WesternU Commencement ceremonies will be held May 17-19, 2023 in Pasadena, California and May 26, 2023 in Lebanon, Oregon.

The Commencement website provides important information on the schedule of ceremonies, ceremony webcasts and much more.

Click to visit the Commencement website.

Public Affairs and Marketing is counting down the days until our first Commencement ceremony. Visit our social media platforms every day to view the countdown.

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The WesternU College of Pharmacy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Irvine Valley College (IVC) to create a pre-pharmacy pathway for students to become pharmacists.

On May 9, 2023, College of Pharmacy Dean Sunil Prabhu, BPharm, PhD, signed the MOU with IVC Dean for Math & Sciences Lianna Zhao, MD. (pictured, left)

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Henry Hua, OD ’17, is the first Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry graduate to serve on the California Optometric Association (COA) Board of Trustees.

Dr. Hua was installed as a Trustee in February 2023. He said he is active in local, state and national organizations because “optometry is a legislated profession. This means decisions made by state and federal lawmakers have a direct and long-lasting impact on optometrists and patients...

"Our privileges and rights were granted because leaders in our profession advocated for it,” Hua said. “That’s why it’s important for our profession to grow and to protect all the rights and privileges we have now. It is possible to lose our privileges if we don’t have a strong enough group of leaders who are protecting us.”

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Fourth-year COMP student Farigol Hakem Zadeh, MSc, BSc, (pictured, left) and COMP Department of Translational Research faculty Drs. Daniel R. Wilson and Devendra K. Agrawal published the following: Long COVID: Complications, Underlying Mechanisms, and Treatment Strategies. Archives of Microbiology & Immunology 2023; 7(2): 36-61.

Farigol Hakem Zadeh said she is grateful to Dr. Agrawal and Dr. Wilson for believing in her abilities and granting her this opportunity to delve into and explore the fascinating realm of long COVID. This research has the potential to pave the way for further investigations, leading to improvements in clinical practices, better patient care, and enhanced treatment outcomes, she said.

"By pursuing my interests in the fields of medicine and research innovation over my academic pursuit, I have cultivated an immeasurable passion for becoming a future physician-scientist," she said. "I firmly believe that research plays a pivotal role in driving medical advancements and transforming patient outcomes. It is through research that we can bridge gaps in our understanding, develop innovative solutions, and ultimately improve the lives of individuals and communities."

Congratulations to Dr. Kabir Lutfy on his recent MSMS research mentorship and achievements, as well as Dr. Lutfy’s Research Assistants Syed Ahmad and Abdul Hamid, recent MSBPS alum Asif Iqbal, and their collaborators on their publications.

Dr. Lutfy mentored MSMS 2023 students who received second place for their project presentation in the MSMS Research Symposium.

Dr. Lutfy was awarded the 2023 Outstanding Review Editor

certificate from Frontiers.

Escolero V, Tolentino L, Muhammad AB, Hamid A, Lutfy K.

The Involvement of Endogenous Enkephalins in Glucose Homeostasis. Biomedicines.

2023; 11(3):671. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11030671.

Iqbal A, Hamid A, Ahmad SM, Lutfy K. The Role of Mu Opioid Receptors in High Fat Diet-Induced Reward and Potentiation of the Rewarding Effect of Oxycodone. Life. 2023; 13(3):619. https://doi.org/10.3390/life13030619.

Tolentino L, Iqbal A, Rahman S, Lutfy K. The Role of Beta-Endorphin in Food Deprivation-Mediated Increases in Food Intake and Binge-Eating. Brain Sciences. 2023; 13(2):212. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13020212.

Congratulations to Drs. Ying Huang, Bradley Andresen, and Jeffrey

Wang, Research Assistants Francoise Congues and Steven Yeung, Research

Assistant Professor Ayaz Shahid, and MSBPS student Pabitra Sardar, and their

collaborators on their most recent conference presentations and publication.

Shamim MA, Shahid A, Sardar PK, Yeung S, Reyes J, Kim J, Parsa C, Orlando R, Wang J, Kelly KM, Meyskens FL Jr, Andresen BT, Huang Y. Transfersome Encapsulated with the R-carvedilol Enantiomer for Skin Cancer Chemoprevention. Nanomaterials 2023, 13, 929. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13050929. Shamim MA is an MSBPS alumnus, Sardar P is a current MSBPS student, and Kim J is part of PharmD 2022.

Sardar PK, Yeung S, Shahid A, Andresen BT, Huang Y. Effect of the β-blocker carvedilol in DMBA-induced mammary gland tumor growth. AACR Annual Meeting. April 2023 (Poster presentation)

Shahid A, Andresen BT, Lutfy K, Huang Y. Deletion of β2-adrenergic receptor (Adrb2) gene protects skin injuries induced by chemical warfare agents. Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting. March 2023 (Poster presentation)

Congues F, Huang Y, and Andresen BT. Role of Intracellular Ca2+ in Neoplastic Transformation of Murine Epidermal Cells. UC Irvine 6^th Annual Skin Symposium. Jan 20, 2023 (Poster presentation)

Thank you to all who attended CETL's first-ever Open House, an extraordinary event that took place on May 11, 2023. It was a historic moment that brought the entire CETL department together in-person, as remote workers from Florida, Arizona, and Oregon came together in Pomona to share their expertise and participate in team-building activities.

Each CETL Team office showcased a unique aspect of CETL's services,

such as utilizing virtual reality (VR) in medical education, integrating 360

video into curriculum, and encouraging active learning via 3D printing.

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.