WesternU recognized for work with Latinos

Western University of Health Sciences has drawn the attention of an education publication that ranked three of its colleges among the top 10 nationally for professional degrees awarded to Latinos.

The university announced that Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine ranked the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific sixth after graduating five Latinos in the 2007-2008 academic year.

The College of Pharmacy tied for eighth place after graduating five Latinos. The College of Veterinary Medicine tied for fourth place, having graduated four Latinos.

The university is engaged in various efforts meant to reach people of color with the goal of having an increasingly diverse student body and alumni.

Among the university groups that do outreach is the Latino Medical Student Association.

"Since my arrival, I have vigorously supported (the Latino Medical Student Association's) efforts to reach out into the community and nationally, to attend conferences and community service events in an effort to enhance the understanding of osteopathic medicine and health care professions in the Latino community," said Dr. Clinton Adams, dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific.

"This is particularly important because our mission is to serve the community in which we live."

College of Pharmacy leaders have worked to create a diversity scholarship and have taken steps to attract a diverse student body.

The College of Veterinary Medicine has also worked to attract students of color, but the college's dean, Dr. Phillip Nelson, said undergraduate programs must do their part too, because if a lack of diversity exists at that level, it will also be lacking at graduate schools.

Among Western University's initiatives designed to bring in more diverse students is the Pomona Health Career Ladder. For this, Western University partnered with the Pomona Unified School District and Cal Poly Pomona to create the Pomona Health Career Ladder.

The objective is to begin working with students at an early age and provide them with educational and other types of support so that eventually the student will enroll at Cal Poly and later at Western University from where they will graduate with a professional degree.