American University of Health Sciences

Today is the anniversary of Michael Jackson's passing. There are many reasons we might remember him, but today is also World Vitiligo Day because Michael Jackson was affected by this rare skin disorder. Vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder which is not contagious, but because it resembles a skin disease and just makes people look different, people with vitiligo may suffer social stigma leading to depression. Let's be aware of vitiligo and support those who have this disorder.

A warm welcome to our new summer students, and welcome back to our old students! Today was the first day of classes, excitement mixed with trepidation. Our nursing students are in 'boot camp' while new undergrad students are starting general education classes, and the new PharmD cohort is starting their journey toward a rewarding career. If you would like to join us, contact admissions now!

Sumer is icumen in (Summer has come in)! Whether now, or in the mid-thirteenth century (from which our opening line hails), we all love summer. Of course, at AUHS that means summer classes as our students quickly move through their courses and on to licensing. Spending summer with books now means more beaches in the future. To join us for a better, beachier future, contact admissions.

"My passion for health sciences began in childhood, sparked by a deep curiosity for the individuals dedicated to healthcare. I have a sincere desire to positively impact our community through meaningful contributions."

Read More 👉 https://news.auhs.edu/alumni-spotlight/

General Granger probably would be surprised that the anniversary of his declaration to the people of Texas would become a national holiday. For him, enforcing the end of slavery was probably just one more administrative task, but for the formerly enslaved people it was a dream come true. Juneteenth is about celebrating freedom and equal treatment under the law. Give thanks for your freedom and treat everyone as your neighbor. General Granger would approve.

The spotlight shines on Maria Rowena Tan Cabatingan, MD, APRN, FNP-C, known as Dr. Owen or Dr. O. She has earned a BS Psychology, BS Nursing, M.D. OB-GYN and is the Assistant Professor in Ob-Gyn for BSN and MSN, Pharmacology, Physical Assessment, Nursing Fundamentals, Healthcare Communication, Legal and Ethical Aspects of Nursing, and the Human Life Cycle.

Read More 👉 https://news.auhs.edu/spotlight-on-dr-o/

Nursing Assistants Day

If you are in poor health, simple tasks can become very difficult. Today, AUHS is honoring nursing assistants who provide vital care to those who cannot care for themselves and assist nurses in the basic tasks of healthcare. I am very thankful to the nursing assistants who cared for my mother when she was confined to bed in a skilled nursing facility during her last year on earth. Nursing assistants, we appreciate you!

Happy Father’s Day!
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;” Psalms 103:13. To all the fathers out there, we thank you. Thank you for providing, thank you for protecting, and thank you for loving. Being a father is a big responsibility and it’s no easy task, we honor you on this day!

AUHS was glad to host the Song Nguyen Agency along with a group of their students. The students got an in-depth tour of our classrooms and labs – which are used for our PharmD and Nursing programs. We had a great time networking, and we hope to see these students on our campus in the near future!

The lamp symbolizes the care and devotion nurses administer to their patients. The founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, would light a lamp and pass the flame to the graduating nurses during their pinning ceremonies. AUHS continues the tradition of some of the first pinning ceremonies.
AUHS would like to thank the students assisting us as we prepare for our graduation! 🎓

Hans Selye, MD, PhD, DSc was the first to describe the body’s “general adaptation syndrome” later termed ‘stress.’ His students, including one of the authors (S. Szabo) have continued to research and educate in this area, and in 2013, they organized the 1st Summer School on Stress (SSS) in Budapest, Hungary to provide a forum for research focused on stress.

Read More 👉 https://news.auhs.edu/the-9th-international-summer-school-on-stress-2024-presents-stress-reduction-resilience-and-a-wide-range-of-stress-related-topics/

Un-Mix?

Column chromatography is a technique used to extract a single chemical compound from a mixture. For example, blue 1 and red 40 dye give grape soda its purple color. With column chromatography you can un-mix the dyes and abstract whichever one you desire!

Our BSPS students used this technique to fractionate out Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). 🧪

To live you need air, water, food, and shelter. Your food comes from farms. Farms need water and good soil. The theme of this year's World Environment Day is "Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience." All of these are very important for California. Where I used to live in the Central Valley of California, there are large areas that are too salty for crops to grow. As water for irrigation carries salt into the fields, the salt builds up to the point where the fields are unusable—250,000 acres worth so far (norcalwater.org). This World Environment Day, educate yourself on the issues of land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience—your life might depend on it.

The 7th Annual Behavioral Health and Post-Acute Care Symposium, hosted by AUHS in collaboration with College Medical Center, brought together industry leaders and professionals to explore transformative solutions and best practices in mental health.

Read More 👉 https://news.auhs.edu/7th-annual-behavioral-health-and-post-acute-care-symposium/

On May 24, 2024, AUHS hosted the Summer School of Stress, a conference about research on stress. AUHS is privileged to have one of the students of Hans Selye, the Father of Stress, as dean of the School of Medicine.

Read More 👉 https://news.auhs.edu/stress-pathology-burnout-and-the-kingdom-of-god/

Teamwork (real teamwork) makes the dream work and keeps the dreamers working (not burned out). In this month's Trinium, we learn about recent conferences at AUHS on mental health and on stress where the importance of basic science and social bonds for building resilience were highlighted. We also meet some of the dreamers who make up our dream team. Dream on, dream big, and dream as a team!

Read Here 👉 https://news.auhs.edu/

Stress Reduction & Resilience

AUHS PharmD student Carmel Sampson, and BSN students Martha Batista and Marisol Rodriguez were all awarded after being nominated for the Best Poster Award!

As highlighted by our students, there are many ways to deal with stress! It can be exercise, diet, animal therapy, or even a ‘digital detox’!

Last Friday AUHS hosted the 9th Summer School on Stress! This year’s conference was focused on Stress Reduction & Resilience, and featured a plethora of speakers, including AUHS Faculty.

In addition to our speakers, the day also consisted of presentations on stress reduction. The presentations were done by students from AUHS’ School of Pharmacy and School of Nursing.

Hope is an important concept in the Bible. Hope gives us resilience.

Read More 👉 https://news.auhs.edu/salt-and-light-hope/

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13

Michael Monsoor was a Navy SEAL from Long Beach California. On September 29th, 2006, Monsoor’s platoon was in a firefight in Ramadi. During the fight, a gr***de landed on the rooftop the platoon was on. Monsoor yelled "Gr***de!" and jumped onto the gr***de, covering it with his body. His body absorbed most of the impact; he was evacuated immediately but died 30 minutes later. This act of valor saved everyone on the rooftop and earned him the Medal of Honor posthumously.

Let us remember Michel and those who selflessly defend our country.

Schizophrenia is a heart-breaking disease where a person loses touch with reality and can no longer function. People sometimes confuse schizophrenia with multiple-personality disorder, but this is incorrect. Schizophrenics can have delusions and hallucinations, but with treatment people can be more in touch with reality. Here at AUHS, we are training healthcare workers to care for those battling schizophrenia and other diseases. The war is not over, but there are victories.

Tomorrow, May 24, 2024, AUHS will be hosting the 9th International Summer School on Stress: Stress Reduction & Resilience with financial support from Axsome Therapeutics. Co-Chairs are Drs. Oksana Zayachkivska and Sandor Szabo, AUHS, School of Medicine. Topics include: Stress can make you stronger: Adaptation & “cross resistance” • Small doses of distress may “vaccinate” you against big distress • Smart strategies for management work stress • The ways to boost dopamine and endorphins: Therapy with pets, nature adoration and outdoor activities and recreation therapy • Motions is precursor of emotions • Healthy nutrition for building resilience • Digital detox: Practical strategies.

A bright young woman in our church turned into someone unable to speak or do much beyond the abilities of an infant. She was afflicted with uncontrollable seizures. This is Epilepsy Awareness Week. Here at AUHS we are praying for epileptics and training healthcare professionals on effective treatments for epilepsy. Many of these treatments include drugs that need nurses to administer or educate, and pharmacists to fill prescriptions and advise healthcare teams. Be aware of, and support, research to bring healing and prevention to epileptics.

Today is World Meditation Day!

What is meditation? Wiki tells us it is practicing mindfulness, or focusing the mind to train attention and awareness to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally stable state. Our favorite form of meditation is meditating on the Word of God! Psalm 119:15 says, “I meditate in your precepts and consider your ways.”

Last Thursday, May 16, 2024, AUHS and College Medical Center hosted the 7th Annual Behavioral Health & Post-Acute Care Symposium. Some of the highlights were the keynote speeches by Winston Shen, MD of Taipei Medical University, the panel on Women's Behavioral Health, the panel on Enhancing the Psychiatric Workforce for Underserved Communities, and a presentation on Tea and Meditation for Mental Health Community Wellness. We look forward to the 8th Symposium next year.

Congratulations to the new officers of the AUHS, School of Pharmacy, Zeta Gamma Chapter of Rho Chi, which is the pharmacy academic honor society. Four officers were elected: president, vice president, historian, and secretary-treasurer. It has been exciting to watch the growth of this new chapter at AUHS.