Centennial Tour Launch: Week of July 26th

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Good morning! Temperatures have moderated a bit which has been a very welcome change!

As we end this week, I’m excited to announce the launch of the public phase of the University's fundraising campaign in celebration of its founding College, the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO). Originally announced at the Centennial Gala in April, Focus on the Future: The Centennial Campaign aims to raise $5 million by the end of 2020 in order to provide scholarship and other academic support to our students, healthcare support to our region, and allow us to continue to impact and influence the future of health care delivery, education and professional practice well into our next 100 years.  In support of the public phase and in celebration, the University’s Office of Institutional Advancement has created a national series of events – entitled Centennial Tour – which officially announces Focus on Our Future: The Centennial Campaign in 16 cities over the course of 90 days. To learn more and check out the Centennial Tour stops visit our website by clicking here. 

On campus, our Audiology Summer Workshops are wrapping up this weekend with a “Hearing Conservation in Music and Industry” workshop. Check out this testimonial from an AuD student who attended the first session...

It’s that time again to visit the Learning Resource Center (LRC) for Pet Therapy! On Wednesday, 31 July, from noon to 1 p.m., therapy dogs from Comfort Caring Canines will be in the LRC, so stop by if you can!  I know you’ll relax immediately after petting these dogs!

As we approach finals weeks, be on the lookout for our bagel breakfast mornings at the LRC, that will be coming up shortly. That’s a new Salus tradition, brought to you by the Office of Institutional Advancement, that has really taken off! 

Good luck to those of you who are starting your finals next week. I know that some of you won’t be taking finals until the following weeks, but I wish you all successful studying as you prepare.  Take some time to give your brain a break this weekend and make sure you’re eating healthy and drinking lots of water to stay hydrated.  It’s going to be sunny, so don’t forget the sunscreen if you’re laying outside studying – or whatever. Have a great weekend - be safe and look out for one another.

Mike

Stay Cool: Week of July 19th

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

Greetings from a hot and humid Elkins Park! It’s been another busy week on campus, even with the heat! Good luck to all those taking their mid-terms today!

Salus recently welcomed our new Safety and Security director, Carlos Rodriguez. With more than 14 years of experience in law enforcement, Carlos has worked for 11 years in higher education as a supervisor/administrator for Campus Public Safety. Be sure to give him a warm welcome when you see him around campus! Read more at salus.edu/carlos.

Later this summer, thanks to the work of several of our faculty and staff members, we will break ground on an outdoor Sensory Garden Environment that will be used as a teaching and clinical tool sometime late next semester! The garden will add value to the teaching and learning environment for each of the seven programs within the University’s College of Education and Rehabilitation (CER), as well as provide strategic outreach for children and adults within the local community who have sensory deficits. The garden, which will be located in the front of the Hafter Center will really add a great deal to our campus. Read more at salus.edu/sensorygarden.

This month, The Speech-Language Institute (SLI) celebrates its four year anniversary! Since opening its doors, SLI has served both adults and children with a wide variety of speech, language, communication, feeding and swallowing disorders at no cost to our clients. We are so proud of SLI's dedicated staff and passionate students and I look forward to many more successful years of caring for clients at this important clinic. Read more at salusuhealth.com/celebrating-4-years.

Congratulations to the Osborne College of Audiology on the successful completion of their Cerumen Management educational session on Tuesday and the standardized patient workshop on Wednesday. Both were extremely successful! Changes to the Tuesday learning lab session allowed for the students to work in smaller groups with more faculty and to have three hours of intense hands-on training. Thank you to everyone who volunteered their ears and to our OCA faculty and students for their great job in executing these important clinical and academic exercises. 

I'd like to wish Renee Campbell a happy retirement! Renee has worked as a Patient Service Representative at The Eye Institute for over 30 years. While we're sad to see her go, we are also excited for her as she starts this new chapter in her life. Good luck Renee! Read more at salusuhealth.com/renee-campbell.

In light of the most recent political discord that has been prominent in the news and on social media I want people to know that we at Salus strongly value the diversity and inclusion of people from all nationalities, religions and beliefs that have helped to shape America into the greatest democracy the world has seen. Immigrants form the basis of our society and have enriched our country throughout our 243 years. Consequently, we are melting pot of cultures and ideals. That must be celebrated and not denigrated.

Finally, just a reminder that the weather guessers are telling us to expect record breaking heat this weekend with temperatures approaching 100+ on Saturday. To that end, please ensure you are well hydrated, especially if you’re doing outside activities. Try to stay cool and beat the heat! Look out for one another and be safe.

Mike

Mid-Terms Wrap-Up: Week of July 12th

Students, Faculty, Residents (current and new), Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends, 

Greetings from a steamy Elkins Park Campus. It’s been another busy week at Salus with summer mid-term exams wrapping up.  

Last evening we bid farewell to our current optometric residents and welcomed our new ones at the annual Caio Chow event hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Bennett, which, despite the rain, was another fantastic event. Thank you Dr. and Mrs. Bennett for maintaining such as great tradition that celebrates the accomplishments of our extremely talented optometric residents!

Some events I might have missed while away last month:  College of Education and Rehabilitation (CER) completed its first interprofessional direct service experience involving students and preceptors from all three departments! After a pilot program by Blind and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) in 2018, the Occupational Therapy and Speech, Language Pathology departments joined in this year to conduct a one-week summer camp for children with visual impairments at partnering St. Lucy's School for the Blind, in Philadelphia. This interprofessional effort required students from all CER fields of practice to come together to plan, implement, and evaluate the summer camp, learning from and supporting each other while experiencing the true benefits of interprofessional practice. The camp was attended by 19 children with visual impairments, ranging in grades from Kindergarten to 8th grade. Leading the learning experience were Emily Vasile, from BLVS, who brought everyone together and created a supported environment for students and preceptors, and Sister Lisa Lettiere (former Alumni Award recipient), principal of St. Lucy's School for the Blind, who shared the school and its wonderful students with Salus. 

Thanks to Dr. Carlo Pelino for his Grand Rounds presentation, “Longevity Through the Eyes of the Beholder”.  As always, Carlo’s lecture was thought-provoking and extremely interesting but also a bit discouraging, as I think we were all hoping he’d bring a huge bottle of water from that Fountain of Youth, which of course, he didn’t!  Guess it’s back to good diet, exercise, minimizing stress, getting enough sleep and having the luck to have inherited good genes!

An alumni reception will be held this evening at The National Optometric Association’s annual meeting from 8-10 p.m. at the Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, please drop in!

Many of you might have seen the recent recall of Lubricant Eye Drops that were being marketed at Walmart and Walgreens. The Eye Institute has provided information about this to current patients and we have all the pertinent information on our website which you can view here. 

Summer usually brings about changes in personnel, and this year is no different. We want to congratulate Drs. Richard Brilliant and Tony DiStefano, on their retirements. Combined their service to PCO and now Salus totals over 80 years! You can read about Dr. Brilliant’s stellar career at http://salus.edu/drbrilliant. We’ll have another article about Dr. DiStefano’s extraordinary career in the coming weeks.

Our Audiology Summer Workshops are starting next week with two sessions scheduled, July 20-23 and July 25-28: more info is available here.

Finally, I want to congratulate Mr. Alan Lindy, the CEO of Lindy Properties, who has been selected to receive the Lighthouse Award which will be presented at this year’s Looking Out For Kids gala in November. Those nominated for this prestigious award are beacons of light and sources of strength in the community in which they live, work, and serve above and beyond their occupations. Mr. Lindy certainly personifies this through his commitment to the youth of the greater Philadelphia region and his overall generosity and philanthropy to our Looking Out For Kids charity as well as many others, over his career. 

Have a great weekend! Be safe, use lots of sunscreen, drink lots of water and take care of one another. See many of you on Monday!

Mike

Fourth of July: Week of July 5th

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

I’m sending this update out a couple of days early since I’ve missed the last couple of weeks and we have the 4^th of July holiday tomorrow. It’s good to be back in the saddle after taking a couple of weeks off. 

I’d like to welcome our incoming PCO Accelerated Scholars students who started their orientation this week and also our incoming optometric Residents. This year’s Resident class represents one of our largest and the most academically diverse group we’ve had with graduates from many fantastic optometric programs from across the country represented.  It was great to meet all of you!

Many of our students have started taking their mid-term exams this week which has made for a really quiet campus.  The summer semester will be over before we know it!

I’ve been asked to remind all of our students that the second floor of the Learning Resource Center is considered the “quiet” floor.  If folks need to discuss things in groups, please use the first floor or the networking rooms as opposed to having discussions upstairs.

Last month, the Philadelphia International Airport unveiled their newest year-longexhibit titled, “Philadelphia: A Global Medical HUB Since the 1700s”. The new display was created to celebrate the region’s historical medical firsts from Colonial America to today’s world-renowned reputation. In the display, Salus University’s Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) is acknowledged for being the first school in the U.S. to offer a 4-year Doctor of Optometry degree. Split into a then-and-now format, the other part of the display describes PCO’s transition to Salus University and its expansion to what we are - and what we provide today. Check it out in Terminal A-East on your next trip! You can also read more about it at salus.edu/PHL.

On June 13th we lost one of our oldest and highly accomplished alumni, Dr. Morey Powell, who passed away at the age of 104. Read more at http://salus.edu/morey-powell.

Next Tuesday, Dr. Mary Jo Thomas will be presenting her Thesis Defense titled, “Breast Cancer Among African American Females with Type 2 Diabetes at The Eye Institute of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry” in W400 at 1pm. - 3pm. We hope you will stop by and support Dr. Thomas.

As I mentioned, tomorrow is Independence Day. Like many of you, I hope to spend part of this 4th of July holiday celebrating our nation’s birthday with family and friends. For me, this holiday just doesn’t seem complete without picnics, parades, fireworks, and the John Phillip Sousa marches many of us listened to since childhood.  As much as we each enjoy the traditions, our nation’s Independence Day is, most of all, an opportunity to reflect on the true meaning of being an American. The Declaration of Independence makes it clear that being an American is about much more than the place we call home. It’s a deeply felt commitment to higher principles: liberty, equality, opportunity, and self-governance.  As health care providers, it also inspires the spirit of caring and respect for others – even if they don’t see the world the same way we do. As we approach this year’s holiday, please take some time to reflect on all the positive things we have in the United States that have enriched our lives and have given us the opportunities to help enrich the lives of others.

Have a wonderful 4^th of July and upcoming weekend. Stay safe, have fun, use lots of sunscreen, stay hydrated and come back ready to hit the deck running next week!Mike