Dear Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and Friends,
Greetings from Israel, where Dr. Melissa Vitek and I are wrapping up a trip where we have been providing lectures and workshops to optometry students at Hadassah Academic College Jerusalem. I’ve had the opportunity to meet with its distinguished president, Professor Bertold Fridlender, and to compare notes on the impact of the pandemic on higher education in both Israel and the United States. We have much in common!
Last weekend, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of our Looking Out For Kids fundraiser at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia honoring Lighthouse Award Leader Kovin Naidoo. Special thanks to NBC10 reporter Johnny Archer, Jacquie Patterson, Alexis Abate, Dr. Brandy Scombordi, Dr. Juliana Mosley Williams, our sponsors, faculty, staff, friends and family for creating together such an outstanding event. My personal thanks for your commitment and contributions – together we raised over $95,000 in vision and audiology support for children across the Philadelphia region! To read more about the evening, click here.
While we’ve been away, here are some other “goings on” at Salus:
MSCO ADVENTURE: Salus Master of Science in Clinical Optometry (MSCO) 2023 international students spent a recent autumn morning hiking along the Wissahickon Park trails with other international students from Drexel University’s English Language Center (ELC). A group of more than 30 graduate and undergraduate students, faculty and staff from both universities celebrated the changing colors of the leaves, traversed shallow creeks and learned a bit about the history of the Wissahickon Valley in Northwestern Philadelphia. Read more about their adventure here.
THE ART OF OBSERVATION: A common communication capability came in quite handy recently when a group of 12 Salus PA students visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art to participate in a program called “The Art of Observation.” Click here to read more.
ANOTHER O&P ‘FIRST’: Hearing the words “first pour” for the first time might initially conjure up images of an after-work happy hour at a local watering hole. But for students in the inaugural Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) cohort at Salus University, “first pour” means something completely different in an academic context. Click here to learn more.
SALUS SOIREE: The Campus Activities Committee is hosting the 2022 Salus Soiree, "A Vivid Dream,” tonight at the Please Touch Museum from 8 to 11 p.m.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Over the course of my career, I have been deeply privileged to be able to travel and work in places all over the world. Across every culture and country, I am struck by the overwhelming decency, respect and dignity of the people I meet wherever I go.
At Hadassah Academic College Jerusalem, I was thrilled to be invited to lecture to a first-year optometry class of Arab, Israeli and Palestinian students. It was heartening to experience students’ genuine respect and appreciation of each other effectively bridging what could easily be fraught cultural, language and political differences. There’s a lesson here for all of us: it takes effort, time, skills and practice to treat each other with mutual respect, find common goals, exercise tolerance and open-mindedness, and it is achievable.
I am inspired by and grateful for the students, faculty and staff with whom I spent time with at Hadassah. It left me recommitted to the work we do at Salus to model for our patients, colleagues and students respect, collaboration, compassion and appreciation -- essential relational skills that build communities and strengthen societies.
As you prepare for the weekend, please try to find time to relax and unwind. The weather is turning a bit chilly, so when you do go out and about, be prepared for that. If you have not yet received your flu or Covid vaccine, please put that on your “to do” list as no one wants to see an uptic on either as we approach the holidays. To make it easier, we will have another booster event at Elkins Park on December 7 from 10:30 am-2:30pm in the gym. Look for the forthcoming email reminder. As we approach the holidays, I want everyone to be able to enjoy them!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, if I don’t have a chance to see you this coming week. Be safe, remain healthy and stay SALUS STRONG!
-Mike
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