Frosty Fall Friday: Week of November 10th

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

Greetings from a frosty fall Friday in Elkins Park! This note is going to be a bit longer than most as I wanted to honor our veterans as well as provide you some history on Veterans Day.

First, I want to congratulate our Speech-Language Pathology faculty and students for representing us at the annual American Speech-Language-Hearing Association meeting in California.  Many of our faculty presented lectures and posters at the meeting, once again, making all of us at Salus very proud!

Dr. Aravamudhan and Dr. Rajan from the Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) also attended the ASHA meeting, where Dr. Aravamudhan serves as a mentor and member of the Council of Academic Accreditation.Dr. Rajan from OCA and Ms. Dawn Ciccone from the Salus Occupational Therapy program were invited by ASHA's Interprofessional Education Committee (IPE) committee to present on their IPE initiatives, which was a real hit with attendees.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Marc Berson, one of our Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) alums, who was on campus lecturing on practice management.  We had a great discussion about the optometric applicant pool, scope of practice, and - because he’s also a runner - we also compared training tips. It’s not unusual for our alumni to come back “home” to Salus to provide real-world experiences to students in all of our programs. I don’t think we thank these folks enough for taking their time to help educate our students, same goes for our clinical preceptors. We couldn’t accomplish what we do without their very generous help.

Congratulations to Dr. Lauren Sponseller, chair of our Occupational Therapy program, who was recently selected to the American Occupational Therapy Associations Academic Leadership Institute. Lauren is one of only 20 chosen across the country!  

Today marks the 242nd birthday of the United States Marine Corps. On November 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress, right here in Philadelphia, established the Continental Marines. Since that time, U.S. Marines have distinguished themselves defending our freedoms around the world. During my 33-year Navy career, I had the privilege of serving with the Marine Corps for almost one-third of that time. I even proudly wore their uniform when embedded with the Corps, as all Navy Medical Department personnel do. Tomorrow, November 11th, we also recognize all veterans as we celebrate Veterans Day. A little history:  World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919.  However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of World War I.  Originally designated Armistice Day by President Wilson, November 11 commemorates the armistice that began that day. In 1954, Congress officially changed the name to Veterans Day to recognize all veterans.  

While I was served on active duty, we observed the Navy and Marine Corps birthdays and Veterans Day with ceremonial cake cuttings and a welcome day off. Today, as a retired Navy veteran I find myself thinking of these dates a bit differently. I have been reflecting on how lucky we all are to have men and women who, everyday make sacrifices to ensure we continue to enjoy the freedoms we often take for granted. They do this while being held to the highest of standards, ethically, professionally and morally. Their core values of honor, courage and commitment have been the moral and ethical compass that has guided them for 242 years.  

As healthcare professionals, we have much in common with those who have and currently serve in our Armed Forces. We too have made a commitment to devote our time and energies to serve others. As healthcare professionals, we also must be guided by an ethical and moral compass as we care for those entrusted us.

So, as we celebrate the Marine Corps birthday today, and take time to specially honor our veterans tomorrow, I ask you reflect on how we can leverage our own commitment to always conduct ourselves with honor and have the courage to always do what’s right for our patients. If you see someone in uniform or if you know someone who is a veteran, please take the time to thank them for their service, while I thank you for your commitment to helping others! 

This Saturday evening is our Looking Out for Kids annual fundraiser. While the event itself is sold out, folks can still donate to the charity on our website.

Have a great weekend. Stay warm and stay safe.