Leveraging AI Thoughtfully: Week of May 3, 2024

 

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

Greetings from our Elkins Park campus where we have welcomed a new family of goslings on campus (short video attached). Our students have been busy completing final exams and practicals, as faculty prepare grades. Only a couple of weeks until Spring Commencement! Here are some other items I hope you will find of interest:

COMMUNITY COLLABORATION: The Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University has continued a long-standing collaboration with Head Start programs in the Philadelphia area for more than 35 years. Head Start is a primarily federally funded program that provides education, health and social services to families with children aged three, four and five. For PCO/Salus, this has meant contributing to a variety of services, including primary eye care exams at Head Start centers and schools in the Philadelphia area. Click here to read more.

MERITORIOUS HONORS FOR SLP: The University’s Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) students really raised the bar when it came to their capstone projects this year. Out of the seven meritorious posters chosen to be featured at the annual Pennsylvania Speech-Language-Hearing Association (PSHA) convention April 10-13 in Pittsburgh, two of those were from research conducted by Salus SLP students. For details, click here.

O&P KENYA TRIP: During a humanitarian trip to Kenya, Victoria “Tori” Page ‘25O&P had a young patient who hadn’t walked since her leg amputation the previous year. Tori spent a long time working on a prosthesis trying to make her patient as comfortable as possible. At the end of her appointment, Tori asked the patient how her new leg felt. “She looked at me with a big smile and said, ‘I’m walking!’” Read more here about the O&P humanitarian trip to Kenya.

A SPECIAL PA OLYMPICS: This year’s PA Olympics took on a little more significance for students in the Physician Assistant Studies (PA) program at Salus because it honored one of the University’s former faculty members, Adam Moore, MHS, PA-C, ATC. Adam was an assistant professor for the Salus PA program from 2016 to 2022 and at Thomas Jefferson University until his passing in September 2023. During his time at Salus, Moore had served as a faculty advisor for the PA Olympics. Click here for additional details on the event.

DREXEL DEI RECOGNITION: Drexel Alumni is the recipient of the 2024 Alumni Association Inclusive Excellence Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education. In its inaugural year, this award recognizes Drexel Alumni for its programs, culture, and initiatives that encourage and support diversity, inclusion, and a sense of belonging for all alumni, across racial and ethnic backgrounds, sexual and gender identities, religions, socio-economic statuses and more. Read more here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I have spent the last two days in DC this week attending the Special Medical Advisory Group for the Department of Veteran’s Affairs where I am the designated representative for optometry. Every time I attend these meetings, I am extremely impressed with all that the VA is doing to improve health care for our Veteran population. Administering the nation’s largest integrated health system, the VA is leading the way in digital health integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital solutions responsibly and effectively into VA care. It’s a daunting task when you consider there are over 9-million veterans enrolled in the system.

One process the VA has been using to select the right industry partner to help them integrate AI into their patient care processes is called “AI Sprint.” AI Sprints are three-month competitive engagements that foster collaboration among industry, academia and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Sprints are staged with specific challenges introduced into the process every 3 weeks to determine how teams might mitigate them. I see great value in academia adopting similar processes to devise solutions to some of the novel challenges we face in our higher ed/healthcare ecosystem. As we attempt to leverage AI and related technologies, we need to embrace best practices ensuring cybersecurity, patient, and student safety as well as accuracy and reliability. Our partnership with Drexel will help operationalize some of these processes

It looks like the weekend is going to be a bit cooler than it has been, so try and get out and enjoy the beautiful Spring weather while it still lasts. As you get to the last weeks of the semester, keep your eye on the ball concerning your studies and continue to look out for one another to remain SALUS STRONG!

- Mike

Back in the Swing of Things: April 12, 2024

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

Good morning on a gray Friday from our Elkins Park campus. It’s been a busy week with everyone getting back into the swing after Spring Break.  Our clinics, labs and classrooms have all been abuzz with activity. With the end of semester in sight, our students and faculty are working hard toward a “strong” finish. 

SLP CAPSTONES: Salus University’s Speech-Language Pathology Class of 2024 students Jessica Concannon, Alyssa Dallmer, Sydni Delfiner, and Olivia Fogarty had the opportunity to present their capstone projects recently, one more step closer to graduation this spring. The project addressed some misinformation on developmental milestones provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It also expressed the importance of parents/caregivers using Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) backed research when advocating for their loved ones, specifically utilizing the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association as a resource. Click here to read more.

A WHIRLWIND OF OT TRAVEL: Travel therapists are going to travel. And, Emily Hamilton, MSOT ‘21, has been all over the country since graduating from the Occupational Therapy (OT) program at Salus University. The whirlwind of travel in the first few years of her career has been comfortable for her while she continues to learn and gain experience, something she attributes to how the Salus OT program prepared her to become a professional. To read more, click here.

FROST-FREE SIDEWALKS: Researchers in Drexel’s College of Engineering recently reported on the science behind a special concrete that can warm itself up when it snows or freezes. By introducing phase-change materials to the concrete mixture, researchers were able to create slabs that can warm themselves to melt snow and ice when temperatures approach freezing. Read more here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Earlier this week, our leadership team shared a number of important progress updates on the merger with Drexel. Importantly, we remain on track to complete all accreditation and regulatory requirements for Change In Ownership on June 30, 2024, pending MSCHE approval.

We also shared a number of benefit decisions during the update on Human Resources. A summary of those decisions will be posted to the ADP employee platform on Tuesday.  

I want to acknowledge all the feedback I am receiving from faculty and staff about the impact of these changes. The changes are impacting community members differently depending on individual circumstances. Change is never easy and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and input with me.

As you work through these changes, we will continue to support you with information and resources to assist your decision making. Look for future calendar invites to upcoming HR sessions and benefit vendor fairs.

I also encourage you to review the Frequently Asked Question documents that we’ve posted to the ADP employee website. These are a ready reference for you responding to dozens of questions from faculty and staff.

Even as transitions are challenging, they also present opportunities for renewal and revitalization. I am confident that Salus ultimately will emerge stronger as part of OneDrexel, if we lean into the change with resilience, adaptability, and optimism. 
 
The sun and moon created an awe-inspiring phenomenon earlier this week. Check out NASA’s spectacular coverage of this rare event. Below is a photo I took here at Salus.

As the moon obscured the light of the sun, we experienced uncertainty, disruption and excitement at the same time. It reminded me of where we are in the merger now. Like the emergence of sunlight after the eclipse, our merger presents an opportunity to expand our horizons and what’s possible, advancing our mission, deepening our collective impact and innovating in ways previously unimagined.

As you prepare for the weekend, I hope that you can reflect on the opportunities that await our merger with Drexel. I’d also ask that as you discuss subjects that may be controversial with your classmates, friends and family members, you do so with respect and an open mind. 

Please take the time to get outdoors to enjoy the nice weather (if it ever stops raining!) so you can be ready to take on whatever comes your way next week. Be safe, continue to look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG! Have a great weekend!

- Mike

Reflecting on Our Mission: Week of March 22, 2024

 

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

Greetings on this very cold day in Spring! It’s been another busy week on our campus with PCO students taking their Part I section of national boards, others preparing for practicals and exams, and our Salus-Drexel Integration Council members doing the important and necessary work in preparation for our 30 June Change in Ownership date. Thank you to all who are going above and beyond to provide a stellar educational experience for all of our students, in addition to the extra work required to get us to “the finish line.” Special thanks to Maura Keenan and Kathleen McMullen who continue to assist faculty and staff in reviewing Drexel’s benefit options in advance of the June Benefits Fair. Here are some other items I hope find of interest:

O&P ACCREDITATION: Congratulations to our Orthotics and Prosthetics program, under the direction of Dr. Chad Duncan, for being granted initial accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), effective March 15, 2024. Initial accreditation is only awarded to those programs that have successfully demonstrated compliance with rigorous standards, ensuring the best possible educational experience for students. Read more here.

SLP STUDENT INVOLVEMENT: Since summer 2023, the University’s Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) students have been assisting with an early-childhood class — dubbed Toddler Read and Play Time — at We Rock the Spectrum (WRTS) in Northeast Philadelphia. This is part of an opportunity offered to first-year Master of Science SLP students to apply for off-campus clinical rotation experiences, including involvement with the Speech-Language Institute’s (SLI) specialized support groups. Click here to read more.  

TWO SEPCHE EVENTS: The University is sponsoring two upcoming events for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education (SEPCHE). The first is the SEPCHE Honors Conference, which will be held tomorrow morning, 23 March at 9:00 AM at the Hafter Student Community Center on the University’s Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, campus. The second event is titled “Civic Engagement in 2024: A Conversation with SEPCHE Presidents,” in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Political Science Association’s (PPSA) 85th Anniversary annual meeting Friday, April 5, at Chestnut Hill College in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. Click here for details.

WOMEN’S HOOPS: The Drexel women’s basketball team has won the Coastal Athletic Association Championship and will now play in the NCAA Tournament against the University of Texas at 3 p.m. today, March 22. GO DRAGONS!

FINAL THOUGHTS: As we approach our Spring break, I find myself reflecting on our important mission at Salus: We advance integrated healthcare through innovative education, research and clinical services. In our forthcoming merger with Drexel, I am excited about how, together, with the convergence of our two very similar missions, we will do so much good for the students and communities we serve.

With all that is happening in the Middle East, Ukraine, other parts of the world and in our own country, it’s also important to revisit some of the core values that have led most of us to the healing professions: gratitude, compassion, justice, honesty, humility, integrity, dignity and respect for human life. These practices are worthy of regular reflection and recommitment. Not only do they strengthen our service as educators, researchers, and clinicians, they also add meaning and purpose to our relationships. They enrich our shared humanity.

I hope you find some time for rest and relaxation over break. Try to reflect on all the goodness that you provide others through your given professions. That’s a gift. Below is a photo I took last weekend of our fair city on my Sunday morning bike ride that I thought I would share to help get us in the mood for our upcoming break. Stay safe, get some rest and come back to us SALUS STRONG!

- Mike

Practicing Good Sleep Hygiene: Week of March 1, 2024

 

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

Greetings on this first day of March! It’s been another busy week on campus as well as down in Atlanta where many of our optometry faculty, residents and some students have been participating in the Southern Educational Council of Optometry meeting. I wanted to extend my thanks to Megan Weyler and the Drexel Human Resources team for taking the time on Monday to provide an overview of Drexel Human Resources to Salus faculty and staff. We know that many questions are still unanswered, but this was a great first step in helping everyone to understand some of the tools that will be available us as we continue to navigate through the merger. Much more granular, individualized information will be available to all of us in early Spring, after our teams have had the opportunity to complete a line-by-line comparison of all of our benefits. In the interim, I encourage all faculty and staff to visit the Drexel HR website to learn more about what’s offered to us. Here are some things I hope you will find of interest: 

SALUS FASHION, TAKE ONE: As Salus University’s general counsel and compliance officer, Brian Zuckerman, JD, thinks his workday attire can feel a bit repetitive. For him, socks are an opportunity to show a little bit of individualism. Socks that make a statement are something I know a little about as well. Click here to check out the first of three stories about fashion at Salus.

AUDIOLOGY AWARD: Aaron Roman, AuD, CCC-A, FAAA, an assistant professor in the University’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA), has been named an Early-Career Audiologist Award winner by the American Academy of Audiology (AAA). Dr. Roman is in his second year at the University, where he teaches courses in the residential Doctor of Audiology (AuD) program and serves as a clinical audiologist providing comprehensive care at the on-campus clinical facility, the Pennsylvania Ear Institute. He also serves as a clinical preceptor for AuD students and works with pediatric and adult populations. To read more, click here.

WHY SALUS: Hear directly from Salus University’s Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) students on why they chose our SLP program. Click here for details.

A CLOSER LOOK AT DREXEL: As we continue the integration process with Drexel University, we wanted to take a deep dive into Drexel’s academics and student life. Click here to learn more.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Over the past few weeks, I’ve touched upon several subjects that are associated with the stressors we see in our lives to include loneliness, bullying, and gun violence. Today, after having to get up at 3 AM to catch an early morning flight I thought I’d address another stressor, one that many of us deal with routinely. That is sleep deprivation. While attending the continuing education meeting of the Association of Armed Forces and Federal Optometric Services (AFOS) in Atlanta this past week I had the opportunity to attend a very insightful lecture on this very topic, which prompted me to do some additional research. I’d like to share some of my take-aways from the lecture and what I found in the literature that I’m certain is applicable to everyone reading this update.

According to the Sleep Foundation, as we sleep, we cycle through four stages of sleep. The first stage can last between one and seven minutes. You are probably not dreaming but just starting to relax. During the second stage of sleep, we are more relaxed. Our breathing, heart rates slow and brain activity slows. This stage lasts between ten to twenty-five minutes. During the third phase of sleep, also called “slow or delta wave” sleep we are in much deeper state, more relaxed, and much harder to wake. Sleep experts believe this is the restorative phase of our sleep cycles where the brain has a chance to rest and even assists with memory and creativity. It may also bolster the immune system and other key bodily processes. This phase can last from twenty to forty minutes. The fourth phase of sleep is REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, where our brain becomes more active. While we can dream in any of the sleep phases, the dreams we have during the REM stage tend to be more vivid. Most people will not enter REM sleep until they have been sleeping for up to ninety minutes. REM sleep is believed to be essential for cognitive functions such as memory, creativity and learning. We cycle through these phases several times during the night (or when we sleep) – see diagram below. 

Just like doing exercise to ensure we maintain a healthy cardiovascular system and shower every day to ensure we have good general hygiene, paying attention to our sleep hygiene is also an important habit to get into. It’s important to develop a consistent sleep schedule. To obtain this you should have routine exposure to nature daylight, avoid screen time and alcohol a couple of hours prior to bedtime as well eliminating noise and ambient light from your sleep environment. This will also help to properly adjust your circadian rhythm, the twenty-four internal clock in our brain that regulates cycles of alertness and sleepiness by responding to changes in our exposure to natural light in our environment. While this may seem like common sense, many of us have a difficult time practicing good sleep hygiene on a regular basis.

As we try to address stressors in our lives, getting enough good sleep on a regular basis can play a key role in how we are able to navigate through the many things confronting us daily. As you prepare for the weekend, and many of you, national boards, try to work on improving your sleep hygiene as I believe it will pay dividends in overall performance academically and personally.

Be safe, get some rest, look out for one another, and remain SALUS STRONG!

- Mike

Addressing Our Spiritual Health: Week of February 16, 2024

 

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

Good morning on this bright, crisp, windy morning in Elkins Park. I just returned from attending the annual meeting of the Society of Federal Healthcare Professionals in Maryland where I had the opportunity to listen and participate in discussions with our nation’s federal healthcare leaders. I took the liberty of discussing one presentation, in particular, from Dr. Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General of the United States, in my Final Thoughts section that I thought we would all benefit from. While I was gone our campus has remained busy and vital between classes, labs and clinical activity. One distressing piece of news to note is the mass shooting in Kansas City, which has put a bit of a damper on things as we mourn the loss of a young lady and all those people, mostly adolescents, who were wounded during this senseless act of gun violence. It needs to stop!

Here are some other, certainly more uplifting things, I hope you will find of interest:

SALUS LOVE STORY: It started off with a toque and ended up with Akirta Sran, OD ‘20, and Brendan Connors, OD ‘20, getting married backwards and without a ring. And along the way, four attempted marriage proposals got delayed on account of rain, just to add another level of uniqueness to a love story that started at Salus University. Read more about this unique wedding tale by clicking here.

SLP CAREER OFF TO A GOOD START: In only seven months since graduating from Salus University’s Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program, Sultana Abdur-Raheem, MS ‘23, has begun to form a budding career as a speech-language pathologist. Click here to read more about how her career is progressing.

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT — O&P: An aspect unique to the Salus University Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program is the integrated 18-month clinical residency, where students are immersed in O&P clinical practice and research. Not all graduate O&P programs include an integrated residency, which sets the Salus program apart. Read more here.

PTE CHAPTER RECOGNIZED: This past January, the University’s Delta Mu chapter of Phi Theta Epsilon (PTE), the national honor society for occupational therapy (OT) education, was recognized in the national PTE “Scroll & Pen” newsletter for scholarly work. Click here for details.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Earlier this week, while attending the annual meeting of the Society of Federal Health Professionals, I had the opportunity to hear US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy discuss the importance of spirituality. In addition to physical and mental health, he suggests it is equally -- or some would suggest, more important to pay attention to our spiritual health. Dr. Murthy breaks down spiritual health into four areas: belonging, purpose, awe and inspiration, and service.

We are in the middle of a loneliness epidemic. Across multiple college visits, Dr. Murthy has found a very high percentage of today’s college students who report being lonely most of the time. While people congregate together, very few feel a sense of belonging, which he attributes to excessive social media, smartphone and other technologies that can isolate people, even when they are physically around others. Belonging to groups, clubs, or other ways of doing things in groups helps to mitigate some of the situations that can cause loneliness.

Closely connected to this is feeling a sense of purpose in life. It can be as simple as routinely participating at a soup kitchen to working to solve civic issues in one’s community. The third aspect of spirituality is awe and inspiration. This can be elicited by walking in nature taking in the beauty of the surrounding landscape. The fourth, and possibly one of the most important facets of spirituality, is that of service, doing something for others. Volunteering to help with setting up a party, assisting friends or siblings through hard times are examples of acts of service. Service can be closely related to purpose, which is defined by The Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley as “an abiding intention to achieve a long-term goal that is both personally meaningful and makes a positive mark on the world.” Serving as a healthcare provider certainly would check both boxes, as would many other professional and social endeavors that enable us to actively participate in causes larger than ourselves.

Whether we realize it or not, feelings of tiredness, stress and even occasional hopelessness and despair are understandable due to classes, schedules, exams, family challenges, our merger and conflicts happening around the world. By paying attention to and nurturing spirituality, we can better manage our feelings and concentrate on what’s most important to each of us individually.

If you want to learn more about the importance of spirituality, I encourage you to check out Dr. Murthy’s recent “House Calls” where he discusses this in-depth with Dr. Lisa Miller, a psychologist who has worked on this for many years.

As you prepare for this weekend, I encourage you to think about Dr. Murthy’s advice and how you might begin to incorporate some of his ideas into your daily routines. Be safe, continue to look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

- Mike

Continuing Our Advocacy for You: Week of January 26, 2024

 

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

Good morning from Drexel University where I continue to learn more about the College of Nursing and Health Professions as well as help to educate the folks here about all the great things we do at Salus. I had the opportunity to attend on Tuesday with Dr. Chad Duncan and Beth Moy the Hanger Foundation’s inaugural Night to Inspire event in Nashville. Hanger, the largest provider of orthotics and prosthetics in the country, hosts many of our O&P students at their sites. It was amazing to learn about the wonderful opportunities that the foundation is providing for children through their support of Camp No Limits, whose mission is to “empower young people with limb loss or difference to discover and develop a healthy, happy, and independent lifestyle.” Hats off to Dr. Duncan and our O&P staff for fostering such an important relationship. Here are some other items I hope you will find interesting:

TOP JOBS: Several of Salus University’s academic programs secured top spots in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 Best Jobs and Top Healthcare Jobs rankings. Read more about where our program professions ranked here.

DAY IN THE LIFE: Have you ever wondered what a typical day looks like for a first-year Speech-Language Pathology student at Salus? Read more about Haley Tevnan’s ‘25SLP typical day here.

THIS WEEK’S TECH TUESDAY: Jacalyn Harris, MPO, CPO/L, and Virginia Muthard, CPO/L, FAAOP, tell us about one of their favorite pieces of O&P equipment: the cast saw. Click here to watch and here to see more in the series.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As we begin this new year and our merger with Drexel comes closer to becoming a reality for all of us, I want our faculty and staff to know that I and members of the President’s Council are listening to your concerns, and to the best of our abilities, we are continuing to advocate for you with our colleagues at Drexel. We are also keeping our Board of Trustees informed.

I know that we have not been able to provide you with all the answers to your questions, especially as they pertain to certain aspects of compensation and benefits. But all of us, including our Drexel colleagues, share an unwavering commitment to fair and open collaboration on these issues. To that end, we will be inviting various Drexel leaders to campus to discuss, both generally and individually, how changes may affect you. I hope to provide specific dates during our upcoming Community Meeting next week in addition to some more answers as we progress.

I realize it’s difficult to plan and maintain a positive outlook without having this important information, and I empathize with you. You have my commitment to continue to answer your questions as quickly as possible in the weeks ahead.

To our students, our continuing commitment to your education remains a driving motivation underpinning this merger. I remain extremely excited about the opportunities Drexel will provide you, our faculty and staff moving forward. I look forward to spending time with our Student Council leaders early next week to share efforts to date and to answer your questions.

As you prepare for this weekend, know that the Salus leadership continues to be actively engaged on your behalf. Together we are SALUS STRONG!

- Mike

Addressing Supreme Court's Ruling On Affirmative Action: Week of June 30, 2023

 

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

Good morning on another hazy day in our region. It’s been an eventful week as we prepared to bid farewell and safe travels to our Thai optometry students and a belated welcome to our SLP and audiology students from Taiwan. I’d also like to welcome all our new PCO residents and ODS students to Salus.

In addition, here are some other items of interest:

AOA CONFERENCE: Last week I attended the 2023 American Optometric Association conference, referred to as "Optometry's Meeting” in Washington, D.C. PCO/Salus was well represented at the conference, and it was great to catch up with our alumni and friends. Read more about the conference here.

SALUS AWARDS GALA RETURNS: After a few years off due to the pandemic, the Salus Awards Gala made a triumphant return. Hosted by our Campus Activities Committee, the Salus Awards Gala honored various Salus faculty, students and staff who have made an impact throughout the year. Click here to see who was honored.

ADAPTIVE RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES DAY: The second annual Adaptive Recreational Activities Day, sponsored by Hanger Clinic and Alps®, was held last Saturday at the Hafter Center. The event celebrated individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities, including limb loss, brain injury, blindness and low vision or mobility challenges, and was supported by healthcare and rehabilitation professionals and those with experience and expertise in adaptive sports and recreation. Read more about it here.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 2019 with a degree in Communication Science and Disorders and learning about the Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program at Salus University, Gabrielle Verrillo, MS ’21, decided to check it out. She was sold immediately. Read more here about how our SLP program prepared her well for her current career.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Many of you may have read the email that Dr. Mosley Williams distributed Tuesday in advance of yesterday’s decision by the Supreme Court that Harvard and UNC’s use of race in their admissions process violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. I wanted to share my thoughts, as well. I respectfully disagree with the findings of the Court. Salus and the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, prior to us becoming a university, have always deeply valued the importance of cultural and racial diversity, as evidenced by our 40-year commitment to our Summer Enrichment Program and our recruitment efforts across all our programs.

As the pandemic clearly taught us, huge disparities persist in the quality, level of access and trust in the American healthcare system. It is imperative that we not only recognize this, but continue to actively address this through our recruitment of underserved populations into all our programs.

In a New York Times article on a study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the difference in newborn mortality rates among socioeconomic and racial cohorts of women is striking. For every 100,000 births, 173 babies born to wealthy white women die prior to their first birthday; 350 babies born to poor white women die; 437 babies born to wealthy black women die; and 653 babies born to poor black women die prior to their first birthday.

In maternal health, the situation is equally stark: “The CDC estimates that, in 2021, the maternal mortality rate among Black women was nearly 70 deaths for every 100,000 live births. That is 2.6 times the rate for white women, regardless of income or education (PBS Newshour, 6/28/23).” To say that race is not a factor in health outcomes is to ignore the evidence.

Dr. Jay Feldstein, the president of Pennsylvania College of Osteopathic Medicine recently published an editorial in Fortune Magazine that outlines this and other disparities that are clearly apparent in our healthcare system. One of the only ways that our society will be able to help to curtail this and other disparities for other underserved populations is to ensure that we continue to recruit and train healthcare providers that reflect the cultures and racial composition of those populations we serve. The importance of recognizing cultural humility in healthcare and actively addressing health inequities has never been as important as it is now. 

Salus will continue to actively recruit the most diverse student body that we can. We will not be deterred in working toward the best outcomes for our students and our patients. Our current admissions process, which does not consider race, recognizes all the factors, including the lived experiences, backgrounds and perspectives of students, that shape and contribute to their professional formation.

There will be a great deal of press following the Supreme Court’s decision on this topic in the coming weeks, espousing various perspectives. I want you to know that we will continue to maintain our steadfast commitment to recruit and train a student population that reflects diversity, inclusion, and cultural humility. 

Be safe, continue to look out for one another, stay hydrated and remain SALUS STRONG!

-Mike

Gun Violence is a Public Health Crisis: Week of December 2, 2022

 

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

Good morning from our Elkins Park campus. It’s a nice crisp December morning here, reminding us that winter is nipping at our heals! Even with the colder weather outside, things are heating up inside as our students and faculty prepare for final exams and new and exciting clinical rotations. In addition to all that’s happening on campus, here are some other areas of interest I hope you will read about:

NEW NSSLHA BOARD: The National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA)’s chapter at Salus University welcomes a new executive board; Stevie Goldman ‘23SLP, as president, Alyssa Dallmer ‘23SLP, as vice president, Jess Kusters ‘23SLP, as treasurer and Emily Steinslofer ‘23SLP as secretary. The purpose of NSSLHA is to support students within the communication sciences and disorders professions as they prepare for their future careers. Read more here.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: Healey Miller, MSOT ‘21, ‘23OTD, focuses on people. But after coming out of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, she was wondering what career path she was going to take. She then decided to attend Salus University to pursue OT as her career. Read more here about what Healey’s doing now.

FACULTY FOCUS: The path to Salus University has taken Maria Boka, MSPAS, PA-C, to quite a few different places. Click here to find out what route she took to become one of the newest members of the faculty in the University’s Physician Assistant Studies program.

SWANKY SOIREE: The annual Salus Soiree, held Nov. 18, attracted approximately 225 students — all transported to the museum from the University’s Elkins Park campus in four school buses — all dressed to the nines and ready to party. Read more about the evening here.

VACCINATION EVENT: We will host a vaccination event Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. in the Hafter Center gym. In collaboration with Walmart Pharmacy, the event will provide the new bivalent COVID booster as well as the flu vaccination. Registration is required. Attached is an information sheet with registration information and a list of documents that you will need to bring with you.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Today I wanted to highlight recent research on gun violence, the connection between social determinants of health and this growing epidemic, and local and federal efforts to address it. As I have before, I want to be sure this public health emergency remains on our radar. The more we can learn about this epidemic, the more prepared we will be to curtail its impact on the patients we serve and the broader society.

New data released on Tuesday from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) looks across 32 years of national data and is the first of its kind to track firearm fatality trends over time by intent, demographics and geographics. The findings are striking: 

• Men account for the overwhelming percentage of fatalities over time (86% male vs 14% female);
• White, non-Hispanic individuals (61%) comprise the largest share, followed by Black, non-Hispanic (26%), and Hispanic (10%) individuals;
• Males had higher rates of suicide and homicide compared to females, with the highest rates of firearm suicides among White men aged 80-84;
• The sharpest rise in maximum rates of firearm homicides over time has occurred among men aged 20-24 with Black fatality rates rising 22 times higher (up to 142 per 100,000) and Hispanic fatality rates rising 3.6 times higher (up to 23 per 100,000) compared to White men (up to 6 fatalities per 100,000 persons aged 30-34 years).

Importantly, the data shows over time the increase in gun fatalities from west to southeast over the past three decades:

Figure 1: Trends and Disparities in Firearm Fatalities in the United States, 1990-202

JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(11):e2244221. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.44221

I draw your attention to this, as just yesterday, I gave a lecture to students on the effects of social vulnerability on diabetes. Check out the slide below:

Figure 2: Effects of Social Vulnerability on Diabetes. Lecture, 1 December 2022. 

What we see when we compare the maps is this: Socioeconomic status, lowered health outcomes and homicides follow the same geographic patterns. Disparities in health outcomes follow disparities in economic income, access, and stability.

Mounting evidence shows the array of promising responses that make a difference in addressing this complex public health issue:

• Firstly, stronger state policies designed to reduce firearm violence are effective in reducing firearm fatalities (JAMA, Firearm Laws and Firearm Homicides: A Systematic Review, 2017).
• This week I attended a Leadership Breakfast hosted by State Senator Art Haywood in which gun violence was discussed by several experts. They included the establishment of Nightly Street Teams to build relationships with shooters and victims; deploying mental health and social service providers to deliver services to shooters, victims, and their family members; sponsoring frequent job fairs for neighbors in high crime areas; increased police presence and weekly block cleanups. Systemic approaches that strengthen community support while attending to the root causes of gun violence are effective.
• A growing number of resources also address gun violence prevention and related supports. Check out the following:
• CDC’s Gun Violence Prevention website
• Montgomery County Gun Violence Prevention Page
• National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform

As current and future health care providers, we have a responsibility to continue to call attention to this epidemic with our local and federal representatives and to advocate for our patients’ increased resources that improve access and equity in health outcomes.

As you prepare for the weekend, please take some time to think about how you can have an impact on the gun violence epidemic in our region. Change will take time but unless we make the efforts now, nothing will improve.

Please be safe, look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

-Mike