July 5-8, 2022
Health Professions Week
Western University of Health Sciences students held Health Professions Week (HPW) from June 27 to July 1, 2022, inspiring middle and high school students to one day become health care professionals.

The summer program was led by WesternU students and afforded sixth-12th graders an opportunity to learn about a different health professions field each day of the week.
WesternU students from the colleges of podiatric medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, dental medicine, and the College of Health Sciences physical therapy program led both lectures and hands-on exercises. 
 
WesternU Health Career Ladder and the WesternU Center for Academic Community Engagement helped organize HPW.
 
A special thank you to the WesternU students who helped teach lessons: 
  • Belinda Jimenez - College of Podiatric Medicine. 
  • Michele Raad and Juliette Kastenian - College of Optometry. 
  • Andrew Flores and Christian Caddali - College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. 
  • Wajeha Mahmoud and Maryam Haque - College of Dental Medicine. 
  • Alex Dobesh and Kendra Hudson – College of Health Sciences physical therapy program.
WesternU CPM alumnus and his friends create foundation to promote limb salvage, function, and patient quality of life
WesternU College of Podiatric Medicine alumnus Aarron Flowers, DPM ’15, and his UC Davis college friends founded the Limb Care Foundation (LCF) to address education, prevention, and treatment of limb care by maximizing the quality of life for individuals who have had or are at risk for limb amputation.
CHS-Northwest news
CHS-Northwest Department of Physical Therapy Education - Oregon Assistant Professor Anu M Räisänen, PT, PhD, published a paper with her collaborators from from the University of Calgary and University of British Columbia.

Räisänen AM, Benson LC, Whittaker J, Emery CA. Evaluating a wearable solution for measuring lower extremity asymmetry during landing. Physiotherapy Canada June 20, 2022 (online first). 10.3138/ptc-2021-0086
CHS-Northwest ribbon cutting and open house, July 9
The College of Health Sciences-Northwest will hold a ribbon cutting and open house Saturday, July 9, 2022, showcasing , 2665 S. Santiam Hwy., Lebanon, Ore. 97355.
1-2 p.m. Ribbon Cutting ceremony
2-5 p.m. Open House
 
All are invited to celebrate the newest addition to WesternU Oregon.
 
 
College of Pharmacy news
Dr. Rachel Ryu collaborated with Dr. Rebecca Tran (cardiology faculty at KGI School of Pharmacy) on a review article on direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in mechanical and bioprosthetic heart valves.
Dr. Shawn Smith was appointed to the City of Victorville Homeless Solutions Task Force as the Community Stakeholder representing Alcohol and Drug Services due to his involvement during the pandemic providing medical oversight for homeless shelters and his continued work providing primary care services to this population. Dr. Smith's expertise and service to this population is recognized by this appointment as he serves in this important role.
The Homelessness Solutions Task Force along with City Staff developed a strategic plan in 2019 to provide the City of Victorville with a framework that identifies and addresses local issues associated with homelessness and the most effective means to focus efforts and resources. It utilizes a multi-faceted approach to outline actions, goals, and objectives directly related to homeless intervention, outreach and prevention. The Strategic Action Plan strengthens the City's response system and establishes a platform that allows both the public and private sector to engage, stay informed and volunteer. It also allows for the collaboration of various stakeholders and the mobilization of public and private resources, including State and Federal grants, to improve policy, programs and housing resources needed to reduce homelessness. More information can be found here.  
Dr. Patrick Chan (PI) and his team, which includes Drs. Hyma Gogineni (PPAD), Ying Huang (PSD), Hajer Ibrahim (WesternU alum), Jeffrey Wang (PSD), and Zhijun Wang (Ketchum) were awarded an intramural grant for the study “Impact of vertical sleeve gastrectomy on the pharmacokinetics of antidepressants.”
Vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG), a type of gastric bypass surgery, is becoming increasingly popular to treat obesity and other chronic conditions. However, the impact of VSG on medications after surgery is unclear. The purpose of this project is to examine how VSG affects medications in rats and develop a model of how the medications may be affected in humans.
Dr. Chan will serve as PI, leading this important work on his collaborative research team.
WesternU in the news

Kenneth Pettit (COMP alumnus) Marquis Who's Who Top Health Care Professionals, July 2
Welcome
Please welcome the following recent hires to WesternU:

CGN: Danielle Moore, Clinical Instructor
Cristina Forniss, Clinical Instructor 
COMP: Valerie Morales, Rotations Coordinator I
CDM: Raquel Robledo, Patient Care Scheduler 
COP: Amity Lodevico, Student Services Coordinator 
Strategic Alliances: Katherine Knobloch, Teaching Assistant- SHPEP 
Anthony Chavarria-Garcia, Teaching Assistant- SHPEP
Milestones
Congratulations to the following dedicated employees for their milestone years of service here at Western University of Health Sciences:

30 years
Cyrus Parsa, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific

15 years
Elizabeth Hoppe, College of Optometry
Rebecca Giusti, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
Kristine King, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
Anna Yeung, WesternU Medical Center
Lisa Griggs, College of Veterinary Medicine
Michelle Luna, College of Dental Medicine
David Pham, College of Pharmacy
Rodney Tanaka, Public Affairs and Marketing

10 years
Brian Chui, College of Dental Medicine
Brent Fung, College of Dental Medicine
Derrick Sorweide, COMP-Northwest
Clara Kim, College of Dental Medicine
Anne Kugler, College of Pharmacy
Rebecca Moellmer, College of Podiatric Medicine
Emmanuel Griffon, College of Veterinary Medicine
Helen Musharbash, Strategic Alliances
Marisela Avila, Office of University Recruitment
Jennifer Sandoval, Office of Experiential Education
Camille Ramos-Beal, Strategic Alliances
Malinda Utley, COMP-Northwest

5 years
Young Joo Kim, College of Veterinary Medicine
L. Tonatiuh Melgarejo, College of Veterinary Medicine
Yvonne Camacho, College of Optometry
Darci Gregory, COMP-Northwest
Simon Bulley, College of Pharmacy
Ada Leung, WesternU East Valley Spay/Neuter Center
Preshita Desai, College of Pharmacy