Western University of Health Sciences' College of Health Sciences celebrated its 40th anniversary by honoring the pioneers who built the college’s foundation and by raising money to benefit students.

About 200 guests celebrated the event at the Doubletree by Hilton Claremont on Sept. 26, 2026. WesternU Senior Director of Alumni Engagement & University Experience and CHS alumnus Tom Fox, MSHS ’19, served as the master of ceremonies. Guests included representatives from the Inland Valley Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., the Marsell Wellness Center, the Pomona Unified School District, and the city of Pomona. Pomona Vice-Mayor Lorraine Canales and Sandra Lopez, representative from state Sen. Susan Rubio’s office, presented CHS Dean Gail Evans Grayson, EdD, MA, with proclamations celebrating the occasion.

Dean Evans Grayson thanked CHS’s founders, faculty, staff, and students.

“You are the reason for our purpose,” Evans Grayson told the CHS students in attendance. “You are the vision. You are the humanistic providers. We look to you and we are waiting for each and every one of you at the finish line. Thank you for coming to spend time with us and know that all of the donations and proceeds received today goes back to you so that we can ensure that you remain successful.”

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Western University of Health Sciences’ Heatherington College of Osteopathic Medicine (WesternU HCOM) participated in the 19th annual Portland Health Care Equity Fair (HCEF) hosted by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. The event offers a range of free health services to the community, with a focus on connecting uninsured and underinsured individuals with accessible, long-term care.

For the fifth consecutive year, WesternU joined the HCEF in bringing students, faculty, and community volunteers together to serve the Portland community. From health and wellness services to food distribution, mental health education, and personal care, this year’s event offered a wide range of resources to those who needed them most. Participating organizations included the Pacific Psychology and Comprehensive Health Clinic, Multnomah County Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Services Division, Feed the Mass, Oregon Food Bank, Hairstyles for Humanity, the University of Western States and more. 



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Western University of Health Sciences’ Office of Humanism celebrated Latine Heritage Month with “Raíces y Rutas: Roots and Routes, a panel conversation honoring the heritage, identities, and journeys of our Latine community.”

The panel, held Oct. 8, 2026, featured WesternU faculty, staff and students.

Pictured top, left to right: Romellus Wilson, director of programming and special projects, Office of Humanism; Dr. David Sanchez, professor, College of Pharmacy; CDM student Rosa Isabel Angon Gonzalez; Hingrit Avendano de Cruz, manager of pathways development, College of Podiatric Medicine; Dr. Cristina Alvarez, associate vice president, Equal Opportunity and Title IX Coordinator; Inga Rodriguez, manager of case communications and operations, Title IX Compliance; and CDM students Brenda Portugal and Alicia Ulmanzor. Joining the panel from WesternU Oregon was Heatherington College of Osteopathic Medicine student Lincy Munoz Franco.

Office of Humanism Director of Programming and Special Projects Romellus Wilson served as the moderator.

“The folks up here are part of our own WesternU community. And each of them carries a family story with roots that reach across Latin America. We get to sit with these stories today and celebrate this community and everything it brings to this place we all share,” Wilson said. “(This is) not a lecture. You're not going to walk out of here an expert on everybody today. And honestly, that's not the goal. Everything we do in the Office of Humanism comes back to one goal, that you walk out of here a little bit different than the way you walk in. Not with more answers, not with more certainty about a group of people or individuals, but with more curiosity or awareness of the person sitting right next to you. That's why we call this ‘Raices y Rutas,’ roots and routes. Our roots might look different, different countries, different languages, different kitchens, different music in the house growing up, but if you dig down far enough, they all come out in the same soil. And our routes, the roles that brought each one of us into this room today intersect more than we think. Sometimes the person whose story feels the farthest from yours is the one who ends up showing you something about yourself.”

The panelists reflected on their experiences growing up, including how the people around them showed they cared for one another without saying it out loud. They talked about continuing on their path, even in moments when they weren’t sure they belonged.

WesternU COMP students Ryan Afrahim, Iffy Alam, Fihr Chaudhary, Daniel H. Choi, Timothy J. Chu, Madeleine T. Dang, Ayeshah Hussain, Chang Kon Kim, Grace Kim, Suyeon (Su) Kim, Daniel Mashiach, Shaanali Mukadam, Lannhi Nguyen, Amy Phu, Sumanjali Reddy Kanmantha Reddy, and Dominick Shoha, collaborated with Dr. Devendra K. Agrawal and Dr. Marcel P. Fraix, contributed to science, and recently published the following peer-reviewed Pubmed indexed comprehensive and critical review articles. 

Alam I, Hussain A, Agrawal DK. Organelle Crosstalk: Mitochondria and Endoplasmic Reticulum in Macular Degeneration. J Ophthalmol Res. 2026 Sep;9(3):60-67. doi: 10.26502/fjor.2644-002400117. Epub 2026 Sep 16. PMID: 42857796.

Dang MT, Mukadam S, Kim CK, Choi DH, Chu TJ, Agrawal DK. Laparoscopic and Robotic Appendectomy: Efficiency and Cost Comparison. J Surg Res (Houst). 2026 Sep;9(3):285-296. doi: 10.26502/jsr.10020519. Epub 2026 Sep 15. PMID: 42836242.

Phu A, Nguyen L, Mashiach D, Afrahim R, Agrawal DK. An Overview of IgG4-Related Disease. Arch Intern Med Res. 2026 Jul;9(3):325-330. doi: 10.26502/aimr.0259. Epub 2026 Sep 10. PMID: 42820225.

Kim SS, Kim G, Shoha D, Fraix MP, Agrawal DK. Effective Interventions in Restoring Mobility and Relieving Pain After Lower Limb Amputation. J Orthop Sports Med. 2026 Sep;8(3):273-289. doi: 10.26502/josm.511500282. Epub 2026 Sep 7. PMID: 42808031.

Reddy SRK, Fraix MP, Agrawal DK. Critical Assessment of Optimal Timing to Initiate Post-Stroke Rehabilitation. Arch Intern Med Res. 2026 Sep;9(4):317-324. doi: 10.26502/aimr.0258. Epub 2026 Sep 5. PMID: 42807626.

Chaudhary F, Chaudhary N, Afzal S, Agrawal DK. Door-to-Needle Optimization in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Review of Rapid Emergency Department Interventions. Cardiol Cardiovasc Med. 2026 Oct;10(5):247-255. doi: 10.26502/fccm.92920503. Epub 2026 Sep 6. PMID: 42807530.

The Office of Humanism invites the WesternU community to an open discussion in recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 in the Center for Humanism, HPC, Pomona. Zoom link will be sent the day of the event to participate remotely.

We will be hosting an interactive, case-based discussion focused on Native American health and the unique challenges and opportunities associated with improving health outcomes in Native communities. The discussion will encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, critical reflection, and consideration of approaches that honor Indigenous perspectives, traditional knowledge, and community priorities in advancing health equity.

The discussion will be led by Dr. Bradley Henson, Senior Vice Provost at WesternU, and Dr. Mary Marfisee, a family physician on the faculty of the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. This is not a conversation about one community. It is a conversation about all of us, and the shared human foundation of the care we give.

Lunch will be served in partnership with the Wildhorse Native American Association.

All students, faculty, and staff are welcome.

Marketing and Communications is holding an open studio portrait day in Pomona:

9-11:50 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20

Please 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.