Christmas Eve Message: Week of December 24th, 2021

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

Good morning on a cold Christmas Eve morning from Elkins Park. The campus has been pretty quiet with students headed home and faculty and staff completing their end of semester chores.

The campus and clinics will be closed next week to give everyone some well-deserved time off to rest, relax and recharge with families and friends. I, for one, have been looking forward to the respite!

As we continue to closely monitor the upsurge of the Omicron variant, please continue to be vigilant in wearing your mask when around crowds indoors and outside and when indoors when not with your normal circle of friends and family. Also, social distance when you can and continue to wash your hands frequently. Continuing to take these basic preventive steps will help to keep everyone healthy and safe.

I know there may be questions concerning what we will be doing on campus following the holiday break. After the break, we will again de-densify the university in order to allow for the continuation of in-person classes, labs and clinics. Since each of our programs have different requirements, deans and directors will determine if their classes will be in-person, hybrid or virtual. All labs and clinics will remain in-person. Students can expect communications from their programs shortly as to how their classes will be conducted at the start of Spring semester. Our random COVID testing protocols will continue on campus with the start of the semester, with more details to follow in early January.

Finally, the Navy has had a long-standing tradition that whoever has the “watch” on Christmas Eve was expected to write a poem in the ship’s logbook that was based on the poem, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”. We continued that tradition in our Naval hospitals and other shore-based locations. In sharing this tradition at Salus, I leave you with this as you prepare to enjoy the holidays: 

‘Twas the day before Christmas, when all through the campus,

Not a student was stirring in clinics or classes;

The finals were finished, the grades were prepared,

In hopes that an “A” soon would be there;

The pandemic continues its march through the year,

And even with that, we have all persevered;

With most of us vaxxed and boosters in sight,

New therapeutics will sure ease our plight.

Past Alpha, and Delta and Omicron too;

We hope for no masks and toasting with you.

For now, masks and distancing make up our norm,

Handwashing, and testing online through the storm.

While we wait for that time when all will be right,

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa to all and to all a good night!

Have a great holiday. Stay safe, get some rest and continue to be SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Thanks For All You've Done to Make This Semester Safe and Successful: Week of December 17th, 2021

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

Good morning on a very pleasant morning that feels more like March than mid- December! This week many of our students are finishing finals, while others complete these virtually. While things have been winding down on campus, other activities are buzzing:

SALUS STAFF HOLIDAY PARTY: Thanks to Maura Keenan and her HR staff for organizing a high-energy, virtual holiday party last evening. Over 75 people “zoomed in” for an evening of music, games and virtual dancing! It was great to see folks having fun with their family members on screen - hopefully, next year we can do this safely, in person! 

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Our latest Staff Spotlight features Jaime Schulang, who has been working in the Financial Aid office for the past 15 years. Through this position, she especially enjoys helping students achieve their career goals with financial assistance and has even performed at the Academy of Music! Learn more about Jaime’s many talents here.

PODCAST SERIES: In part two of our Biomedicine podcast series, Dr. Mitchell Scheiman, dean of Research and director of Graduate Programs in Biomed, explains how earning this degree can advance students’ careers in addition to sharing sound advice and tips. While last week we featured the podcast, this week we share the Q&A. Read more here. 

FIRST GEN VIDEOS: Recently, the Office of Communications launched a new series of video interviews with some of our first generation students. Learn more about their journeys, unique stories, and why they chose Salus here.

NEW CHIEF OF STAFF: As I announced last week, Beth Moy started as our new Chief of Staff. Previously serving as the executive director of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education (SEPCHE), of which Salus is a member, Beth was aware of the University’s “community of excellence” well before her arrival. To learn more about Beth, click here. 

WINTER COAT DRIVE: Students at Salus have been busy this holiday season donating time and service in support our community. The main lobby of the Elkins Park campus has been overflowing – with winter coats, that is! The Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) is still collecting new and used coats through Dec. 20. All donations are being made to Face to Face – a human services organization dedicated to the health, well-being, and stability of our Philadelphia community. 

FACULTY FOCUS: This week’s Faculty Focus features Jeffrey Nyman, OD, an associate professor and director of Emergency Services at The Eye Institute. It’s been 44 years since Dr. Nyman joined the faculty at PCO, and he’s been instrumental growing and advancing the profession and College. Read more here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As we prepare for our holiday break beginning later next week, my personal thanks to each of you for making this challenging semester successful and safe. A special “thank you” to our Covid Advisory Committee and Deans and Directors who continue to provide guidance and advice on how best to keep us all healthy allowing our educational mission to advance without missing a beat. As many of you travel home to be with families and friends, please try to maintain the same level of vigilance you’ve been doing while here. Take this time to recharge and relax. Wishing you and your family a healthy and safe holiday season.

One last reminder to get your flu shot if you haven’t and to get that booster as soon as you’re eligible. Together we are SALUS STRONG! See you in the New Year!

Mike

Importance of Getting Your Booster Now: Week of December 10th, 2021

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

Greetings from a chilly Elkins Park campus. It’s been another busy week at Salus as we wind down the semester. Some students are already off-campus completing virtual final exams while others are still in clinic and doing practical exams in labs. In addition to all of this, here are points of interest for your review:

PODCAST SERIES: In part one of our new Biomedicine podcast series, we hear from Dr. Mitchell Scheiman, dean of Research and director of Graduate Programs in Biomedicine. He talks to us about the uniqueness of the Biomedicine program and how it can advance any healthcare career. Listen to it here.

BLIND TENNIS: Richard Feldstein, OD ‘62, has been playing tennis for more than 75 years. His love of the sport combined with his passion for helping people as an optometrist led him to Highland Park Tennis Club in Pittsburgh, a clinic teaching blind children and adults ages six to 80 to play tennis. Dr. Feldstein offers his consulting expertise at the Pittsburgh club where he's made significant contributions to a research project that now runs in conjunction with the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Read more about Dr. Feldstein's impact here.

O&M PILOT PROJECT: A pilot program developed and implemented by the University's Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) department in partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, specifically for Vanderbilt’s on-staff Physical Therapists (PTs), provided Orientation and Mobility (O&M) skills-based training PTs could offer their patients. Read more about the extremely unique opportunity we are thrilled to offer with Vanderbilt here.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Our latest Staff Spotlight features someone with whom I have the pleasure of working every day. After serving first PCO, and then the University for a total of 30 years, most of you already know Lisa Lonie, who serves as my executive assistant keeping the office running smoothly. She's the best! As you will see by clicking here, Lisa has many talents and interests!

MEET THE CAST OF THE COLLEGE TOUR: In our next profile on the cast of The College Tour, meet Ashka Patel '23OD. During the show's "Building Community" segment, Ashka described her experience providing care to patients in the University’s clinical facilities first and foremost and then at local elementary schools and abroad to places like Panama treating underserved populations. Read more about Ashka here.

AUDIOLOGY GRAND ROUNDS: The next Audiology Grand Rounds will be today, Dec. 10 at 12:15 p.m. Kris Such will present on “Dementia & Adapting Testing Procedures to the Condition.” Click here to join the meeting.

FACULTY AND STAFF GIFTS: Don't forget to pick up your Salus hoodie sweatshirts and large Salus umbrellas for all (regular FT/PT) faculty and staff. Academic Affairs is giving out the gifts to faculty and academic administrative staff. Union and administrative staff can stop by the new Human Resources located on the 4th floor of the Breyer Office Park building at the Elkins Park campus to grab your gifts. Human Resources will also be at The Eye Institute (TEI) today to continue with distribution. 

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY HOLIDAY FUNDRAISER: Help Pi Theta Epsilon, the Occupational Therapy honor society, meet their goal of raising $1,000 for OT research in the St. Catherine Challenge. You have a couple more days to participate in the holiday fundraiser by purchasing Gertrude Hawk Chocolates. Order your chocolates by Dec. 12 by placing your order here.

TOY DRIVE: The National Physician Assistant Student Society (NPASS) is asking for support with a Marine Toys for Tots Drive to support children in our community. Happening now through Dec. 13, they are seeking new, unwrapped toys to donate to local children. The drop-off location is a large, white Toys for Tots bin outside the cafeteria at the Elkins Park campus. Monetary donations can also be made via QR code available on the collection box. For more information, please visit https://www.toysfortots.org/Default.aspx.

FINAL THOUGHTS: We have been closely following the Omicron variant, especially the studies that have been looking at the efficacy of our vaccines. The most recent laboratory studies suggest that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, with a booster, offers good protection against the variant. Given Moderna is also an mRNA vaccine, many have suggested that it will perform similarly. Thanks to all who have already taken the initiative to get a booster. To our students, I strongly encourage you to get your booster prior to heading home for the holiday break. If you can’t, please get a booster while home prior to returning to campus in January. To Salus faculty and staff, now is the time to get your booster.

In addition to Montgomery County facilities, many nearby pharmacies provide boosters: 

• Yorktown Pharmacy
• Walgreens
• CVS
• Riteaid
• Walmart

Let’s aim to have everyone on campus “boosted” by February 1st. It’s the only way to ensure our health and safety as a campus community and stay ahead of these threats.

Between the Omicron COVID-19 variant, final exams, preparing for externships and everything else swirling around us, our stress levels are understandably high. Over the holiday break, I’d like to suggest that you use that time as a mental health respite. Take the time to mentally disengage, unwind, enjoy being with your friends and families, get outside, get some exercise (in anticipation of all the great food we’ll enjoy during the holidays), rest and recharge for the upcoming semester. As always, counselors in the Center for Personal and Professional Development are available to talk with students. For benefit-eligible employees, Unum has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) providing unlimited access to consultants by telephone ((800) 854-1446), in addition to other resources.

Many students have already left campus since some of our final exams are being administered virtually. While we take all appropriate precautions to prevent the spread of the virus, even if you are fully vaccinated with a booster, continue to wear a mask when around large groups, both inside and outdoors, socially distance when you can and wash your hands frequently. Remember, what you do off campus, even during the break, can directly affect all of us on campus.

Enjoy the weekend, especially Saturday, when the temperatures are supposed to get close to 70, continue to look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Get Your Booster/3rd Shot Now: Week of December 3rd, 2021

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

Good morning from a blustery Elkins Park campus where most of our students begin finals. Wishing our students and faculty an successful end to a very full semester! Even as the final exam cycle of the semester commences, many other activities have been occurring on and off campus:

BLVS ADMISSIONS: In our latest podcast, we talk with Candida Mulligan, admissions officer in the University's Office of Admissions. She talks about the Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) program, and tips and tricks for applications. Listen to it here.

STAFF SPOTLIGHTS: Two new Staff Spotlights feature Stella Lee, who works in our Finance department, and Andrew Rohe, a security officer at Salus. Get to know more about Stella here as well as Andrew and his work beyond Salus as a performance coach here.

MEET THE CAST OF THE COLLEGE TOUR: In our next profile on the cast of The College Tour, meet Sonja Makitan ‘23OD. For the on-campus programs at Salus, a large percentage of the student body hail straight from undergraduate institutions with the average age being 23-years-old. But for Sonja, this is not the case. Although she is a traditional Doctor of Optometry student, she took a non-traditional route to the University’s Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO). Read more about Sonja here.

FACULTY AND STAFF GIFTS: Last year, Academic Affairs and Human Resources purchased Salus hoodie sweatshirts for all faculty and staff around Nov/Dec. Unfortunately, they took so long to come in, we decided to give them out this winter. This year, Human Resources purchased large Salus umbrellas for all (regular FT/PT) faculty and staff. Hoodies and umbrellas for faculty will be distributed by Academic Affairs sometime in the upcoming weeks. Hoodies and umbrellas for staff will be distributed by Human Resources around the same time. Be on the lookout for emails regarding distribution/pick up.

OT HOLIDAY FUNDRAISER: Pi Theta Epsilon, the Occupational Therapy honor society, is participating in the St. Catherine Challenge to raise money for OT research. The goal is to reach $1,000 with a holiday fundraiser through Gertrude Hawk Chocolates. To order your chocolates, place your order here. The fundraiser is underway now and runs through Dec 12.

A DAY IN THE LIFE: Check out “A Day In the Life” featuring second-year Physician Assistant (PA) student Lauren Wychowski. She is currently in her third rotation, which is pediatrics. Read more about a typical day for Lauren here.

SLI SUPPORT GROUP: Join Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, the chair and program director of the Speech-Language Pathology department, as he moderates a podcast that focuses on the Traumatic Brain Injury Group at the Speech-Language Institute (SLI). He is joined by one of its members as well as the supervisor and two students who have had the pleasure of working within the group. Click here to listen. 

COCHLEAR IMPLANT WORKSHOP: Thahira Kallumurikkal ‘22AUD was an audiologist in India for 14 years, but decided she wanted to upgrade her skills. That’s why she decided to enter the MSc in Clinical Audiology program in Salus University’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) where she had the opportunity to attend the College’s Cochlear Implant Workshop from Nov. 2-5. Read how beneficial the program was according to Kallumurikkal and other OCA students here. 

HOLIDAY TRADITION: For those who stayed local this holiday, the University provided a complimentary “Turkey Gobbler” dinner — prepared by the University Cafe’s Metz Culinary. Salus also continued its longtime Thanksgiving tradition of delivering meals to Jenkintown and Cheltenham police departments on Thanksgiving Day as well as AstraZeneca Hope Lodge in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania. Read more about the festive to-go feasts here.

AUDIOLOGY GRAND ROUNDS: The next Audiology Grand Rounds will be today, Dec. 3 at 12:15 p.m. Julie Jimenez and Renee Kochinski will present on “Seesaw Nystagmus.” Click here to join the meeting.

TOY DRIVE: From Nov. 29 to Dec. 13, NPASS is hosting a Marine Toys for Tots Drive to support children in our community. They are seeking new, unwrapped toys to donate to local children. The drop-off location is a large white Toys for Tots bin outside the cafeteria at the Elkins Park campus. Monetary donations can also be made via a QR code that's available on the collection box as well. For more information, please visit https://www.toysfortots.org/Default.aspx and consider making the holiday brighter for less fortunate children in our community.

FINAL THOUGHTS: If you’ve been to our Learning Resource Center and in most of our larger classrooms, you’ve seen some large, white devices placed around the rooms making a very soft swishing noise (see below). These custom-built air filters are the work of Mr. Rick Echevarria and our exceptional facilities team. The design for the filters was developed by the dean of Engineering at the University of California, Richard Corsi. Tested by several labs, they have been proven more effective than more expensive HEPA-based portable air cleaners on the market. These devices give us an additional level of protection against the spread of the virus.

While taking the extra step to filter out the virus from our environment is helpful, the most important things we can do to prevent spread remain the same: get vaccinated, wear a face mask, wash hands frequently and social distance. As studies are ongoing, most public health and infectious disease experts agree that getting a booster/3rd dose enhances our protection from the newly identified Omicron variant. If you haven’t gotten your booster, make a point to get one now, especially as you prepare to head home for the holidays. It’s only a matter of time when the third shot will be considered “fully vaccinated.” I’d like everyone to be ahead of that. Additionally, if you’re not feeling well, please stay home and get tested to ensure no one is bringing the virus to campus or our clinics.

I know how frustrating this is. Just as we thought things were getting better, along comes a new variant. This is the nature of pandemics, especially when such a large portion of the world’s population remains unvaccinated. Things will get better. We need to continue holding our course. Thank you for all that you’re doing to help us stay the course.

Please take some time to relax during your study breaks. Get outside, if you can and just enjoy the fresh air! Continue to look out for one another and be safe. You are SALUS STRONG!

Mike