Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Good morning! It’s a bit soggy and cool around campus but that hasn’t dulled the spirits of our students, faculty and staff as they’ve continued their didactic, lab and clinical studies. Much is happening on and around campus that I’d like to share this morning:
PRESIDENTIAL MEDALS AND ALUMNI AWARDS: Tonight we are celebrating the 2020 Presidential Medal of Honor recipients during a virtual event that will premiere at 6 p.m., featuring acceptance remarks from our award winners. Please join in with the link salus.edu/presidentsmedals. In addition, we are recognizing the 2020 Alumni Association Award recipients with an online event at salus.edu/alumni-awards. Our alumni awardees reflected on their memories at Salus and expressed their gratitude for the special recognition. I hope you watch both events and enjoy the shows!
IMPACT OF ELECTION RESULTS: Thanks to Dr. Juliana “Dr. J.” Mosley for setting up our latest Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee Lunch and Learn, this week featuring one of her colleagues, Dr. Jeffrey Carroll, assistant professor of Political Science and the chair of the Center for Data & Society at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia. The timely topic was “2020 Election Results, National Impact and Marginalized Populations,” and provided a spirited discussion about several important topics related to the election. Thanks to Dr. Carroll for his insights. Keep an eye on our website for a story detailing the event.
PA LONG WHITE COATS: Congratulations to the Physician Assistant Class of 2020, which held its Long White Coat virtual ceremony last night, honoring 48 graduates. It was great to see everyone and participate in the ceremony.
SEP COMEBACK: The Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), initially started in 1977 by Robert E. Horne, was offered every summer for 39 years continuously until its hiatus in 2015. Now, thanks to a generous grant from National Vision, America’s Best, the program will be returning under the direction of Ruth Shoge, OD ‘06, Resident ‘07. Read more about the program at salus.edu/SummerEnrichment.
BATTLING THE PANDEMIC: While we’re still taking the proper precautions to battle COVID-19, check out a behind-the-scenes story about how our University team has managed the pandemic to this point, particularly the process that enabled a successful pivot to virtual instruction over the course of a weekend and what steps were taken to get our students, faculty and staff safely back to campus on a limited basis. Read more at salus.edu/PandemicBattle.
BLVS AND EMPLOYMENT: The Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) at Salus University recently hosted a panel discussion, in partnership with Penn State Abington Rehabilitation and Human Services (RHS) Program, called “Employment and Vocational Rehabilitation of Individuals Who are Visually Impaired” to educate current students and practitioners who are employed or seeking employment. For the first of a three-part Q&A series on our website, go to salus.edu/BLVSemployPart1.
FINAL THOUGHTS: COVID-19 cases have been dramatically increasing across the country to the point where we have surpassed the number of cases seen back in March and April (see graph). Our own region has not been immune from these increases. It’s imperative that we all continue to be remain vigilant when it comes to wearing our masks, socially distancing and practicing good hand hygiene. The CDC announced that there is growing evidence that face masks also protect those who are wearing one, so there’s another good reason to put that face mask on.
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday in a couple of weeks, there will be temptations to see friends and family members you haven’t seen in a while. I would caution you not to take chances and to resist the temptation to gather, even in small groups, given the rise in infections across the region. Most of the current spread has been linked to small family gatherings and sporting events. The last thing you want to do is get infected, infect family members or return to campus after the holidays and spread the virus here. I realize how difficult this is, but we all need to practice good judgement going into the holidays.
Most of you have heard the good news concerning the Pfizer vaccine, which has been shown to be 90% effective against the virus. While this is great news, the vaccine is still awaiting FDA approval and it will be several months after that before the vaccine is distributed to the public. While there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it’s imperative that we remain vigilant until we get there - which we will. In the meantime, if you haven’t already downloaded the COVID Alert PA app to aid in contact tracing efforts, I strongly encourage you to do that. Here’s the link: COVID Alert PA app.
Related to all this, there have been almost 400 flu cases confirmed in the state so far. If you haven’t already gotten your flu vaccine, please try to get that done this weekend. The weekend looks to be a typical Fall weekend, so please get outside to get some fresh air and enjoy what’s left of the Fall leaves. Remember to wear your face mask, socially distance and wash your hands frequently. What you do off campus affects all of us on campus!
Be safe, be smart, remain SALUS STRONG!
Mike
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