Week of June 10, 2024

 

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

Greetings on this beautiful Friday morning from our Elkins Park campus. This week has been exceptionally busy as we hosted the 2024 DonorPerfect Community Conference on fundraising – SPARK. Alongside this, we held community meetings for our students, faculty, and staff. Amidst these activities, our students have been diligently working in clinics, labs, and classrooms, with our international students gaining hands-on experience in our Auxiliary Clinical Procedures Lab. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the unfortunate situation at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, which is closing its doors today due to fiscal challenges. The rapidly changing landscape of higher education is indeed concerning, and the abrupt closure has left many shocked and unprepared. Our hearts and prayers go out to the affected students, faculty, and staff as they navigate this difficult transition. These challenges underscore the importance of our strategic decision to merge with Drexel later this month as a proactive approach to ensuring stability and growth in such uncertain times. As we’ve said before, the merger is designed to strengthen our position and prevent the kind of calamity that has befallen the University of the Arts, providing a more secure and promising future for our entire Salus community. 

RECOGNITION RECEPTION: We had a great event last weekend at the annual recognition reception where we honored the 2024 Presidential Medal winners as well as the annual Alumni of the Year Award winners in our various programs. You can read stories about medal winners Patricia Modica, OD ‘88, Resident ‘89 here; and Stephanie Czuhajewski, executive director of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology here. We also honored the 50th reunions of the Classes of 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1975. Look for a story on the event next weekend on our website and look for future stories throughout June and July for individual stories on our Alumni of the Year winners. 

HARROWING HAITI TRIP: David McPhillips, OD ‘85, FAAO, FVI, has been going on Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity (VOSH) trips to Haiti since he was a student at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) in the mid-1980s. In the recent past, Haiti’s political unrest has given volunteers on humanitarian trips pause when deciding whether to embark on such trips. But the last Pennsylvania chapter VOSH trip in March 2024, turned out to be a little more challenging than usual for a small group of six, which included Dr. McPhillips, two other PCO/Salus doctors, Mark Rakoczy, OD ‘81, FVI, and Mike Satryan, OD ‘84, and three optometric technicians. Click here to read more. 

UARTS PATHWAY AT DREXEL: With the abrupt closing of the University of the Arts, Drexel University is committed to supporting those UArts students currently enrolled or just starting their college experience as they consider the next step in their educational careers. Drexel is developing a pathway that will help UArts students continue their education as seamlessly as possible during this challenging time of transition and will allow them to stay on track and finish their degree. To read more, click here. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: This week, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, France, code-named Operation Overlord, which began on June 6,1944. It was the largest amphibious landing operation in modern history, involving over 7,000 naval vessels, including more than 4,000 landing craft and 1,200 warships. Preceding the landing on Utah, Omaha, Gold, and Sword beaches, 23,000 paratroopers bravely landed behind enemy lines. During the invasion, over 160,000 men landed, and the Allied forces suffered more than 10,000 casualties, including those killed, wounded, and missing. By the end of the Normandy Campaign, nearly 29,000 Americans had lost their lives.

Notably, several thousand doctors, corpsmen, and medics also stormed the beaches at Normandy, many of whom were severely wounded or killed in action. The success in securing the beaches of Normandy paved the way for the liberation of France and ultimately the end of the war in Europe. 

These young Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Army Air Corps Airmen, often described as “The Greatest Generation,” played a crucial role in saving the world from tyranny. Their heroic sacrifice reminds us again that the price for freedom is great, a fact that I fear many Americans have forgotten. Throughout our history, men and women have given their all to defend freedom and democracy. As we reflect on those who stormed the beaches of Normandy, facing fierce German opposition, or those who jumped blindly from gliders into darkness, let us remember the immense sacrifices they made so that we can enjoy the freedoms our democracy affords us. Their efforts helped to ensure we can all comfortably practice our given professions in a manner which benefits our patients, clients and students. 

As you prepare for the weekend, take a moment to reflect on the history that they made on D-Day, which affords us the freedom to live, work and play as we choose. Be safe, continue to look out for one another, and remain SALUS STRONG!

-Mike