Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Good morning from a cold and very quiet Elkins Park Campus. As a precaution, with few exceptions, most of our students, faculty and staff are off campus following the Thanksgiving break. Our labs and clinics remain open with plans for clinics and the Elkins Park campus to shut down from 24 December – 4 January. Even with limited activities on campus, much has been happening virtually.
AUDIOLOGY LEARNING EXPERIENCE: The Audiology Learning Experience is scheduled from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. today. The program includes a program overview, admissions tips, campus tour and more. It's the first time it will be held virtually and so far, 15 prospective students registered.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Our “Where Are They Now” feature this week focuses on Jenae Stiles, OD ‘17, FAAO, who after graduation started a three-year active duty tour with the U.S. Army. Find out how the training she received at Salus helped her handle some complex cases right at the start of her professional career as an optometrist. Go to salus.edu/JenaeStiles.
TOLAND SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT: The Joseph C. Toland Memorial Scholarship winner this year is Heather McKay ‘22OD from Columbia, Maryland. Read about the unique and fun way that Heather found out she won the award by going to salus.edu/HeatherMcKay.
LENGTH OF SERVICE AWARDS: Although the Salus Holiday Party will not be held as usual this year, an important part of the event — the Length of Service Award presentations — will still be conducted. I’ve recorded a video to acknowledge all faculty and staff who recently celebrated a five-year milestone in 2020. Salus has many dedicated employees who have contributed to the success of the University over the years and we look forward to keeping that prestigious list growing. Look for that video and a story on our website before the holidays.
HAPPY CHANUKAH: As Dr. Mosley-Williams acknowledged yesterday in an email to the University community, today marks the first day of Chanukah. I’d like to wish all of our Jewish colleagues and friends a very happy and healthy Chanukah as they celebrate the Festival of Lights.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Many of you know that I have run several marathons, most recently in Berlin last year. Marathoners often describe “hitting the wall” at around mile 20, something I’ve experienced as well. The advice for overcoming this physical and psychological phenomena is to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other and focusing on the finish line and I can tell you it works. Applying this same advice may help us work through the next few months of the pandemic.
Back in March, we thought the pandemic would be over within a couple of months, as opposed to potentially over a year. Right now, many of us are “hitting the wall”. Some have characterized it as pandemic fatigue. I think what people are feeling right now more closely aligns with human nature. We’re just not built to withstand this level of stress, facing the unknown for long periods of time. That’s why it’s imperative, now, more than ever, to concentrate on placing one foot in front of the other to get to the finish line – remaining safe and healthy. In order to do that, we have to maintain trust in our current protocols. While they have been effective to date, we are discussing ways to augment them to continue to keep us safe.
In addition to conducting testing prior to our “Return to Learn” for the Spring Semester, as more cost-effective testing options become available, we are discussing ways we can augment what we are already doing to keep the Salus Community safe and get us all the way through the pandemic. This could include testing students returning to campus from externship or clerkship sites, where appropriate.
We’re also looking forward to when vaccines are being deployed to the general public. We’ve applied to become a vaccine administration site so we can ensure the Salus Community receives the vaccine in a timely fashion. While not guaranteed, we’re hopeful our application is approved. I realize how stressful and tiring this is for everyone. I ask that you continue to hang in there as we look towards the future. We just need to focus on the finish line and we’ll all get there together, I promise.
So, as we approach this weekend, especially in light of the Governor’s increased pandemic restrictions on indoor dining, indoor gym activities, and the number of people who can congregate inside and out, please try to maintain what the U.S. Surgeon General calls the 3 “W’s” - Wear a face mask, Wash your hands and Watch your distance. Try to get outside - away from others - and enjoy the warmer weather. It won’t be long before it gets much colder!
Please continue to act responsibly and remain SALUS STRONG! If you would like to talk with one of our counselors at CPPD, just hit the link here to get an appointment.
Mike
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