Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Good morning from a much cooler but very busy Elkins Park Campus. As we prepare to celebrate the 4th of July holiday, it’s been a busy week around Salus. We’ve named the new members of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee welcomed our newest Residency class to The Eye Institute and Accelerated Scholars Program students to PCO/Salus. In addition to all this, here are some other notable things happening:
DICE DEAN: Congratulations to Melissa Vitek, OD, FAAO, director of the Department of International and Continuing Education (DICE) and assistant professor, who has been named Dean of DICE (that can be construed very differently if we were in Atlantic City or Las Vegas! Sorry, couldn’t pass that one up!) Dr. Vitek has provided her department with excellent leadership, playing a crucial role in the success and progression of international and continuing education students at Salus University.
BLACK EYECARE PERSPECTIVE: Salus University alumni are leading a dialogue asking for 13 percent Black representation in the optometry community through the Black EyeCare Perspective. In the last story of the three-part series, Essence Johnson, OD ‘10, shares her experiences surrounding her journey to becoming an optometrist, including the PCO Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), which recently relaunched as the Robert E. Horne SEP after a six-year hiatus. Read more about Dr. Johnson here.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: This week's Where Are They Now features Elizabeth Patterson, AuD ‘09, who has been a practicing audiologist for more than a half century, serving as a preceptor to several Salus OCA students over the years. She's developed an expertise in the areas of hearing aids and diagnostic testing for all ages. Read more about Dr. Patterson's career and the wisdom she would like to share with fellow audiologists here.
FOCUS ON NEW FACULTY: The Faculty Focus this week is on Stephanie Holt, OD ‘04, Resident ‘05, who recently joined the faculty as an assistant professor, working and teaching in the Clinical Skills Lab as well as teaching Clinical Problem Solving. Click here to read more about how faculty inspired her as a PCO/Salus student – and an ice hockey player – years ago.
STUDENT HOUSING PODCAST: Join Monae Kelsey, associate director of Student Engagement and assistant director of Admissions at Salus University, as she guides students through all of the housing options, including resources and locations, available to incoming and current Salus students. Click here to listen.
OCA APPOINTMENTS: Bre Myers, AuD ‘06, PhD, CH-AP, three-year track program coordinator and associate professor, has been named assistant dean for Foundations; and Jonette Owen, AuD ‘03, MS, assistant dean for Clinical Education and assistant professor, has been promoted to associate dean for Clinical Education. To read more about the impacts they have made on OCA at Salus and their new roles, click here.
OPTOMETRIC GRAND ROUNDS: The next Grand Rounds at The Eye Institute (TEI) will be from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Friday, July 9. The topic will be "Fluorescent Affliction: A Functional Fix for a Photophobic Patient" presented by Dr. Gabriel Fickett. For more information about Grand Rounds, click here.
MSCHE MOMENT: Our Middle States (MSCHE) accreditation process continues to move forward with our draft self-study completed. We had a very positive initial meeting with the Chairman of the accreditation team earlier this week. She had a couple of recommendations to help bolster the self-study, which we are already addressing.
COVID-19 DELTA VARIANT: There is a great deal of information concerning the Delta variant of the virus currently in the news. While the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended the wearing of facemasks indoors for vaccinated people, the CDC has not followed suit. The WHO must take into consideration all of those countries around the world that have extremely low vaccination rates. CDC’s focus is only on the U.S. We are watching this very carefully and will continue to follow CDC’s guidance. Of note, we are closely monitoring the positivity rates in our region, all of which are well below 0.75%. Vaccine rates are also relatively high, with people over 65 having one or more doses at 99.9% and people older than 12 at about 74%. If things change we will quickly pivot to ensure everyone’s safety.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Like many of you, this year I am very much looking forward to celebrating the 4th of July holiday with family and friends. Unlike last year when we pretty much had to remain home, thanks to safe and effective vaccines, most of us can safely get out and about. No matter what you end up doing for the holiday, whether it be having picnics, enjoying parades and fireworks, or just relaxing at the beach, Independence Day also provides an opportunity to reflect on the true meaning of being an American.
The Declaration of Independence makes it clear that being an American is about much more than the place we call home. It’s a deep commitment to higher principles: equality, liberty, opportunity, and self-governance. As healthcare providers, it also inspires the spirit of caring and respect for others – even if they don’t see the world the same way we do. As we approach this year’s holiday, please take some time to reflect on all the positive things we have in the United States that have enriched our lives and have given us the opportunities to help enrich the lives of others. We’re certainly not perfect – as a nation, we’ve got some important work to do – but compared to other places I’ve been to, we are lucky to be Americans.
Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend. Stay safe, have fun, use lots of sunscreen, stay hydrated, if your unvaccinated, wear your face mask when around others and come back ready to hit the deck running SALUS STRONG!
Mike
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