Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board members and Friends,
Good morning from a sunny but cold and windy Elkins Park campus. While all the snow provided a very pretty picture, it’s nice to see most of it gone – at least for now! It’s been another busy week with more students on campus for in-person, socially distanced classes and multiple labs. Our clinics have remained as busy as possible under the current occupancy restrictions.
SLP PODCAST SERIES: In part seven of our ongoing podcast series about the Speech-Language Pathology program at Salus, department chair and program director Bob Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, speaks with Bridget Turnbach, MS ‘17, who is an Speech-Language Pathologist at The Therapy Spot, a pediatric multidisciplinary clinic in Baltimore, Maryland, about how Salus prepared her to to practice her profession. Click here to listen to that conversation.
GORDON FAMILY LEGACY: The Gordon family has a robust legacy at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO). Patriarch Mark Gordon, OD ‘71, built a successful practice in Maryland and was followed into the family practice by daughter Shoshana (Gordon) Cohen, OD ‘96, and son Joshua Gordon, OD ‘99. Read more about the family at salus.edu/GordonFamily.
INTERPROFESSIONAL RESEARCH PAPER PUBLISHED: A research paper entitled “Efficacy of an Intervention to Teach Zippering,” by a group of interdisciplinary faculty members from Salus that includes Fern Silverman, EdD, OTR/L, Carrie Knight, PhD, CCC-SLP, and Anna Grasso, MS, OTR/L, CAPS, has been published in the March/April 2021 issue of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy that supports the use of a modified zippering vest with added visual and language clues to teach zippering skills to preschool children. Congratulations to all on this important research project.
SLP AWARDED GRANT: The Salus University Department of Speech-Language Pathology was awarded a one-time grant from the LENA Foundation to Launch LENA Start, a parent program that uses regular feedback from LENA's "talk pedometer" technology to help increase interactive talk in order to close the early talk gap, improve school readiness, and build stronger families. This grant will enable the faculty and students of the SLP Department to work with 100 families over the next two years to help parents and caregivers learn about the importance of interactive talk along with ways to incorporate more conversation into their daily routines.
ATTENTION FIRST YEAR STUDENTS: The Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) and the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) has teamed up to launch SocialConnections20, a program designed to connect you with your peers. We understand that you are missing connecting with both your cohort members and the student body at large. Although we can't provide those opportunities right now, CPPD and OSA have created a program to connect you with peers who share your interests. A sign up link was sent to your salus.edu email from compatibility-mentor@compatibilitymentor.com to create a Compatibility profile and complete the survey to match you with fellow first year students. Once the 'pods' or groups are established, the SocialConnections20 team will be in touch with next steps on how to connect with your group. If you have any questions about the program or need to have the survey link sent again, please contact them at connections20@salus.edu.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Check out the details on three virtual events we’ve recently had that addressed vaccine hesitancy, building resilience and unconscious bias hosted by our Black Student Union (BSU), Bennett Career Services Center (BCSC) and Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) and Dr. Juliana Mosley-Williams, our assistant to the president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Go to salus.edu/VirtualEvents.
FINAL THOUGHTS: As we march towards the anniversary of one full year since the global pandemic brought life to a screeching halt, I thought it might be nice to share a bit of good news with everyone. On Thursday, I was informed that the University received the assets left to us from the Dr. Robert Henry trust, which totaled $418,000. Based on instructions in the Trust, that money is restricted for scholarships for the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. Since its inception thirteen years ago, the Trust has been providing scholarship funds for PCO students. We estimate the total value of this gift surpasses $530,000, to include the scholarship money received in prior years, which makes it one of the most generous gifts the institution has received.
Dr. Henry was a 1935 graduate of the Pennsylvania State College of Optometry and he served in the U.S. Navy for twenty-six years, serving as the Head of Optometry for part of his tour. He spent most of his time Navy time in Pensacola, Florida.
Establishing a trust with the University or any of our colleges as the primary beneficiary is an example of how planned giving can have a significant impact later on. Dr. Henry’s original gift, which started out as a fraction of what we see today, will have a significant impact on those students who are lucky enough to receive the scholarship that is in his name. This philanthropic example is something we all should consider as we look to keep Salus moving forward well into the future.
As we look to the weekend, it’s going to another cold one but the weather wizards are promising some 60-degree days next week, and that’s something to look forward to! Please try to bundle up and get outside to enjoy the sunshine, even with the colder temperatures. Remember to continue to double mask, socially distance and wash your hands frequently. Even as more of us get vaccinated, it’s important to remain vigilant.
So stay safe, take some time to recharge and remain SALUS STRONG!
Mike
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