Friday, April 14, 2023

When Will We Address Gun Violence With Urgency? Week of April 14, 2023

 

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

Greetings on a beautiful Spring morning from our Elkins Park campus. Our students and faculty have been busy preparing for the last stretch of the semester with finals and practicals on many people’s minds. In other news:

MAKING CHANGE HAPPEN: This week Salus University faculty, staff and students attended the Equity in Medical Education Summit at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, hosted by the DelVal DEI Consortium, of which Salus is a member. The event was sponsored by Independence Blue Cross Foundation. Juliana Mosley Williams, PhD, special assistant to the president for DEI, was a panel moderator and Monica Scirrotto, director of Admissions, and Melissa Trego, OD '04, Resident '09, PhD, dean of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) were panelists at conference breakout sessions.

CONGRATULATIONS DR. A!: Congratulations to Dr. Radhika Aravamudhan who successfully defended her EdD degree at the University of Pennsylvania earlier this week.

FITCH AWARD WINNER: Congratulations to Mark Boas, OD ‘86, our 2023 Albert Fitch Memorial Alumnus of the Year. From 1998 to 2020, Dr. Boas was a consultant at The Eye Institute (TEI) of Salus University, eventually joining the TEI clinical faculty from 2001 to 2015 and then advancing to assistant professor at the College from 2015 to 2020. He retired from the faculty and as a member of the University’s Board of Trustees in 2020. To read more about Dr. Boas and his accomplishments, click here.

INTERNATIONAL SLP EXCURSION: Join Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, chair and program director of the department of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) at Salus University, as he speaks with a group of second-year SLP students about their international excursion in the Turks and Caicos Islands to provide clinical care. Click here for more.

SPRING FLING: The first Salus University Spring Fling will be held from 12:30 to 4 p.m. Thursday, May 11, on the Elkins Park, Pennsylvania campus. The afternoon will include carnival games, a DJ with dancing, group games and prizes and plenty of food. Come out to enjoy with colleagues and friends this fun event!

FINAL THOUGHTS: Just three days ago, yet another mass shooting occurred in Louisville, Kentucky, where over the course of one minute, five people were killed, including a 26-year old rookie police officer on the job for 10 days, and eight others were injured. As of mid-April, the Gun Violence Archive has counted at least 145 mass shootings in the United States this year. This is yet another mass shooting involving an assault-style rifle.

When will we, as a civil society, address this public health emergency with urgency? We know what works to intervene; we have evidence-based models and tools to blunt this epidemic. As healthcare providers, we can partner with all stakeholders – policymakers, business, civic and community leaders, law enforcement, faith communities, and health and social service providers, to advocate for sensible laws; invest in evidence-based interventions and prevention strategies; strengthen community based networks; and expand mental health and social supports. There is a role for each of us to play in saving lives, and we can achieve so much more together than individually.

As you prepare for the weekend, please keep all affected by gun violence in your thoughts and intentions. Think about what you can do to partner with others as you take action to reduce gun violence.

Try to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. It’s that time of the year when you should be using sunscreen, hydrating frequently and checking for ticks if you’re out in the woods. Be safe, continue to look out for one another and come back next week SALUS STRONG!

-Mike

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