May 2, 2018 - The Record

17th Annual Research Day: Bringing Us Together and Forward 

On a day to celebrate academic passion, the 17th Annual Research Day drew crowds from across the university eager to learn about the research that is being performed by students and faculty at Touro University California. About 150 students, faculty, and more gathered for expert presentations and to view the 70 posters that spanned across the basic sciences, clinical sciences, education and pedagogy, health services research, and public health.

“Research day is one of the few events on campus that brings all three colleges together. It’s a great opportunity for students to share their research and show their training,” said Daniel Keppler, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of the MS Graduate Program in the College of Pharmacy. “The research is student-driven on this campus, and it’s important to recognize the students for their efforts.”

One of the first place winning posters at Research Day by Marcus Chen, MSPAS/MPH; and Rowena Hann, COM; displayed the changes that a free clinic made to better accommodate their transgender patients.

“We’re bringing these findings to a medical provider audience so that those who want to give more respectful care will know what actionable steps they can take to do so,” explained Mr. Chen.

This year’s keynote speaker was Dr. Matthew Willis, MD and MPH, a Marin native who has been the county’s Public Health Officer since 2013. He provided an inspirational collection of data on the opioid crisis in Marin, showing that there has been a large increase in the amount of opioid abuse in the area and presenting strategies on how to address the local epidemic. Dr. Willis is also the co-founder of RxSafe Marin opioid safety coalition.

This year’s Research Day was organized by the College of Pharmacy, led by Drs. Daniel Keppler, Maggie Louie, Debbie Sasaki-Hill, Alison McCormick, Shane Desselle and Nathalie Bergeron of the PharmD and MS-MHS-COP Programs as well as MH-MHS-COP & Pharmacy Residency Programs Coordinator Christina Alvarez.

Congratulations to this year’s 1^st place poster winners!

1^st place in the College of Pharmacy
Kaylie Higa: Developing a Murine Model System to Test Epstein-Barr Viral Proteins as Immunotherapy Targets

1^st place in the College of Osteopathic Medicine
Matthew Fan and Kevin Su: Divalent Ions and H+ Block the Cardiac Potassium Channel HERG at an Outer Pore Site

1^st place in the College of Education and Health Sciences
Marcus Chen: Achieving Health Equity: Clinical Changes to Improve Care for Transgender Patients at a Free Clinic

Student Profile: Kendra Parsons, Innovative Learning Program

Kendra Parsons is the Academic Specialist at New Technology High School in Napa where she teaches Math 1 and a class called La Promesa, a future educators class. Eight years previously, she taught math at North High School in Torrance, CA, where she was a Teacher Leader whose classroom was often used in demonstrations.

What were you setting out to achieve through the Graduate School of Education’s Innovative Learning Program?

I have been wanting to get my masters for a while and have not had the time or the right fit. With the Innovative Learning program, it is something that I can manage because it is online. I am currently teaching at a project-based school where we have a lot of freedom to think outside the box; I am also a teacher that likes to continue to push my practice. I went into this program with the mindset of learning new information and technology that could open up opportunities for me in and out of my classroom.

Can you give me an example of how you apply the curriculum to the classroom?

This is a minor example; however, one of the students in my cohort presented one of his topics using Peardeck, an interactive presentation site. I have now used this in my classroom several times. I am only in the middle of my first semester, I definitely see that there will be a lot of new things I can implement into my classroom.

Poem in Your Pocket

Poem in Your Pocket Day was yesterday, and two poems from our very own Professor Mark Teaford, College of Osteopathic Medicine, were included in a booklet celebrating local poets prepared by the Berkeley Public Library. You can pick up a free booklet at any Berkeley library location!

like the breeze
it must start somewhere
a smile...respect
attention...belief
pay it forward
-- Mark Teaford

Professor Teaford is also presenting Fossil Hunting in Africa at the John F. Kennedy Library in Vallejo on May 5th from 2:00 - 3:00 pm. For more information visit here.

GSOE Infosessions

Throughout the month of May, the Graduate School of Education will offer a wealth of Information Sessions, both Online/Virtual and Face to Face, for the Educational Leadership, Master's, and Credential Programs.

View the Calendar Here