OMS2 Course Director, Department of NMM/OMM

Department of NMM/OMM

The mission of the Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine/Osteopathic Medicine (NMM/OMM) Department at Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific is threefold:

• To educate and train current and future healthcare professionals in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine/Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine,
• To research Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine/Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine,
• To promote Osteopathic patient care.

For 40 years, Western University of Health Sciences has had a special mission: Educating tomorrow’s health-care professionals with a combination of scientific excellence and a humanistic, compassionate approach to patient care. WesternU is one of the largest graduate schools for the health professions in California. Alumni rank among the top leaders in health care and medicine throughout the country and the world.

The University is home to more than 3,800 students in nine health sciences colleges and 20 degree programs, as well as more than 1,100 employees, and its main campus in Southern California is one of the most thriving enterprises in the Pomona and Inland valleys. WesternU Pomona, encompassing 22 acres, has helped transform downtown Pomona into a thriving mix of retail, commercial and educational enterprises.

The University also operates an osteopathic medical campus in the Pacific Northwest, in Lebanon, Oregon. This campus, known as COMP-Northwest, welcomed its inaugural class of 107 osteopathic medical students in July 2011, and has grown to more than 400.

All of the health care programs have professional accreditations, and the University is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

OPTI-West

OPTI-West is a graduate medical education consortium that provides institutional support and oversight to ACGME and AOA accredited residency and fellowship training programs in partnership with academic sponsors and teaching hospitals. The mission is to promote an ideal environment for residents and fellows to acquire the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to achieve the highest level of professional and personal accomplishments.  Our programs are committed to providing excellent post-doctoral education through collaboration, inter-professional team work, and development of life long skills to become highly valued physician leaders in their communities.

OPTI-West collaborates with our academic partners to provide graduate medical education resources for residents, faculty, and program leaders.  In addition, for those training programs with Osteopathic recognition tools and resources are available to enrich and educate those resident, fellow, and practicing physicians on the foundation of osteopathic philosophy and manipulative techniques.

Hospitals and teaching & community health centers who partner with OPTI West for institutional sponsorship or for osteopathic recognition assistance.

• Valley Hospital Medical Center – Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pulmonary Critical Care fellowship, Gastroenterology fellowship, Orthopedic surgery residency
• Hemet Regional Medical Center – Transitional Year, Internal Medicine Residency Program, Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program
• CHI-Mercy Medical Center – Roseburg Family Residency Program
• Chino Valley Medical Center – Family Medicine Residency Program
• Montclair Hospital Medical Center – Family Medicine Residency Program
• West Anaheim Medical Center – Internal Medicine Residency Program
• Island Dermatology – Dermatology Residency Program
• PIH Downey Regional Medical Center – Family Medicine Residency Program
• College Medical Center – Internal Medicine Residency Program, Transitional Year
• Casa Colina Medical Center – Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Program
• Nathan Adelson Hospice Fellowship
• Aspen Dermatology

Office of Academic Innovation

The Office of Academic Innovation (OAI) serves as the “vision piece” for the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) & COMP Northwest at WesternU, we aim to lay a foundation of systematic efficiency, creativity, and design-based planning. With the boom in areas of technology, genetics, and health delivery systems, there is a growing complexity in medicine and medical education. The four OAI components include the Longitudinal Tracks experiential programs, an innovation interest group called isquad, the Med-Ed Innovation Lab, and MOTIV-8, a program that will reach into our communities and help inspire the next generation of physicians.

Med-Ed Innovation Lab

The Med-Ed Innovation Lab is a component of the Office of Academic Innovation that provides a structure and process to ideate, pilot, and integrate innovative endeavors into COMP curriculum.  This lab serves as the resource request arm for the new iMED curriculum.  We provide training in the new educational delivery tools for the faculty and train our students on the future tools that will be essential for their practices.

Longitudinal Tracks

The Longitudinal Tracks programs are experiential educational programs that are organized around a specific theme of interest. Our current programs have accommodated over 700 students since their inception. We now have 7 tracks on each campus, and they are currently pre-clinical elective tracks that provide students opportunities in patient care, community service, scholarly activity, and personalized mentoring by their Track Director.

iSquad

The University launched the Center for Innovation in September 2017. Since, the launch of iSquad has become a popular student group for innovation. Students learn more about innovation, product development, and design thinking. iSquad provides several learning opportunities in design thinking, STEM training, host an entrepreneurship lecture series, and sponsor friendly start-up competitions.

Motiv8

Our ability to communicate the mission and vision for the college is important for the growth and success of our team. The MOTIV8 program provides space for eight signature endeavors that help communicate COMP’s message.  It allows the college to reach into the community through digital and human means.  Our OAI team collaborates with our internal and external partners to reach the goal of developing a strong and positive footprint.  We also seek to inspire future physicians, student doctors, and our alumni to join in our mission of community engagement.

WesternU Health

WesternU Health was founded by Western University of Health Sciences in 2008 as an academic medical center. As a teaching facility, WesternU Health serves residents in the Pomona Valley and Rancho Cucamonga areas, as well as, Western University staff and students. As WesternU has grown, it has also expanded into other areas including Palm Desert, West Los Angeles, and most recently in Oregon.

Our WesternU Health doctors are dedicated to meeting the medical needs of our growing and diverse local population. We offer language assistance for non-English speakers and make every effort to communicate effectively with all people whom we serve.

From the very beginning, WesternU Health was established to provide specialized medical services and research in seven specialty areas. To this day, we provide services for

• Eye Care
• Dental Care
• Foot & Ankle Health Care
• Limb Preservation Care
• Primary Medical Care
• Pharmacy
• Travel Health Care
• Medical Specialty Care

Services for Medical Specialty Care

WesternU Health provides comprehensive care in six medical specialties:

• Endocrinology
• Infectious Disease
• Nephrology
• Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine/Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Rheumatology

Education
In conjunction with Western University Health Sciences, we are educating the medical professionals of tomorrow.  WesternU Health is proud to serve as a location for students to develop their medical skills through clinical hours.

Research
WesternU Health specialists are on the cutting edge of conducting research to identify improved diagnostic and treatment strategies to advance the knowledge and expertise medical knowledge and effective diagnostic tools.

College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific

The College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP) supports Western University of Health Sciences in its mission to increase the availability of Physicians to serve the needs of the people living in the western region of the United States. The College provides the educational basis for internship and residencies in all medical specialties. The academic environment fosters respect for the uniqueness of humanity. Students are provided with classroom and clinical experiences designed to prepare them to function as competent, caring, life long learners with a distinctive Osteopathic Philosophy.

WesternU Welcomes New President

WesternU’s Welcomes New President

Western University welcomed Dr. Farias-Eisner as the third permanent president in its nearly 45-year history on March 1, 2022. Dr. Farias-Eisner joins WesternU most recently from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where he was the Director of the Henry Lynch Comprehensive Cancer Research Center and Chief Academic Officer in the School of Medicine. He was also Associate Dean of Women’s Health and Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the School of Medicine at Creighton.

“I am humbled and honored to be the next president of WesternU,” Dr. Farias-Eisner said. “WesternU’s mission of producing health care professionals in a humanistic tradition instantly drew me to the institution. Not only is WesternU guided by core values that deeply align with mine, but my entire career has been about advocating for equity, inclusion, respect, empathy and trust. I am excited to begin my journey with our campus community and engage with WesternU’s world-class students, faculty, and staff. And I am equally looking forward to connecting and building relationships with our communities in Lebanon, Pomona, and beyond.”

Location

Pomona, CA is a city of approximately 150,000 people located in the Pomona Valley of California, approximately 30 miles east of Los Angeles. The climate is Mediterranean with a large amount of year-round sunshine. The area is known for frequent city-wide activities including farmers markets, hikes/trails, classic home tours, etc. While the overall cost of living in Pomona is nearly 12% lower and housing costs are a substantial 28% lower than the California average.