Indigenous People’s Day

Dear WesternU Community,

Today, Monday, October 12, 2026, Western University of Health Sciences observes its fourth formal Indigenous Peoples Day. On this campus holiday, I invite each of us to reflect on where we came from, where we are, and where we hope to go.

WesternU is located on the current and traditional homelands of the Gabrielino-Tongva people in California and the Marys River (Ampinefu) Band of Kalapuya in Oregon. Today we honor and pay respect to the elders, ancestors, and descendants of these lands.

As a university preparing the next generation of health professionals, we commemorate this day by renewing our commitment to humanism, to eliminating health disparities, and to promoting the wellness of Native peoples.

When we blend disciplines and invite perspectives from across geographies and identities, we accelerate discovery and make wiser decisions.

This is the vision and the culture we are building at WesternU: interdisciplinary and globally fluent, energized by collaboration and partnership. We are not simply improving what exists today. Together, we are inventing what comes next.

With gratitude and resolve,
Robin Farias-Eisner, MD, PhD, MBA
President
Western University of Health Sciences