Recently in Western Univerity of Health Sciences Category

POMONA - With the help of the Chancellor of the California State University system, Western University of Health Sciences celebrated the dedication of its two newest buildings.

University leaders, faculty, staff and students, along with elected officials and business people, gathered at the university's 180,000-square-foot Health Education Center and 78,000-square-foot Patient Care Center on Wednesday (Aug. 25) for the ceremony.

The two buildings, along with a nearby parking structure, make up the $100 million expansion project the university carried out on the eastern end of the campus in downtown Pomona.

Cal State University system Chancellor Charles Reed said the state is experiencing tremendous population growth at the same time many Californians are growing older.

In order to provide adequate medical care to all "we will need more and more health care workers in years to come," Reed said.

"The role of all universities, public and private, is to meet the needs of our businesses, communities and families, and in doing so, universities need to be fully integrated in their communities," Reed said.

"Here at Western University, community service has been a cornerstone of this university's philosophy since it was first established more than 30 years ago," he said. The dedication ceremony "represents another new chapter in the expansion of Western U's efforts to meet the needs of so many Californians."

The university started out as a vision of university President Philip Pumerantz.

That vision has steadily grown in the 33 years since the university was founded into what it is today and will continue to grow to new heights, Reed said.

Councilwoman Paula Lantz, a Pomona native in whose district the university is located, said she can recall how Western University took long- vacant buildings once home to department stores, renovated them and put them back into use.

A vacant lot and underserved area are now home to the new medical facility, she said.

"So it is just a real thrill, a real sense of pride in celebrating this ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony," Lantz said.

The university's Health Education Center, an academic facility, went into use in January. The Patient Care Center, which opened in May, is a facility housing various clinics and health services.

Students in the more advanced stages of training work under the supervision of faculty and other health care professionals to tend to the medical needs of patients.

Pumerantz said the two buildings are attractive, state-of-the-art facilities but that's not what makes them stand out.

What makes them special is the commitment to caring for patients being instilled by faculty in students, he said.

Pumerantz said 36 percent of Western University's students are graduates of the California State University system.

After the ceremony, Reed said Western University has a strong relationship with Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Los Angeles.

Cal State prepares more students of color from underserved communities than anybody else in the United States, Reed said.

Together, the Cal State system and Western University are working to meet the needs of the state.

Following the ceremony, Pumerantz said Western University will continue to work in partnership with public and private colleges.

"We can't do everything alone, we have to collaborate. It makes us all stronger," he said.

The dean of Western University of Health Sciences' College of Podiatric Medicine was the keynote speaker during this week's American College of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics and Medicine Annual Clinical Conference.

Dean Lawrence Harkless delivered the address Thursday at the conference which took place in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., the university announced Friday.

Harkless talked about "Innovation and Integration: The Future of Podiatric Medical Education."

He will also make several other presentations at the conference which concludes Sunday (Aug. 29).

Harkless keynote speech concentrated on the educational changes necessary to prepare students for the 21st century practice of medicine.

Traditionally, a professor lectured and students took notes and memorized information for tests, Harkless said in a university statement.

At the College of Podiatric Medicine the emphasis is on student-centered learning which means professors must ask themselves key questions such what they want their students to known; how the students should learn those lessons; how to know if students learned the lesson and how to make sure will if they didn't; and how to provide enrichment to students who seek and need it.

Instead of emphasizing memorization, students take on cases and must solve the problem, he said.

"This is application-based learning," Harkless said. "When I talk about innovation and integration, that's the model we're implementing at Western U."

The theme of the conference is "Tomorrow's Concepts for Today's Practice."

Participating in the prestigious conference provides an opportunity to incorporate this method of learning into the entire education system of colleges of podiatric medicine, Harkless said.

"Our profession tends to be surgically oriented," he said. The American College of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics and Medicine "is the medical arm of our profession. This brings us back to focusing on the basics, which is being an excellent podiatric physician," he said.

"We're not just a foot and ankle surgeon, we're physicians. Our ability to diagnose and integrate interprofessionally is as important as surgery as we work toward improving the quality of health care in the 21st century."

POMONA - While some students are enjoying the summer, a small group of graduate level students are approaching their first month in a new intensive, one-year program at Western University of Health Science.

The group of 25 students makes up the charter class in the university's master of science in medical sciences offered through its Graduate College of Biomedical Science.

The program is designed to prepare students for admission into various health careers, said Jodi Olson, director of the program.

Most students have a science background, but some may not have the type of science courses professional schools would like applicants to have to gain admission to their programs, she said.

Others have the courses but juggled college and jobs along with other responsibilities and need a little extra preparation before they can apply to a medical school or other health career programs, Olson said.

In either case "the goal of the program is to try to bring students to medicine," she said.

Students in the new program "have strong records of (community) involvement and volunteerism in medicine both domestically and in foreign countries," Olson said.

But they may need to polish up some of their learning or time management skills, "things they should have picked up in college or did but did not perfect," she said. These students are not far from perfecting the skills that will make them assets in a health career of their choice.

Some of the students come from communities that have been medically underserved and could be interested providing care to such communities as health professionals.

"They may feel a drive to return to their communities or communities like them," Olson said.

Programs such as Western University's are not new, said Henry Sondheimer, a physician and senior director of student affairs for the Association of the American Medical Colleges.

A number of educational institutions have similar post baccalaureate programs. Some are aimed at preparing underrepresented students or attracting students from underserved areas while others are meant to prepare students who may have completed undergraduate educational training with emphases in areas unrelated to medicine.

In Western University's case "they're really doing both," Sondheimer said.

"They're looking to serve some need," he said. "I think that's terrific."

Such programs can help someone who, after entering a career, realizes his calling is in the medical field and he needs additional preparation to enter medical school, Sondheimer said.

Among the students at Western University is Mesharee Franklin, who earned a bachelor's degree in biological science with an emphasis in biochemistry and molecular biology from UC Merced. Aside from her academic work, she has done plenty of volunteer work in a hospital setting.

Franklin said her work in the new program is going to help her improve her grade-point average and give her an opportunity to continue to develop at the same time she is already being exposed to the rigors of medical school training.

"This will help me get into medical school and will increase my portfolio," said the Chino Hills resident who grew up in Oakland.

Rachelle Torres of Rancho Cucamonga graduated with a degree in philosophy from UC Riverside with a goal of attending medical school after graduation.

"The plan was to go straight to medical school," she said. But "I didn't have enough upper division science courses, so I opted for this."

With the intense courses she's taking, Torres said she'll show she's ready for medical school.

"Now there can be no doubt," she said.

Pomona resident Khanh Chau, who is originally from San Jose, would like to attend dental school. He earned a bachelor's degree in biological sciences at UC Davis.

"I'm hoping to get experience not only in class but build more confidence in my communication skills and professional skills," Chau said.

Those heading the program are eager to help students, he said.

"They want you to succeed, and I want to succeed," he said.

Plenty of family fun along with low cost pet vaccinations and microchipping will be among the things visitors will find at the Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine's Fifth Annual Open House on April 3.

The open house will offer visitors a chance to stop in at the Aquarium of the Pacific's Aquarium on Wheels featuring live sea creatures and learn about animals living in the ocean, according to a statement from the university.

Members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department K-9 Unit will also be present offering demonstrations.

Pet owners can have their pets vaccinated for $10 and microchipped for $22.

In addition to information booths, games and giveaways, the event, which is being called "All Creatures Great and Small" in honor of British veterinary surgeon and writer James Herriot, the open house will offer visitors an opportunity to learn more about careers in veterinary medicine and the academic training needed leading up to entering a veterinary medicine program, the statement said.

The open house, organized by students, faculty and staff of the university's College of Veterinary Medicine, will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m.

Activities will take place along the University's central walkway on Second Street, between Palomares Street and the new Health Education Center, which is west of Towne Avenue.

For more information call Stephanie Butler at 909-706-3768.

After a tour of Western University of Health Sciences, handling equipment optometrists use and interacting with health care professionals, Margarita Corona was pretty sure she'd found her calling.

Margarita, a freshman at Pomona High School, had been thinking of going to medical school but she changed her mind after the first day of a two-day workshop recently, called "Reaching Out to Families and Communities - Opening Eyes to Optometry."

A group of 10 Pomona High students and their parents took part in the program designed to expose ninth and tenth grade students to the optometry field.

After the first day of activities, Margarita was pleased with all she saw and heard.

"I thought it was so awesome," Margarita said excitedly. "It wasn't something I was expecting. I think I've changed my mind."

Margarita had medical school on her mind, but even though she wears glasses she hadn't considered optometry as a career choice until she learned more about the work of optometrists, she said.

They are the health care professionals often on the front line of a patient's vision care.

The workshop was organized as part of an effort to expose and attract under-represented groups to the optometry profession, said Raymond Maeda, an optometrist and Western's College of Optometry faculty member.

"We're drawing a lot of females but not Latinos," Maeda said.

To attract young people to the field they have to be exposed to optometry at an early age, long before they've locked into a career choice.

This was the first time the College of Optometry, which received its first class in August, organized the workshop.

But Maeda said he plans on working with Pomona High School to refine the workshop and reach out to more students.

Pomona High has an academy program for students interested in health careers and recently was named a demonstration site for the Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID. The program prepares students to succeed academically in high school through tutoring, teaching them study skills and preparing them to think critically.

The program also exposes them to colleges and career opportunities.

"If we could build something bigger in meaning and build a relationship with AVID, that would be great," Maeda said.

The workshop contained several hands-on components including a vision screen session and a chance to learn about the workings of the human eye with the help of a cow's eye.

Then there was a session in which parents acted as patients for their children while the teens used instruments such as a hand-held retinoscope, used to examine the retina, and the phoropter, an instrument used to determine a patient's eyeglass prescription.

Western University's workshop included a parent component designed to explain to families what students must do to get into a graduate program like the College of Optometry and the financial resources available to pay for such an education.

Such a program is expensive, Ann Ellis, assistant dean of student affair for the College of Optometry, told students and parents.

"But you can do it," she said. "Take a deep breathe...This is something you can do."

Veronica Castro, Margarita's mother, said by attending the workshop she learned there are ways to pay for the education her daughter would like to pursue.

"I've discovered there are opportunities she can take advantage of. There are scholarships and loans. There are several options," Castro said in Spanish.

POMONA - Two men looking at a Wall Street Journal caught the attention of passers-by Monday at Western University of Health Sciences.

The two figures are depicted in the bronze sculpture, "Second Hand News." It is part of a public-art display at the university through May 31.

The sculptures, weighing between 350 and 900 pounds, were delivered to the campus Monday.

The public can walk the university's central walkway to look at the 10 works by Seward Johnson and a piece by Bruce Lindsey.

The exhibit is a joint project between the university and The Sculpture Foundation.

The pieces were selected based on the atmosphere and activities at the university, Foundation Executive Director Paula Stoeke said.

"All of these pieces are ideally suited for a campus," Stoeke said.

Johnson's works at the university include "Strolling Professor," which depicts a chemistry professor reading as he walks, and "Between Classes," which shows a young man holding a copy of "All Creatures Great and Small" in one hand and a key case and a car key in the other.

"The Sculpture Foundation's mission is to expose a broad audience to art," Stoeke said.

On Monday morning, many people walking by the sculptures had to look twice at the bronze pieces.

"They look up and see a figure, and they initially seem real," Stoeke said. "We want the double take."

University President Philip Pumerantz said the art pieces fit well on campus because they reflect much of the institution's own philosophy and the importance of interacting with people in a caring manner.

Pumerantz said he found "Crossing Paths" a touching work of art. The work depicts two older women sitting on a bench engaged in conversation.

"Those ladies represent friendship and caring for each other," he said.

Improving the quality of health care while reducing costs will be the focus of a symposium scheduled for March 6 at Western University of Health Sciences.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 8 a.m. in the University's Health Education Center, 309 E. Second St.

"Thinking Outside the Box: Improving Quality of Care Beyond Conventional Medicine" is being organized by pharmacy and osteopathic medical students.

According to a university statement, the goal of the symposium is to spark discussions related to improving patient outcomes and safety with the help of different approaches.

Also to be discussed is evaluating programs designed to improve the quality of health care at the same time they reduce costs.

A panel of health care professionals including doctors, nurses and administrators representing major hospitals and medical education programs from around the state will participate in the discussion.

The event will close with a presentation on the benefits of osteopathic medicine and patient care along with a demonstration of osteopathic manipulative medicine by David Redding, associate professor of family medicine and osteopathic manipulative medicine at Western.

Seats for the event are limited. For additional information on the symposium or to register, go to www.westernu.edu/wuhcsymposium or e-mail westernhcs@gmail.com.

Western University of Health Sciences announced this week it will host the sixth International Congress of Behavioral Optometry in April.

Those participating in the international event will meet from April 8 to 11 on the university's campus in downtown Pomona and at the Double-Tree Hotel in Ontario.

Serving as co-sponsors of the event with the university will be the Optometric Extension Program,Foundation, referred to as the OEP, and the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association-International, also known as NORA, according to a university statement.

The congress takes place every four years and rotates through Europe, Australia and the United States, the statement said.

The conference is being held in the Inland Valley because of the university's newly opened College of Optometry, Robert A. Williams, executive director of the OEP Foundation and administrator of NORA, said in the statement.

"The College of Optometry adopted a mission that's virtually identical to ICBO and NORA," he said. "We thought it would be an excellent partnership between NORA, ICBO and Western U."

The College of Optometry's mission statement discusses the need for services related to neuro-optometric rehabilitation along with specialized programs for those living with learning disabilities, brain injuries, developmental disabilities, and other types of visual impairment, said Elizabeth Hoppe, co-founding dean of the college in the statement.

"Our goal is to serve the public by graduating doctors of optometry who can fulfill this increasing public demand," she said.

"Western U is well-suited to pursue this mission because of the unique interprofessional opportunities embedded within the curriculum. Caring for individuals from vulnerable populations, such as those with traumatic brain injury or autism, is always best done with a team approach to health care. Our graduates will have experienced interprofessional communications and team-based care throughout their entire educational process," she said.

The conference is expected to attract optometrists, therapists and other professionals who work in rehabilitation.