Keeping Our Ukrainian Friends and Neighbors in Our Prayers: Week of February 25th, 2022

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

Good morning on an icy, cold day, at the end of a sad and eventful week on the global stage. Around campus, several of our programs are enjoying face to face classroom instruction while all are on campus for labs and clinics. Numbers continue to decrease in the local area and our campus numbers remain extremely low. As always, we continue to follow CDC and Montgomery County guidance, remaining in sync with federal and local guidance.

TWO NEW BOT MEMBERS: Please help me welcome two new members to our board of trustees. Dana Mattingly, RN, is executive director of clinical compliance in the Aetna/CVS healthcare business unit based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Read more about Dana here. Danita Nias is president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin counties in Florida. Check our website for an upcoming story on her. We are excited to have these two talented individuals on our board to help us navigate the choppy waters ahead. 

SLP ADMISSION TIPS: In our latest podcast, we talk with Larry Walsh, associate director of Admissions at Salus. He talks to us about the Speech-Language Pathology program and offers tips and tricks for applying. Learn more here. 

FACULTY FOCUS: The next Faculty Focus is on Victor Bray, MSC, PhD, FNAP, associate professor in the University’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) — and former dean of the College and director of the Pennsylvania Ear Institute (PEI). Read more about Dr. Bray here.

ACCELERATED SCHOLARS SERIES: In part four of our series featuring faculty and students within the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University’s Doctor of Optometry Accelerated Scholars Program, assistant professor Alissa Coyne, OD ‘10, Resident ‘11, FAAO, highlights some details of the program’s clinical education while students, Misa Sueyoshi ‘23OD and Israel Moore ‘23OD, describe some specific patient care stories. Click here to learn more.

FINAL THOUGHTS: With thanks to Board member Reade Fahs for the introduction, we hosted earlier this week the CEOs of Noodle and Stride Funding on campus. Noodle is an online program manager (OPM) that helps translate traditional, face-to-face courses to online formats. Stride Funding helps students pay for professional education through flexible repayment agreements. Sincere thanks to our deans and directors for taking time to participate. As we move Salus into the future, we continue to explore ways to make our programs more accessible and affordable. More to follow, I’m sure!

On a serious note, yesterday morning Russia invaded the independent country of Ukraine, resulting in loss of life. This unprovoked incursion is a clear violation of international law and has the potential to change the world order as we currently know it. As you may know, we have a large Ukrainian population living in our local area, and possibly those of Ukrainian heritage within our Salus community. Our sister institution Manor College is affiliated with the Ukrainian Church.

Please join me in offering to our Manor College family members and the more than 60,000 Ukrainian Americans living in Greater Philadelphia, our collective prayers and support for the safety and security of the people of Ukraine and western Europe. We stand together in our shared commitment to peace and well-being.

Be safe, look out for one another keep wearing your facemask when around others, socially distance and wash your hands frequently to remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Starting Our Strategic Planning Refresh: Week of February 18th, 2022

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

Good morning on a cool, windy morning in Elkins Park. It’s been another busy week on campus with many of our students preparing for practicals and other tests and changing clinical rotations. All of the moves from last week are now complete with renovations beginning in earnest in the West building, paving the way for the construction of our new Orthotics and Prosthetics and Activities of Daily Living labs. It will be great to have all of our academic programs situated centrally. Our COVID positivity numbers remain extremely low with zero cases reported over the past couple of weeks. Thank you for all you’ve done to help keep us healthy and safe!

Here are some other items of interest:

TOP JOBS: We are extremely proud that several of the professions in which Salus University trains are once again among the top 100 jobs in the nation for 2022 as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. Check out the rankings here. 

DEI SPEAKS!: Our next DEI Speaks! event will be from noon to 1 p.m. today featuring David X. Marquez, PhD, Professor of Kinesiology and Nutrition and Director of the Exercise Psychology Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Marquez's talk, “Importance of Culture in Addressing the Health of Latino/a/XS,” will provide perspective and relevance, given the current national conversation on how social determinants of health impact Brown and Black communities. The Office of DEI and White Coats for Black Lives (WC4BL), student organization, are co-sponsoring the event.

EATING DISORDER AWARENESS: Did you know that eating disorders affect at least 9 percent of the population? Within this general population, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), gay men, people with larger bodies, and transgender individuals are less likely to be identified as and treated for eating disorders. Please tune in to CPPD's social media accounts (IG: CPPD Salus; FB: Center for Personal and Professional Development at Salus University) for more information pertaining to disordered eating during National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, Feb. 21-27. CPPD's Dr. Tami April-Davis will be handing out psychoeducational information (and treats) outside the cafe from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23. CPPD is also using Black History Month as an opportunity to highlight black mental health accounts on IG. Check out CPPD's weekday IG stories for these highlights. 

STUDENT NETWORKING SERIES: Registration began this week for the second session of the Student Networking Series scheduled from 7 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, where we will explore the Pennsylvania Occupation Therapy Association (POTA) scholarship application process. The session will be led by Dr. Lauren Sponseller, PhD, OTD, MSOTR/L, MEd, chair of the Occupational Therapy department at Salus University, and facilitated by our student liaison, Ashley Boyd. Dr. Sponseller has served as a member of the POTA Student Scholarship Committee and as a reviewer of Student Scholarship Applications in 2021. The session is free for POTA members and $10 for non-members. Use this link to register. 

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: This week’s Where Are They Now features Kristin Kaplewicz, MSOT ‘20. Check out how Kristin incorporates her therapy dog, Syrah, into her work as an occupational therapist. Read more here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Thanks to all of those who attended our Salus Community Update meeting yesterday to discuss the next steps in updating our Strategic Plan. I’m looking forward to getting our focus groups together to hear your thoughts and help move our university forward. I also wanted to take the opportunity to once again thank all those who completed the Town Hall survey in advance of yesterday’s session. As I noted yesterday, I read every response you send, and I take each one to heart. Here are some of the themes that emerged from the survey that I wanted to share with those who may not have been able to attend yesterday’s meeting:

Staff turnover and employee retention. We have experienced very real staff turnover in TLS and at TEI, and we are taking this seriously. We are conducting a series of meetings across TLS staff and we'll be scheduling focus groups at TEI to learn more from you about what you're seeing, what's working and what's not. We’ve already made changes to our weekly hours for TEI staff and will be monitoring that closely. Please be in touch with me or my Chief of Staff or Human Resources if you'd like to share any concerns or suggestions. We know we can always do more to improve and welcome your constructive suggestions.

The recent move of administrative and academic offices to 8380. This move was required to make space for our new Orthotic and Prosthetics program as well as expand our Activities of Daily Living lab. In doing so, we thought it best to consolidate our teaching and learning spaces together to make it easier for students and faculty. Thanks, in part to a generous grant from the Commonwealth, we were able to accomplish this. Anyone with a Salus ID can easily access the administrative offices in the North building.

DEI. Establishing the office of DEI is an active recognition of the impact we and our emerging educators and healthcare practitioners have on the health and well-being of the thousands we serve. I encourage you to reach out to my special assistant, Dr J., if you have questions, suggestions or concerns.

Data on how students are doing. This is something we're all extremely interested in learning and tracking. Our Academic Assessment Committee is preparing a student survey to gather data on student performance, engagement and impacts of the pandemic. They'll share the results as soon as available.

For those issues we did not address, I encourage you to please reach out to me directly or to my Chief of Staff or Human Resources. We sincerely welcome your thoughts, comments and suggestions.

As you prepare for the weekend, while the COVID numbers are decreasing in our region, please continue to remain vigilant in your preventive measures by wearing a face mask when around others, socially distance when you can and wash your hands frequently. Also, please remember what you do off campus directly affects all of us on campus.

Have a great weekend. Please be safe, look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

An Exciting Time at Salus: Week of February 11th, 2022

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

Good morning from a sunny and relatively warm Elkins Park campus where I am writing this update from our new digs on the 4th floor of the North building. Together with Academic Affairs, we have moved from our office spaces in the West building to accommodate the construction of our Orthotics & Prosthetics spaces and new Activities of Daily Living lab. This is an exciting time to be at Salus! Here are some things of interest:

BOOSTER DEADLINE: Our February 13th deadline is quickly approaching. By Monday, all students, faculty and staff are to be boosted with an FDA-approved vaccine (or such later date that an individual first becomes eligible for a booster – i.e. six months after having received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine). Please remember to upload your booster information by Monday. An email has been sent with additional instructions. 

ACCELERATED SCHOLARS PROGRAM: Three of our students share why they chose the Accelerated Scholars Program at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University. This program enables students to complete the traditional optometry program degree requirements in an accredited 36-month, year-round, campus-based program. To read more about their perspectives and experiences, click here.

OT vs. PT: In our latest podcast, we talk with Brianna Brim, MOT, OTR/L, CPAM, CLIPP, director of the Occupational Therapy Institute (OTI) and an assistant professor of Occupational Therapy. Second-year OT students — Bradley Hess, Aditi Kadakia and Rachel Boas; join in. They talk to us about the difference between OT and Physical Therapy (PT) and why they chose Salus University’s OT program. To read more, click here.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: This week’s Staff Spotlight is on Jaime Schulang, MA, director of Student Financial Affairs at the University. Find out about her lifelong love affair playing the viola and how she met her musical hero. Read more here. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: Earlier this week I had the opportunity to attend Senator Bob Casey’s 2022 Higher Education Roundtable in Washington, DC. Thirty-five college presidents attended the meeting. Congresswoman Susan Wild, from the 7th Congressional District, kicked off the meeting with her priorities for higher education including support for college completion and obtaining skills that will allow them to earn livable wages. Ambassador Susan Rice, President Biden’s Domestic Policy Advisor, discussed the importance of Pell Grants. Of note, Ambassador Rice’s mother, Lois Rice -- a corporate executive and on the College Board, was instrumental in getting the original Pell Grant program passed almost 50 years ago. Ambassador Rice stressed the importance of making higher education accessible to everyone.

During the discussion period, I noted that while Pell grants are extremely beneficial for attending undergraduate schools, the current Pell guidelines have no impact on graduate programs. While we strongly advocate for additional funding for the Pell Grant program, these must be made available to graduate students as well as undergraduates. According to the Washington Post, 40 percent of today's federal student loans are given to graduate students with borrowing increasing by $2.3 billion over the course of six academic years. Comparatively, undergraduate borrowing decreased by $15 billion over the same time period.

These discussions are extremely important to raise awareness among leaders and policymakers to the challenges our students face. Know that I will continue to champion issues that impact you.

As you prepare for Super Bowl weekend, I hope your favorite team wins! In the meantime, as you participate in Super Bowl festivities or are out and about, please remember to wear your facemask around others (even in light of discussions to eliminate mask mandates, which I believe are premature) socially distance when you can, and continue to wash your hands frequently. As always, be safe, be smart and look out for one another – together we remain SALUS STRONG.

Mike

Black History Month - A Call to Action: Week of February 4th, 2022

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

Good morning from a rainy, rather warm Elkins Park campus. This weather reminds me more of late March than early February! It’s been another busy week on campus with more classes being held in-person with COVID numbers in the local area coming down. It’s great to see our campus community coming back! Our overall positivity rate remains low (0.4%) with random screenings showing 1.5% (1 positive) positivity rate this last week.

Here are other items of interest:

O&P LAUNCH PROGRESS: As work behind the scenes to launch our new Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program continues, program director J. Chad Duncan, PhD, CRC, CPO, talks about what prospective students can expect when the program launches this fall. Read an interview with Dr. Duncan here.

CAREER OPPORTUNTY: The career path of Chrystyna Colón, ‘23OT, has taken another step forward as she was recently accepted by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) into its Summer Institute of Future Scientists in Occupational Therapy, scheduled in April 2022. Read more about Chrystyna’s opportunity here. 

ACCELERATED SCHOLARS: Before the first Doctor of Optometry Accelerated Scholars Program cohort began in July 2014, a small pilot group of traditional program students were given the opportunity to accelerate their clinical skills and enter The Eye Institute. That was seven years ago and since then, the program has progressed. Read more here.

SLP OPEN HOUSE: Open houses help prospective students get a sense of what a program is actually like. What better way to learn about a Salus University program than firsthand from one of its current students? Read more about the Speech-Language Pathology program’s recent virtual open house here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As many of you know, Black History month began Tuesday. In an email that went out earlier this week, Dr. Mosley-Williams eloquently described her experiences with this when she was younger but also pointed out the many accomplishments Black Americans have made over the years. She also noted the great disparities that still exist in our country and right in our own back yard in access to quality health care. The pandemic has exposed significant differences in the outcomes Black, Latino/a/x, and Indigenous people have experienced. People of color make up just under 40 percent of the U.S. population but account for approximately 52 percent of all the “excess deaths” above normal through July of 2020.* These data reveal gross inequities in healthcare that need to be aggressively addressed. As healthcare providers and as a university community, we have an obligation to recognize the issue, explore the root causes and do everything in our power to help mitigate these inequities. This is tough stuff and won’t be easy nor will it occur quickly. But until organizations such as ours actively and holistically challenge the status quo, nothing will happen. The first step is acknowledging the issue. The next steps require a commitment to address social injustice and health inequities actively and consistently. I know our Salus community is up to that task.

As you prepare for the weekend, please keep in mind that the temperatures are forecast to plummet potentially creating icy roads and walkways. Please continue to wear your facemasks when out and about around others, social distance and wash your hands frequently. Be safe, look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG! 

Mike

*Flagg, A., Sharma, D., Fenn, L. and Stobbe, M. (2020). Covid-19’s Toll on People of Color is Worse Than We Knew. The Marshall Project, Analysis: 8.21.2020. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/08/21/covid-19-s-toll-on-people-of-color-is-worse-than-we-knew