This Week@WesternU, Oct. 3-7, 2022

Oct. 3-7, 2022

Reimagined Pumerantz Learning Center designed with students in mind

Walk into the reimagined Pumerantz Learning Center (PLC) at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California and you will see a dramatic transformation.

Most notably, look to the right as you enter and you will see WesternU’s motto, “To Teach, To Heal, Together,” nestled among a custom-designed moss wall. Collaborating with Public Affairs & Marketing and Facilities, the idea for a moss wall emerged as a way to make a statement when people enter the building.

“I wanted something unique, a real showstopper focusing on nature and sustainability that well represented the unity of purpose of WesternU,” said Karoline G. Almanzar, MLIS, Director of the Harriet K. and Philip Pumerantz Library. “I wanted the PLC/Library to be known as a place to come for inspiration and innovative thinking.”

Provost Search Committee update

Dear WesternU Community,

This update is provided on behalf of the Provost Search Committee. The Committee has been working diligently to help provide recommendations for WesternU’s next Provost and Chief Academic Officer (CAO). The Provost/CAO position is pivotal in the new dynamic organizational structure successfully implemented by President Robin Farias-Eisner, MD, PhD, MBA, on July 1, 2022.

The deadline for applications is Friday, October 7 and, although fast approaching, it is not too late to nominate or self-nominate individuals for the position. As a reminder, the Provost Search Committee’s goal is to carefully evaluate a highly qualified candidate pool including both internal and external applicants. If you or others you know are interested, please direct them to the Position Overview posted at AGB Search and encourage them to contact the Executive Search Consultants found on the same web page with any questions about the position.

The Search Committee’s anticipated timeline is to select semi-finalists and conduct interviews the first week in November. We will then work with the various campus constituencies to arrange for on-site campus interviews for finalists soon after that. We would like to present our findings and recommendations prior to the end of the calendar year.

Please view the Provost Search website: https://www.westernu.edu/provost/search/

Thank you in advance for your patience with the time it has taken to begin the search in earnest, and we appreciate your support of the final steps of this important process. Take care and have a great week.

WesternU Campus Culture & Climate Survey

The WesternU Office of Humanism, Equity and Anti-Racism (HEAR) in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (IRE), launched the WesternU Campus Culture & Climate Survey on Sept. 15, 2022. This survey is part of WesternU’s ongoing commitment to Humanism, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism. Data from this survey will be utilized to develop and implement the 2023-2028 Strategic Diversity Plan at WesternU. Please make your voice heard!

All students, faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees are invited and strongly encouraged to complete this survey, which will be available until Oct. 15, 2022. Survey administration, analysis of data, and initial reporting is independently completed by external consultants. The external consultants are the only ones with access to the data collected and they guarantee the full protection of the identity, confidentiality, and anonymity for all respondents.

We want to reassure you that the valid, official, external source email for accessing and completing the survey anonymously and confidentially is labeled as "Office of Humanism, Equity, and Anti-Racism noreply@qemailserver.com." Please do not delete and/or report this email as a “junk” or “phishing” solicitation. If you did not receive your unique survey link, please feel free to contact the CGU Campus Culture & Climate Survey Team at eeda@cgu.edu.

COMP and COMP-Northwest news

Mathew Wedel, PhD, of COMP and CPM, published an article in Scientific American with co-authors Douglas H. Smith, Jeffrey M. Rodgers, and Jean-Pierre Dollé, "Giraffes vs. blue whales vs. dinosaurs: contest reveals which one builds its nervous system fastest to evade predators."

Dr. Wedel published a paper with Dr. Mike Taylor of the University of Bristol:

Taylor, Michael P., and Wedel, Mathew J. 2022. What do we mean by the directions “cranial” and “caudal” on a vertebra? Journal of Paleontological Techniques 25: 1-24. Link to paper.

COMP-Northwest Professor Brion Benninger, MD, Executive Director of the Medical Anatomy Center, and 13 second-year COMP-Northwest students from the Ultrasound Club provided an innovative CME ultrasound course on Sept. 18, 2022 aimed at Family and Acute Care practitioners during the annual OPSO conference in Bend, Oregon. Each ultrasound station represented areas of common pathologies and/or medical techniques ultrasound could be used in Primary/Acute Care & Emergency Medicine arenas. Dr. Benninger provided all participants opportunities to use innovative ultrasound probes including wireless handheld GE Vscan probes, sonosite dual array finger probes and GE Venue-Go system hi frequency musculoskeletal probes (10-22Hz).

Dr. Brion Benninger with COMP-Northwest Ultrasound Club members Craig Yamaguchi, Conor Davenport, Tyler Johnson, Keith Landis, Sienna Allen, David Beckett, Alexis de Lacy, Merissa Walls, Alex Jonson, Kyra Langhelm, Todd Hinsch, Beckston Harrott, and Charles Antonowicz.

College of Optometry news

College of Optometry Professor Pinakin Gunvant Davey, PhD, OD, FAAO, and CO Research Assistant Drake Lem, MSBS '21, with Dennis Gierhart from EyePromise, LLC, published "Can Nutrition Play a Role in Ameliorating Digital Eye Strain?" in Nutrients.

Lem DW, Gierhart DL, Davey PG. Can Nutrition Play a Role in Ameliorating Digital Eye Strain? Nutrients. 2022; 14(19):4005. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14194005

WesternU Fest in the Northwest

WesternU Fest in the Northwest hosts Fall Fest, 5:30-7 p.m. today, Oct. 3, 2022 at CHS-Northwest, 2665 S. Santiam Highway, Lebanon, Oregon.

WesternU Oregon students, employees, and their families are invited to enjoy a pumpkin carving contest, freshly-squeezed apple cider, a slice of locally-baked pie, and more. Please also drop off K-12 school supply donations.

Click on flier to view larger.