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| Did You Know That...? | |||
Advisors often ask, "How many students from our school are attending Western University this year?" In response to your question, we are pleased to provide you with the following list which reports the number of students from California colleges who entered a Western University program in fall 2003. Watch for this report in future issues which will highlight colleges in other western states.
 The Learning Tool Development LaboratoryBen Kitchen, MFA, DVM, Assistant Professor, Small Animal Medicine College of Veterinary Medicine In support of the principle of Reverence for Life, the Learning Tool Development Laboratory (LTDL) has been established. The lab is equipped to provide faculty in the College of Veterinary Medicine with resources to develop and manufacture learning tools that enable students to master clinical skills without harming animals. The Learning Tool Development Laboratory is a multimedia model making or sculpture studio. Designed and equipped by Ben Kitchen, DVM, the lab is configured to support fabrication work in plastics, wood and metal as well as mold making and casting in plastics and soft materials. Additionally, space and equipment are provided for basic anatomic specimen preparation. Currently a number of projects are underway in the LTDL. Through private funding and the support of the willed body program (WAVE), bone boxes for the inaugural class are being prepared in the lab. This work is now being continued in the Anatomy and Surgery Center. Previous anatomy projects include the preparation for preservation of an adult African lioness, donated through the WAVE program. A number of simulators and interactive devices are being built to provide the inaugural class early psychomotor skills experiences. Dr. Jason Anderson has arrived at the College of Veterinary Medicine via a long and winding road. A Michigan native, he initially enrolled in the University of Michigan as a theatre student. After his first year, Jason left the university and worked for the following five years with the environmental group Greenpeace, where he was a fundraiser, administrator, community outreach representative, and researcher on toxic waste related issues. Jason completed his BS at the University of Michigan in geological sciences, with a paleontology concentration. He moved to Montreal, where he defended his PhD thesis in the fall of 2000 in biology at McGill University as a student of Robert Carroll (who is himself a former student of famed comparative anatomist Al Romer). Before joining the faculty of WesternU-CVM, Jason was an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, and is very proud to have earned his Canadian citizenship during this time. Dr. Anderson's research focuses primarily on three subjects. First, the question of the evolutionary origins of modern amphibians (frogs, salamanders and caecilians) is one of the more contentious areas of current research. His studies in this area examine the anatomy (especially cranial, dental and vertebral) and developmental patterns of two groups of extinct amphibians that are possibly ancestral to the modern species. Second, he has been examining fossils from rocks representing a time period critical to understanding the origins of limbed vertebrates and terrestriality. Third, Jason is interested in the theory of how we infer the interrelationships of species, and is actively engaged in debates surrounding the establishment of a new system of naming species using the pattern of ancestry rather than the Linnean system, which is a holdover from pre-evolutionary thinking. Field work has taken Jason to Nova Scotia, Greenland and most recently the Four Corners area of Utah with Western University professor Elizabeth Rega (COMP) and Cal State San Bernardino professor Stuart Sumida. Jason has many side interests. He is learning to play Irish traditional and bluegrass music on the mandolin and he enjoys playing soccer and hockey and is hoping to take advantage of the fantastic rock climbing locations in Southern California. Dr. Tom Phillips was raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin and as a result is an avid Packers fan. His outside interests include AKC dog obedience trials, woodworking, church activities, cinema, reading, creative writing, and getting together with family and friends. He lives with his wife, Linda, sons, Nick (18 years- old) and Nathan (13 years-old), in Valley Center, California, where his four dogs (three Briards and a Whippet) romp in a fenced two-acre lot. Dr. Phillips received his DVM degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia and practiced small animal practice for five years. After his practice experience, he returned to school and received an MS degree in immunology and PhD in virology both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After obtaining his PhD, Dr. Phillips went to The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), La Jolla CA, for postdoctoral training in Molecular Virology. Following his postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Phillips remained at TSRI for an additional eight years, as a Principle Investigator. Upon leaving TSRI and just prior to coming to Western University of Health Sciences, Dr Phillips co-founded the Vaccine Research Institute of San Diego (VRISD), serving as Chairman of the Board and Vice President for four years. Dr. Phillips supports his laboratory thus far by successfully competing for six NIH grants. His research interest primarily revolves around two areas of study, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus as a model for AIDS and molecularly modifying Hepatitis B core protein for development of new human and veterinary subunit vaccines. From his research efforts, Dr. Phillips has approximately 50 scientific publications. Although Dr. Phillips has had a very interesting and productive research career, he greatly missed teaching and giving back to the veterinary community. Coming to Western University has allowed Dr. Phillips to fulfill a lifelong ambition: To touch the future of veterinary medicine through teaching. |