Keeping COVID Victims in Our Thoughts: Week of April 2nd, 2021

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,

It’s been a relatively short week. I know that students, faculty and staff have been busy preparing for board exams and clinical practicals, in addition to attending virtual and in-person classes and providing patient care in our clinics. Here’s some of what’s going on around our Salus Community:

HOLY DAYS: This time of year includes several cultural and holy days that are significant to many in our community: 

• Passover (March 28 - April 4) — The Jewish holiday observed for eight days (sundown to sundown) celebrates the Israelites being freed from slavery in Egypt.
• Holi (March 29) — An annual Hindu festival held in the spring to signify the triumph of good over evil, the end of winter, and the arrival of spring and the harvest.
• Holy Week (March 28 - April 4) — Holy Week is a Christian observance from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, as a time of devotion to the Passion of Jesus, who died on Good Friday and rose on Easter Sunday to give new life to all who believe.

SAVE THE DATE: Mark your calendars for this year’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) Externship Celebration. The virtual event will be held on April 27, 2021, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of the Class of 2022 as they journey into externship. This year's event will be interactive with trivia and a few other surprises. Please click here to RSVP to the event.

BEHIND THE SCENES: In the latest episode of “Behind the Scenes at TEI,” we get some insights from Jeffrey Nyman, OD, FAAO, director of emergency services at The Eye Institute (TEI), and its most senior staff member. The nature of emergency care can be unpredictable, but Dr. Nyman gives us an inside look at how his day unfolds. To read more, click here. 

FACULTY FOCUS: This week’s Faculty Focus is on Amy Lustig, PhD, MPH, CCC-SLP, assistant professor in the University’s Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program. Dr. Lustig plays guitar, piano, percussion and sings. For years she has had a particular interest in Afro-Cuban and Brazilian folkloric music. Find out more about Dr. Lustig here.

NEW CLASS OF RESIDENTS: Congratulations to the class of newly matched PCO optometry residents. They will be honing their skills in Primary Care/Ocular Disease, Pediatrics/Vision Therapy, Low Vision Rehabilitation, Cornea/Contact Lens and Neuro Ophthalmic Disease. We look forward to seeing you at The Eye Institute this summer!

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Check in on Alexandra Kistner, MS ‘17, and how her career has progressed since graduation in this week’s “Where Are They Now.” A member of the inaugural Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) class in 2015, she is now a speech therapist in the Central Bucks School District in Pennsylvania. To read more about Alexandra, go here.

VACCINE AVAILABILITY: Vaccine availability is becoming more ubiquitous in our region. It’s taken a while to get there but by the middle of this month, any person over the age of sixteen will be eligible. What has been incredible about these new vaccines is how effective (100%) they have been proven to be against severe COVID disease and hospitalizations. If you have not yet had the opportunity to receive either the Johnson & Johnson, Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, here’s a link to the Commonwealth’s website that will explain the vaccine rollout timeline and help guide you to one of many pharmacies in the area where vaccines will be available. I strongly encourage all of you to get vaccinated as soon as you can. Once you are vaccinated, here is the CDC guidance that outlines what you should and should not do.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As we look forward to having 4-days off from class, clinic and work, I ask that you take a few moments to remember all those who have lost their lives to COVID. To date, over 552,000 Americans have died, with the global toll over 2.8 million people. While we are not yet out of the woods, your perseverance, resiliency, creativity and stamina have allowed all of us to weather this storm better than most. That said, now is NOT the time to let our guard down. We must continue to be vigilant in all we do, even if we’re vaccinated, to help stem the spread of the virus. To that end, please continue to wear your double face mask when around others who are not in your immediate circles and are unvaccinated, continue to socially distance and wash your hands frequently.

Over the course of these next four days, try to take some time for yourselves and get out and enjoy the nice weather. Fresh air and exercise are great for rejuvenating yourself both physically and mentally!

We wish everyone celebrating Passover, Easter or Holi peaceful and restful holidays.

Finally, we are SALUS STRONG because of your unyielding commitment to excellence in everything you do. I look forward to seeing you around campus and clinics next week. Stay safe, stay active and continue to look out for one another.

Mike