Building Trust-Based Relationships: Week of January 20, 2023

 

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

Good morning from our Elkins Park Campus where it’s great to see students collaborating in our Learning Resource Center and walking around the campus! It’s been especially gratifying to see our Cristo Rey High School interns supporting several key areas while gaining experience and exposure to our health professions. Here are other items that I hope will be of interest to you:

FABULOUS FRAMING: When asked where she gets her sense of style, Nwamaka Ngoddy, OD ‘12, answers “from the school of life.” That awareness has helped Dr. Ngoddy expand her professional horizons. After years of practicing in retail optometry, she opened Anwuli Eyewear in 2019, where she designs frames specifically with African-American facial features in mind. Read more about Dr. Ngoddy here.

SENSE OF BELONGING: Strengthening a sense of belonging – the feeling that each of us is valued, connected and important, is something to which we all can actively contribute, and the research shows that belonging boosts engagement and retention. That was the message from Terrell Strayhorn, PhD, to faculty and staff at Salus University’s Development Day. Read more about Dr. Strayhorn’s presentation here.

PCO CAREER FAIR: The Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) Career Fair will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22, in the Hafter Student Community Center. PCO/Salus students can learn more about full or part-time clinical externship opportunities in local practices. Contact careerservices@salus.edu with questions.

SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER EVENT: Join CPPD's doctoral student trainees Andrew Jaskot and Janeyshka Ortiz-Flores for a Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) tabling event from 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. outside the café on Monday, Jan. 23. Students are encouraged to stop by to chat with the counselors, receive more information about counseling services, pick-up snacks, and enter a raffle to win a seasonal affective disorder light therapy lamp.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I have been reading a book about the Stoics and am struck by a quote from Marcus Aurelius, which is quite timely: “It’s the truth I’m after, and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance.”

With so many “alternative facts” floating around in the press and society, it can be hard to what and whom to trust. Healthcare should top the list of societal institutions in which we can place our trust and confidence. As healthcare professionals, we can help build this one patient at a time.

According to author Stephen Covey, trust is built upon credibility, consistent behavior, alignment, reputation and contribution. (The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything, 2008) We can actively build trusting relationships with our patients and clients by presenting evidence-based information, actively listening and responding consistently with kindness, care and respect; being reliability present and aligned in our words and actions; and actively seeking opportunities to contribute to the greater good within and beyond our professions.

While the current political and social divides in our country may create uncertainty, we can counter this by creating caring, trustful, reliable relationships that will serve our patients and clients well. The choices we make and the actions we take, individually and collectively, build personal, professional, institutional and societal integrity.

As you prepare for the weekend, I encourage you to reflect on the many ways you can develop the skills and behaviors that will foster trust-based relationships with each patient and client in your care.

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

-Mike

Honoring the Memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: Week of January 13, 2022

 

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

Happy Friday from Elkins Park, where we are excited to welcome our students back to campus!

WINNING ACADEMIC POSTER: Salus University faculty members recently authored an award-winning academic poster at a recent Interprofessional Education Collaboration (IPEC) virtual poster fair showcase. Titled “Evolution of an IPE Case: An Interprofessional Approach for Large Student Cohorts,” the event highlighted research scholarship on interprofessional education for collaborative (IPECP) projects. The lead author is Dr. Radhika Aravamudhan, dean of the Osborne College of Audiology (OCA). Read more here.

ALUMNI AWARDS NOMINATIONS: The Salus University Alumni Association annually recognizes the professional contributions and achievements of graduates and friends of the institution. You are invited and encouraged to nominate members of the Salus community for one of our annual Alumni Awards. Nominations are open here until Jan. 19, 2023.

DEAN’S WINTERFEST: Dean’s Winterfest is back to being held in the winter. This year, the event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, at The Hafter Center bringing our Salus community together after the holidays for some fun and face-to-face interaction.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As we prepare to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, I am reflecting much on the principles he modeled through the life he lived and how we might apply these to address societal challenges, including our ongoing pandemic recovery, the war in Ukraine, inflation, and many others. Righteousness, equality, justice, and nonviolence were key tenets in the American civil rights movement that he led. How might we, as healthcare providers, emulate and apply these principles to meet the challenges we face?

I encourage you to carve out seventeen minutes today to watch Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. I suspect that while we’ve all heard parts of it, many have never listened to the entire speech. My hope is that you experience something far greater than the momentary satisfaction of social media.

To honor Dr. King, let me share two quotes that reflect what we do at Salus:

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” 

 

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”

So many of us at Salus come from very different backgrounds and cultures. Together on our wonderful campus, we bring all our diverse strengths to impact the future of healthcare, education and professional practice.

Monday’s holiday is the only national holiday designated as a Day of Service to encourage all Americans to do something to improve their communities as a tribute to Dr. King. Dr. King lived his life serving others through his actions and words. On Monday, try to do something that honors Dr. King’s life. As Dr. King said, “Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.” Let’s try to live that adage in these turbulent times.

As you prepare for the weekend, try to reflect of some of Dr. King’s lessons and work to employ those lessons in your daily interactions with your patients, clients, family members and friends. Be safe, continue to wear a mask when around crowds, look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG! 

 - Mike