Division of anatomy

Faculty - Bertha C. Escobar-Poni, MD

Experience

Loma Linda University
School of Medicine, department of pathology and human anatomy
Assistant professor
Primary appointment since 1993 to present

School of Allied Health Professions
Coordinator and solely lecturer of Essentials of Human Diseases and Pathology I & II courses (3, 4, & 5-unit courses)
Programs: Coding specialist, physical therapy, occupational therapy, radiation therapy, physician assistant (master), and public health (doctorate).
Contract since 2002 to present

School of Dentistry - dental hygiene program
Coordinator and co-lecturer for Anatomy of Head and Neck - 3-unit course 1998 - present

Facilitator
Heuristic Methods in Medicine. Full-year sequence. 1997-present
Orientation to Religion and Medicine. Summer quarter. 1997 to present

Adjunct faculty
Crafton Hills College, Yucaipa, California - 1999 to present
Anatomy & Physiology, two-semester preprofessional course

California State University, San Bernardino, California - 1996
School of Nursing

Victor Valley College, Victorville, California - 1994
Biology Department

Hospital Pastor Oropeza, Venezuela - 1989 to 1992
Department of continuing education, Internship program, Assistant Instructor

Education

1985 - 1989 Universidad Centro-Occidental Venezuela, SA
Degree obtained: medical doctor
* Degree title: "Medico Cirujano" that literally translates into "Surgical Physician"
* Doctorate thesis defense: "Bronchial Asthma: Current and Accumulative Prevalence in Cabudare City, Lara State, Venezuela. Universidad Centro-Occidental Lisandro Alvarado (UCOLA). School of Medicine. Department of Preventive and Social Medicine. Barquisimeto, Venezuela, May 26, 1989.

1975 - 1977 Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela, SA
* Pre-medical training

Postgraduate educational experience

1995 - 1998 VA Hospital Loma Linda, California
Fellow Researcher with W. H. Fletcher, PhD, principal investigator in the Molecular Biology Research laboratory. Research: Gap junctions proteins and their relationship with heart development

1989 - 1992 Hospital Pastor Oropeza Venezuela, SA

Internship and (non-completed) residency

* Completed obligatory two-year internship, which included 6 months of rural medicine,
* One year residency in surgery/medicine

Clinical research

Poni E, Granero R, Escobar B, and Isaacura C. (1998). Recuperación Funcional Neurológica y de Calidad de Vida en Pacientes Tratados con Nimodipina luego del Primer Infarto Cerebral (Quality of Life and Neurological Functional Recovery of Patients treated with Nimodipine after the First Ever Cerebral Infarction). Archivos Venezolanos de Farmacología y Terapéutica. Vol 17(2): 115 - 119.

Dasgupta C, Escobar-Poni B, Shah M, Duncan J, and Fletcher WH (1998). Misregulation of Connexin43 (_1) gap junction channels and congenital heart defects. In: Gap Junction-Mediated Intercellular signaling in Health and Disease. Eds. John Wiley & Sons, UK (2)

Poni E, Escobar B, and Granero R (1995). Riesgo de muerte a los 4 años de un primer Infarto cerebral: Estudio prospectivo en Barquisimeto, Estado Lara, Venezuela (Four-year death risk after first cerebral infarction: Prospective study in Barquisimeto, Lara State, Venezuela). Original paper. Investigación Clinica 36(4): 163 - 172

Poni E, Granero R, Escobar B (1995): Cambios de la función neuromuscular y de las manifestaciones depresivas en los pacientes sobrevivientes al Infarto cerebral luego de seis meses de tratamiento con nimodipine (Changes in the neuromuscular function and in the depressive manifestations, after six-month treatment with nimodipine, of patients surviving a cerebral infarction). Archives Venezolanos de Farmacología y Terapeútica; 14(2): 74 - 80.

Poni E, Escobar B, and Granero R (Caracas 1994). Tratamiento crónico con nimodipine en el accidente cerebro-vascular (Chronic treatment with nimodipine in cerebrovascular accident). Original paper. Medicina Interna 6:85 - 92.

Poni E, Mendoza E, Granero R, Balza M, Escobar B, Alvarez N (Caracas 1990): Estudio del valor predictivo de los parámetros microbiológicos y citopatológicos de las muestras tomadas por expectoración vs aspiración transtraqueal en la infección respiratoria baja de origen bacteriano: Informe preliminar (Study of the predictive value of microbiologic and cytopathologic parameter of samples taken by expectoration vs transtracheal aspiration in lower respiratory infections of bacterial origin: preliminary report). Medicine Interna 6(3-4): 126 - 134.

Oral presentations

Fletcher WH, Dasgupta C, Escobar-Poni B, Shah M, Duncan J. Genetic & developmental defects of the heart. NOVARTIS FOUNDATION Symposium #219: Gap Junction-Mediated Intercellular Signaling in Health and Disease, March 2-5, 1998, London, England.

Fletcher WH, Dasgupta C, Escobar-Poni B, Shah M, Duncan J. Genetic & developmental defects of the heart. WELCOME TRUST, March 6, 1998, London, England.

Fletcher WH, Dasgupta C, Escobar-Poni B, Shah M, Duncan J. Gap junctions and cardiology. University of Wales, College of Medicine, Department of medical Biochemistry, March 18, 1998, Californiardiff, Wales.

Poni E, Kobelt R, Arocha I Escobar B, and Granero R. Nimodipine Clinic effects in the acute ischemic accident: short and medium term evaluation. National Congress of Internal medicine Society of Venezuela. April 19, 1988. Barquisimeto, Venezuela.

Ruiz J, Poni E, and Escobar B. No traumatic cerebro-vascular accident. Descriptive and retrospective analytic study. National Congress of Internal medicine Society of Venezuela. April 20, 1988. Barquisimeto, Venezuela.

Poni E, and Escobar B. Pyogenic hepatic abscess: medical treatment in two cases. Original case presentation. National Congress of Internal medicine Society of Venezuela. April 20, 1988. Barquisimeto, Venezuela.

Poster

Duncan JC, Shah MM, Zenoniani MA, Escobar-Poni B, and Fletcher WH. Regulation of connexin43 by phosphorylation in heart development. American Society of Cell Biology 36th Annual Meeting, 6th International Congress of Cell Biology. San Francisco, California. December 10, 1996

Current project

"Wholeness Intervention and Anatomy Instruction".
* Data collection stage of four-year followup

"Collaborative Active Learning: A new discipline in the anatomy Laboratory"
* Preliminary study

Professional societies

American Association of Anatomists
American Association of Clinical Anatomists
American Institute of Biological Sciences

Other activities

* 2002 - Present: IFAC representative from the School of Medicine
* 2001 - Present: Class co-sponsor of LLU-SM Class of 2004
* 2001 - present: member of the American Association of Anatomist and FASEB
* 1998 - present: Member of the DH Curriculum Subcommittee
* 1998 - present: Member of the Diversity Committee of the School of Medicine
* 1998 - 2000: Secretary of the Hispanic Faculty Forum, Loma Linda University
* 1997 to present: Coordinator of the "Commemorative Service in memory of the Donors"
* 1997 - present: Member of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists
* 1997 - present: SDA Church Deacon
* 1996 - 2002: Cosponsor of the Association of Latin American Students (ALAS)
* 1995 - 1999: Class sponsor of LLU-SM Class of 1999

Interests

* Music: playing piano, singing with family & friends, music appreciation.
* Enjoy talking and discussing controversial issues
* Reading
* Computer
* Definitely, learning from my students and colleagues

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