WESTERNU - Key Persons


Andrea Grijalva

Job Titles:
  • Receptionist

Andrew Bailey

Job Titles:
  • Operations Associate

Bradley S. Henson

Job Titles:
  • Interim Senior Vice President, Research and Biotechnology

Brenda Samaan


Colleen Talbot

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Dean, Academic Affairs
  • Assistant Dean, Academic Affairs, Professor of Physiology / College of Osteopathic Medicine

Colorado Chapter - President

Job Titles:
  • President

Crystal Rivera


Daniel R. Wilson

Job Titles:
  • President Emeritus, 2016 - 2021
  • Second President
Daniel R. Wilson was appointed WesternU's second president in 2016. His leadership focus was on creating a robust strategic planning process moving the University toward enterprise excellence, organizational efficiency, and future readiness for the intertwined missions of education, research, and service. This transformation included a focus on improving the student experience, improving the quality and quantity of research, financial stewardship leading to both enrollment and endowment growth, and operational excellence. Dr. Wilson earned his bachelor's degree in anthropology from Yale, a medical degree from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, and a PhD in biological anthropology from Cambridge University.

David A. Connett

Job Titles:
  • Acting Dean
  • Acting Dean, Chief of Graduate Medical Education

Derrick J. Sorweide

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Dean of Clinical Education
  • Director of Osteopathic Clinical Education

Devin Drill

Job Titles:
  • Executive Assistant

Di Lacey

Job Titles:
  • Associate Vice President, WesternU Oregon

Dianna Lacey

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Vice President, Oregon Campus

Dr. Farias Eisner - President

Job Titles:
  • President
  • President ( Ex - Officio )
Dr. Farias Eisner was appointed WesternU's third president on March 1, 2022, at a transformational moment in health care in which opportunities abound for WesternU and its students. He brings a dedication to uniting and bonding with the communities of Pomona, California and Lebanon, Oregon. "We are a University dedicated to the health sciences and committed to research, science, and biotechnology. Our distinct Colleges share a common dedication to a humanistic approach - putting the patient first - and fostering health with hands, heart, mind, and spirit. Our quest is to achieve transformative health for both people and animals, hence, to create a healthy society for present and future generations." President Farias-Eisner Upon his arrival as WesternU's president, Dr. Farias-Eisner immediately began connecting with the campus community and with the Pomona and Lebanon communities. In his Campus Engagement newsletters, he captures some of his travels and key learnings. Part of his vision is to increase efficiencies and expand the WesternU footprint nationally based upon the unifying principles of humanism, caring, compassion, and patient-centered and value-based care in graduate higher education.

Dr. Philip Pumerantz

Job Titles:
  • Founding President
Dr. Pumerantz founded Western University of Health Sciences in 1977 as the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP). Its first class of 36 students was enrolled in fall 1978, graduating four years later as Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine. Under his watch, COMP was restructured into Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) in 1996, and through years of exponential growth, it grew to include nine colleges and expansion to Lebanon, OR. in 2011. When Dr. Pumerantz retired in 2015, the University had almost 4,000 students and 11,000 alumni. The beloved founding president championed humanism and conceptualized the University philosophy of "The discipline of learning. The art of caring." He also created a unique environment that fosters innovation and collaboration. He was recognized as one of the longest-tenured U.S. university presidents, having served for 38 years. He earned a PhD in education administration from the University of Connecticut.

Edward V. Barnes II

Job Titles:
  • Administration
  • Vice Dean, College AffairsAssociate Professor of Internal MedicineChief, Nephrology and Hypertension / College of Osteopathic Medicine
Dr. Edward Barnes is a graduate of Whittier College in Whittier, California where he earned a degree in Biology. Dr. Barnes then migrated to Kansas City, Kansas to earn his medical degree from University of Kansas School of Medicine. He won a four year Army Scholarship while in medical school and he completed his internship and residency with the Army at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Barnes successfully completed his Nephrology and Hypertension Fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. He is a Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving as a Battalion Surgeon for a tank unit commanding 32 medics and providing care for over 1,000 soldiers. Dr. Barnes was honorably discharged from the Army in 2010 when he joined WesternU to become the Director of Kidney Health for WesternU Health Clinic. He is currently the Vice-Dean of College Affairs; planning, managing, and implementing essential projects for the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. Dr. Barnes is dedicated to educating the future physicians of America, and has applied a mission driven approach toward the goals of the University. During his tenure at WesternU he has given educational symposia lectures at Loma Linda University, at regional conferences with the American College of Physicians, and University of California at Irvine. He has also delivered keynote speeches at symposia as close as Portland, Oregon and as far as Shijiazhuang, China.

Elaine Rauch - COO

Job Titles:
  • Director of Operations

Elizabeth Zamora

Job Titles:
  • LHD ( Hon. ), Chair

Erika Lopez-Chung

Job Titles:
  • Operations Associate

Gerald Thrush

Job Titles:
  • Vice Dean of Academic Affairs, Professor of Immunology / College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Vice Dean, Academic Affairs

Grace Yu

Job Titles:
  • Lead Operations Associate

Grand Strand

Job Titles:
  • Medical Center Executive Committee - Osteopathic OGME Task Force Presentation - "Graduate Medical Education Development Initiative, " Myrtle Beach, SC, June 2009

James M. Lally

Job Titles:
  • DO, MMM, MSHPE, Secretary

Janet Offhaus

Job Titles:
  • Administrative Associate III

Jennifer Aceves

Job Titles:
  • Administrative Assistant III

Jennifer Baker

Job Titles:
  • Research
  • Research Regulatory Coordinator
Jennifer Baker is the Research Regulatory Coordinator for the Office of Research Regulatory Affairs. The Office of Research Regulatory Affairs may be contacted at 909-469-5606 or ResearchRegulatoryAffairsOffice@westernu.edu.

Jesus Sanchez

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Dean, Academic Affairs
COMP Assistant Dean, Academic Affairs Professor of NMM/OMM and Family Medicine jsanchez@westernu.edu

Jill Ferreira - President

Job Titles:
  • President
  • Associate Vice President of Operations and Chief of Staff
Office of the President Associate Vice President of Operations and Chief of Staff to the President 626-215-2349 jferreira@westernu.edu

John Maltos


Josh Cameron

Job Titles:
  • Executive Liaison Officer

June Guerrero


Karen Bentley

Job Titles:
  • Executive Assistant to the Vice Dean

Kim Ketcham

Job Titles:
  • Associate Director, Clinical Education

Lacey Avila


Lisa Warren

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Dean of Graduate Medical Education

Marcel P. Fraix

Job Titles:
  • Associate Dean, Admissions & Enrollment, Chair & Professor, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitaiton
  • Director of Osteopathic Recognition of Graduate Medical Education

Marian Safaoui

Job Titles:
  • Director of Career & Professional Development & GME Placement
  • Director, Career and Professional Development

Marisa Orser

Job Titles:
  • Associate Director of Clinical Education

Matthew Eschelbach

Job Titles:
  • Director, Career Development

Matthew Katz

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Vice President for Sponsored Research & Contract Management

Michael Giulietti

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Director, Career Development Specialist

Michelle Park

Job Titles:
  • Associate Dean, Student Affairs

Mirabelle Fernandes Paul

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Vice President University Student Affairs, WesternU Oregon

Nate Oubre - Treasurer

Job Titles:
  • Treasurer

Nissar A. Darmani

Job Titles:
  • Associate Dean, Basic Sciences and Research

Pamela Wombacher

Job Titles:
  • Receptionist

Rachel Soesman

Job Titles:
  • Administrative Coordinator and Liaison to the President
Office of the President Administrative Coordinator and Liaison to the President 909-469-5206 rsoesman@westernu.edu

Rick Leeper

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Vice President of WesternU Oregon

Roxanne Gonzalez

Job Titles:
  • Executive Assistant to the Dean and CME
COMP/COMP-Northwest Executive Assistant to the Dean and CME (909) 706-3541 rgonzalez@westernu.edu

Sarah Wolff

Job Titles:
  • Director of Clinical Curriculum

Stephanie White

Job Titles:
  • Associate Dean of Clinical Education
  • Director of Osteopathic Clinical Education

Susan Dominguez

Job Titles:
  • Executive Assistant / Fiscal & Operations Mgr

Susan Mackintosh

Job Titles:
  • Associate Dean, Multi - Disciplinary Collaboration and College Affairs

Traci L. Meyer-Acunzo

Job Titles:
  • Manager, Intellectual Property Services and Post Awards

Vy Nichols - COO

Job Titles:
  • Director of Operations

Willie A. Bidot

Job Titles:
  • Director, Office of Animal Resources