During her visit to Cuba this past October, Dale Mueller was surprised by many cultural aspects that belied popular beliefs about the communist nation. While participating in a humanitarian effort administered through a faith-based NGO and approved by the Cuban government, the associate professor of nursing at California State University, Dominguez Hills was continually impressed by an unanticipated spirit of community. She says that in the cities of Havana, Trinidad de Cuba, and Cienfuegos, friendly interactions between everyone from longtime neighbors to foreign visitors was a common thread. “Everyone was extremely open,” Mueller recalls. “People you would meet sitting at a ... Read More
Human Services
Patricia Hinchberger: Nursing Professor Sees a New Day for Women in Kenya
Dr. Patricia Hinchberger, director of the master’s entry-level professional nursing program (MEPN) at California State University, Dominguez Hills, participated in a humanitarian mission to Africa last fall led by the Worldwide Network for Gender Empowerment (WNGE) at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara. The organization, which Hinchberger has been a core member of since 2007, visited villages in Kenya, including Kibera, the second largest urban slum in Africa. An expert on health promotion, disease prevention, and community health, Hinchberger helped educate children in the village of Kunya about dental hygiene. WNGE, along with financial support from the “Full Circle ... Read More
Student Employees in Loker Student Union Provide Aid to Homeless on Skid Row
Student employees in the Loker Student Union at California State University, Dominguez Hills provide a variety of services throughout the 120,000-square-foot facility, from greeting visitors at the information desk to overseeing laptop rentals. This semester, they also extended a helping hand to the homeless through a service project by buying and collecting items from the campus community and delivering more than 100 hygiene packs to the homeless on Town and 4th Streets in downtown Los Angeles. The packs were delivered last month to the area by Damesha McKnight, senior, biology, and Lily Guillen, senior, sociology. The two students accompanied Dr. Sophia Momand, a physician in Student ... Read More
Andrew J. Leist: Alumnus Uses Digital Media Arts Skills in Medical Field
There’s an art to surgery, and while surgeons orchestrate and perform, technicians in the operating room also make important contributions. California State University, Dominguez Hills alumnus Andrew J. Leist is one such technician, bringing his digital media arts skills to the medical field. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in digital media arts in 2008 and while continuing to work in the music industry, Leist landed a job as an audio/visual technician at USC University Hospital Department of Surgery in Los Angeles, where he manages media technology used by surgeons performing endoscopic procedures. “It’s fascinating. Before I started [working at USC University Hospital], I ... Read More
Lou Gossett Jr. to Lead Community Dialogue on Impact of HIV/AIDS in Communities of Color
Extending the message of World AIDS Day 2010 another week, California State University, Dominguez Hills welcomes Academy Award-winning actor Lou Gossett Jr. to campus on Tuesday, December 7, for “Our Community, My Awareness,” a special community dialogue about HIV and AIDS. The talk will take place from 5:15 to 7 p.m. in the ballroom of the Loker Student Union. Gossett will be speaking about the impact of HIV/AIDS on communities of color, highlighting the importance of a united community response through strong leadership and community involvement. The actor who received an Emmy Award for his role in the historic television miniseries “Roots” and an Oscar for “An Officer and a Gentleman” ... Read More
