Last Days of Summer: Week of September 18th, 2020

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

I’d like to wish everyone a virtual good morning from our Elkins Park campus. We’re starting to feel a little fall weather, which has been a welcome change from the muggy days of summer – although I suspect we have a few more of those in our future. The campus and clinics have remained busy with our first year students getting into their academic strides both in class and labs and others fully embracing their clinical experiences at TEI, PEI and SLI. I really enjoy seeing the gleam in their eyes what I have the opportunity to walk through these clinics. Of note, I used to see smiles, but that’s a bit difficult with everyone wearing masks.

DIVERSITY LUNCH AND LEARN EVENT: The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee will host a Lunch & Learn event at noon Wednesday, Sept. 23, titled “Interest Convergence in a Time of Pandemic and Police Brutality: How COVID and Growing Authoritarianism Provide an Opening for Solidarity.” The featured speaker will be Tim Wise, one of the most prominent anti-racist writers and educators in the United States and host of the podcast, “Speak Out with Tim Wise.” The event will be held remotely and log-in information will be sent out prior to the event.

NEW SPECIAL ASSISTANT FOR DIVERSITY: I’m pleased to announce that Dr. Juliana M. Mosley has accepted our offer to serve as our inaugural Special Assistant for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Dr. Mosley has 20-plus years of experience in education, most recently, she served as the Chief Diversity, Inclusion and Community Relations Officer at Chestnut Hill College. She previously held several positions in higher education as Vice President for Student Affairs at Lincoln University, Edward Waters College, Marygrove College, and Philander Smith College; the Director of Multicultural Affairs at John Carroll University; the Executive Assistant to the President at Kentucky State University; and High School Business Teacher in the Houston Independent School District. Dr. Mosley earned a PhD in Educational Leadership and MA in Curriculum and Teacher Leadership from Miami University of Ohio, and BS in Business Education from Ball State University. Please welcome her to our Salus community.

SURGEONS GENERAL ROUNDTABLE: Texas Christian University and the University of North Texas School of Medicine Office of Diversity and Inclusion are sponsoring the screening of the documentary Open Season: Racism and Health Disparities, the Two Deadliest Diseases in America. This film is designed to shed light on the current state of emergency and inspire people to go beyond their perceived limitations and become more active participants in what the future of America can be. It will be followed by a LIVE roundtable featuring several former Surgeons General of the United States as they discuss the problem of racial inequity in healthcare and how it can be addressed. You can register for that here.

PANEL ON VOCATIONAL REHAB: Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, for an engaging discussion on the topic of employment and vocational rehabilitation of individuals who are visually impaired. Panelists include key stakeholders, such as employees, vocational rehabilitation counselors, blindness and low vision practitioners, transition coordinators, and parents. Register here.

CLINICAL GRAND ROUNDS: The next Grand Rounds at The Eye Institute will be from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 25. Dr. Tracy Offerdahl will present on the topic: “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly: Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutic Update.” For more information, click here.

NEW DEAN OF CHER: Welcome to James Konopack, PhD, our inaugural dean of the College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation (CHER), whose first day was Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. Dr. Konopack — who earned his PhD in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Exercise Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — comes to us from the School of Business at New Jersey City University in Jersey City, New Jersey, where he was associate dean. His skills will be a tremendous asset to the new college and I look forward to working with him. Read more about Dr. Konopack at salus.edu/JamesKonopack.

FACULTY FOCUS: This week’s Faculty Focus is on Erin Jenewein, OD, MS, an assistant professor, clinical educator and the coordinator for the Pediatric and Vision Therapy residency. She also serves as principal investigator for the CHAMP Study, a myopia control study; and principal investigator for the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG). Read more about Dr. Jenewein at salus.edu/ErinJenewein.

JEWISH NEW YEAR: This evening the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur begins. Rosh Hashanah commemorates the Jewish New Year and marks the beginning of ten days of introspection and repentance that culminates with Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement. Please join me in wishing our Jewish colleagues and friends a Happy and Healthy New Year.

VOTING REMINDER: As I’ve noted in multiple updates, voting is the thing all Americans can do to ensure the preservation of our democracy. Not only is it a right and privilege, but also a responsibility that should be taken very seriously. With the possibility of postal delays, it’s extremely important that if you plan to vote by mail, you plan ahead. Here are the steps to vote by mail in Pennsylvania:

1. Request your mail-in ballot with a mail ballot application.
2. Fill out the application completely.
3. Submit the request to your local election office. You should request your ballot as far in advance of the election as possible. The deadline to request a ballot by mail is (received by) Tuesday, October 27, 2020.
4. When your ballot arrives, read it carefully and follow the instructions to complete it and return it.

If you do decide to vote in person, please ensure you know where your polling place is. For those of you who might be interested in becoming a poll worker for the November election, you can get more information by going to the VotePA website here. No matter what your political affiliation or how you decide to cast it, please vote - it’s a privilege that we tend to take for granted and many have made the ultimate sacrificed for us to exercise.

FINAL THOUGHTS: There has been much in the news about the fires out west, the hurricane down south and continued debates about the efficacy of wearing a face mask. As we begin this last weekend of summer, please keep those affected by the fires and storms in your thoughts and prayers. As healthcare providers, we need to rely on the science that forms the bedrock foundation for all we do. Face masks are probably the most effective preventive tool we currently have until an effective vaccine is broadly distributed. To that end, please ensure you wear your face mask when around others, both inside and outside, continue to practice social distancing and wash your hands frequently. If you’re not feeling well, stay home and talk with your healthcare provider.

Like many institutions, a couple of people within our Salus community have tested positive over the course of the last several months. Because people have been following protocols closely, working in small groups and practicing all the appropriate preventive measures, these have remained isolated and contained. Let’s keep it that way!

Take some time to get out and enjoy the cooler weather this weekend while practicing preventive measures. Remember, what you do off campus will directly affect us all on campus. Be responsible, be safe, remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike