The Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) is a private medical university in Pomona, California, United States. With an enrollment of 3,724 students (2022–23), WesternU offers more than twenty academic programs in multiple colleges. It also operates an additional campus in Lebanon, Oregon.
Under the banner of WesternU Health, the university operates a variety of patient care facilities in California and Oregon. The Pomona and Lebanon (Oregon) campuses both include a medical center, dental center, eye care institute, pharmacy, and travel health center. WesternU-Pomona also is home to the Pet Health Center, which provides veterinary services. Dental services are offered at the Rancho Mirage campus, while a Los Angeles campus provides optometry services.
Several nonprofit organizations are based at the WesternU Pomona campus, including the Harris Family Center for Disability and Health Policy. The Center for Oral Health, moved from the San Francisco Bay area to the WesternU Pomona campus in 2012.Calif's Center for Oral Health relocates, DrBicuspid.com. Archived at the Wayback Machine (November 8, 2025). Accessed November 7, 2025. In 2015, the Southern California Medical Museum moved to the Pomona campus.
Founded in 1977, the first program at WesternU was its medical school, the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. In 2003, the College of Veterinary Medicine opened, and in 2009 the colleges of dental medicine, optometry, and podiatric medicine opened. In 2011, the university opened an additional campus in Lebanon, Oregon, the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific - Northwest (COMP-Northwest). In 2015, the university's founding president, Philip Pumerantz, retired. All of the programs at WesternU have professional accreditation and the university is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
History
WesternU was established in 1977 as the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP), offering the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (D.O.). This was the first medical school in California to open after a complicated era in the relations of allopathic and osteopathic medicine, notably when the California College of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons - only the second DO school in America - briefly became independent as an M.D. granting school before soon evolving into the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. Upon its foundation in 1977, the WesternU College of Osteopathic Medicine was the only osteopathic medical school west of the Rocky Mountains.
In 1986, the college began offering a second degree, the Master of Science in Health Professions Education. Four years later in 1990, the physician assistant program opened, which in 2000 grew into a master's level program. In 1992, the physical therapy program opened.
In 1996, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges granted accreditation as a full and constituent university, and later that year, what had begun as the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific was renamed the "Western University of Health Sciences." 1996 also saw the foundation of the WesternU College of Pharmacy. In 1998, the university established the Harris Family Center for Disability and Health Policy. In 1997, the College of Graduate Nursing was established with the first online Family Nurse Practitioner program in California, followed by an entry-level master's degree for students with a BA/BS degree who wanted to become a nurse.
Thereafter, the veterinary college was founded after some initial hesitancy by the American Veterinary Medical Association's Council on Education, the College of Veterinary Medicine opened in 1998 as the first new veterinary medical school in the United States since 1983. Classes began in 2003, and the college earned full accreditation in 2010. As of 2025, the school is one of two veterinary schools in California. The college was the first veterinary medical school in the United States to appoint a woman as dean. In 2008, the university opened the Banfield Pet Hospital to the public. In 2014, WesternU assumed sole operation and management of the pet hospital.
In 2009, three new colleges opened at WesternU: podiatric medicine, optometry, and dentistry. The following year, in 2010, the Patient Care Center opened, offering medical, dental, optometric, podiatric and pharmacy services to the community. In 2011, Western University of Health Sciences opened a new medical school campus in Lebanon, Oregon called the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific Northwest. In 2012, the Center for Oral Health affiliated with WesternU and moved from the bay area of California to the WesternU campus. The Center for Oral Health is an independent non-profit organization, which focuses on improving oral health.
In January 2015, WesternU began collaborating with colleagues in Scotland affiliated with the UK National Health Service, assisting in the development of a standardized platform for diabetes care called the Scottish Care Information Diabetes Collaboration. In October 2015, WesternU opened a Virtual Reality Learning Center to augment the teaching of anatomy across all colleges. Faculty-led virtual reality technology is used by the schools of dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine, nursing, pharmacy and health professions. In 2015, the Southern California Medical Museum opened on the WesternU campus. The same year (2015), Pumerantz retired after 38 years as founding president. He was succeeded in 2016 by Daniel R. Wilson. In November 2017, WesternU opened an Eye Care Institute in Los Angeles, which specializes in low-vision rehabilitation.
In 2019, the university received the eighth most applications of any medical school in the United States. In 2019, U.S. News & World Report ranked it 13th among all US medical schools for the percentage of medical graduates going into primary care residencies. The university is the fourth-largest employer in Pomona, with more than 1,000 employees.
On July 8, 2020, faculty members voted "no confidence" in the university's president and asked him to step down. They cited a "lack of transparent communication between faculty members and Wilson, his executive leadership team and the Board of Trustees" as the reasons for their vote. The university's board of trustees formed an ad hoc committee to these concerns.
On October 20, 2020, the board of trustees announced that President Wilson will officially step down July 1, 2021. The board of trustees recognized the president's accomplishments over the past four years and both agreed that "now is an appropriate time to begin the process of identifying a new leader for WesternU." Faculty welcomed the announcement but are awaiting a promised full report on the investigation's findings. In a second communication on October 21, 2020, the board of trustees announced the formation of a Presidential Transition Communications Committee to plan for a successful transition in leadership while addressing shared governance, transparency, accountability, and communication.
In December 2020, WesternU purchased a building in Lebanon, Oregon to house a doctor of physical therapy program. The first class of physical therapy students began courses in July 2021. WesternU administered COVID-19 vaccinations at an immunization center located on its Pomona campus.
Sylvia Manning became the Interim President of the university under the auspices of the Registry for College and University Presidents, which facilitates interim appointments for senior higher education leaders. The search for a regularly appointed President of WesternU concluded with the selection of Robin Farias-Eisner, who is the third president of the university effective March 1, 2022.
Academics Colleges College Founded AccreditationWesternU 1996 Western Association of Schools and CollegesHealth Sciences 1996 American Physical Therapy Association ARC-PADental Medicine 2009 American Dental AssociationGraduate Nursing 1997 Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education CCNEOptometry 2009 American Optometric AssociationOsteopathic Medicine - California 1977 American Osteopathic Association COCAOsteopathic Medicine - Oregon 2011 American Osteopathic Association COCAPharmacy 1996 Accreditation Council for Pharmacy EducationPodiatric Medicine 2009 American Podiatric Medical AssociationVeterinary Medicine 2003 American Veterinary Medical Association
Programs Through its nine colleges, WesternU offers 21 academic programs, each on a semester schedule. All programs at WesternU are post-baccalaureate and focused on a health sciences profession. All are accredited by the respective national accrediting body. Doctoral degrees include the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Doctor of Dental Medicine, Doctor of Optometry, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Nursing Practice, Doctor of Physical Therapy, and Doctor of Podiatric Medicine. Several Master of Science (MS) programs are also offered in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Health Sciences, Physician Assistant Studies, Nursing, Biomedical Sciences, and Medical Sciences. A Master of Science in Health Professions Education is offered to provide educational skills to health professionals interested in teaching. Two distance education programs are offered: the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Master of Science Nursing (MSN). All other programs are traditional on-campus programs. Further Colleges and Programs are in consideration.
Rankings In 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked Western University of Health Sciences as 117th in Best Medical Schools: Research and tied as 50th in Best Medical Schools: Primary Care out of 193 ranked Best Medical Schools in the United States.
Interprofessional education WesternU operates an Interprofessional Education (IPE) program, involving all nine of its colleges. The program began in 2007 and the first phase was implemented later that year. The program goals are to improve understanding of other health professions and to provide and promote a team approach to patient-centered care and health care management, leading to improved patient care.
As a part of the interprofessional education program, students meet in small groups with a faculty facilitator and discuss non-clinical aspects of symptom presentation in complex cases, including interprofessional knowledge and awareness, financial or ethical challenges and communication barriers. Augmentation of clinical IPE rotations with grand rounds and journal clubs is ongoing.
Research WesternU conducts research in an array of areas in basic, translational, and clinical sciences. Three primary research strengths include: neurobiology, molecular / metabolic diseases, and infectious disease / immunology. Specific neurobiology subjects include: Alzheimer's disease, central nervous system diseases, genetic disorders, environmental pathologies, and stem cell therapy. Specific molecular and metabolic disease subjects include: cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Research on infections and immunology includes tuberculosis, Mad cow disease, avian flu, and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Research is funded by the National Institute of Health, the OneSight Foundation, The Potts Foundation, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Patient care and education