This Week@WesternU, Oct. 2-6, 2023

View as Webpage

Oct. 2-6, 2023

Visit our Website

WesternU Pumerantz Lecture

focuses on oral and maxillofacial surgery

Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine Professor Jeffrey Elo, DDS, MS, FACS, FACD, FICD, provided detailed descriptions of the fascinating and varied work performed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMS) at the 13th Dr. Philip Pumerantz Distinguished Lectureship in Interprofessional Education, held Sept. 27, 2023 on WesternU’s Pomona, California campus.

Watch a recording of the Pumerantz Lecture by clicking the link below.

WesternU names Dr. Andrea Giuffrida as Senior Vice President of Research and Biotechnology

WesternU Senior Vice President of Research & Biotechnology Andrea Giuffrida, PhD, MBA, who has served in this position since Aug. 1, plans to build research capacity at WesternU through investments in research infrastructure and training programs, creating centers of excellence in biosciences and biotechnologies, growing clinical research, and promoting private/public partnerships aligned with emerging national and international research priorities. He also plans to work closely with leaders across the University to assess existing institutional policies, develop a research space master plan and identify future needs to drive innovation.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about building a winning culture, a culture that is research friendly and that fosters open dialogue, diversity and transparency,” Giuffrida said. “My four core values are: listen, connect, execute and celebrate success!”

College of Podiatric Medicine news

College of Podiatric Medicine Assistant Professor and alumna Adrienne M. Estes, DPM '13, MS, FACFAS, DABPM, FAPWHc, will travel to Italy Dec. 12-16, 2023 for an international meeting to explore how to advance medical education for surgeons.

Dr. Estes was invited by Orthofix SeaSpine to explore new means of limb preservation by creating new blood vessels in the lower extremity. Transverse bone transport, performed at the tibial bone, has impressive success in outcomes from international countries including Russia, China and Italy. However, this particular surgery is not currently being explored in America nor is it being incorporated as an option to salvage a limb.

"A small cohort of surgeons was invited to collect a series of cases in a multi-center, multi-surgeon retrospective series for the treatment of ischemic foot wounds," Estes said. "We hope to identify if this mimics international studies with improvement to wound healing, increase blood flow to the foot, create new blood flow to the foot and overall decrease lower extremity amputations."

CPM Assistant Professor and alumna Chandler Hubbard, DPM '18, now serves as the Chief Medical Director of the WesternU Foot and Ankle Center.

Dr. Hubbard said her goals are to train clinical students, externs and residents in a welcoming and supportive environment where their curiosity is nurtured, and their knowledge is pushed to the highest level while continuing to produce the top educated podiatric physicians and surgeons in the country. She also aims to continue providing top-level care to the WesternU patient population, continue to increase the center's patient load and give back to the underserved community in volunteer events.

"I am honored to be taking on this role as it was previously held by my mentor and role model, Dr. Jarrod Shapiro," Hubbard said. "I am so lucky to have been trained by the amazing faculty and staff and I stand on the shoulders of the giants that came before me and I have them to thank for my training and guidance to continuing their amazing work and setting new goals that may not have before been possible. As a student I always wanted to return to WesternU and teach the future generation in innovative ways with the latest and greatest technology and I now have that opportunity! I am so honored, excited, and grateful for the opportunities ahead."

California Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez

visits WesternU

California Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez recently visited Western University of Health Sciences at the invitation of the WesternU chapter of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA).

In a conversation with College of Dental Medicine students on Sept. 25, 2023, Rodriguez talked about how he got involved in politics and he encouraged students to contact him about legislation that affects their community.

COMP news

COMP students Armand Yazdani, Michaela Pletsch, Abraham Chorbajian and David Zitser worked with Drs. Vikrant Rai and Devendra K. Agrawal from the COMP Department of Translational Research on the following research article published in Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy.

Armand N Yazdani, Michaela Pletsch, Abraham Chorbajian, David Zitser, Vikrant Rai, Devendra K. Agrawal: Biomarkers to monitor the prognosis, disease severity, and treatment efficacy in coronary artery disease. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2023 Sep 29. DOI: 10.1080/14779072.2023.2264779 Online ahead of print. PMID: 37772751

Pumerantz Library news

Libraries Month this October with events for the entire WesternU community!

We kick off the month with Pomodoro Study Café from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, a workshop co-hosted with LEAD that teaches Pomodoro technique to help maximize study time and breaks and will be broadcast on Zoom as well.

Then, every Tuesday in October from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., we’re hosting “Coffee and Conversations” in the Pumerantz Library lobby, a time where students, faculty, and staff could enjoy a free cup of coffee from a local Pomona coffee shop.

From noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11, come support our COMP student artists as we host a Mural Reveal party, followed by a meditation session, wellness activities, and light refreshments.

Additionally, we’ll be observing Archives Month with a display about SANUS, a theatre group founded by COMP students in 1985 that presented the human side of medicine through drama.

We will wrap up the month with a lecture and book signing from Dr. Pedram Navab on “Sleep Reimagined: The Fast Track to a Revitalized Life” in our second-floor classroom and a mini-pumpkin decorating contest (registration required) October 25-27.

For more information, check out our calendar of events on our homepage.

Studio Portraits, Monday, Oct. 16

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.