Embracing Change: Week of April 28, 2023

 

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

Good morning on a cloudy Friday in Elkins Park. Looks like we’re in for a rainy weekend here! It’s been another busy week on campus with students preparing for final exams and heading off to clinical rotations. We’ve also been meeting with small groups of faculty and staff to discuss our potential affiliation with Drexel. We greatly appreciate everyone’s questions and comments.

Here are other items that may be of interest:

SLP CAPSTONES: Salus University’s Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) students were loud and proud presenting their capstone projects recently in the Hafter Student Community Center. After a year of research, our SLP graduate students presented their collaborative group projects to faculty, staff, family and friends. Read more here.

GENE THERAPY BREAKTHROUGH: Alexander Dizhoor, PhD, Hafter Family Chair in Pharmacology and Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) professor, participated in an important research study on gene therapy, and its effectiveness in treating a rare form of congenital GUCY2D blindness. His recent work was published in the October issue of iScience, the National Library of Medicine within the National Center for Biotechnology Information and SciTechDaily. Click here to read more.

DR. CATANIA UPDATES BOOK: The book “Primary Care of the Anterior Segment” by Louis Catania, OD ‘69, FAAO, DSc, has become an iconic textbook in eye care over many years. And now, it’s been updated with a third eponym edition. To read more about Dr. Catania’s book, click here.

COHORT PREPARES FOR LAB: In our latest podcast, students from the seventh cohort of the Master of Science in Clinical Optometry international program share why they chose Salus and what they hope to get out of their time here. Click here for details.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Over the course of the past few months, I have experienced a number of personal losses: a beloved family member, the wife of a dear friend and mentor, and a close friend’s father. These events, combined with a recent “big” birthday, remind me just how fragile and short life is, and also how important it is to live every day like it is my last -- embracing the things and people I serve and love with a renewed sense of purpose and intention.

To that end, in a few short weeks, I am trying my first sprint triathlon since having back surgery in December. Life is too short to sit on the sidelines and observe. Training for this has felt creative and energizing. It has helped me focus on something proactive, even as I grieve. I look forward to testing my physical and mental readiness.

In a similar vein, I feel even more committed to embracing positive change and pursuing the things through which our Salus community can have the greatest impact. The affiliation we are currently exploring with Drexel University is a prime example. Not only am I excited about what this can mean for our students, faculty and alumni, but also for our patients and the broader community whom we serve. The sky is the limit -- in the research we could be doing collaboratively, the leading-edge training we could offer to emerging and continuing professionals, the interprofessional care we could provide to help our patients thrive. This is a vital step toward fulfilling Salus’ mission: advancing integrated healthcare through innovative education, research and clinical services.

If there is one thing I know for sure, it is what makes Salus special: our people. The creativity, curiosity, energy and expertise that you bring to every interaction animates our mission. As we navigate through important, necessary discussions, your future welfare and professional growth are foremost in my thoughts and actions.

What I’ve learned over time is this: loss and change are inevitable. But with that, we have a choice in how to respond and move forward.

The journey we may be taking with Drexel is exciting and limitless, but not without inevitable challenges that can be surmounted with teamwork, transparency and vision. I invite you to join me in leaning into change and in envisioning together what might be possible. As I continue to meet with small groups of our Salus community over the next few weeks, please reach out if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you.

- Mike

Class of 2020: Week of May 18th, 2020

Students, Faculty, Residents, Staff, Alumni, Board Members and our growing number of Friends,

I want to direct today’s Monday Message to our graduating class of 2020. This morning as I prepared to head out on a bike ride into the city, I threw my normal riding gear, helmet, shoes, gloves plus one addition, a new face mask, into the car it was again a stark reminder that things have changed as we approach our next normal (see below). It also sparked a few thoughts that I’d like to share with you.

As I was thinking about the graduation ceremony at the Kimmel Center that we’ve grown accustomed to, the thought occurred to me that there might be some advantages of our upcoming virtual ceremony. Think of it – how many of you actually look forward to wearing that silly hat, dressing in multiple layers in a room that’s often too hot, wearing uncomfortable shoes and in my case wearing about 20 pounds of bling on top of everything else, for almost 3 hours? And then there are the speeches. Some are quite memorable, such as last year, from Dr. Lou Catania or when the U.S. Surgeon General came and told us you’d always remember him because he’s the guy who put the warning on beer labels. This year’s speech will also be one of those memorable ones as well, knowing Dr. DiStefano. But some of the others, forgettable, at best!

Graduating from Salus is much more than a ceremony and I know most of you realize that. The day represents your hard work, dedication and commitment you’ve made to help others throughout your academic careers. You are passing the threshold and have become a healthcare professional. The day also represents the pride our faculty and staff share in helping you to achieve your success. As you prepare to leave Salus, I wanted to take the opportunity to share just a few pieces of advice that have served me well over the years. As you begin your new careers, make it a point to establish a work-life balance that allows you to prioritize things that make sense for you. Prioritize your life in such a way that you can put family and significant others first.

Attack your work with passion and excitement every day. Never be satisfied with average performance. Just doing enough to get by is just not acceptable, especially as a health care professional. 

Listen to and treat your patients, rather than all the technology that surrounds you. Your patients should be at the center of everything you do.

Be part of the solutions and help to make the world a better place. Listen, learn, be gentle with people and volunteer your talents so you can teach by example. 

We’ve got some significant challenges ahead of us as a country, but I am absolutely confident that your generation of graduates are well-prepared to address these and make things even better than they were before COVID-19 entered our lives.  

As I noted in last week’s message, THIS IS OUR TIME – really, this is YOUR time and you are ready to confront whatever challenges may come your way.

Class of 2020 - You are SALUS STRONG!  Go forth and get ready to do great things – we will always be here for you and very much look forward to watching you spread your wings as you leave our nest.

Mike