Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Greetings from a rather soggy and cool Elkins Park. It’s been another busy week at Salus with many of our students preparing for exams, continuing with their virtual and in-person classes and labs and seeing patients in clinic.
PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL RECIPIENTS: Congratulations to two more Presidential Medal of Honor recipients, Fern Silverman, EdD, OTR/L, and Neal Nyman, OD, BS. Dr. Silverman originally came to Salus in 2013 during the Occupational Therapy (OT) program’s infancy and then three years later helped launch the Doctoral Program in Occupational Therapy (OTD). Read more about Dr. Silverman here. Dr. Nyman, a well-respected clinician who easily imparted knowledge to his interns and residents alike, greatly expanded the way PCO approached both ethics and patient-doctor communications prior to his retirement in 2019. Read more about Dr. Nyman here.
AUDIOLOGY STUDENT PANEL DISCUSSION: Earlier this month, Katie McGovern ‘23AUD, was one of three student panelists to participate in the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) discussion titled “Office Hours: Don't Get Spooked by Grad School Applications.” Read about Katie’s experience here.
DR. J HAS ARRIVED!: Salus will have its own “Dr. J.” starting Nov. 1 when Juliana Mosley, PhD, officially starts as the University’s inaugural Special Assistant to the President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Read more about Dr. Mosley here.
LGBTQIA+ MONTH: To recognize LGBTQIA+ History Month, the Communications Department sat down with the Sexuality & Gender Alliance at Salus (SAGAS). Sean Lewis ‘23OD, president of the LGBTQIA+ organization at Salus, and Camille Menns '21OT explained how to be a better ally. View Camille’s full interview here. View Sean’s full interview here.
VISION THERAPY PROGRAM: Salus University and the Academy of Ophthalmic Education are presenting “A Comprehensive Foundational Program in Vision Therapy: A 100-Hour Program Model,” featuring the first live webinars with Q&A and 70 hours of theory/didactics. Online lectures begin Nov. 5 and go through May 2021. The program is for optometrists and vision therapists interested in incorporating or enhancing binocular vision diagnosis and treatment in their practice. It has been endorsed by COVD (College of Optometry in Vision Development) and meets the 100- hour requirement for fellowship to COVD. For more information, click here.
JOSEPH C. TOLAND CE PROGRAM: The Dr. Joseph C. Toland 30th annual Excellence in Education conference will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. Topics and speakers will include:
- Glaucoma Myth Busters & IOP Adjusters with Alissa Coyne, OD, FAAO and Andrew Meagher, OD, FAAO
- Real World Applications of Emerging Technologies and Treatments with Leslie O’Dell, OD, FAAO
- Dry Eye and the Surgical Patient with Leslie O’Dell, OD, FAAO
- Contact Lens Troubleshooting with Nicholas Gidosh, OD, FAAO
- Myopia Control Updates with Nicholas Gidosh, ID, FAAO
For more information and to register, click here.
HALLOWEEN SAFETY: When celebrating Halloween, whether you have a hearing impairment or not, keep several safety tips in mind. Trick-or-treating in the dark can make it more difficult to see certain things and also to hear in your surroundings. Read more about that here. Halloween is also a time for spooky costumes. For some, cosmetic contact lenses are the perfect accent to their festive and ghoulish attire. However, according to our own experts and other health officials, wearing these cosmetic accessories can come with a price and people are warned to steer clear of these potential dangers. Read more here.
VOTE: Voting is the one essential responsibility we all have to ensure our democratic process endures. If you have not already dropped off or mailed in your election ballot or if you plan to vote in person, please ensure you plan ahead as lines likely will be long on election day. No matter what your political leanings, please cast your vote!
FINAL THOUGHTS - BUILDING RESILIENCY: We are entering the ninth month of working through the challenges and taking advantage of some of the opportunities presented by the global COVID-19 pandemic. As an institution, thanks to the hard work of all of you – faculty, students and staff – we have come through this reasonably well, to date. You have pivoted to online teaching and learning, conducted labs and clinics in a somewhat restrictive environment and continued to make progress towards the completion of your professional degrees. This hasn’t been easy for anyone, but together we have overcome many hurdles along the way together. One of the silver linings of this public health emergency has been our ability to provide online continuing education to a much broader audience and improve our ability to teach and learn virtually. Along with this, I also believe we have all been building our resiliency along the way.
Gever Tulley, a writer and entrepreneur suggests that, “persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” I couldn’t agree more. We’ve all been working together over the course of the past nine months doing exactly that! As healthcare professionals, I believe that building resilience is an important part of our professional growth. No matter what profession you are part of, you will always be faced with situations that require strength and resilience to succeed. The stress we are feeling now is normal and while it may sound like a cliché, it will make us all stronger and more resilient in the long run.
This doesn’t mean there aren’t things you can do to help alleviate the stress associated with all this. Changing your daily routines, socializing virtually with friends and loved ones or in small groups outdoors, getting outside to exercise or just taking a walk to enjoy the fall colors are all helpful activities. Additionally, both students and faculty should make an extra effort to talk with each other about how you are doing and how you are feeling. Looking out for each other is essential. I also know that each of your programs, as well as Student Affairs, are working on ways to help reduce stress levels. Learning coping skills is all part of all of our professional growth. And, take it from me, you never stop learning those.
As we work our way through the pandemic, events surrounding the upcoming election, social and racial unrest on top of the stress caused by the high workloads you all are encountering in your programs, please reflect on the words of Helen Keller who said, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” It’s not easy nor is there a simple formula for all of this – nothing worth doing is. I can assure you that we are all in this together and we will work with you. When we come out on the other end, whenever that will be, we all will be stronger and more resilient. Lean on each other, lean on us and if you feel you’d like to speak with a counselor, you can always make an appointment with our experts at CPPD or through Human Resources.
The rain should stop later today and it should be a nice, cool Halloween weekend. If you decide to go out and partake in Halloween festivities, please continue to social distance, wear your face mask and wash your hands frequently. What you do off campus affects all of us on campus.
Be safe, take some time to relax and remain SALUS STRONG!
Mike
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