of</strong> Dr. Pumerantz.<br />
The award was presented at the Northwest<br />
Osteopathic Medical Foundation’s Founder’s Gala and<br />
Award Evening March 2, 2013 in Portland, Oregon.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U was founded as the College <strong>of</strong> Osteopathic<br />
Medicine <strong>of</strong> the Pacific (COMP) in Pomona, Calif. in<br />
1977, embarking on a mission <strong>of</strong> educating health care<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essionals with a combination <strong>of</strong> scientific<br />
excellence and a humanistic, compassionate approach<br />
to patient care.<br />
COMP marked the return <strong>of</strong> osteopathic education to<br />
California after an absence <strong>of</strong> more than a decade. Dr.<br />
Pumerantz to this day recalls the osteopaths <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Pacific Northwest as among his staunchest allies at<br />
that time, and has acknowledged and celebrated their<br />
contributions to COMP over the years, Crone said.<br />
The osteopathic connection to the Northwest<br />
continued to resonate, and was a major factor in<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U partnering with Samaritan <strong>Health</strong> Services<br />
to open the COMP-Northwest campus in Lebanon in<br />
2011.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Dental Medicine named<br />
Leader in Oral <strong>Health</strong><br />
The <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> College <strong>of</strong><br />
Dental Medicine recently received the 2013 Leaders in<br />
Oral <strong>Health</strong> award from the <strong>Health</strong>y Smiles for Kids <strong>of</strong><br />
Orange County.<br />
The College was<br />
one <strong>of</strong> three<br />
recipients <strong>of</strong> the<br />
award, and was<br />
singled out “for<br />
encouragement <strong>of</strong><br />
dental vocations<br />
in a public health<br />
setting.”<br />
Dental student Mojdeh Roboudi uses a stuffed animal to explain<br />
“Even though<br />
brushing techniques to patient Alex Reyna, 9, from San Gabriel.<br />
we’re a very<br />
young school, we have quickly gained a reputation for<br />
taking our service into the community, outside the<br />
four walls <strong>of</strong> our university,” said College <strong>of</strong> Dental<br />
26 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
Medicine Dean Steven W. Friedrichsen, DDS. “We<br />
received this award because we are creating for<br />
students firsthand experience with the non-tangible<br />
rewards <strong>of</strong> community dentistry, including working<br />
with Special Olympics.”<br />
Dean Friedrichsen and Associate Dean for Community<br />
Partnerships and Access to Care Timothy Martinez,<br />
DMD, accepted the award on behalf <strong>of</strong> the College <strong>of</strong><br />
Dental Medicine.<br />
“Dr. Martinez is the personal champion for this<br />
effort,” Friedrichsen said. “He is a passionate role<br />
model for our students.”<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U’s College <strong>of</strong> Dental Medicine<br />
to receive $8.4 million from First 5 LA<br />
<strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> College <strong>of</strong><br />
Dental Medicine will receive $8.4 million from First 5<br />
LA to provide dental care to uninsured and<br />
underserved children.<br />
The First 5 LA Commission approved the initial 19-<br />
month contract for $3.1 million with <strong>Western</strong>U, part<br />
<strong>of</strong> a fiveyear,<br />
$38-<br />
million<br />
project in<br />
cooperation<br />
with UCLA<br />
and USC.<br />
The total<br />
awarded to<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U<br />
through the full five-year implementation <strong>of</strong> the<br />
program is anticipated to be $8.4 million.<br />
The program will emphasize getting children into the<br />
oral health care delivery system, or dental homes, by<br />
age 1, said Timothy Martinez, DMD, College <strong>of</strong> Dental<br />
Medicine Associate Dean for Community Partnerships<br />
and Access to Care.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Dental Medicine faculty and students will<br />
assess patients and provide dental care and<br />
preventative and educational services. The College will<br />
work with the San Gabriel Valley Foundation for<br />
Dental <strong>Health</strong>, <strong>Western</strong>U’s Patient Care Center, and<br />
the Center for Oral <strong>Health</strong>, which is now housed on<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U’s Pomona campus. It also plans to work<br />
collaboratively to establish four school-based dental<br />
oral health centers.<br />
State senator leads ACA talk<br />
“The Changing Face <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> Care,” a presentation<br />
and discussion <strong>of</strong> the ramifications <strong>of</strong> the Affordable<br />
Care Act (ACA) and several proposals to help<br />
implement it in California, drew about 300 people to<br />
the <strong>Health</strong><br />
Education Center<br />
at <strong>Western</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> on<br />
Friday, April 12,<br />
2013.<br />
The talk, led by<br />
state Sen. Ed<br />
Hernandez, D-<br />
24th District, was<br />
intended to help<br />
current and future<br />
health providers<br />
gain a better<br />
understanding <strong>of</strong><br />
State Senator Ed Hernandez<br />
the immediate and<br />
future impact <strong>of</strong> the ACA, and about how new laws<br />
and proposed laws in California will augment the<br />
federal ACA.<br />
Hernandez -- himself an optometrist – said he<br />
appreciated how <strong>Western</strong>U students are trained with<br />
an eye toward collaboration and with an<br />
understanding about health care needs to evolve.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 27
“You are entering (health pr<strong>of</strong>essions) at the absolute<br />
most exciting time in the history <strong>of</strong> our country for<br />
health care,” he said.<br />
He also encouraged every student to join their<br />
respective student and pr<strong>of</strong>essional associations to<br />
learn what they can do to influence health policy at<br />
local, state and national levels. “Voice your opinion.<br />
Engage in government. Then return to your<br />
community and share what you’ve learned,”<br />
Hernandez said.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Optometry dean honored<br />
by YWCA<br />
<strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Heath <strong>Sciences</strong>’ College <strong>of</strong><br />
Optometry Founding Dean Elizabeth Hoppe, OD,<br />
DrPh, was one <strong>of</strong> nine women honored by the YWCA<br />
San Gabriel<br />
Valley during its<br />
29th annual<br />
Women <strong>of</strong><br />
Achievement<br />
Awards.<br />
The YWCA<br />
honored<br />
“Women <strong>of</strong><br />
Achievement in<br />
the Field <strong>of</strong> Education: Honoring Passion, Dedication,<br />
and Achievement” during its awards event on<br />
May 21, 2013.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Optometry Associate Dean <strong>of</strong> Clinical<br />
Affairs Robert Gordon, OD, FAAO, DPNAP, said he<br />
nominated Hoppe because she’s an extraordinary<br />
woman who met all the requirements for the honor.<br />
“She is a woman <strong>of</strong> achievement in the field <strong>of</strong><br />
education,” Gordon said. “She’s been a pioneer with<br />
her work in public health, educating optometry<br />
students throughout her career and being the<br />
founding dean for the College <strong>of</strong> Optometry. She has<br />
guided the development and assembled all the puzzle<br />
parts to build an incredible faculty and facilities for<br />
the College.”<br />
Hoppe joined <strong>Western</strong>U<br />
in January 2007 to<br />
establish the<br />
<strong>University</strong>’s College <strong>of</strong><br />
Optometry, which<br />
graduated its inaugural<br />
class in May 2013. She<br />
previously was<br />
Associate Dean <strong>of</strong><br />
Academic Affairs at the<br />
New England College<br />
<strong>of</strong> Optometry, and was<br />
Dean Elizabeth Hoppe<br />
a tenured pr<strong>of</strong>essor at<br />
Southern California College <strong>of</strong> Optometry, where she<br />
also was director <strong>of</strong> the outreach clinical programs,<br />
coordinator for the public health curriculum, and<br />
clinical preceptor in primary care and low vision.<br />
Hoppe was the first woman chosen as editor <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Association <strong>of</strong> Schools and Colleges <strong>of</strong> Optometry’s<br />
peer reviewed journal, Optometric Education, and was<br />
the first woman in optometry to hold the DrPH,<br />
which to date is held by only a small percentage <strong>of</strong><br />
women.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary Medicine earns<br />
seven-year accreditation<br />
<strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>’ College <strong>of</strong><br />
Veterinary Medicine has retained its status <strong>of</strong> “Full<br />
Accreditation” for the next seven years from the<br />
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)<br />
Council on Education (COE).<br />
“This is a magnificent achievement, and one we<br />
expected as a result <strong>of</strong> our hard work and student<br />
outcomes,” said College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary Medicine Dean<br />
Phillip Nelson, DVM, PhD. “I want to express my<br />
appreciation to the faculty, staff, preceptors, and<br />
28 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
“ This is a magnificent achievement, and one we<br />
expected as a result <strong>of</strong> our hard work and student<br />
outcomes. I want to express my appreciation to the<br />
faculty, staff, preceptors, and students that<br />
participated in generating the self-report and<br />
preparing for the site visit. The verbal comments <strong>of</strong><br />
the site team’s exit report indicated we have a great<br />
team <strong>of</strong> people doing great things.<br />
– Phillip Nelson, DVM, PhD<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary Medicine Dean<br />
“<br />
LPC holds grand opening<br />
The grand opening <strong>of</strong> the Limb Preservation Center<br />
(LPC) at <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> drew<br />
more than 50 people to the <strong>University</strong>’s Patient Care<br />
Center (PCC) on Friday, April 19, 2013.<br />
The LPC, which was established to prevent<br />
amputation, enhance mobility, and preserve quality <strong>of</strong><br />
life in the growing population <strong>of</strong> high-risk patients<br />
with chronic disease, is located within the Foot &<br />
Ankle Center in the PCC, 795 E. 2nd St., Pomona,<br />
Calif.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Podiatric Medicine Dean Lawrence Harkless,<br />
DPM, welcomed guests -- including Pomona Valley<br />
Hospital Medical Center staff, regional podiatrists,<br />
elected <strong>of</strong>ficials’ representatives, and <strong>Western</strong>U<br />
students and faculty – and led tours <strong>of</strong> the facility.<br />
students that participated in generating the self-report<br />
and preparing for the site visit. The verbal comments<br />
<strong>of</strong> the site team’s exit report indicated we have a great<br />
team <strong>of</strong> people doing great things.”<br />
The College received a verbal report <strong>of</strong> the Council <strong>of</strong><br />
Education’s assessment <strong>of</strong> the College’s self-study<br />
submitted in December 2012 and the site visit <strong>of</strong><br />
January 2013.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U established the College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary<br />
Medicine on Aug. 8, 1998, and welcomed its first class<br />
in fall 2003. The College first received Full<br />
Accreditation in 2010.<br />
The College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary Medicine celebrated its<br />
seventh <strong>Commencement</strong> ceremony May 16, 2013 and<br />
conferred degrees on 97 new Doctors <strong>of</strong> Veterinary<br />
Medicine, bringing its total alumni to 629.<br />
CPM founding Dean Lawrence Harkless, left, Foot & Ankle Center’s Dr. Jonathan Labovitz<br />
and Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center vice president Chris Aldworth<br />
during the grand opening <strong>of</strong> the Limb Preservation Center. (photo by Jeff Malet)<br />
The LPC was presented with certificates <strong>of</strong> recognition<br />
and congratulations by the <strong>of</strong>fices <strong>of</strong> Congresswoman<br />
Gloria Negrete-McLeod, D-35th District, and state Rep.<br />
Norma Torres, D-52nd District; as well as the donation<br />
<strong>of</strong> a LUNA fluorescence angiography system for<br />
wound care assessment.<br />
– Jeff Keating<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 29
College <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy golf outing<br />
nets more than $13,000<br />
The inaugural <strong>Western</strong>U College <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy<br />
Scholarship Golf Classic raised more than $13,000 for<br />
student scholarships, a strong start that is only<br />
expected to improve in coming years, according to<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy (COP) <strong>of</strong>ficials.<br />
From 2003 to 2012, <strong>Western</strong>U COP partnered with the<br />
USC School <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy for a scholarship fundraising<br />
tournament at Robinson Ranch Golf Course in Santa<br />
Clarita, California, with the proceeds evenly split<br />
between the two colleges. <strong>Western</strong>U COP opted to<br />
begin doing its own tournament this year, and drew<br />
more than 90 golfers to Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet<br />
Canyon near Calimesa, Calif., on May 23, 2013,<br />
raising $13,500 in the process for the College’s general<br />
scholarship fund.<br />
Golfers included private and corporate supporters <strong>of</strong><br />
the College, individual and team golfers from all over<br />
Southern California, COP alumni, and <strong>Western</strong>U<br />
faculty and staff. Several College <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy faculty<br />
also turned out for the post-tournament awards<br />
banquet and raffle.<br />
“I have attended many golf fundraising events, but<br />
none have surpassed this inaugural Scholarship Golf<br />
Classic in terms <strong>of</strong> preparation, coordination, venue<br />
and player satisfaction,” said College <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy<br />
Dean Daniel Robinson, PharmD, FASHP. “We owe so<br />
much to our planning team, our student volunteers<br />
and our amazing sponsors. I am already looking<br />
forward to next year’s event as we continue to expand<br />
our scholarship support for truly deserving students.”<br />
Plans already are underway for the College’s second<br />
annual tournament next spring<br />
– Jeff Keating<br />
30 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
A GUARANTEED INCOME<br />
For the rest <strong>of</strong> your life, <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> will send you a check every 90<br />
days or once a year. While the economy may rise or decline, your payments are<br />
GUARANTEED. You can count on<br />
this because we back our commitment<br />
with the full assets <strong>of</strong> <strong>Western</strong>U.<br />
The total amount <strong>of</strong> money you will<br />
receive is determined in advance and<br />
depends on several things, including<br />
your age, whether you want to<br />
include a second income recipient,<br />
and the amount you give to establish<br />
the contract. For example, if you’re<br />
65 years old, you’ll receive more<br />
than someone 10 years younger who<br />
gives the same amount.<br />
“We are pleased with the lifetime guaranteed income provided by our Charitable Gift<br />
Annuity and the fact it will ultimately support the powerful mission <strong>of</strong> <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>,” stated Lynn and Stuart Ripley, long-time friends <strong>of</strong> the <strong>University</strong>.<br />
Here are the rates<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U currently<br />
<strong>of</strong>fers for one-life<br />
Charitable Gift<br />
Annuities:<br />
*Effective<br />
Payout Rate<br />
Age Rate<br />
65 4.7% 6.63%<br />
70 5.1% 7.42%<br />
75 5.8% 8.65%<br />
80 6.8% 10.37%<br />
85 7.8% 12.30%<br />
90+ 9.0% 14.59%<br />
*Effective rate reflects the<br />
result <strong>of</strong> tax savings and assumes<br />
a 28% marginal tax rate.<br />
PLEASE COMPLETE, DETACH AND MAIL THIS CARD<br />
Dear Friends at <strong>Western</strong>U:<br />
o Please send me free information on charitable gift annuities.<br />
o Please send me free information about other planned giving opportunities.<br />
o Please contact me by phone. The best time to call is ____________________.<br />
Name........................................................................................................................<br />
Address.....................................................................................................................<br />
City ......................................................................State............ZIP.............................<br />
Phone number............................................................................................................<br />
Age(s) .......................................................................................................................
For the rest <strong>of</strong> your life, you will enjoy the satisfaction that your<br />
CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY will someday provide the <strong>University</strong> and<br />
its students with needed financial resources. By allowing <strong>Western</strong>U to help<br />
you with lifetime financial support, you enable us to educate future<br />
generations <strong>of</strong> health care providers who will save lives and change lives.<br />
The IRS favors these arrangements and provides the donor with a<br />
charitable deduction. Year in and year out, it is the most popular life<br />
income planned giving vehicle available.<br />
Would you like to learn more about CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITIES<br />
and how they can benefit you and <strong>Western</strong>U? Just fill out and return the<br />
response card provided. If you include your age or ages, a sample scenario<br />
will be prepared for you. Olive Stephens, <strong>Western</strong>U’s administrator for<br />
planned giving, will provide you with a free information packet.<br />
A GUARANTEED INCOME YOU CAN’T OUTLIVE? YOU CAN<br />
MAKE IT HAPPEN AT WESTERNU!<br />
NO POSTAGE<br />
NECESSARY<br />
IF MAILED<br />
IN THE<br />
UNITED STATES<br />
Olive B. Stephens<br />
Planned Giving Administrator<br />
<strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong><br />
BUSINESS REPLY MAIL<br />
FIRST-CLASS MAIL<br />
PERMIT NO. 46500<br />
POMONA CA<br />
POSTAGE WILL BE PAID BY ADDRESSEE<br />
Phone: (909) 469-5211<br />
FAX: (909) 469-5307<br />
ostephen@westernu.edu<br />
PLANNED WESTERN GIVING UNIVERSITY<br />
ADMINISTRATOR<br />
309 OF E. HEALTH SECOND STREET SCIENCES<br />
POMONA CA 91766-1854<br />
309 E 2ND ST<br />
POMONA CA 91766-9907<br />
WESTERN UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES
East West Dinner honors Victor Law<br />
<strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> honored longtime San Gabriel Valley pharmacist and entrepreneur Victor<br />
Law, RPh, BPharm, at the <strong>University</strong>’s 7th annual East West Scholarship Dinner April 13, 2013, at the Hilton San<br />
Gabriel.<br />
The <strong>University</strong> also awarded scholarships to 34 health pr<strong>of</strong>essions students in the colleges <strong>of</strong> Allied <strong>Health</strong><br />
Pr<strong>of</strong>essions, Dental Medicine, Graduate Nursing, Optometry, Osteopathic Medicine, Pharmacy, Podiatric<br />
Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine.<br />
Dr. Law was lauded for his broad and sustained service to his community, including terms as president <strong>of</strong> the<br />
San Gabriel Valley chapter <strong>of</strong> the California Pharmacists Association, chairman <strong>of</strong> the board at Garfield Medical<br />
Center, and as a member <strong>of</strong> the governing board at San Gabriel Medical Center. He recently was appointed by<br />
Governor Jerry Brown to serve on the California State Board <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy. He received the Community<br />
Leadership Award from the Boys and Girls Club <strong>of</strong> <strong>Western</strong> San Gabriel Valley in 2007, and is a former<br />
Merchant <strong>of</strong> the Year in the 49th Assembly District.<br />
Dr. Law is president and chief pharmacist for Alpha Medical Pharmacy Inc., with <strong>of</strong>fices in Alhambra and San<br />
Gabriel.<br />
The <strong>University</strong> also honored East West Committee Chairman Stanley K.<br />
Wong, PhD, for his many years <strong>of</strong> service to the committee and to the<br />
<strong>University</strong>. Dr. Wong is retiring at the end <strong>of</strong> the 2012-13 academic year.<br />
Philip Pumerantz, PhD, president <strong>of</strong> <strong>Western</strong>U, began the evening’s<br />
festivities by thanking East West’s many longtime financial supporters,<br />
noting that without people like them, <strong>Western</strong>U itself would not be possible.<br />
“I want you to know that your investment in these young people and this<br />
<strong>University</strong> will continue to pay dividends for many years to come.”<br />
From left: Daniel Robinson, PharmD, FASHP, Dean <strong>of</strong> the College<br />
<strong>of</strong> Pharmacy, Victor Law, RPh, BPharm, and Stanley Wong, PhD.<br />
Dr. Pumerantz also paid tribute to Dr. Robert Colen, COMP ’94, the 2011<br />
East West honoree, who died suddenly in the summer <strong>of</strong> 2012.<br />
Gold Sponsors for the East West Dinner included Kon Leung, DDS, and Josephine Yeong; Pacific Alliance<br />
Medical Center; and Victor Law, RPh – Alpha Medical Pharmacy Inc. Silver sponsors were CVS Caremark, Geri<br />
and Bob Witt, and New Valley Medical Group, Inc.<br />
– Jeff Keating<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 33
Towne & Gown<br />
Golf Classic Raises<br />
More Than $34,000<br />
<strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>’ third<br />
annual Towne & Gown Golf Classic raised more<br />
than $34,000 - a new record - to benefit bright<br />
and deserving students.<br />
T.F. Chen, DDS, underwrote the golf tournament<br />
that benefits student scholarships.<br />
One hundred golfers participated in the<br />
scramble-format tournament on Monday, June<br />
10, 2013 at Red Hill Country Club in Rancho<br />
Cucamonga, Calif.<br />
“The numbers look great,” said <strong>Western</strong>U Senior<br />
Vice President Thomas Fox, PhD. “Last year we<br />
did more than $28,000, and this year more than<br />
$34,000. As Senator Everett Dirksen used to say,<br />
‘pretty soon, you're talking real money.’”<br />
Students can leave the<br />
<strong>University</strong> with<br />
$150,000 to $200,0000<br />
in debt or more, Fox<br />
said.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy Dean Daniel Robinson<br />
students. That’s what we are looking at, and it’s<br />
what’s great.”<br />
Samaritan <strong>Health</strong> Services President and CEO<br />
Larry Mullins won the helicopter golf ball drop<br />
and happily returned the 50-50 cash prize,<br />
which will be split between the College <strong>of</strong><br />
Osteopathic Medicine <strong>of</strong> the Pacific (COMP) and<br />
COMP-Northwest scholarship funds.<br />
A helicopter team dropped more than 170<br />
numbered golf balls at a designated flag, and<br />
Mullins’ ball landed closest to the pin. Nearly<br />
$1,500 worth <strong>of</strong> golf balls was sold.<br />
L-R: Dean Friedrechsen, CDM Associate Dean<br />
Robert Hasel, DDS and Dr. Connett<br />
“The fact we can raise<br />
scholarship money,<br />
whether it’s through A<br />
Tribute to Caring, East<br />
West Scholarship<br />
Dinner or the Towne<br />
& Gown Golf Classic,<br />
that’s showing that<br />
these folks<br />
(participants) are<br />
giving back,” Fox said.<br />
“They want to help the<br />
Symes Cadillac <strong>of</strong> Pasadena sponsored the holein-one<br />
competition for a chance to win a 2013<br />
Cadillac. No one won the silver Cadillac ATS<br />
that was on display near the putting green.<br />
Several other sponsors helped make a difference:<br />
Tournament sponsor T.F. Chen, DDS, and<br />
tournament golf shirt sponsor Inter Valley<br />
<strong>Health</strong> Plan.<br />
Silver sponsors Mission Hospice & Palliative<br />
Care; Wells Fargo Bank; Mutual <strong>of</strong> America Life<br />
34 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
Thomas G. Fox, PhD and T.F. Chen, DDS<br />
L-R: Ann Ellis, Rocky Gomes, Dr. Elizabeth Hoppe, and Jack Benton<br />
Insurance Company; Law Offices <strong>of</strong> Karen La Madrid;<br />
Williams Sign Co.; Samaritan <strong>Health</strong> Services; and LCS<br />
Construction.<br />
Closest to the pin sponsor was Dr. Frank Hsu; longest<br />
drive sponsor was DrivenBi; and cart sponsor was PIH<br />
<strong>Health</strong>.<br />
Following a dinner reception, the three teams with the<br />
lowest gross scores were awarded trophies:<br />
First Place: Andrew Behnke, Mark Hardy, Chris Pope,<br />
Jason Christie -- Doubletree in Claremont<br />
Second Place: Karen La Madrid, Dr. Schubert Atiga,<br />
Don Wright, David Deluccia<br />
Third Place: Jack Foran, Ron Flowers, Scott Carriveau,<br />
Carolyn Spiess -- DPR Construction<br />
Three teams were awarded trophies for having the<br />
highest gross score, or reverse Stableford:<br />
First Place: Mary Fox, Betty Chen, Josephine Yeong<br />
and Regan Elliot<br />
Second Place: Dr. Elizabeth Hoppe, Jack Barton, Rocky<br />
Gomes and Ann Ellis<br />
Third Place: Mark Kalmar, Edith Jennison, Sean Smith<br />
and Stella Lee<br />
This year, <strong>Western</strong>U Provost Gary Gugelchuk, PhD,<br />
and Vice President for Enrollment Management and<br />
<strong>University</strong> Student Affairs Beverly Guidry, EdD, took<br />
home the “longest drive” trophy for literally being the<br />
ones with the longest drive: The pair carried on a<br />
tradition established by <strong>Western</strong>U President Philip<br />
Pumerantz, PhD, and Board <strong>of</strong> Trustees member John<br />
T. McGwire, DDS, driving a beverage cart around the<br />
golf course.<br />
Fox said Susan Terrazas, director <strong>of</strong> annual giving, and<br />
her associates did a great job with the event.<br />
Chen and Pumerantz said they were impressed with<br />
how many people came to have fun golfing while also<br />
supporting student scholarships.<br />
Chen said he underwrites golfing and the dinner to<br />
help many talented and able students afford medical<br />
school.<br />
“Having this golf fundraiser helps raise money for<br />
students’ tuition costs to that they can come get a<br />
great education at <strong>Western</strong>U,” Chen said.<br />
– Jeff Malet<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 35
ECC helps bring implantable<br />
telescope to SoCal<br />
Vision rehabilitation optometrists from the Eye<br />
Care Center (ECC) at <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong> are part <strong>of</strong> a new collaborative<br />
team helping patients with end-stage age-related<br />
macular degeneration (AMD), which is the<br />
leading cause <strong>of</strong> blindness or vision loss in older<br />
Americans.<br />
The ECC is in the early stages <strong>of</strong> being a regional<br />
CentraSight visual rehabilitation provider<br />
approved for evaluating patients for the FDAapproved<br />
Implantable Miniature Telescope<br />
(IMT). A local corneal specialist performs the<br />
telescope implant procedure on an outpatient<br />
basis. Post-implantation, the patient will learn<br />
how to use their new vision in everyday<br />
activities by working with vision rehabilitation<br />
specialists at the ECC.<br />
Pictured here on the tip <strong>of</strong> a finger, the telescope is about the size <strong>of</strong> a pea (3.6 mm diameter; 4.4 mmlength) and is surgically placed inside the eye.<br />
ECC optometrists will work with local corneal<br />
specialists, including those from Loma Linda<br />
<strong>University</strong> Medical Center, retinal specialists,<br />
and occupational therapists from Casa Colina<br />
Centers for Rehabilitation to help qualified<br />
patients with the IMT, including pre-procedure<br />
and post-surgical training.<br />
“The telescope will magnify the image outside<br />
the area that’s damaged by AMD,” said Linda<br />
Pang, OD, chief <strong>of</strong> Vision Rehabilitation Service<br />
at the ECC. “By using the healthy parts <strong>of</strong> the<br />
retina, people implanted with the telescope can<br />
enjoy the activities they used to do. One eye is<br />
implanted with the telescope for tasks such as<br />
seeing people’s faces, seeing their food, self-care,<br />
and watching TV. The other eye is used for<br />
mobility, allowing them to get feedback about<br />
their environment so that they can move<br />
around safely.”<br />
36 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
AMD gradually<br />
destroys the<br />
macula, the part<br />
<strong>of</strong> the eye that<br />
provides sharp,<br />
central vision<br />
needed for seeing<br />
objects clearly. It<br />
affects daily<br />
activities like<br />
cooking, cleaning,<br />
reading, grooming<br />
and seeing<br />
people’s faces,<br />
Pang said.<br />
Macular degeneration affects more than 15 million<br />
Americans. More than 2 million Americans age 50 and<br />
older have late-stage AMD. AMD diagnoses have<br />
increased 25 percent since 2000, and the number <strong>of</strong><br />
people affected<br />
by AMD is<br />
expected to<br />
increase even<br />
more as the<br />
population ages,<br />
according to<br />
Prevent Blindness<br />
America and the<br />
National Eye<br />
Institute.<br />
“The IMT is<br />
making big<br />
headlines because<br />
so many people<br />
are affected by AMD,” Pang said. “For end-stage AMD,<br />
this is potentially the only viable treatment option for<br />
patients. We are excited to <strong>of</strong>fer new hope for patients<br />
with AMD.”<br />
Dr. Pang said that having the new treatment option<br />
available in Southern California is important, but<br />
cautioned that not all patients who have AMD are<br />
eligible for it. There are specific criteria for the<br />
Linda Pang, OD, chief <strong>of</strong> Vision<br />
Rehabilitation Service shows a<br />
‘patient’ a telescope simulator.<br />
implantable<br />
telescope and<br />
many factors to<br />
consider when<br />
deciding whether<br />
a patient is a good<br />
candidate for it.<br />
“Being a<br />
rehabilitation<br />
center for this new<br />
technology, and<br />
having a<br />
treatment option<br />
for end-stage<br />
AMD, will be great for the Eye Care Center for many<br />
reasons,” Pang said. “This also will allow our students<br />
to learn how to manage patients with end-stage AMD.<br />
By getting them involved, they will better understand<br />
what’s available for their patients, which teaches them<br />
what services and<br />
resources they<br />
need and helps<br />
them understand<br />
the<br />
interpr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
team approach<br />
needed to manage<br />
these patients.”<br />
Approximately 50<br />
provider team<br />
locations are<br />
available across the<br />
country; three,<br />
including the ECC,<br />
are in Southern California, said Rebecca Kammer, OD,<br />
FAAO, assistant director <strong>of</strong> optometric education.<br />
The illustration above shows the Implantable Telescope Technology is housed in a prosthetic device composed <strong>of</strong><br />
three primary components: a fused quartz glass capsule that contains wide-angle micro-optical elements; a clear<br />
polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) carrier; and a blue PMMA light restrictor. The sealed optical component is<br />
snap-fitted into the carrier plate.<br />
“Education is what we do, so being able to teach the<br />
community about this advanced technology is pretty<br />
exciting,” Kammer said. “Plus, this places the team<br />
concept at high importance. I love it, because it helps<br />
us educate the nation about the importance <strong>of</strong><br />
optometry in vision rehabilitation.” – Jeff Malet<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 37
Alumni Class Notes<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Osteopathic Medicine<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Pacific<br />
Wendy Cozen, DO ’82, has been promoted to Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong><br />
Preventive Medicine and Pathology with tenure at USC’s<br />
Keck School <strong>of</strong> Medicine.<br />
Ronald Liskanich, DO ’83, is in private practice in<br />
Upland, CA. He is double board certified in Dermatology<br />
and Anesthesiology.<br />
Charles Hooper, DO ’83, is a CDR MC USNR/Medical<br />
Officer 4th Tank Battalion, USMC Twenty-nine Palms.<br />
Brian Laufer, DO ’83, Chief <strong>Health</strong> Information Officer<br />
for the Alaska VA <strong>Health</strong>care System, was featured in a short<br />
NPR Morning Edition story on May 29. The story is about<br />
getting care to rural Alaskan Veterans. His department is<br />
responsible for everything from EHR to Tele-health (they<br />
have about 15 active programs from tele-mental health to<br />
tele-dermatology), and they will soon be starting teleprimary<br />
care. Dr. Laufer’s department is also responsible for<br />
the VA personal health record (My <strong>Health</strong> e Vet), <strong>Health</strong><br />
Information Exchange with the State <strong>of</strong> Alaska (the sharing<br />
<strong>of</strong> medical information across private, public and federal<br />
sectors), and home tele-health (they monitor high risk<br />
patients with CHF, Diabetes etc with in home equipment<br />
that monitors and transmits medical data on a daily basis to<br />
a group <strong>of</strong> RNs who coordinate their care). He also oversees<br />
interagency informatics issues with the Department <strong>of</strong><br />
Defense and the Alaska Native Tribal <strong>Health</strong>care<br />
Consortium.<br />
Jeff Stone, DO ’83, is with Wound Care Consultants <strong>of</strong><br />
Dallas, Texas, a practice he founded. Dr. Stone treated some<br />
<strong>of</strong> the first casualties from the Gulf War with Hyperbaric<br />
Medicine and Wound Care. Dr. Stone is board certified and<br />
is in charge <strong>of</strong> one <strong>of</strong> only six ACGME approved Hyperbaric<br />
Fellowships in the country.<br />
Ronald Hedger, DO ’84, is currently serving as chairman<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Nevada State Board <strong>of</strong> Osteopathic Medicine. He is<br />
board certified by the American Osteopathic Board <strong>of</strong><br />
Family Physicians and is a Diplomate <strong>of</strong> the National Board<br />
<strong>of</strong> Osteopathic Medical Examiners. Dr. Hedger has been a<br />
medical/technical consultant to television and motion<br />
pictures, where he was set physician for productions such<br />
as: CBS – “The Amazing Race,” Walt Disney – “Honey, I<br />
Blew Up the Kids,” Warner Bros – “Fools Rush In” and<br />
NBC’s – “Las Vegas,” among others. Dr. Hedger was also the<br />
executive producer and program host for “<strong>Health</strong> Quest”<br />
and “Medical Minute,” both syndicated television programs<br />
on ABC television. Dr. Hedger is currently an associate<br />
pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> primary care, the course director for the OSCE<br />
course/training facility, assistant dean for clinical skills<br />
training, medical director <strong>of</strong> the physician assistant studies<br />
program and Institutional <strong>Health</strong> Services at Touro<br />
<strong>University</strong> Nevada. He was the chairman <strong>of</strong> the Faculty<br />
Senate and executive committee <strong>of</strong> the Faculty Senate.<br />
Paul Kalekas, DO ’86, is president, Nevada State Board <strong>of</strong><br />
Osteopathic Medicine. He is also an assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor with<br />
Touro <strong>University</strong> Nevada and course director for Physical<br />
Diagnosis. In addition, he serves as director <strong>of</strong> medical<br />
education for third and fourth year clinical clerkships in the<br />
Sunrise Hospital system, and is an internal medicine<br />
attending for the internal medicine residency at Valley<br />
Hospital Medical Center.<br />
Dale Carrison, DO ’87, appeared on a television program<br />
called “Ralston Reports” that aired throughout Nevada on<br />
the evening <strong>of</strong> April 15 to discuss the Boston bombing and<br />
what Nevada is doing to prevent and prepare for such an<br />
attack. Dr. Carrison is Chief <strong>of</strong> Staff at <strong>University</strong> Medical<br />
Center in Las Vegas, and the state's former chair <strong>of</strong> their<br />
Homeland Security Commission.<br />
Scott Harris, DO ’90, joined the faculty <strong>of</strong> Touro<br />
<strong>University</strong> Nevada, College <strong>of</strong> Osteopathic Medicine in<br />
2007. He is course director for Public <strong>Health</strong> and Preventive<br />
Medicine.<br />
James Lally, DO ’91, MSHPE ’93, has been appointed by<br />
California Governor Edmund G. Brown to the Osteopathic<br />
Medical Board <strong>of</strong> California.<br />
John Thompson, DO ’92, is the founder and medical<br />
director <strong>of</strong> Desert Oasis Clinic in Las Vegas, NV, which <strong>of</strong>fers<br />
a holistic approach to medicine.<br />
Scott H<strong>of</strong>er, DO ’93, is currently practicing orthopaedic<br />
surgery with Sports Medicine <strong>of</strong> the Ozarks in Osage Beach,<br />
MO. Having received an Army scholarship for medical<br />
school, after internship he was called to active duty where<br />
38 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
Alumni Class Notes<br />
he served as a flight surgeon in South Korea. Following that<br />
he served as a brigade surgeon at Ft. Carson, CO (which<br />
included a deployment to Kuwait in support <strong>of</strong> Operation<br />
Intrinsic Action). He was then <strong>of</strong>fered an Army orthopedic<br />
residency position at William Beaumont Army Medical<br />
Center in El Paso, TX. He completed his training and was<br />
recognized as the distinguished graduate <strong>of</strong> his class. His<br />
first orthopedic assignment was at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO,<br />
where he was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in support <strong>of</strong><br />
Operation Iraqi Freedom as the chief <strong>of</strong> orthopedics. His<br />
next orthopedic assignment was at Evans Army Community<br />
Hospital in Colorado Springs, CO. After 12 years on active<br />
duty he resigned his commission as Lt. Colonel and<br />
practiced in Grants Pass, OR, Lake Charles, LA, and is now<br />
located in Osage Beach, MO.<br />
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center emergency room<br />
physician Thomas F. Minahan, DO ’95, was named as<br />
the winner <strong>of</strong> the San Bernardino County Medical Society’s<br />
William L. Cover, MD Award for Outstanding Contribution<br />
to Medicine, and was formally recognized on June 11<br />
during the Medical Society’s awards presentation in<br />
Fontana. The award is given to a physician member who<br />
has displayed “forward-looking, pioneering ideas,<br />
enterprise, enthusiasm and prolonged pr<strong>of</strong>essional stature<br />
and abilities,” according to the Medical Society. Dr.<br />
Minahan is program director <strong>of</strong> the ARMC Department <strong>of</strong><br />
Emergency Medicine’s American Osteopathic Associationaccredited<br />
residency program, which he co-founded in<br />
2004. During his tenure as director he has expanded the<br />
program from a class <strong>of</strong> three residents to the current class<br />
<strong>of</strong> 31 residents. The ARMC emergency medicine residency<br />
has become the most popular and competitive osteopathic<br />
residency program on the West Coast due to Minahan's<br />
leadership and personal commitment, said Dr. Rodney<br />
Borger, chairman <strong>of</strong> the Department <strong>of</strong> Emergency<br />
Medicine at ARMC. Minahan has been a member <strong>of</strong> the San<br />
Bernardino County Medical Society and the California<br />
Medical Association since 2004. In 2008, Minahan received<br />
ARMC's “Teacher <strong>of</strong> the Year” award.<br />
Farzin Kerendian, DO ’96, owns and operates his<br />
own cosmetic surgery practice, Desired Beauty, in Century<br />
City, CA.<br />
Thang Pham, DO ’96, is currently in family practice with<br />
Kaiser Permanente in Ontario, CA.<br />
Sean Siler, DO ’99, recently assumed command as Lt.<br />
Colonel <strong>of</strong> the 1493rd Medical Detachment (CSC), a<br />
Combat Stress Control reserve unit providing behavioral<br />
health support to deployed soldiers. He just left his role as<br />
the deputy surgeon, US Army Special Operations<br />
Command, as the highest ranking reserve physician in<br />
special operations in the Army. Outside <strong>of</strong> the military, he is<br />
an assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor who teaches Emergency Medicine to<br />
residents at <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is<br />
also the deputy medical director (soon to be publicly named<br />
medical director) for the North Carolina State Highway<br />
Patrol. On the national level, he serves part time running<br />
the federal disaster response for US Department <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong><br />
and Human Services.<br />
Judy Hwa Tan, DO ’01, recently accepted an award for<br />
“Hospitalist <strong>of</strong> the Year” from IPC, a national hospitalist<br />
company.<br />
Payam Kerendian, DO ’01, is a double board certified<br />
physician in family practice and specializing in bariatric<br />
medicine. As a bariatric physician and member <strong>of</strong> the<br />
American Society <strong>of</strong> Bariatric Physicians, Dr. Kerendian is<br />
currently supervising new sophistication in weight<br />
management by providing comprehensive nutritional and<br />
medical evaluation, treatment, and strategies for long-term<br />
prevention. Dr. Kerendian’s practice also includes pain<br />
management, utilizing prolotherapy and trigger point<br />
injection therapy methods.<br />
Steve S. Lee, DO ’02, is a board-certified rheumatologist,<br />
practicing with Kaiser. He also practices internal medicine,<br />
and has lectured numerous times on campus.<br />
Greg Gates, DO ’04, is currently a LCDR in the Navy and<br />
chief resident for the pathology program at Naval Medical<br />
Center San Diego. He has deployed to Iraq with the marines<br />
and has been the medical department head on USS<br />
Comstock (LSD-45).<br />
Cuong Nguyen, DO ’04, is a staff pathologist, 60th<br />
MDTS/SGQC DGMC, Laboratory Medical Director <strong>of</strong><br />
Central Operations and Chemistry, Medical Director <strong>of</strong><br />
Continued on page 40<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 39
Alumni Class Notes<br />
Beale AFB Clinical Laboratory, and Deputy Course Medical<br />
Director, Phase II training.<br />
Marjan Pedarsani, DO ’04, is board certified in family<br />
medicine, and is currently practicing with Memorial Care<br />
Medical Group in Mission Viejo.<br />
Lawrence Huang, DO ’05, is currently practicing<br />
physical medicine and rehabilitation with Sutter <strong>Health</strong>. He<br />
was chief resident during his final year at Stanford, and<br />
completed an anesthesia pain medicine fellowship at<br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> Iowa.<br />
Matthew Hoyt, DO ’06, is the recipient <strong>of</strong> two Air Force<br />
commendation medals. He has been stationed at Eglin AFB,<br />
is currently at Hill AFB, and will be moving this summer to<br />
Aviano AB Italy. He has between 1250 and 1500 patients<br />
under his care, and works with other providers on a PCMH<br />
team; <strong>of</strong>ten seeing their patients as well. He has been on<br />
active duty for 7 years.<br />
Jake Hollingsworth, DO ’07, is an active duty<br />
psychiatrist in the U.S. Air Force, and was pinned-on as<br />
Major this June. He is currently serving as the Medical<br />
Director <strong>of</strong> the Randolph Air Force Base (Texas) Mental<br />
<strong>Health</strong> Clinic. He recently returned from being deployed to<br />
Afghanistan for 6 months, where he was the OIC <strong>of</strong> the FOB<br />
Fenty Combat Stress Clinic. While deployed, he provided<br />
psychiatric care to soldiers in more than 20 locations in<br />
Eastern Afghanistan in various Forward Operating Bases,<br />
Combat Outposts and Observations Posts, and was the only<br />
psychiatrist for more than 5,000 Soldiers. He recently<br />
published an editorial in Military Medicine (April 2013) based<br />
on some <strong>of</strong> his experiences while deployed. The title <strong>of</strong> the<br />
article is “Managing Acute Suicidal Ideation in a Forward<br />
Deployed Location in Afghanistan.” His most recent interest<br />
is in forensic work.<br />
Melanie Leadley, DO ’07, is currently stationed at Ft<br />
Bragg, NC. She has served in the Army for 6 years and was<br />
promoted to Major in May. She has served in N. Carolina,<br />
South Korea, and Hawaii as a psychiatrist who cares for<br />
active duty, retirees, and dependent patients. She has<br />
received two ARCOMs and the Espirit de Corps award.<br />
Matthew Nichols, DO ’07, is currently deployed to a<br />
Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan as part <strong>of</strong> a forward<br />
surgical team (FST). He completed his emergency medicine<br />
residency at Brooke Army Medical Center at Ft Sam<br />
Houston, TX. Following that he was stationed in Fort<br />
Carson, CO as the Brigade Surgeon for 4th Brigade Combat<br />
Team, 4th Infantry Division. After a year as Brigade Surgeon<br />
he was selected as the sole EMS Fellow for the Army for<br />
2011-2012, returning to San Antonio. Following the EMS<br />
Fellowship he was named as the Deputy Director <strong>of</strong> the new<br />
US Army Critical Care Flight Paramedic Program at the<br />
Army Medical Department Center and School (AMEDD<br />
C&S). He has deployed from that position and will return to<br />
AMEDD C&S at Ft Sam Houston, TX this summer to take<br />
over as Director <strong>of</strong> the program. He will promote to the<br />
rank <strong>of</strong> Major in June. Dr. Nichols is married to a former Air<br />
Force emergency nurse, who now flies in helicopters as a<br />
flight nurse. The couple has a three year old daughter.<br />
Alexys Hillman, DO ’11, is a captain in the Army,<br />
stationed at Fort Benning, GA in the Family Medicine<br />
Residency, where she serves a large population <strong>of</strong> active<br />
duty and reserve soldiers and their families. She is currently<br />
preparing a seminar on Physician Abuse, Suicide and<br />
Wellness for the residency program, which she hopes to<br />
make a recurrent lecture series.<br />
Victoria Belle Shin, DO ’12, received the rank <strong>of</strong><br />
Captain in the US Air Force at the Commissioning<br />
Ceremony. She has a civilian internship assignment for her<br />
internship year at Broward <strong>Health</strong> Medical Center in Ft<br />
Lauderdale, FL, and plans on finishing up her family<br />
medicine residency afterwards.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Allied <strong>Health</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>essions<br />
Sonia Mvuemba, MSHS ’09, DPM ’13, was part <strong>of</strong> the<br />
inaugural graduating class for the Podiatry program during<br />
May 15, 2013 graduation.<br />
Roy Guizado, PA ’94, MSHPE ’97, was elected Vice<br />
President for the California Academy <strong>of</strong> Physician<br />
Assistants.<br />
Brian Tessier, PA ’95, MSHS ’10, has accepted a position<br />
on the California Academy <strong>of</strong> Physician Assistants Student<br />
Affairs Committee.<br />
Tim Wood, MSPA ’02, has accepted a position with the<br />
CME Conference Planning Committee with the California<br />
Academy <strong>of</strong> Physician Assistants.<br />
40 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
Alumni Class Notes<br />
Marijean Piorkowski, DPT ’04, taught the American<br />
Physical Therapy Association’s two-day Clinical Instructor<br />
Education and Credentialing Program (CIECP) at Butte<br />
Premier Physical Therapy in Chico on June 22-23.<br />
Eric Folkins, DPT ’05, OCS, is presenting a two-day<br />
course “Vestibular Basics for the Everyday Clinician” on July<br />
27-28 at Los Gatos Orthopedic Sports Therapy. Dr. Folkins is<br />
a certified vestibular therapist and has been treating<br />
patients with vestibular disorders for more than 12 years.<br />
He currently is Assistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essor and Director <strong>of</strong> Clinical<br />
Education in the DPT program at the <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>Sciences</strong> in Philadelphia.<br />
Victoria Graham, DPT ’06, OCS, NCS, is part <strong>of</strong> an<br />
interpr<strong>of</strong>essional <strong>Western</strong>U team that published an article<br />
in The Journal <strong>of</strong> the American Osteopathic Association, May<br />
2013, Vol 113, No. 5, entitled “Use <strong>of</strong> the SMART Balance<br />
Master to Quantify the Effects <strong>of</strong> Osteopathic Manipulative<br />
Treatment in Patients With Dizziness.” In addition to Dr.<br />
Graham, other authors included Marcel Fraix, DO ’03,<br />
and Ashlynn Gordon, DO ’13.<br />
Dorcas Tominaga, DPT ’06, co-taught the American<br />
Physical Therapy Association’s two-day Clinical Instructor<br />
Education and Credentialing Program (CIECP) that was<br />
recently held at Tri City Medical Center in Carlsbad.<br />
Vu Nguyen, DPT ’11, is working at Pomona Valley<br />
Hospital Medical Center, physical therapy and<br />
rehabilitation in Claremont, CA.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Pharmacy<br />
A research manuscript was recently published in the<br />
medical journal Current Medical Research and Opinion that was<br />
authored by Mark Bounthavong, PharmD ’04, and<br />
Timothy Chen, PharmD ’04. They observed that<br />
medication adherence is more tightly tied to clinical<br />
improvement than previously described in the literature.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Graduate Nursing<br />
Melodee Badley, MSN-FNP ’03, has joined the Medford,<br />
OR. Medical Center’s cardiology team. Badley earned a<br />
Bachelor <strong>of</strong> Science in nursing from Oregon <strong>Health</strong> &<br />
Science <strong>University</strong> and also has specialty training in<br />
pulmonary and sleep medicine.<br />
Terrance Ito, MSN-FNP ’09, DNP ’13, will be the alumni<br />
speaker for the <strong>University</strong>’s 2013 Convocation ceremony in<br />
August. Dr. Ito is the Lead Nurse Practitioner, LAC+USC<br />
Medical Center.<br />
Sungdo Bark, MSN ’10, was recently hired as adjunct<br />
assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor for the College <strong>of</strong> Graduate Nursing.<br />
College <strong>of</strong> Veterinary Medicine<br />
Danielle Desjardins, DVM ’08, is an anatomic<br />
pathologist practicing with Phoenix Central Laboratory in<br />
Mukilteo, Washington.<br />
Anna Lominska Mills, DVM ’11, is currently serving in<br />
the US Army as a veterinarian, and is stationed in South<br />
Korea, where she has been for one year. She currently<br />
provides care for 28 military working dogs and 700 military<br />
family pets.<br />
In Memoriam<br />
Neal Seth Lux Archer, DO ’86, passed away on May 21, just<br />
before noon, secondary to complications to malignant melanoma. He<br />
is survived by his wife, Pamela Renee Archer Lux, DO ’90, and his<br />
children, Devon, 20, and Sophia, 18. All three were bedside at his<br />
passing, which was peaceful and without pain. Dr. Archer was proud<br />
to have been a speaker at his graduation from COMP. For years he<br />
worked in, with, and for the OMM department (then known as the<br />
OP&P department), He even directed the department during<br />
vacancies and transitions. He spent time practicing at the Mission<br />
clinic and working in the Emergency Department at the now ARMC<br />
Medical Center until 1999. Thereafter, he directed a successful<br />
industrial medical clinic in Ontario east <strong>of</strong> the airport. Dr. Archer was<br />
also well known at COMP for his “getting acquainted lectures” and<br />
many fine DOs owe him for their initial inspiration.<br />
He won people over by his fine and generous heart and gentle sense<br />
<strong>of</strong> humor and humility. Most recently on campus, he was active<br />
helping teach the art <strong>of</strong> differential diagnosis. A memorial birthday<br />
party was held on June 15, his 60th birthday, at the family home.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View Summer 2013 41
Alumni Calendar<br />
July 19-23: American Veterinary Medical<br />
Association’s Annual Convention in Chicago, IL.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U Reception (with LSU), Monday, July 22, 7:00<br />
p.m., at the House <strong>of</strong> Blues, Foundation Room (329 N.<br />
Dearborn).<br />
August 1-4: American College <strong>of</strong> Osteopathic Family<br />
Physicians <strong>of</strong> California's Annual Scientific Seminar in<br />
Anaheim, CA. <strong>Western</strong>U/COMP exhibit table on<br />
August 1 and 2 in the Disneyland Hotel, Magic<br />
Kingdom Ballroom (1150 W Magic Way).<br />
August 30-September 1: Osteopathic Physicians<br />
and Surgeons <strong>of</strong> California’s Annual Fall Conference<br />
in Monterey, CA. <strong>Western</strong>U/COMP exhibit table on<br />
August 30 and 31 in the Intercontinental, The<br />
Clement Monterey (750 Cannery Row).<br />
September 20-21: California Physical Therapy<br />
Association’s Annual Conference in Pasadena, CA.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U exhibit booth (#200) September 20-21 in<br />
the Pasadena Convention Center (300 East Green<br />
Street). <strong>Western</strong>U reception, Saturday, September 21,<br />
5:30-7:00 p.m., Sheraton Pasadena Hotel, Piazza Room<br />
(303 Cordova Street).<br />
October 3-6: California Academy <strong>of</strong> Physician<br />
Assistants’ Annual Conference in Palm Springs, CA.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U exhibit booth on October 4 and 5 in the<br />
Palm Springs Convention Center, Oasis 4 (277 N<br />
Avenida Caballeros). <strong>Western</strong>U reception, Friday,<br />
October 4, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Renaissance Palm Springs<br />
Hotel, Andreas Room (888 Tahquitz Canyon Way).<br />
October 24: <strong>Western</strong>U’s Pumerantz Lecture in the<br />
evening on campus.<br />
October 31-November 3: California Society <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Health</strong>-Systems Pharmacists’ Seminar in Anaheim, CA.<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U dinner, Friday, November 1, 5:30 p.m. at<br />
Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria (in Downtown Disney).<br />
November 9: <strong>Western</strong>U’s A Tribute to Caring at the<br />
Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA.<br />
For more information, or to RSVP for any <strong>of</strong> these alumni<br />
events, please go to www.westernu.edu/alumni-events or<br />
contact the Alumni Office at (909) 469-ALUM or<br />
alumni@westernu.edu.<br />
September 20-22: Osteopathic Physicians and<br />
Surgeons <strong>of</strong> Oregon’s Fall CME Conference in<br />
Portland, OR. <strong>Western</strong>U/COMP-Northwest exhibit<br />
table on September 20 and 21, and <strong>Western</strong>U/COMP<br />
reception, Saturday, September 21, 5:45-7:30 p.m. in<br />
the Embassy Suites, Downtown Portland (319 SW Pine<br />
Street).<br />
September 30-October 4: American Osteopathic<br />
Association’s OMED Convention in the Mandalay Bay<br />
Resort and Casino (3950 Las Vegas Blvd South) in Las<br />
Vegas, NV. <strong>Western</strong>U/COMP exhibit booth (#708) on<br />
September 30-October 2 in the Mandalay Bay<br />
Convention Center, Shorelines A. <strong>Western</strong>U/COMP<br />
reception, Wednesday, October 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at<br />
Border Grill Las Vegas (inside Mandalay Bay<br />
Convention Center).<br />
The <strong>Western</strong>U Alumni Association hosted its first College <strong>of</strong> Optometry Alumni<br />
Reception at the American Optometric Association’s Optometry Meeting on June 28 in<br />
San Diego. College faculty and nearly 100 students interacted with more than a<br />
dozen members <strong>of</strong> the College’s charter class <strong>of</strong> 2013, which had graduated less than<br />
50 days prior. Pictured (l-r) is Kambiz Silani, OD ’13, Dean Elizabeth Hoppe,<br />
Sahil Dosaj, OD ’13, and Harout Khanjian, OD ’13.<br />
42 <strong>Western</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Health</strong> <strong>Sciences</strong>
COVER ART<br />
Kambiz Silani from the College <strong>of</strong><br />
Optometry’s charter class <strong>of</strong> 2013<br />
celebrates the receipt <strong>of</strong> his diploma<br />
during <strong>Commencement</strong> Exercises at<br />
the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.<br />
Photo by Jeff Malet<br />
<strong>Western</strong>U View is printed by an FSC-certified<br />
printer using paper stock 85% <strong>of</strong> which is<br />
post-consumer recycled.<br />
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