May 30-June 2, 2023

Commencement 2023

Commencement is a time to celebrate a new chapter in the lives of Western University of Health Sciences graduates. The five ceremonies held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium May 17-19, 2023 also included inspiring speeches, milestone moments, heartfelt tributes, and a passing of the mace.

COMP-Northwest Commencement

COMP-Northwest held its Commencement ceremony on May 26, 2023 in Lebanon, Oregon.

The keynote speaker was WesternU Board of Trustees member Catherine Mater, MSCE.

View more photos on Facebook and look for more coverage later this week at WesternU News.

WesternU College of Optometry professor and student honored at COVD Annual Meeting

WesternU College of Optometry faculty and students received top honors and presented research at the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) Annual Meeting April 25-29, 2023, in Toronto, Canada.

COVD honored College of Optometry Chief of Pediatric Optometric Service and Associate Professor John Tassinari, OD, BS, FAAO, FCOVD, with the A.M. Skeffington Award, which is presented to the COVD Fellow who has made outstanding contributions to the optometric literature in the areas of vision therapy and vision development.

College of Optometry student Crystal Sin, (pictured with Dr. Tassinari) who graduated on May 18, received the Laudon Vision Grant, awarded annually by COVD to a fourth-year student who is dedicated to taking the next step into their career in vision therapy.

College of Pharmacy news

Congratulations to COP Dean Sunil Prabhu, Dr. Preshita Desai, and Arvind Thakkar (former Research Assistant Professor in Dr. Prabhu's lab; currently Associate Director, Program and Portfolio Management at Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc), on their approved patent application for cancer prevention and treatment (Assignee: Western University of Health Sciences): Prabhu, S., Desai, P., Thakkar, A. Lipid emulsified drug delivery systems for chemoprevention and treatment. US 11607384B2, United States Patent and Trademark Office, 21 May 2023.

The above patent is granted for the synergistic chemoprevention and treatment of cancer using combination drugs delivered in a lipid nanocarrier platform.Part of a two-step invention, the first was the identification and repurposing of a unique combination of FDA approved H1-receptor antagonist (Loratadine or Desloratadine) antihistaminic drugs mixed with a natural supplement, Sulforaphane, to elicit synergistic anticancer activity. The second step involved the incorporation of the antihistamine drugs in a lipid nanocarrier demonstrating significant enhancement in pharmacokinetic and well as anticancer efficacy at a reduced dose/dosing frequency. Additionally, it was demonstrated that this novel formulation has the potential to reduce the dose of classical anticancer drugs like Paclitaxel, Gemcitabine etc. when used as an adjuvant in cancer treatment, thus potentially reducing the severe side effects of first line cancer drugs. Overall, the patent represents an innovative approach towards safe and effective cancer prevention and management.

Dr. Jignesh Patel published a manuscript titled "Retrospective evaluation of chemical venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in traumatic brain injury" in the journal Surgery in Practice and Science.

This was a study conducted at his previous institution, University of Rochester Medical Center, in N.Y. Dr. Patel served as the PI on this project which was a multidisciplinary collaboration with the Departments of Pharmacy and Division of Trauma Surgery. They examined practices surrounding the initiation of chemical venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in patients admitted with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Dr. Anandi Law completed three invited presentations in recent months, showing her diverse areas of expertise:

Shane Desselle, Anandi V. Law, Sanna Passi and Efi Mantzourani. "A Culture for Sustained Mentoring: Organizational Perspective." FIP webinar on May 2, 2023.

Seena Haines, Anandi V. Law, Ginger Lemay and Shawn Riser Taylor. "Pharmily Flow: Incorporation of Yoga Practice & Principles in Pharmacy Curricula." AACP Webinar on April 25, 2023.

"Making a Meaningful Contribution to the Literature." Invited panelist for Rx Writing Challenge Spring 2023.

From the California Pharmacists Association (CPhA) Western Pharmacy Exchange April 28-30 in Las Vegas:

Dr. Micah Hata was re-installed as a CPhA Officer on the Board of Trustees.

Dr. Preeti Kotha began her position as SIG Chair-elect (Community Pharmacy) for 2023-24 and will be Chair next year 2024-25.

Upon invitation, Dr. Rachel Ryu contributed cardiology items for the Annual Pharmacy Quiz Bowl Competition, which is a state-wide competition among the California schools of pharmacy.

As announced earlier, Dr. Shawn Smith received the CPhA Excellence in Innovation Award. Read about Dr. Smith's work here.

Studio Portraits, Tuesday, June 6

Public Affairs and Marketing is holding an open studio portrait day:

9 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. Tuesday, June 6

Please click on the link above and sign up for a timeslot that works for your schedule if you would like a new studio portrait. We will schedule additional portrait days for those who cannot come to the studio on this day.