WesternU celebrates and inspires alumni at annual reunion

Western University of Health Sciences’ Alumni Reunion provided opportunities to reconnect, explore creativity and inspire graduates to give back.

WesternU’s Alumni Reunion, held Sept. 30, 2023 on the Pomona, California campus, included dinner, raffle prizes, live music, and other activities. College of Graduate Nursing alumnus Marc Wirtz, MSN ’13, serves as the WesternU Alumni Association Leadership Board President and also served as the master of ceremonies for the reunion dinner.

Some colleges organized activities prior to the reunion dinner. The College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) provided campus tours. The College of Graduate Nursing hosted a wreath-making workshop, which brought together faculty, staff and alumni for a hands-on activity.

Click to read more and to view the slideshow.

Western University of Health Sciences College of Graduate Nursing students who received STAND grant scholarships are beacons of change for health care and their communities.

CGN celebrated these students at a luncheon Sept. 28, 2023.

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The College of Health Sciences Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2024 (Pomona) presented their case study posters on Sept. 27 in the HEC Recital Hall. Students talked about the cases they experienced, the research behind the interventions provided, and the lessons they learned in the clinics.

Congratulations to the following award winners:

Most engaging presenter: Katie Barry and Patrick Ocampo

Most creative poster: Monica Estrada and Ryan Suwito

Most ready for Professional Conference submission: Aileen Tran

Most interesting case: Carli Harrison

Most unique PT referral: Justine Nguyen and Azeezat Anthonio

Favorite overall poster: Aileen Tran

View more photos on WesternU's Instagram.

COMP-Northwest Professor Dr. Brion Benninger, Executive Director of the Medical Anatomy Center, mentored nine COMP-Northwest students on seven projects, which were all accepted via a blind peer reviewed process and presented at the national American Association of Clinical Anatomists conference in Orlando, Florida July 9-12, 2023.

COMP-Northwest students Joshua McCluskey and Kiana Hafferty were selected for oral platform presentations (two of a total of six from over 100 abstracts). COMP-Northwest students Luke Arsenault, Natalija Miller and Alexander Olden were given accolades for their posters and presentations. It was an honor to have Journal editors invite all the projects from our student presentations (oral and posters) to submit for manuscript publications.

Pictured left to right: Alex Olden, Kiana Hafferty, Luke Arsenault, Dr. Brion Benninger, Natalija Miller, and Josh McCluskey.

Arsenault Luke, Joshua McCluskey, and Brion Benninger. Identifying the Hoffa (infrapatellar) Fat Pad with Infrapatellar plicae (ligametum mucosum) from cadaver POCUS ultrasound and dissection of the knee joint will provide a mental template of its morphology and associated pathologies.

McCluskey Joshua, Luke Arsenault, Alexander Olden and Brion Benninger. POCUS ultrasound with dissection of the ulnar collateral ligament and harvesting the palmaris longus tendon from a novel prepared cross-sectional imaged cadaver provides life like tissue to best emulate anatomical and surgical experiences. 

Miller Natalija and Brion Benninger. Determining Platysma Facial Attachment with Novel & Fresh Frozen vs Traditional embalmed cadavers.

Hafferty Kiana, Walker Shibley-Styer, Dennis Nguyen and Brion Benninger. Reassessing Distal Semimembranosus Tendon from Novel CT, MRI imaged vs Traditional Cadavers.

Olden, Alexander, Dennis Nguyen and Brion Benninger. Pes Anserinus of the Medial Longitudinal Arch from Novel CT/MRI Specimens vs Traditional Cadavers.

Hafferty Kiana, Alexander Olden, Ruben Estrada and Brion Benninger. Comparing Deep Fascia of Lower Limb from Novel Imaged Prepared Specimens and Formalin Fixed donors.

Benninger Brion. Stereostructural Anatomy: Posterior and Anterior Arm both have Triceps Muscle Representation.

The College of Podiatric Medicine and the Southern California Podiatric Medical Students' Association are hosting a Holiday Sock Drive.

Labeled receptacles will be placed outside of Outtakes/HEC and outside the CPM Administration Office beginning Wednesday, Oct. 11.

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We're thrilled to announce that Western University of Health Sciences is a presenting sponsor of the 7th annual Pomona 5K and 10K, set to take place on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023!

We invite everyone to join Team WesternU and run or walk in the race. Team WesternU is more than just a team; it represents our collective strength and unity as part of the WesternU and Pomona communities.

WesternU has a special $15 discount for family and friends. Use code WESTERN15OFF when registering at https://www.pomona5k.com/. We invite you to join the WesternU group/team when signing up to show your support and demonstrate that we stand WesternU strong. 

When joining Team WesternU, please use the password wu123.

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

9 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16

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.