WesternU provides Vision Rehabilitation Service
Pomona resident Raul Orona, 8, went through an extensive eye examination Feb. 25, 2013 as part of the Vision Rehabilitation Service at the Western University of Health Sciences Eye Care Center. He has an iris coloboma in his left eye and choroidal colobomas inside both eyes, structures inside the eyes that didn't develop fully. He had surgery and has worn glasses since age 2, said his mother, Martha Orona. Orona said she is working with Raul's teachers at school to get magnifiers and other tools to help him in class. Raul was one of six students examined during that Low Vision Clinic Day through the program organized by WesternU and the California School for the Blind (CSB). Any child with a visual impairment who is being served by a teacher of the visually impaired or an orientation and mobility specialist is eligible for a free low vision rehabilitation exam every two years through the special CSB program at the Eye Care Center at Western University of Health Sciences. WesternU provides all the doctors and evaluations, and the California School for the Blind provides magnifiers, monocular telescopes and sunglasses. WesternU also received funding from the Allergan Foundation to provide prescriptive devices to needy children who are visually impaired. Sightsavers International will provide sophisticated electronic video magnifiers to needy school children who otherwise would not have the opportunity to utilize assistive technology.
College of Optometry Dean honored by YWCA
Western University of Heath Sciences' College of Optometry Founding Dean Elizabeth Hoppe, OD, DrPh, will be one of nine women to be honored by the YWCA 
San Gabriel Valley during its 29th annual Women of Achievement Awards. The YWCA this year is honoring "Women of Achievement in the Field of Education: Honoring Passion, Dedication, and Achievement" during its awards event on May 21, 2013. College of Optometry Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs Robert Gordon, OD, FAAO, DPNAP, said he nominated Hoppe because she's an extraordinary woman who met all the requirements for the honor. Hoppe joined WesternU in January 2007 to establish the University's College of Optometry, which will graduate its inaugural class in May 2013. She previously was Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the New England College of Optometry, and was a tenured professor at Southern California College of Optometry, where she also was director of the outreach clinical programs, coordinator for the public health curriculum, and clinical preceptor in primary care and low vision. Hoppe was the first woman chosen as editor of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry's peer reviewed journal, Optometric Education, and was the first woman in optometry to hold the DrPH, which to date is held by only a small percentage of women.
American Academy of Optometry
The American Academy of Optometry recently released its 2012 annual report, which highlights the College of Optometry's participation and recognition at the American Academy of Optometry annual meeting in Phoenix, Ariz. in October 2012. College of Optometry highlights:
- Dr. Nataly Fahim obtained her Fellowship at the meeting in Phoenix – Page 6 under "California."
- Dr. Tiffenie Harris is on the Admittance Committee (Region 4) – Page 7.
- Students who obtained their Student Fellowship. The College had 55, the highest number of students who obtained a Student Fellowship – Page 11.
- Dr. Elizabeth Hoppe is a Section Officer for the Optometric Education Section (Special Interest group) – Page 24.
- Drs. Efrain Castellanos, Kierstyn Napier-Dovorany and Jasmine Yumori received Vistakon Innovation in Education Grants. – Page 26.
WesternU Seeks Subjects for Clinical Study
Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis? Drs. Yumori, Finley, Gordon, and Trinh are conducting a study to investigate how rheumatoid arthritis affects your eyes. We will do an extensive evaluation of the front part of your eye, evaluate your joints, and pay for blood samples to measure the levels of inflammation in your body. We will explain all of your results and share recommendations on how to keep your eyes healthy. Participation takes about 2 hours and you will be compensated $25 at the end of the study. Please contact the study coordinator at 909-706-3899 or eyecarecenter@westernu.edu to schedule an appointment.
More College News
Read more about the latest news and events from the College of Optometry.
Faculty News
The Australasian College of Behavioral Optometry (ACBO), the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD), and the Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEPF) have announced the publication of a new journal, Optometry & Visual Performance (OVP). OVP is an international, peer-reviewed journal that is dedicated to the functional, developmental, behavioral, and vision therapy aspects of optometry. It is designed to disseminate the science behind optometry's role in the remediation, enhancement and rehabilitation of visual performance. College of Optometry faculty members Dr. Chris Chase and Dr. Efrain Castellanos are members of the Journal's Review Board Click here to view the first issue: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/88a2abf9#/88a2abf9/1
Khomthorn Cunvong, MSMS '12, DO '16, Joshua Cameron, Assistant Professor in the College of Optometry, Daniel Huffmire, MSMS '12, DMD '16, and Douglas Ethell, Associate Professor in the Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences recently published Amyloid-β Increases Capillary Bed Density in the Adult Zebrafish Retina. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013 Feb 27;54(2):1516-21. doi: 10.1167/iovs.12-10821.
Student News
The Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA) Club had a special guest on campus April 8 for two separate lectures. Special guest Leonid Skorin Jr., DO, OD, is senior staff ophthalmologist at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and is an assistant professor of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He also is the Chair of the Institutional Review Board at the Albert Lea facility. Dr. Skorin will speak on "Eye Disease by the Numbers" to provide current information on the prevalence and treatment strategies of various ocular diseases, as well as "Interprofessionalism in a healthcare setting" to share his unique perspective on the importance of interprofessionalism in healthcare.
Read the latest updates from the students themselves in the latest Student Government Association Newsletter.
Upcoming Events
April 18: WesternU's College of Pharmacy presents the Ray Symposium on campus. Dr. Patricia Crawford, RD, director of the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health at UC Berkeley, and a Cooperative Extension Nutrition Specialist, will present "Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention," at 5:30 p.m. in Lecture Hall 1 of the Health Education Center on WesternU's Pomona campus.
May 15-17: WesternU's 32nd Commencement at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium
June 10: WesternU's 2013 Towne & Gown Golf Tournament, benefiting student scholarships, will be held Monday, June 10, 2013, at the Red Hill Country Club in Rancho Cucamonga.
June 28: WesternU Reception, 5:30-7:00 p.m. in the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina, Point Loma Room (333 West Harbor Dr, Level 1) during the American Optometric Association's Optometry's Meeting. (CO students: Register by May 1 to save up to $100 off registration fees.)
July 13: Save the date to join your fellow alumni for complimentary drinks and snacks at WesternU's "Day at the Beach" in Malibu on Saturday, July 13, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
See a full list of upcoming events on the Online Alumni Events page.
For more information or to RSVP for these events, please contact the Alumni Office at (909) 469-ALUM or alumni@westernu.edu.
Front Page | COMP | CAHP | COP | CGN | CVM | CDM | CO | CPM | GCBS