Disengaging and Recharging: Week of July 29th, 2022

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

Greetings from a warm and muggy Elkins Park campus where we are wrapping up the summer semester and preparing to welcome new students later next month. It’s been a busy final week as we welcomed our Pennsylvania State Legislature’s Education Committee for a tour of our campus and The Eye Institute yesterday. It was an honor to show them what we do and to thank them for their continued support! We also bid farewell to our Master of Clinical Optometry students from Chung Shan Medical University in Taiwan who have been on campus for a month to hone their skills in speech-language pathology and audiology.

Here are some other items of interest for you:

NEW PA DIRECTOR: Rachel Ditoro, MSPAS, PA-C, is our new director of the Physician Assistant Studies (PA) program in the College of Health Science, Education and Rehabilitation (CHER), effective July 1, 2022. She understands many patients have been to healthcare providers and have walked away feeling dissatisfied after their encounter. As a result, her ultimate goal is to make sure this doesn’t happen with the PA students trained at Salus University. Read more about Rachel here.

ASCO PRESIDENCY: Congratulations to Melissa Trego, OD ‘04, Resident ‘09, PhD, dean of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University, for ascending to the presidency of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO), the academic leadership organization committed to advancing optometric education and research to enhance the health and well-being of the public. Dr. Trego is only the fourth PCO/Salus educator to have served ASCO in that capacity. For details, click here.

MANAGING COLLEGIATE FINANCES: Sallie Mae’s “How Americans Pay for College” study found that 44 percent of surveyed families did not use scholarships to help with undergraduate tuition costs. Of that, only 6 percent said they didn’t need additional funds. Check out this story about how Salus strives to ensure its students are aware of not only internal scholarships but external scholarship opportunities available to them as well.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As we close out another academic semester, I’m reminded of how quickly time goes. Summer is about half over with our Fall semester starting in just a few short weeks. As we prepare for orientation and the excitement that always accompanies the beginning of a new academic year, this presents a great chance to disengage a bit and recharge both mentally and physically. Whether you’re a student, faculty, or staff, we all need to take a break every so often to catch our breath. Now is a great time to regroup and reconnect with family and friends. Once orientation begins, everyone will be going 100 miles per hour again between lectures, labs, clinics, and travel.

As you prepare for the weekend, please also remember that Covid numbers continue to increase in our region so it’s important to remain vigilant as you go about your daily activities. Continue to follow CDC masking guidelines and test if you’re not feeling well. As always, stay hydrated, wear sunscreen when outside and continue to look out for one another.

Enjoy the time off! Together we are SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Salus Weekly Update: Week of July 22nd, 2022

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

Good morning from a very hot and muggy Elkins Park campus. This is a far cry from the weather I was experiencing just yesterday in Iceland where the high temperature was 52 degrees! I wanted to call your attention to a few things that might be of interest to you:

THE TEI EXPERIENCE: Check out the second part of a two-part Q&A with the 2021-2022 Residents of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University and their on-campus residency experiences at The Eye Institute (TEI) during their first official year of being a Doctor of Optometry. Click here.

O&P FACULTY UPDATE: Welcome to Virginia Muthard, CPO/L, FAAOP, the newest addition to our Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) faculty. She comes to Salus after a year of teaching orthotics in the Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics (MSPO) program at the University of Pittsburgh. Read more about Virginia here.

‘OPENING EYES’ VOLUNTEERS: A group from PCO/Salus participated in the “Opening Eyes” program for athletes who competed in the New Jersey Special Olympics, held recently at The College of New Jersey in Ewing Township. Over two days, 12 students from PCO/Salus screened 268 special Olympians and provided glasses and sunglasses for 350 individuals. Click here to learn more about their experience.

INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION: Salus University and Brandywine River Museum of Art have created accessible programming for visitors with autism and sensory-processing disorders. Over the past five years, the project has blossomed into an interdisciplinary collaboration that not only includes the University’s Occupational Therapy (OT) department, but the Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) and Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) departments as well. Read more about the initiative here. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: It is going to be close to 100 degrees, sunny and humid this weekend. Please ensure that you stay hydrated and try to restrict your outdoor activities to times when it’s relatively cooler outside such as early in the morning or early evenings. Also, please keep in mind that cases of COVID have been on the rise nationally, and we’ve not been immune in our region. Remain vigilant in taking the appropriate preventive measures when you’re out and about by following CDC masking guidelines. Remember, if you’re not feeling well, rule out COVID with a self-test before you interact with others. 

Have a great weekend - stay cool, be safe and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Take Time To Recharge: Week of July 15th, 2022

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

Good morning from Iceland, where I am enjoying some much needed R&R with a couple of my daughters and my brother-in-law. It’s 48 degrees and sunny, which is pretty normal for a July morning here.

A very warm welcome and congratulations to all of our new residents! I look forward to seeing you! The summer semester is beginning to wind down, and finals and clinical practical exams are quickly approaching.

Here are a few developments from our Salus community:

PRACTICING WELLNESS, TAKE TWO: Check out part two of our feature titled “Practicing Wellness as A Graduate Student.” Part one covered mitigating burnout whereas part two addresses managing imposter syndrome, an internal experience leading to beliefs and perceptions of being incompetent. Read more here.

FACULTY FOCUS: This week’s Faculty Focus is on Kerry Lueders, MS ‘99, COMS, TVI, CLVT, director of the Low Vision Rehabilitation (LVR) program and the Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (LVI) within the Department of Blindness and Low Vision (BLVS) at the University. To read more about Kerry, click here.

SLP/AUD OPEN HOUSE: The University’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) and department of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) recently offered an open house to prospective students. The inaugural half-day event was for those wanting to study communication sciences and disorders. Read more here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: For so many of us and our teams who pushed beyond what we thought was possible during the last few years, it can be difficult to step back and recharge. But it's important to prioritize this. Take the time to rest and rejuvenate -- it's critical for continued wellness and motivation.

I look forward to getting back to campus next week. In the meantime, take some time to recharge and get outside to enjoy the summer weather and distress. We’ll be welcoming our incoming classes for our fall semester in a few short weeks. Time is flying!

Please continue to follow CDC guidelines when out and about, look out for one another and stay SALUS STRONG!

Hiking one of the four glaciers in Iceland

Mike

Doing the Right Thing: Week of July 8th, 2022

 

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

Good morning on a beautiful July day from our Elkins Park campus. It’s been another busy week at Salus with our summer semester just about half done. Our students and faculty have been engaged in lectures, labs and clinics in addition to fieldwork and externships around the country. Here are some additional things you might find interesting:

CSD OPEN HOUSE: Our Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) open house is set to welcome all this Monday, July 11, at our Elkins Park campus. Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect and engage with current students and renowned faculty, tour our campus and state-of-the-art clinical facilities and learn to navigate the application process.

BLAUSTEIN AWARD WINNERS: Wayne Tan, OD ‘21, Resident ‘22, on-campus resident at The Eye Institute (TEI), along with Tina Choe, OD ‘20, Resident ’22, off-campus resident, have been named the Bernard Blaustein Residents of the Year for the residency class of 2022 by the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University. The award is named for Bernard Blaustein, OD ‘67, FAAO. For six years, from 2003 through 2009, Dr. Blaustein managed the On-Campus Residency Programs. In addition to educating students at PCO, he spent time as chief of the Optometry Service at the VA Medical Center in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and in private practice before retiring in 2018. To read more, click here.

OT FIELDWORK: Check out our latest podcast featuring two, second-year occupational therapy students, Xin Song and Michelle Berg, who are completing their fieldwork at the Occupational Therapy Institute (OTI) of Salus University. They talk about the unique clinical and management skills that they've gained, and how they'll utilize them in their future healthcare careers. Click here for details.

QUIZ BOWL CHALLENGE: April Mishley ‘23 OD knew that she had to be lightning-quick to compete in the Quiz Bowl at the annual meeting of the American Optometric Association (AOA) and the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA). To find out how April did, click here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Over the course of this last year, I’ve been reading the works of the Roman and Greek Stoics, and in particular, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Roman philosopher and playwright Seneca and slave turned philosopher, Epictetus. What stands out in their work is their contagious optimism and regard for truth and honesty. Here’s a segment that I thought is particularly germane, given current events including today’s horrid assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“Never shirk the proper dispatch of your duty, no matter if you are freezing or hot, groggy, or well-rested, vilified or praised, not even if dying or pressed by other demands. Even dying is one of the important assignments in life and, in this as in all else, make the most of your resources to do well the duty at hand.” -- Marcus Aurelius on Duty and Circumstance

This passage underscores that no matter what circumstance you are confronted with, doing the right thing is generally a clear and intuitive choice. While morality is often complicated and sometimes the difficult path to take, it’s important to take the high road, remember your overall mission, no matter what may be happening around you.

Whether global incidents like the most recent shootings in Highland Park, the Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs or today’s dreadful assassination of Prime Minister Abe, or daily occurrences such as your next set of exams or suffering a flat tire on the way to campus, they all have an impact on your daily life. It’s hard to compartmentalize some of these things, but keep in mind that your duty, even under these arduous circumstances, is to remain focused on those skills that you are learning or teaching to help improve the lives of others. That is what we must do – our current and future patients and clients expect no less.

As you prepare for the weekend, please remember to follow CDC masking guidelines, stay hydrated and look out for one another. I’m getting ready to depart on a short vacation but will try to reach out from where I’ll be next Friday. Stay safe, stay smart and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Our Shared Commitment With You: Week of July 1st, 2022

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

Good morning on a steamy first day of July from our Elkins Park campus. In addition to our normal cadence of classes, labs, and clinics this week, we were delighted to welcome our newest cohort of international students from Taiwan and the Board of Directors from the Sunday Breakfast Club, a leadership organization advancing civic dialogue in the region.

Here are some recent developments:

ADAPTIVE SPORTS DAY SUCCESS: Our first Adaptive Sports Day last weekend was a huge success. The daylong event, held at the Hafter Student Community Center, welcomed disabled community members to participate in a host of activities, including yoga, seated volleyball, a mobility obstacle course, adaptive golf, tennis, pickleball and wheelchair basketball. We also introduced the community to our new Orthotics and Prosthetic program, which welcomes our first students this fall. Click here to read more.

AVOIDING BURNOUT: Check out the first of a two-part series titled “Practicing Wellness as a Graduate Student: Avoiding Burnout” on our website. This first part reveals why burnout is important to address, identifies the stages of burnout and offers tips for mitigating burnout. Read more here.

HELPING HER COMMUNITY: Thahira Kallumurikkal, AuD ‘22, an audiologist at Abu Dhabi Health Services Company's (Seha) Oud Al Touba Diagnostic & Screening Center in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, has played an important role in spreading awareness and support about the pandemic in her community. In fact, she's written a book about it. Click here to read more.

SUSSMAN SCHOLARSHIP: The family of Naomi Sussman, MS ‘12, who passed away in 2018, has generously created the Naomi Sussman Scholarship, which offers an annual award to a student studying Low Vision Rehabilitation (LVR) or Orientation and Mobility (O&M) at Salus University. Read more here about this special alum and her love of the Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) program at the University.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As some of you know, my wife and I have been raising a Seeing Eye Dog, Godiva, for the past 20 months. Yesterday, we dropped her off at “college” to begin her formal education at The Seeing Eye. The entire process from meeting Godiva when she was seven weeks old to now has been a true labor of love. It also represents a commitment to preparing her to serve others. I see this commitment as a parallel to what we do at Salus. While we don’t get students when they’re seven weeks old, we do get most of you right after you’ve finished college – ready and eager to learn your new professions. This new relationship represents a shared commitment between you and your Salus family. A big part of our responsibility, much like we have done with Godiva, is to prepare you to adjust to the many different situations that you will encounter professionally and even sometimes personally.

Often, issues that you may not think are directly related to your specific professions but have significant public health implications are addressed either here in my weekly updates or in your classes. Two such issues that touch all of us are gun violence and the most recent Supreme Court decision reversing Roe v Wade. Other than the COVID-19 pandemic, these two public health issues are, in my opinion, the defining public health issues of our generation. Take time to sift through the media hype and truly understand the short- and long-term ramifications of these two public health challenges. Read multiple sources before passing judgment, and more importantly, before giving advice to your future patients – because they trust your guidance. Brian Zuckerman, our legal counsel, will be leading a discussion on the legal basis behind the Supreme Court decision and its impact on reproductive rights laws later this month. It’s an important opportunity to learn more.

All of our professions provide meaningful opportunities to help others. To do that effectively, we need to understand and to be articulate about the public health issues of our day.

As you prepare for the long 4th of July holiday weekend, please keep those in military service and veterans in your thoughts. Let’s especially keep in mind those in the Salus family who have family and friends who serve, and for all families and peoples who wish to be free.

Please stay hydrated, wear sunscreen when outdoors and continue to follow CDC masking guidelines. If you are not feeling well, test yourself to ensure you haven’t contracted COVID. Take some time over the weekend to think about your commitment to your patients and how you are would address questions concerning the issues I’ve discussed above.

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

Mike