Dear Salus Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Good morning from a rather frigid Elkins Park campus! I hope everyone is staying warm and safe. Even with the cold weather upon us, our campus has been a hotbed of activity between clinical labs, some face-to-face lectures, virtual teaching and learning and busy clinics. In addition to the academic and clinical activities occurring on campus, we’ve also been busy with other events.
ADVOCACY FOR COVID RELIEF & FINANCIAL AID EQUITY: As most of you know, Salus has been the beneficiary of the two prior COVID relief bills passed by Congress. Those additional funds have helped to offset student expenses as well as purchase PPE, Return to Learn and other COVID testing and help to offset our clinical income losses. New COVID relief legislation proposed by the current administration, CARES ACT III – The American Recovery Plan, currently does not include independent colleges and universities, such as ours. Along with other university & college presidents in our region, I have written to our Congressional delegation asking them to ensure our educational sector is included in the bill. Additionally, we have asked Congress to change the rules addressing Federal Student Aid to allow graduate students to compete for Pell Grants and low-interest student loans. Currently, both of these programs are open only to undergraduate students.
I have attached a sample letter you can feel free to personalize, in addition to links to contact information for your Congressional delegations. This is really important, so please take a few minutes this weekend to let Congress know how they can continue to help our students and institution get through this pandemic.
A CHAT WITH DR. J: I hope you had a chance to participate in the recent virtual chat with Dr. Juliana Mosley-Williams, our Special Assistant to the President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The session provided the opportunity for people to hear from and engage with Dr. J. in a conversation about the University’s DEI initiatives since she has come on board. Please feel free to reach out to her at any time with input and suggestions.
PARTNERING WITH OTHERS: After receiving an invitation to join the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education (SEPCHE), Salus is now a member of the group of nine independent higher education institutions in the Greater Philadelphia region. We are the only graduate-level school in the consortium. The goal of the group is to facilitate collaboration and help improve the quality and efficiency of academic programming, student access, faculty development, institutional operations and community outreach through a wide range of shared activities, services, technology and information. You can learn more about SEPCHE here.
NEW PODCAST SERIES: We have a new podcast series that takes a look at what goes on behind the scenes during a typical day for a doctor at The Eye Institute. Check out the episode with Erin Kenny, OD ‘15, FAAO, Resident ‘16, chief of the William Feinbloom Vision Rehabilitation Center, here.
DYNAMIC DUOS: Don’t forget to register for “Dynamic Duos,” a unique and comprehensive lecture discussion scheduled for Feb. 7. Topics and speakers include “Get to Know Your MIGS” with Dr. G. Richard Bennett and Dr. Andrew Meagher; “Stepwise Strategy to Optimize Ocular Surface Disease Outcomes" with Dr. Clark Chang and Dr. Brandon Ayres; “Medical Artificial Iris Implantation: Why, When and How” with Dr. Chang and Dr. Ayres; and “Expanding Scope of Practice: OCT to OCT-A” with Dr. Byung Josh Kim and Dr. Carlo Pelino. To register, click here.
WELCOME TO NEW BOARD MEMBERS: Please join me in welcoming three new members of the Salus Board of Trustees: Kate Kinslow is the Executive Vice President/Chief Integration Officer of Jefferson Health System. Emily Turner is Vice President of the Investment Management Division at Goldman Sachs in Philadelphia. Shannon Tornoe is founder/principal of Coast to Coast Insurance Brokers in Radnor, Pennsylvania. The time, energy and expertise our Board members brings to Salus makes us a stronger, more effective institution. Welcome aboard to all of our new members!
VIRTUAL ALE: Last month we held our Audiology Learning Experience (ALE) and for the first time, it was a virtual event. It is designed to expand awareness with undergraduate students about the audiology profession and the Doctor of Audiology (AuD) program at the University’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA). Read more about it at salus.edu/ALE2020.
TYPES OF HEARING LOSS: Not all hearing loss is the same. The type of hearing loss you have depends on what part of your hearing is damaged. Read more about the four types of hearing loss here.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Who would have thought that back in March we’d still be in the throes of this global pandemic? Well, here we are, almost eleven months in with an end in sight. As the vaccine rollout begins, albeit, slowly, that light at the end of the tunnel we’ve talked about for months now, is getting a little brighter. Now is not the time to relax, but rather become even more vigilant with preventive measures. There are multiple new strains circulating around the globe, to include here in PA. The good news is that experts tell us the current vaccines will be effective against them. The bad news is that some of these strains might be up to 70% more transmissible.
Moving forward, it’s going to be extremely important to double down on social distancing, wearing your face mask and hand washing. Some experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, are recommending double masking when out in public, as it will be more effective than a single mask. At the very least, any cloth mask you wear should be two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric. And, of course, they’re only effective if worn properly, over your nose and mouth.
I know several of you have either received your first vaccine dose or are on the schedule to receive it. Once you are fully vaccinated, nothing you do now should change. While that may sound counterintuitive, until more people are vaccinated we must maintain the current course. I suspect (now don’t hold me to this) by late summer, we can begin to relax our precautions and slowly move toward some degree of normalcy. Until then, it is essential that everyone continues to social distance, wear a face mask (or two), and wash hands frequently. As an institution, we have weathered this storm extremely well, thanks to all of you following these guidelines. Let’s not let things slip now!
As we begin this very cold weekend, I encourage you to bundle up, soak up some vitamin D from the sun and get some fresh air. Continue to follow all of the COVID precautions and stay SALUS STRONG!
Have a great weekend!
Mike
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