Labor Day Weekend: Week of September 4th, 2020

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

Greetings from a very busy Elkins Park campus. Our students continue to participate in limited face to face (actually mask to mask) classes, labs and clinics. It’s energizing to see all the activity on campus!

GRAND ROUNDS: The next Grand Rounds at The Eye Institute (TEI) is from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11. Dr. Patrick McManamon will present a program titled “IOL: Insight on Lenses.”
 
CONTINUING EDUCATION EVENT: On Sunday, Sept. 13, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. a synchronous online CE event titled “Current Advancements in Comprehensive Optometric Care” will be presented. I’m looking forward to presenting “Public Health Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic — A Look Back and the Road Ahead” As the final lecture of that day. I’ll be preceded by an all-star group of faculty and guests. Click here to see the full panel.
 
WELCOME NEW FACULTY & STAFF:  We have two new members of our Salus community I’d like to welcome: Nicholas Jones has joined us as Research compliance coordinator; and Gabriel Fickett, OD, is an assistant professor at PCO.
 
HAMPTON UNIVERSITY AGREEMENT: Salus University Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) recently partnered with Hampton University, one of the nation’s leading historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), to offer a new articulation agreement to address the underrepresentation of Black students in optometric education and healthcare professions. Paula Harmon Boone, OD, director of the National Optometric Association (NOA) “Visioning the Future” HBCU Mentorship Program and NOA trustee, helped initiate and lead the effort. Mirroring the goal of the NOA’s mentorship program to address the lack of diversity among optometry students, the partnership was established to give students who successfully complete a Bachelor of Science degree at Hampton a pathway to earn a Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree at Salus PCO. Under the agreement, students enrolled in the program will receive both financial and academic assistance from the NOA, advisement from the Pre-Health program at Hampton and mentorship from a Salus PCO faculty advisor. We are so proud to have entered into this agreement.  
 
HAFTER CENTER OPENING: We’re scheduled to reopen the Hafter Center on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The hours of operation will be Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Some things to keep in mind: the basketball/volleyball court will not be available; the track will be open and you will need a reservation to use it, with physical distancing regulations in place. For additional details about scheduling your workouts, please refer to your latest Hafter Happenings newsletter. 
 
FACULTY FOCUS: This week’s Faculty Focus is on Kimberly Edmonds, MS, CCC-SLP, a clinical educator who supervises first-year students in SLI. Read about how she tries to incorporate music in her teaching at salus.edu/KimberlyEdmonds.

VOTING: Voting is an integral part of our American democracy. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and as we read about potential postal delays it’s imperative that you plan ahead if you’re planning to vote by mail. Here are the steps to vote by mail in Pennsylvania:

1. Request your mail-in ballot with a mail ballot application.
2. Fill out the application completely.
3. Submit the request to your local election office. You should request your ballot as far in advance of the election as possible. The deadline to request a ballot by mail is (received by) Tuesday, October 27, 2020.
4. When your ballot arrives, read it carefully and follow the instructions to complete it and return it.

If you do decide to vote in person, please ensure you know where your polling place is. For those of you who might be interested in becoming a poll worker for the November election, you can get more information by going to the VotePA website here. No matter what your political affiliation or how you decide to cast it, please vote - it’s a privilege many have made the ultimate sacrificed for us to exercise.

FINAL THOUGHTS - LABOR DAY WEEKEND: As we approach Labor Day weekend, I always like to remind people why we celebrate this holiday, which celebrates the greatest workers in the world – American workers. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday. So, there you have it. This is why we have this coming Monday off. I hope everyone enjoys their 3-day weekend and especially, Labor Day.

Have a great weekend. The weather is supposed to be fantastic, so get out and enjoy it! Please remember to socially distance, wear a face mask when around others, wash your hands frequently and that what you do off campus directly affects all of us on campus. Be safe, be responsible, remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Labor Day Weekend: Week of August 31st

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

Well, the heat is finally gone, at least for now, as we get ready to celebrate Labor Day weekend!

For those of you who might be curious as to the origins of Labor Day, according the Department of Labor, the holiday is that originated with the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883. In 1884 the first Monday in September was officially selected as the holiday in New York and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "working men's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country. Labor Day was designated a Federal holiday in 1894. Today the holiday also symbolizes the end of summer and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic events.

On Monday, we dedicated the Marco Family Foundation Classroom (classroom W111) with a plaque unveiling and a champagne toast. It was great to have David and Julie Marco on campus as well as representatives from Marco Ophthalmic, so we could thank them in person for their incredible generosity. 

In our Osborne College of Audiology, the class of 2020 held its Class BBQ on Thursday evening at the Hafter Center as an end of the semester event. It’s really nice to see these events on campus.

Yesterday we had the honor of hosting State Representative Mark Mustio and members of his staff on campus to show him how the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) trains today’s optometrists and prepares them for the future. We had the opportunity to tour both the Elkins Park campus and The Eye Institute (TEI). A high point of the visit for Representative Mustio was his instruction on our binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy (BIO) virtual training device. Dr. Trego instructed him on how to view the fundus through both a direct ophthalmoscope and a Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscopy (BIO). I think he left with very realistic impression of how difficult this skill was to acquire! It’s always great to bring legislators to campus so we can educate them about our professions and impress upon them that we teach to the highest standards in each profession we train. Seeing it first-hand makes a huge difference. Representative Mustio certainly left with a much more informed impression of optometry than he had before he came.

Just a reminder that our annual Looking Out For Kids (LOFK) charity fundraiser will be held on November 3, 2018 at the Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue Hotel. Official invitations will be going out shortly and I wanted to ensure you had this on your calendars. It’s a fun event that helps to ensure we can continue to care for all those children in need of our vision and other health care services.

Finally, yesterday was a sad day for me and many on the staff as we bid farewell to Dr. Janice Scharre who officially began her retirement. It really hit home when I saw her husband wheeling all of her pigs with wings out of her office. We will miss her greatly and wish both Dr. Scharre and Dave “fair winds and following seas” as they begin their next adventure in Northern Virginia where they’ll be much closer to their family.

As you all get ready to celebrate the long weekend, please take some time to relax and recharge. I also ask that you reflect a bit on the events of this week and some of the many comments that were made in association with the death of Senator McCain. Without touching upon political views, I believe he represented what’s best in America – honor, courage, commitment, integrity, grit, dignity, the ability to forgive and move on and a true spirit of patriotism placing country above all else.

Take care and respect each other and come back ready to hit those books!

Mike

Labor Day History: Week of September 1st

It’s hard to believe it’s already the 1st of September and summer has pretty much passed us by. With the change in seasons comes an increased sense of energy and excitement on campus as students and faculty really dive into their programs. Some of our students are beginning externships, while others are returning to campus after experiencing what life is like in the “real world.” I remember when I was a student and felt this same level of excitement as I began my externships and then returned to campus after they were completed.

As I write this note, thousands of people in southeast Texas and parts of Louisiana are beginning the long road to recovery from Hurricane Harvey.  I know we have several students who are from that area who we have reached out to, as well as others, particularly our colleagues at the University of Houston College of Optometry.  Luckily, everyone we’ve talked to are okay.  The recovery from this storm will take years, with many of our colleagues affected.  Please join me in keeping all those folks in the Houston and surrounding areas in your thoughts and prayers.

Last week we held our bi-annual Faculty Development Day. Attendees took part in three sessions to enhance their presentation and relationship building skills, and to learn more about advancement opportunities within the University. The day culminated with a ribbon cutting ceremony for our latest renovation projects. Thanks to Drs. Lorraine Lombardi, Brooke Kruemmling and Janice Scharre for making this all happen. 

From now through October 9, the University’s D’Arrigo Family Gallery is showcasing artwork from three Philadelphia area mixed-media artists, Tom Herbert, Blanche Levitt Torphy and Elynne Rosenfeld.  If you haven’t had a chance to visit the gallery in the Hafter Center, I hope you can find the time soon as it will be well worth the visit!

The official invitations are out for our “Looking Out for Kids” charity fundraiser. This will be the eleventh year for the event, and it will be a special one.  As a reminder, we will be honoring Shelly Yanoff, the former Executive Director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth as the 2017 Lighthouse Award recipient.  The event will be on November 11 at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill.  I’m hoping for record attendance at this year’s event!  A special shout out to National Vision, Inc. who was generous enough to be our major corporate sponsor.    

As this weekend is Labor Day weekend, I thought a little history lesson might be in order:  According to the Department of Labor, the first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City.  Its origins stem from the desire of the Central Labor Union to create a holiday for workers.  It became a federal holiday in 1894. It was originally intended that the day would be filled with a street parade to allow the public to appreciate the work of the trade and labor organizations. After the parade, a festival was to be held to entertain local workers and their families. It is surmised that one of the reasons for choosing to celebrate this on the first Monday in September, and not on May 1, which is common in the rest of the world, was to add a holiday in the long gap between Independence Day and Thanksgiving. Today, Labor Day represents the unofficial end of summer.

So, as we prepare to reflect and remember those in southeast Texas and also to enjoy the last weekend in summer, please take some time to reflect on all the good things we have around us and the wonderful opportunities we all enjoy in being associated with professions that have the opportunity to give back to others.  Have a safe and restful weekend! 

Mike

Visiting Alumni

I just returned from a trip with our Director of Development, Lynne Corboy, to visit alumni in Maryland and Virginia. It was a great trip as I had the opportunity to see how professionals from both optometry and audiology have used their skills to improve the lives of their patients both here in the U.S. and abroad.  It was also very nice to visit one of our retired alumni who has contributed a great deal to his community and our profession.  More on that later.  During the trip we stayed at the lodging facility on the U.S. Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia.  Having served in the Washington DC area for many years I was very familiar with the base - and it felt good to go back.  One of the high points of my stay was a quick visit to the Naval Health Clinic on Quantico (Navy Medicine takes care of the Marines) where I wanted to show Lynne what an integrated care model looked like in practice.  The clinic integrates dentistry, primary care in the form of a Medical Home, optometry, pediatrics, mental health and other specialities under one roof.  When patients are seen in their Medical Home, if they require specialty care, often they are walked down the hall for either a same day appointment or an appointment within a week.  It's a very effective and efficient way to deliver health care; a model we need to embrace here at Salus.

One of the high points of my visit to the clinic was running into some officers whom I've had the privilege to work very closely with in the past who have become part of my "Navy Family".  It's great to be able to maintain these important relationships even though I've since moved on into academia.  We've followed each other's careers and I've been honored to serve as a mentor for many of these officers over the years.  So why bring this up? (Lots of themes bouncing around in this blog entry!)

Well, we all develop personal and professional relationships and I would argue, extended families as we move through our professional programs.  You will develop very special bonds at Salus who will become your extended "Salus/Professional Families".  These will be folks you meet during the course of your time at the university that become not only life-long friends but confidants and extended family members you know you can count on (and they count on you) as you navigate through your education subsequently professional lives.  These relationships are something to be nurtured and cherished over time.

Now back to our alumni - our extended professional family.  The most "mature" family member we visited graduated in 1948 and is still active doing gardening, working out and giving advice to his step son, a current optometric provider.  Another of our family members is doing some very interesting work with macular pigmentation while the other is helping to change the lives of children in Kenya leveraging their skills as an Audiologist.   I think it's important to recognize what our extended family members are doing to better the lives of those they touch so we can determine what we might be doing to both augment and build upon their successes.

As we get ready to say farewell to Summer this weekend and get ready to jump into the academic and clinical cycles with fervor it's also a good time to reflect on those special relationships we've developed or will be developing and what they mean to us professionally and personally.  Take some time this weekend to recharge your batteries, energize some of your personal and professional relationships and come back next week ready to tackle whatever comes your way.

Wishing everyone a very safe and fun Labor Day Weekend.