Mental Health Awareness: Week of January 31st, 2020

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

Greetings from a very busy Elkins Park campus where we’ve been lucky enough to skirt most of the winter weather – at least so far! I apologize for the length of this update but there’s lots to talk about!

I want to start this update by addressing an issue that we don’t talk enough about, but affects almost everything that we do – and that’s mental health. Those of us who were in the military were keenly aware of the stigma associated with service members who had mental health challenges and the necessity of eliminating that so people would feel free to seek help when they needed it. It’s still a problem, although it has gotten better. I suspect that this same stigma occurs in our world of academia. I think everyone at Salus realizes the extraordinary pressures that are on all of you to succeed. We’ve been having discussions about this with deans and program directors for a while and also discussed this with our Board of Trustees earlier this week. Everyone is very aware of the issue, and more importantly, wants to ensure we’re providing students, faculty and staff with all the tools you need to help address any challenges you might be having. To that end, we have a very robust counseling program on campus through our Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD). Their office is located on the 3^rd floor of the West building in Suite W-326. Counselors are available Monday-Friday and can be reached for appointments at 215-780-1315 or 215-780-1534. You may also email a counselor individually. It’s funny, stress manifests in many different ways for different people. So, if you feel like you need to or just want to talk to someone about some of the stressors in your life, please don’t hesitate to access our experts in CPPD.

Along the same lines, I just read a very insightful article about mental health in graduate schools that was in the Chronicle of Higher Education by Kathryn R. Wedemehyer-Strombel, a former graduate student at the University of Texas, that I would encourage you to read. It’s a short read and well worth the time. I know I’ve spent a good deal of time on this, but I feel it’s important to put this subject in the forefront. Our goal is for everyone to succeed and remain healthy in the process.

Around campus, at the quarterly meeting of our Board of Trustees on Monday, the Board approved our recommendation to move forward with the planning process to bring an Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program to Salus. For those of you who aren’t familiar with O&P, the profession is dedicated to the management and restoration of function and mobility to individuals who have experienced limb loss, loss of mobility or disability due to medical conditions or trauma. Unfortunately, there are over 2 million people in the U.S. who live with limb loss and with almost 20 million in the world. 20 million people in the U.S. require some type of orthotic management (think about that orthotic you wear in your shoes today) with 100’s of millions more globally. There is a huge demand for these specialists nationally and internationally, and there are only 13 programs in the country training them today. As we continue with our planning, we’ll keep everyone informed. This is truly an exciting time for us at Salus as we look to bring this new program into our already robust educational offerings.

At Monday’s Board meeting we also welcomed two new members, Joyce Koh, a seasoned corporate transactional attorney with solid experience and training as a large-firm associate as well as in-house senior legal counsel, and Carolyn Forcina, an expert in healthcare systems and currently the vice president of government relations and education at Pandion Optimization Alliance, have been elected to the Board.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee will be hosting a student mixer on Monday, Feb. 3, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Toland Classroom at The Eye Institute. The mixer is an opportunity to meet students, faculty and staff along with DEI committee members to learn about getting involved and share ideas about how Salus can create a more inclusive environment. All are welcome. 

There will be an opening reception for the Community Expressions 2020 art exhibit, featuring works from Salus University faculty, students, alumni, staff, spouses and significant others, at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 6, in the Bennett Lounge of the Hafter Student Community Center. The exhibit will run from Feb. 4 through March 13.  Here’s an article about last year’s exhibit: salus.edu/community-exhibit.  It’s always fun to see all the artistic talents our colleagues have!

By now, most of you are aware of the spread of a new coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and has since spread to other parts of the world. Currently there are several confirmed cases of nCoV in the U.S. although there are hundreds of confirmed cases and over 20 deaths worldwide currently attributed to this novel coronavirus. There have been no confirmed cases in our region, and there are ongoing investigations to learn more.

There is no vaccine for the nCoV. To protect yourself, the CDC guidance includes many of the same recommendations to prevent infection with other respiratory viruses, i.e. influenza. They include:

• Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
• Staying home or in your dormitory room when you are sick.
• Covering your cough or sneezing into a tissue, then throwing the tissue in the trash.
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Students, faculty and staff considering international travel should review the up-to-date recommendations available on the CDC website.

Finally, it’s Super Bowl weekend! So, if you’re an Andy Reid fan, I assume you’ll be rooting for the Chiefs; if not, the 49er’s are looking pretty good. Either way, enjoy the game! Be safe, have some fun and look out for one another. Have a great weekend!

Mike

Greetings from the West: Week of January 24th, 2020

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

Greetings from someplace over the western U.S. Drs. Eckert, Kruemmling and I are headed back from some whirlwind travel that has taken us to Loma Linda University in California and Baylor University in Texas over the past few days. That was in addition to a trip we made to Chicago a few weeks ago to visit Northwestern University. These three institutions have what most experts in the field consider to be the leading programs in Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) in the country. 

We’ve been checking out these programs to determine if an O&P program would be a good fit for Salus as we begin planning for the next step in our institutional evolution. All indications are that O&P would not only be a great fit at Salus but also help to fill a much needed workforce and training gap in that profession, given the relative scarcity of programs (there are only 13 in the country, with only 2 on the East Coast) and an increasing demand for that skillset nationally.  That’s compounded by the fact that about 25% of the current O&P workforce is projected to retire within the next several years. I’ll keep you all posted as we continue with our due diligence moving forward. 

In the middle of all that travel, on Wednesday, Dr. Eckert and I had the opportunity to visit with Jack Lynch, the CEO of Main Line Health and several members of his team to see if we could obtain additional clinical rotations for some of our programs in their health system. Main Line includes Bryn Mawr Rehab and Hospital, Paoli and Riddle Hospitals, Lankenau Medical Center as well as several smaller centers.  As a result of the meeting, their administrators are going to be working with some of our program and external rotation directors to see if we can identify rotations that are not only required and educationally relevant, but also sustainable. As competition for these rotations continues to increase regionally, establishing these types of relationships are key to keeping our students local and at the same time, meeting their clinical education needs. We’re hopeful that something fruitful will come out of these meetings! 

Closer to home, thirty-five prospective students attended the annual Optometry Learning Experience (OLE) the week of Jan. 6, 2020, at the University's Elkins Park, Pa., campus. The OLE program, which has been part of the University's Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) for approximately four decades, is designed to offer participants an opportunity to step into the shoes of students in the Doctor of Optometry program, as well as offer a general outlook on the profession of optometry as a whole.

Submissions are now being sought for Community Expressions 2020, featuring the work of Salus University faculty, students, alumni, staff, spouses and significant others, that will be exhibited from Feb. 4 through March 13 at the Hafter Student Community Center. Participants can write to Elynne Rosenfeld at erosenfeld@salus.edu and should include:

• Name of artist
• Title of work
• Dimensions of work
• Media used
• Price (or indicate not for sale)
• Affiliation with Salus University or the relationship of someone who is affiliated
• Three- to five-sentence statement that can be used for publicity purposes

The deadline for submitting this information is Wednesday, Jan. 29. Drop-off of the artwork is from 11 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at the Hafter Center. Pick-up is Friday, March 13, or by arrangement over the weekend.

Robert M. DiSogra, AuD '03, has been selected to receive the Clinical Excellence in Audiology award for 2020 from the American Academy of Audiology. The award is based on Dr. DiSogra's contributions to the fields of audiology and pharmacology focusing on ototoxicity and diabetic ear. The award will be presented in April at the annual meeting of the Academy in New Orleans. Dr. DiSorgra is the former chairman of the Osborne College of Audiology Advisory Board.

Eight students from the National Optometric Student Association (NOSA) from Salus participated in the annual Greater Philadelphia Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service - one of the largest King Day events in the nation - on Monday, Jan. 20, at Girard College. The students conducted vision screenings, which included testing visual acuity, checking eye muscle issues in the eye with the direct ophthalmoscope and letting patients know if they needed further evaluation.  

On Wednesday January 22, Dr. Elise Ciner and Kerry Lueders presented to the Pennsylvania Advisory Committee for the Education of Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired (PACES-BVI). Entitled "VT and TVI: The Difference is More Than Just the I", this interprofessional presentation clarified the roles of optometry and education for students who are visually impaired and how to meet the functional and educational needs of those children referred for vision therapy. 

I’ll bet most people on campus don’t know that we started a post-baccalaureate last fall and have 13 really great students enrolled in the program. As we get to the part of the year where they are beginning to apply for their professional programs such as optometry, PA, dentistry, occupational therapy and others, I want to wish them luck (although, I know they won’t need it) as they prepare to move to the next step in their educational journeys.

On Monday, our Board of Trustees will be on campus for their quarterly meeting in our newly renovated Board/Multipurpose room (W400). We will also be hosting a social for board members on Sunday in Hafter Center. Having our extremely talented volunteer board members on campus gives us the opportunity to show them all the great things that are going on around campus and also provides us with extremely helpful insights and guidance as we move Salus forward. We greatly appreciate all of their time, talents and financial support.

Finally, it looks like at least half of the weekend is going to be rainy and cool so that’s a good day to hunker down and get some studying done! For those of you who are getting out and about, please be careful and look out for one another. Have a great weekend – I look forward to seeing many of you on Monday for our quarterly Board meeting. 

Mike

Honoring Dr. King: Week of January 17th, 2020

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

Good morning from a very cold and windy Elkins Park! It’s been a busy week around campus. We’ve completed the renovation of W400, the Board Room, which will now serve as both a multi-purpose classroom as well as our Board Room. If you’re on the 4th floor of the west building, check it out.

I am pleased to announce that we have selected a new partner for our dining and catering services for the university. After a lengthy process that concluded with a lunch presentation to student, faculty, administration and staff representatives, we have selected Metz Culinary Management to provide these services. Metz is a family-owned, Pennsylvania-based company that has been providing dining services to higher education, schools, health care and corporate accounts for over 25 years. We are excited to bring them to campus starting February 24th. In addition to the change in service, we are in the planning stages for a complete redesign of our café and the surrounding South wing first floor. As we begin preparing for this transition, I want to take the opportunity to thank Culinart for their many years of service to Salus.

I encourage all of our students to attend the upcoming Career & Resource Fair on Saturday, January 25, from 11am - 2pm in the Hafter Center Gym. The event will include door prizes, free professional headshots, free food, and more. I especially encourage our third-year students, as it will be your last chance to see nearly 40 employers on campus before graduation!

On Monday we will celebrate the extraordinary life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, a civil rights leader who was taken from us much too early in his life, on April 4, 1968. Dr. King’s legacy of non-violence, justice and peace is something everyone should reflect upon today. To honor Dr. King, I wanted to share some quotes with you that I thought might be fitting to what we do at Salus:

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” That too, pertains to all of us, many of whom have come to Salus from very different backgrounds and cultures, but now have all gathered on our wonderful campus to learn to care for others.

Monday’s holiday is the only national holiday designated as a day of service to encourage all Americans to do something to improve their communities as a tribute to Dr. King. This is so very fitting since Dr. King lived his life serving others through his actions and words. So, on Monday, try to do something that benefits others to honor Dr. King’s memory and improve the lives of those around us. As Dr. King said, “Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.” Let’s try to live that adage in these turbulent of times.

Finally, it looks like it’s going to be a messy weekend, weather wise, so if you’re out and about, please be careful, especially if you’re driving Saturday afternoon into Sunday. Be safe, look out for one another and do something for others in your community on Monday. See you back on campus on Tuesday.


Mike

Greetings from Jerusalem: Week of January 10th, 2020

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

Greetings from a rainy, windy and cold Jerusalem where Dr. Vitek and I have been at Hadassah Academic College (HAC) providing lectures and workshops on Evidenced Based Practice, public and global health and leadership. It’s been a busy but very productive few days here in Israel. We signed a Memorandum of Understanding with HAC that will promote collaborations in many areas can benefit both their students and Salus, to include optometry, audiology and potentially clinical research. There likely will be other opportunities to work together, which we’re all very excited about.

Other than the weather, there has been little mention of current events in the Middle East while we’ve been here which is good! We both appreciated the messages we’ve received this week concerning the security situation, but all has been well - thank goodness! Since I’m 7 hours out of sync with everyone back home, I will send this out a bit off the normal routine schedule, since I head to the airport rather early tomorrow morning.

Last Monday morning was a special event for our Looking Out for Kids (LOFK) initiative. A local organization, Hogs & Honeys Foundation for Kids, recently initiated a partnership with us and as a result, LOFK received a $5,000 donation. Additionally, eye exams were conducted on the Big Red Bus for 19 students at Franconia Elementary School in Souderton Area School District in Montgomery County. Special thanks to Hogs & Honeys Foundation for their generosity and making that happen!

This week, our Admissions staff hit the deck running for the New Year with our first Optometry Learning Experience (OLE) of 2020. Our OLE program has run for over four decades now - allowing potential optometry students the opportunity to gain insight into the academic life of an optometry student here at Salus. I’d like to thank everyone who made this event possible and hope to see those students return to Salus in the future! If you know anyone who is looking to pursue optometry as a career and would like more information, have them visit salus.edu/OLE.

Next week we’ll be hosting State Senator Sharif Street at both The Eye Institute and the Elkins Park campus. We’re excited to show him the depth of training all of our professionals receive as well as the high-quality care we’re providing the community at The Eye, Pennsylvania Ear and Speech and Language Institutes. Senator Street’s district includes The Eye Institute and he serves as the Minority Chairman of the Senate Banking & Insurance Committee and also sits on the Appropriations, Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Health & Human Services, and Urban Affairs & Housing Committees. We’ll discuss scope of practice issues as well as our initiative to have the state designate a line item in the budget to help offset tuition for PA residents and the cost of indigent care with him.

I’d like to remind everyone of today’s (Friday’s) Dean’s Winterfest event, which will be held from 12:30 - 2:30 pm in the Hafter Center. This year’s theme is Winterfest en Blanc. The event will include free food, games, trivia, prizes, an ugly sweater contest, and much more.

Finally, I was sorry to see the Eagles exit the NFL playoffs so early but am still keeping my fingers crossed for the Packers this weekend! I hope everyone has a safe and restful weekend – I’m looking forward to getting back on campus Monday morning – hopefully, celebrating a Packers win!

Mike

The Year of the Optometrist: Week of January 3rd, 2020

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

Welcome to 2020 - “The Year of the Optometrist”! It’s still pretty quiet around the Elkins Park campus, as classes won’t resume until Monday morning. Our clinics have been open, happily staffed by our 4th year students, residents and clinical staff. So, not much to report this week other than we’re all very excited about entering the new year and moving forward with many of the initiatives we’ve been discussing through 2019.

Submissions are now being sought for Community Expressions 2020, featuring the art work of Salus University faculty, students, alumni, staff, spouses and significant others, that will be exhibited from February 4 through March 13 at the Hafter Student Community Center. Participants can write to Elynne Rosenfeld at erosenfeld@salus.edu and should include:

• Name of artist
• Title of work
• Dimensions of work
• Media used
• Price (or indicate not for sale)
• Affiliation with Salus University or the relationship of someone who is affiliated
• Three- to five-sentence statement that can be used for publicity purposes

The deadline for submitting this information is Wednesday, January 29. Eligibility includes 2D work (up to two pieces per artist) drawing, painting, mixed media, photography.

• All work under glass must be framed and all paintings must be wired securely behind the piece
• Work must not extend more than 6 inches from the wall
• Work must not exceed 36 inches in height or width
• No shipping work will be accepted
• No fragile or wet work will be accepted
• No special hanging needs will be considered

Drop-off of the artwork will be from 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday, February 4, at the Hafter Center. Pickup will be Friday, March 13, or by arrangement over the weekend. This is always a fun event where we see all the wonderful artistic talent our staff has to contribute to the event.


For those who have been on campus and have walking around, you might have noticed that there has been a lot of construction-related activities on the 4th floor of the West Wing. We’ve updated restrooms, replaced HVAC systems throughout the building and have totally renovated the Board Room, which is now designed to host our quarterly board meetings as well as serve as a modular classroom that can be fully utilized throughout the academic year.

On Sunday, Dr. Vitek and I will be heading to Israel where we will be meeting with the leadership team at Hadassah Academic College to discuss collaboration with our optometry program. I’ll be meeting with my counterpart to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that helps to move these collaborations forward. We have also been asked to give a few lectures; I’ll be lecturing on public and global health and how optometry fits into these broad areas and the other on leadership lessons learned while I was in the Navy and Dr. Vitek will be lecturing and conducting a workshop on Evidence Based Practice. I’m happy to present any of my lectures to groups at Salus when we get back. As a side note, given today’s current events, we’ll be paying very close attention to the security picture over there, as I’m sure our hosts will be as well.

So, as we enter into the last weekend of vacation for most of our students, we also have sent many students in our Occupational Therapy program off for their clinical rotation year. I wish everyone the very best as they begin their new semesters and rotations. It’s going to be a great year! Have some fun, get some rest and come back Monday ready to hit those books and care for our patients and clients.

Mike