This Week@WesternU, Sept. 15-19, 2025

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Sept. 15-19, 2025

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WesternU researchers show Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment improves efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment enhances immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination, according to a recent study published by Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) researchers and their colleagues.

In this randomized trial of 104 participants (primary analysis in 51 COVID-19-naïve subjects), published in Virus Research, participants who received a brief, five-minute lymphatic OMT protocol immediately after COVID-19 vaccination and the day after each dose had boosted antibody levels at three weeks and showed a greater overall antibody response through 13 weeks compared with usual care, especially in those without a prior COVID-19 infection.

For those infected with COVID-19, participants who received OMT recovered faster and reported less severe symptoms. Participants with breakthrough infections who received OMT experienced shorter illness durations (an average of 4.5 days compared to 8 days) and fewer days of medication use (an average of 1.5 days versus 5 days) than those with breakthrough infections who did not receive OMT.

Read the full story: WesternU researchers show Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment improves efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine | WesternU News

WesternU’s 9/11 memorial

emphasizes service and unity

WesternU’s Military Medical Student Association (MMSA) held its annual 9/11 memorial service on the WesternU California campus on Sept. 11, 2025, with representatives from the Pomona Police Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department in attendance. The service honored those who died on Sept. 11, 2001, and those who serve as first responders. Guest speakers reminded attendees about the importance of unity and about the vital role WesternU plays in shaping future front-line responders.

College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) student, MMSA President and Army 2^nd Lt. Peter Kim served as the master of ceremonies. COMP student Felicia Delgadillo performed the National Anthem and Karl Wegner with Bugles Across America closed the service by performing “Taps.”

Read the full story: WesternU’s 9/11 memorial emphasizes service and unity | WesternU News

Extremitas call for submissions

Extremitas: Journal of Lower Limb Medicine is Western University of Health Sciences’ student-run, peer-reviewed publication dedicated to advancing knowledge in lower extremity medicine. The journal’s mission is to provide a platform for students to share scholarly work that contributes to the understanding, treatment, and advancement of lower limb health. We welcome a wide range of submissions, including original research, case reports, literature reviews, and topics spanning population-based medicine, public health, surgical interventions, conservative treatments, sports medicine, dermatopathologies, coagulopathies, and more. All students are welcome to submit their research! The only requirement is that the work must focus on the lower limb.

We are currently accepting submissions for this year’s edition. Topic submissions are due Sept. 26, 2025, and first drafts will be due Oct. 23, 2025.

Link to last year's Extremitas Edition: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:d67395d8-c75e-49d3-96e5-c158f8a278b2

Link to submit topic submissions: https://forms.gle/mJzbbg7sscwakk1i8

For questions: extremitasjournal@westernu.edu

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College of Pharmacy news

Dr. Youngil Chang received a WesternU intramural grant as PI for his proposal titled “NK Cells and NK-Cell Derived Markers in Urine as Non-Invasive Biomarkers for Detection of Kidney Allograft Rejection.” Dr. Jianming Xie from BPS is co-PI on this grant. We look forward to the work you will accomplish on this project!

Dr. John Andraos was awarded the Chapman University School of Pharmacy Alumni Leadership Award following their school’s recent white coat ceremony:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7366863005487124481/

https://blogs.chapman.edu/pharmacy/2025/08/27/2025-alumni-award-recipients/

Great recognition of your achievements so far, Dr. Andraos!

Dr. Andrew Hean had several accomplishments over the last few months as shown below!

Dr. Hean had two publications:

An editorial on OTC naloxone in JACCP. Hean AC, Roth WR. Moving Naloxone Over‐the‐Counter Is Not Sufficient: Pharmacy‐Based Interventions on Pricing Are the Solution. Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Published online August 6, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.70100

A case report with his colleagues from San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital:

Hean AC, Jones J, Arena M, Kavanagh K. Memantine leading to physical aggression in the treatment of chronic catatonia secondary to schizophrenia: A case report. Mental Health Clinician. 2025;15(4):218-221. https://doi.org/10.9740/mhc.2025.08.218

Dr. Hean became double board certified! He passed both the BCPP and BCPS exams and is now a Board-Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist and a Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist.

Dr. Hean also obtained his APh license, so is also an Advanced Practice Pharmacist in California.

And finally, his research conducted in collaboration with pharmacists at UC San Diego Health and presented at the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists Annual Meeting (AAPP 2025) in Salt Lake City was selected as one of two award finalists (out of over 200 abstracts) in the category of Original Research. Award finalists were selected to deliver a platform presentation on their research; Dr. Hean’s presentation was titled “Potential Inpatient Cost-Savings Using Subcutaneous Risperidone ER Versus Paliperidone Palmitate Based on Prescribing Trends of Oral Risperidone.”

COMP news

WesternU COMP students Alexander Abdou, Joey Day, Vedi Hatamian, Samson Keshishian, Hina P. Patel, Shaan Patel, Angelie Pathak, Alexander Postajian, Laura Roberts, Edgmin Rostomian, and Michael Zalin worked with Dr. Devendra K. Agrawal and his postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Resmi Rajalekshmi, contributed to science, and recently published the following peer-reviewed Pubmed indexed research articles.

We congratulate our COMP students for their dedication, motivation, and accomplishments in research and scholarly activities advancing science and disseminating clinically relevant knowledge directly applicable to better diagnosis and management of patients.

Patel HP, Patel S, Zalin M, Agrawal DK. Calcified vs. Non-Calcified Tendinopathy of the Rotator Cuff: Clinical Presentations, Prognostic Implications, and Emerging Therapeutic Strategies. J Orthop Sports Med. 2025;7(3):379-391. doi: 10.26502/josm.511500218. Epub 2025 Aug 4.PMID: 40927807 Free PMC article.

Pathak A, Roberts L, Agrawal DK. Immunomodulation and Thrombolytic Approaches in the Management of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism. Cardiol Cardiovasc Med. 2025;9(4):322-333. doi: 10.26502/fccm.92920456. Epub 2025 Aug 8.PMID: 40917563 Free PMC article.

Postajian A, Rostomian E, Abdou A, Hatamian V, Keshishian S, Agrawal DK. Management of Venous Thromboembolism After Hip and Knee Arthroplasty. J Orthop Sports Med. 2025;7(3):311-327. doi: 10.26502/josm.511500210. Epub 2025 Jul 7.PMID: 40855902 Free PMC article.

Day J, Rajalekshmi R, Agrawal DK. Modulation of EGR1 Expression by Hyperglycemia in Swine Rotator Cuff Tendons. J Orthop Sports Med. 2025;7(3):337-344. doi: 10.26502/josm.511500212. Epub 2025 Jul 17.PMID: 40855901 Free PMC article.

Dr. Agrawal in collaboration with his postdoctoral fellows, research trainees, and internal research collaborator, Dr. Dan Miulli, and external research collaborators contributed to science with recent publication of the following research articles.

Aggarwal A, Rajalekshmi R, Aggarwal A, Agrawal DK. Plants, Pills, and the Brain: Exploring Phytochemicals and Neurological Medicines. Int J Plant Anim Environ Sci. 2025;15(3):90-114. doi: 10.26502/ijpaes.4490180. Epub 2025 Aug 4.PMID: 40927759 Free PMC article.

Mendoza-Mari Y, Stojanovic M, Miulli DE, Agrawal DK. Microglial Response to Inflammatory Stimuli Under Electromagnetic Field Exposure. Arch Clin Biomed Res. 2025;9(4):304-315. doi: 10.26502/acbr.50170467. Epub 2025 Jun 30.PMID: 40855885 Free PMC article.