UWS Happenings

UWS Officially Completed Relocation in Spring 2020

In April 2020, UWS completed its campus relocation to its new Portland home at 8000 NE Tillamook St. The new campus includes a 150,000-square-foot building constructed in 2006 that formerly housed the corporate headquarters of Banfield Pet Hospital.

“As an institution of higher learning that has been in Portland since its inception in 1904, we are celebrating this relocation and our commitment to the community,” said Joseph Brimhall, DC president and CEO. “Despite the global pandemic, we succeeded in meeting our timeline and completing this complex relocation. I am proud of our team for accomplishing this historic move in the midst of challenging circumstances. This campus relocation enhances opportunities for collaboration with other institutions and community partners and fosters a healthy and sustainable center for generations.”

The impressive new facility offers innovative and versatile spaces, featuring hands-on laboratories, expanded meeting spaces, dedicated study settings, and dynamic work areas for faculty and staff. The campus features an advanced health care facility designed to fulfill patient needs and provide exceptional opportunities for clinical training.

“University of Western States has created a unique opportunity to meaningfully engage members of our neighborhood as we serve the community,” said Dr. Brimhall. “We are excited to remain in Northeast Portland and look forward to physically moving into our campus and serving students for another 116 years!” 

UWS Health Center Open for Patient Care at New Campus

The UWS Campus Health Center is now open and accepting new and existing patient visits allowing students to resume their clinical rotations.

To help protect the community’s safety the following precautions have been enacted:

Limiting visitors –Clinic staff and patient numbers are reduced to allow appropriate social distancing throughout the clinic.

Daily screenings – Completing temperature checks and screening symptoms prior to arrival.

Disinfecting – More time between patient visits to allow extra cleaning and disinfecting.

Face masks – Required masking for clinic staff and patients for all clinical interactions.

Telehealth – Virtual visits with clinicians to discuss services such as ergonomic workstations and home exercises. In addition to increased safety protocols, all UWS clinical staff involved in direct patient care, including student interns, completed an Infection Control Training before the start of the summer quarter. The course content was created in collaboration with the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Oregon Health Authority (OHA), State of Oregon Executive Orders and local health system partnerships.

President Dr. Joseph Brimhall created several campus-wide planning groups to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Members ranged from clinical experts to administrative management. Clinical working groups used the best available evidence to then create standards to protect students, patients and staff. Standards or best practices regarding COVID-19 continue to evolve as more information becomes available. 

UWS Official Mascot Named

As part of the move to the new campus, the UWS Campus Relocation Work Group surveyed the university community to receive nominations for a UWS mascot – the first in the school’s history. Guidelines for the potential mascot included: it should be real, nothing imaginary or profane and inclusive of all educational programs at UWS. After reviewing suggestions, the list was narrowed to approximately a dozen suggestions which were evaluated by the Campus Relocation Work Group who came to the two final contenders: the osprey and the raven.

UWS Happenings Continued

The campus community was invited to cast their vote for the final decision. The UWS official mascot is... THE OSPREY!

The Osprey: Also called river hawks, sea hawks and fish hawks, ospreys are unique among North American raptors for their diet of live fish and their ability to dive into water to catch them.

The osprey is found on every continent except Antarctica. In North America, they nest along the coasts, inland lakes and rivers. Ospreys do well around humans. When hunting, they are a picture of concentration, diving with their feet outstretched and their eyes sighting straight along their talons.

Among Native American tribes, ospreys are considered a type of eagle and are accorded the same respect as bald and golden eagles. The Nez Perce considered the osprey a medicine bird; seeing an osprey in a dream or vision was a sign that a person had been granted spiritual power as a healer.

The osprey species is at least 11 million years old.  Dr. Daniel DeLapp Retires from UWS Clinic System

Dr. Daniel DeLapp, chiropractic physician, licensed acupuncturist and naturopathic physician announced his retirement from the University of Western States clinic system effective August 2020. Dr. DeLapp served as an attending physician in the UWS clinic system for more than 30 years.

“It has been a tremendous opportunity and privilege to work with interns and patients over the years,” said Dr. DeLapp. “The wonderful support from my fellow faculty, staff and administration has made this job a very fulfilling career. I will miss you all.”

“Dr. DeLapp is a skilled and compassionate health care provider incorporating multiple disciplines into his practice,” said Dr. Stanley Ewald, UWS associate dean clinical internship. “He is also a caring, talented educator. Opting out of private practice, he embraced education and has been training future doctors for decades. When you think about it, that’s exactly the type of person you want teaching you. We will miss him.” 

UWS Community Members Offer Spring Term Perspectives and Support

With the unprecedented times UWS and the world faced this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we connected with students and members of the UWS community to get their perspectives on subjects such as mental health, resiliency, self-care activities, mindfulness, study and working from home tips.

Take a look below at some of the cataloged blogs.

How to Remain Active While Remaining Socially Distant (March 31) Activities to Pass Time During Quarantine (April 9) Mental Health Services During COVID-19 (April 15) Tips from Dr. Bill Borman and Dr. Ron LeFebvre (April 20) Three Mindfulness Practices to Improve Leadership (April 24) Tips from Dr. Lester Partna and Dr. Cortny Williams (April 29) Spring Term Adjusting Lab Experiences (May 18) Checking in with the UWS Library Staff (May 21) Mental Health and Resiliency During COVID-19 (May 22) Woodworking as a Treatment for a Traumatic Brain Injury (June 16) A Look Back at Spring Quarter (June 22)

UWS Library Earns High Accolade With Online Computer Library Center

The Online Computer Library Center, formally known as OCLC, ranked the University of Western States Library 14th out of 7,500 libraries in their 2019 Annual Report as having the quickest interlibrary loan (ILL) turn-around time with an incredible 83% fulfillment. This statistic from a major library service provider refers to loan requests that the UWS library staff are fulfilling for other libraries. It also reflects flexible service hours (include evenings and weekends), the workflow that we have been able to establish with the library staff and their schedules, and the contribution that UWS is making to the larger scholarly community.

“The interlibrary loan team in the UWS library is amazingly efficient and resourceful in their work,” said Stephanie Debner, university librarian. “The team is focused on the needs of our students and our borrowers. Their top priority is getting resources into the user’s hands as quickly as possible. Not only do they fulfill many requests a week – often in the hundreds – for the UWS community, but they also leverage the library’s own collection to meet user information needs across the country.” 

UWS Happenings Continued

Debner Approved for Senior Level Membership in Academy of Health information Professionals

University Librarian, Stephanie Debner, MA, MLIS, was approved for membership in the Medical Library Association (MLA)’s Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP) at the senior level in March 2020. AHIP is the peerreviewed, accomplishment-based professional development and career recognition credentialing program for health information professionals. AHIP promotes lifelong learning and exemplary professional performance by recognizing achievements in continuing education, research, publishing, teaching and other contributions to the profession.

“It’s a great honor to have my work recognized by my fellow medical librarians,” said Debner. “For librarians working at smaller academic institutions or medical libraries, this recognition really helps raise the profile of our institutions with our peers.”

“At UWS, our university librarian leads the way in research and high-quality service to faculty and students with a focus on our mission and vision as a health care university,” said Dr. Dana Sims, vice president for academic affairs. “AHIP membership at the senior level is an honor for Stephanie and the university and we celebrate this accomplishment with her.” 

Anatomical bone collection in the UWS campus library

Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine Program Earns Top Ranking

The UWS Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine (HNFM) program ranked as one of the Best Online Master’s in Health and Wellness in the country. The ranking was released by Online Schools Report, a new authority in online education data.

The human nutrition and functional medicine (HNFM) program at University of Western States (UWS) is the only accredited master’s program in functional medicine. It is 100% online and is offered as a collaborative

endeavor between UWS and the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), the organization that founded and developed the key functional medicine concepts in use today.

Online Schools Report synthesizes data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the Bureau of Labor Statics, Payscale, and the College Scorecard. Ultimately, colleges are scored based on their commitment to online education, admission rates, student satisfaction, alumni debt and specialty in the program in question. 

Dr. Rosalia Messina Elected to Council on Chiropractic Education

Rosalia Messina, EdD, MPA, executive vice president of University of Western States (UWS) has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE). CCE is the professional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to accredit doctor of chiropractic degree programs and chiropractic residencies.

Immediately following the CCE annual meeting in January 2021, Dr. Messina will be appointed to a three-year term as a CCE councilor. “It’s an honor to be elected to the Council on Chiropractic Education,” said Dr. Messina. “I am delighted to serve as a councilor to help advance the quality and integrity of chiropractic education.”

As a CCE councilor, Dr. Messina will be engaged in establishing accreditation standards and requirements, ensuring compliance with accreditation recognition criteria, reviewing program evaluation reports, and rendering decisions regarding the accreditation status of new and established doctor of chiropractic degree programs and chiropractic residencies.

“We are very proud of Dr. Messina’s election to the CCE,” said Dr. Joseph Brimhall, UWS president and CEO. “University of Western States values the accreditation process and Dr. Messina will be continuing a long-standing tradition of UWS representatives serving on recognized accrediting bodies.”

As UWS executive vice president, Dr. Messina serves as the primary representative for the president in facilitating community and government relations. She provides leadership for the integration of all university operations, including direct oversight of human resources, enrollment management, student services, communications and advancement. Dr. Messina holds a master’s degree in public administration with a focus in health policy from Portland State University, and a doctorate degree in education with a focus in interdisciplinary leadership from Creighton University. 

UWS Happenings Continued

Dr. Brimhall Elected to Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities

The Board of Trustees of the Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities (“The Alliance”) announced its appointment results following their board meeting in midSeptember. Dr. Joseph Brimhall, president and CEO of UWS was named an executive committee member.

Dr. Brimhall’s appointment will begin October 2020 and runs through October 2022.

“I look forward to working with the leadership of the Alliance to advance independent higher education in Oregon,” said Dr. Brimhall.

The mission of Oregon Alliance of Independent College and Universities is to represent and serve its member institutions, all of which are regionally accredited, nonprofit, private colleges and universities in Oregon.  Dr. Bill Moreau Named to PACE Review Team

Bill Moreau, DC, DACBSP, FACSM, chief medical officer of University of Western States (UWS) has been invited to serve on the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards (FCLB) Providers of Approved Continuing Education (PACE) Review Team.

The FCLB, a non-profit association of government agencies empowered to regulate the chiropractic profession oversees PACE. The mission of the FCLB is to protect the public and to serve their member boards by promoting excellence in chiropractic regulation.

“I am looking forward to working with the FCLB to keep standards of chiropractic postgraduate education at a high level,” said Dr. Moreau.

Dr. Moreau is a licensed chiropractic physician and a board-certified Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (ACBSP). He has presented more than 500 lectures and postgraduate education programs throughout the world. Dr. Moreau is currently president of the ACBSP and is a member of the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine editorial review board. 