Juneteenth National Independence Day and a Change in Our Vaccine Policy: Week of June 18th, 2021

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

Good morning on a cool and sunny Juneteenth National Independence Day. As we pledged to do last Fall, today was designated a University holiday in commemoration of the June 19, 1865 announcement of General Order No. 3 by Union Army General Gordon Granger, proclaiming freedom from slavery in Galveston, Texas. Just yesterday, President Biden signed a bill making this a Federal Holiday to allow all Americans to have the time to reflect on the significance of the day. Closer to home, here are some of the things happening around campus:

NEW VACCINE POLICY: As I hope you have all seen by now, we have updated our Salus Safety Strategy to require all students, faculty, residents and staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by August 13, 2021. You can view the video I recorded explaining our rationale on our website and read a copy of the updated guidelines here.

OCA APPOINTMENTS: Two internal appointments have been announced at Salus University’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) by Radhika Aravamudhan, PhD, dean of OCA. Bre Myers, AuD ‘06, PhD, CH-AP, three-year track program coordinator and associate professor, has been named assistant dean for Foundations; and Jonette Owen, AuD ‘03, MS, assistant dean for Clinical Education and assistant professor, has been promoted to associate dean for Clinical Education. Congratulations to Dr. Myers and Dr. Owen! 

GENEROUS CONTRIBUTION: Kenneth Newton, MS, CCC-SLP, wanted to find a way to memorialize some of the people he loves in a unique way. After a lot of thought, he decided the best way to do that was to give something back to the Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program at Salus University in which he’s been an assistant professor for the past six years. Read more about Ken’s generous contribution here.

FRIEND AND MENTOR: It’s not unusual, according to Landon Godsey III, program director and fitness guru at the Hafter Center, that fitness trainers and their clients develop personal relationships. That’s because fitness training can be a highly personal journey for some people. Read more about how Landon has become a friend and mentor to several Salus students here.

MIDDLE STATES ACCREDITATION: This week, we highlight Standard IV - Support of the Student Experience. Our working group is led by James Caldwell, OD, EdD, Dean, Office of Student Affairs, who is joined by John Fitzgerald, III, DO, FACOG, Associate Professor, Associate Program Director, Medical Director, and Clinical Director, Physician Assistant Studies Program, College of Health Sciences, Laine Higa, OD, FAAO, Assistant Professor, Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Monica Maisto, MS, Director, Office of Admissions, Andrea Tyszka, OTD, MS, OTR/L, SIPT, Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy Program, College of Education and Rehabilitation, Darryl Horn, PhD, Assistant Professor, Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Andrew Muckin, student, Pennsylvania College of Optometry. Together they are documenting the litany of student services provided by the University to support their academic studies and provide extracurricular opportunities to enrich their experience. And please don't forget to join Dr. Kruemmling's virtual information session next Wednesday, June 23rd, at noon, to learn more about the self-study process and how you can review and provide feedback on the University's draft self-study report. 

PRIDE MONTH: June is Pride Month, a celebration that demonstrates how LGBTQA+ Americans have helped strengthen the country by using their talent and creativity to help create awareness and goodwill. Visit loc.gov/lgbt-pride-month to learn more about LGBTQA+ histories well as view artistic work, musical compositions and novels from the community.

FACULTY FOCUS: Daniel Pavlik, DMS, PA-C, CAQ-EM, associate professor and director of didactic education for the Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program at Salus University, is this week’s Faculty Focus feature. Dr. Pavlik is currently serving as interim director of the PA program. Read more about him at salus.edu/DanielPavlik.

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’: When Salus University alumni, Rachel Plavnik, MS ‘19, Shannon LaSalle, MS ‘17, Amanda Kaufmann, MS ‘17, and Alexa Gutman, MS ‘17, embarked on their academic journeys, despite all the guidance and direction they would receive as students enrolled in the University’s Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program, none of them anticipated their degrees leading them to the West Coast. Read more about their respective journeys here.

NAVIGATING FINANCIAL AID: Check out “How to Navigate Financial Aid as a Grad Student” in part one of this podcast Q&A featuring Jaime Schulang, MA, director of Student Financial Affairs. Jaime talks about the different loans, scholarships and financial aid that are available for students when they come to Salus University. To listen and read more, click here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Over the course of this week we’ve passed on a great deal of information between the change in our vaccine policy to the recognition of Juneteenth National Independence Day. As a final thought, please take the time today to reflect on the reasons you’ve chosen to become healthcare providers or educators and how you’re going to leverage all you have learned or are learning to make other lives better. After all, isn’t that why we’ve all decided to enter into the professions we offer here at Salus?

For all you dads out there - I hope you have a Happy Father’s Day. Please be safe, take some time for relaxation and reflection and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Celebrating Our Graduates: Week of May 21st, 2021

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

Greetings from a very summery Elkins Park campus. I can’t believe it was almost 90 degrees here yesterday and will be that warm today through the weekend! While the campus has been relatively quiet, we’ve had students in labs and clinics busy practicing their professional skills. In addition to this, we’ve been preparing for what will be a week-long celebration of our graduating class of 2021 next week.

NEXT WEEK’S COMMENCEMENT: We’ve got a great deal planned between the two-day in-person event May 25-26 and the livestream ceremony May 27 for the Class of 2021. In the lead-up to commencement week, we’ve featured some of our grads and their unique stories on our website, including:

—The incredible challenge that Sigalit “Sigi” Davidov ‘21OD undertook to get her degree. She was the mother of three children under five years old when she started at PCO/Salus and now she’s made it to graduation day. Read more about her journey here.

— Although it took longer than he expected because the pandemic interrupted his academic path with a “real kick in the gut,” Doug Gilbert ‘21O&M stayed the course and will graduate. Read more about Doug’s challenges and persistence here.

— What an example of endurance and strength shown by Anastasia “Annie” Goerl ‘21OD, who has maintained her studies while battling adenocarcinoma of the lung. I talk a lot about “Salus Strong,” and Annie personifies that! Read more about her journey to graduation here.

— Earning a doctorate degree is a big accomplishment, but sharing that milestone with a family member makes it feel even sweeter. After spending years forging their own separate paths, sisters Sonia Panchal ‘21OD and Maya Panchal ‘21OD, came back together at PCO/Salus and will graduate next week. Read more here.

MOVING TOWARD NORMALCY: We recently released plans for upcoming semesters, signaling a more traditional fall semester with in-person learning, labs and clinical facilities for all programs more than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic drove faculty and students to online teaching and learning. As with everything associated with the pandemic, these plans are subject to change depending upon local infection rates and federal and local guidance. To read more, click here.

MIDDLE STATES ACCREDITATION: This week, we highlight Standard II - Ethics & Integrity. Our working group is led by Lauren Sponseller, PhD, OTD, MSOTR/L, MEd, Assistant Professor and Chair, Occupational Therapy Department, College of Education and Rehabilitation, who is joined by Thomas Beeman, PhD, Board of Trustees Member, Lindsay Bondurant, PhD, CCC-A, Assistant Professor, Osborne College of Audiology; Director, Pennsylvania Ear Institute, Stanley Hatch, OD, MPH, FAAO, Assistant Professor, Pennsylvania College of Optometry; Chief, Pediatric/Binocular Vision Services, Candida Mulligan, Officer, Office of Admissions, and Maria Parisi, OD, FAAO, Associate Dean of Optometric Clinical Affairs & Associate Professor, Pennsylvania College of Optometry. Together they are documenting our commitment to the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity and our core values of responsibility, collaboration, innovation and growth and sustainability.

WEEKEND FITNESS: The fitness staff at the Hafter Center wants everyone to know that the University will be returning to having weekend hours starting June 5 and June 6. The weekend fitness hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fitness blocks will be set up in the PT Fitworks app. Remember, you need to be fully vaccinated if you’re going to use the fitness center. 

VACCINATION UPDATE: For those who received their first vaccination dose at the Hafter Center on April 28, the second dose will be administered from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 26, at the Hafter Center. Please remember to bring your vaccine card.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As we prepare to launch another group of Salus graduates next week, I want to congratulate all of you and all those who supported you during your time with us. No one could have foreseen the events that unfolded in 2020 as you’ve worked to complete your degrees. Between the worldwide pandemic, social unrest and a polarizing national election, you are leaving Salus during unprecedented times. The one thing that you have that will help you to navigate all of these challenges is the fact that your education has prepared you well to enter into your given professions. Given the challenges you’ve successfully overcome this last year, no matter what you face, you are ready to take on the world!

As I noted earlier, we’ve got a great deal planned for next week, starting with the two-day drive-up ceremonies on May 25-26, culminating with the virtual commencement ceremony that will preview at 2:00 p.m. on May 27th. I’ll also be going on Instagram Live at 9:30 a.m. to chat with you one last time, “in person” on the 27th. All you need to do is go to the Salus Instagram site and you should be able to access it.

I am so proud of all of you and I know that your faculty all feel the same way. You’ve all embarked on extremely exciting and rewarding careers. Your ability to help people improve their lives is a real gift; one that needs to be cherished, honed and continually nurtured. It’s our hope and expectation that you take full advantage of all that you’ve learned during your time at Salus and apply those skills with the utmost care and sensitivity to those patients and clients you will care for.

As you prepare to leave us, please remember that Salus will always be your academic home. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with any one of us throughout your professional journeys. We’ll all be there to help you continue to succeed.

Finally, if you haven’t already gotten your COVID-19 vaccine, please get that done as soon as possible. You will be the “local experts” once you leave here and you need to continue to set the example in practicing good public health measures.

 Congratulations on a job exceptionally well done – You are SALUS STRONG and we are SALUS PROUD of your accomplishments! Please stay hydrated if you’re out in the heat and continue to follow CDC and local guidelines as you enjoy the weekend.

Mike

Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy: Week of April 30th, 2021

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

Greetings from a very pollen covered Elkins Park Campus. It’s been another busy week with practical exams, in-person classes and labs and bustling clinics. Here are some additional pieces of information that I wanted you to have: 

MIDDLE STATES ACCREDITATION: This fall we will virtually host a team of peer reviewers on behalf of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) as part of the University's ongoing two-year self-study review process. This process focuses on the University's commitment to continuous improvement and the ability to meet the required standards for re-accreditation. While a group of faculty and staff volunteers have been collaborating on this essential process, we all have a role to play by raising our awareness of their efforts. Over the coming months, in my weekly updates, I will provide some background on the subject matter of each of the seven MSCHE standards and introduce you to those in the Salus community that are doing this important work. More information can be found on our website. Up first, Standard I - Mission and Goals.

BIG RED BUS UPGRADE: In honor of her family’s more than 100 years of combined service to the optometric profession, to patient care and professional education, and after seeing first-hand the benefits of providing early vision care to students at their schools, Cathie Muhr has donated $100,000 toward replacing our aging vision van, so the “Looking Out for Kids” program may continue in a more suitable environment. Cathie is the third generation of her family to work in optometry. She joined the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) family as a technician more than 40 years ago. We cannot thank Cathie enough for generosity and dedication to our LOFK mission. Read more about Cathie’s generous gift here. And don’t forget the annual LOFK charity fundraiser is Saturday, May 1. For information, click here.

DEI COMMITTEE APPLICATIONS: There has been a good response to the call for applications for the DEI Committee, however there is still a need for more student participation. So, Dr. Juliana Mosley-Williams has extended the deadline for applications through the end of today, April 30. Contact Dr. Mosley-Williams at JMWilliams@salus.edu for an application. 

NEW ORGANIZATIONS FOR STUDENTS: White Coats for Black Lives, Salus Hearts in Motion, National Perinatal Association, and Salam Muslim Student Association are just a few of the new organizations on campus that further emphasize the wide variety of student involvement the University has to offer. Read more about ways to foster engagement for Salus students here.

BLACK EYECARE PERSPECTIVE: Salus University alumni are leading a dialogue asking for 13 percent Black representation in the optometry community through the Black EyeCare Perspective. Dr. Jacobi Cleaver, OD ‘11, shares his experiences and thoughts surrounding his PCO optometry journey, beginning in the PCO Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), which will relaunch in June as the Robert E. Horne SEP after a six-year hiatus. Read more about Dr. Cleaver here.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: This week’s Where Are They Now features Casey Heffelfinger, MS ‘20, CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist in a skilled nursing facility in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Find out why she said Salus was the right place for her to further her professional aspirations at salus.edu/CaseyHeffelfinger.

OUTDOOR OPPORTUNITY: The parking lot area outside the South building lobby on the Elkins Park campus has been fenced in for dining, meeting, studying and general use. This area will hold up to 44 people, with the chairs and tables placed accordingly to ensure social distancing. There are sanitizing supplies to wipe down the area you used. Access and egress from this area must be done through the South building lobby. We ask that you do not enter or go through this area from outside the fenced area or from the parking lot. You must be screened at the main entrance prior to using it. This area can be reserved for student events/meetings and can be scheduled through the facilities department at facilities@salus.edu.

FALL 2021 COMMENCEMENT: Salus University’s fall commencement will be Tuesday, Oct. 12. More details will be announced as they become available.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I wanted to take some time to share my thoughts about vaccine hesitancy. If you’ve been reading my Weekly Updates you will know that I strongly believe in the importance of being vaccinated and how that remains our primary path out of the pandemic. You should have also picked up on the fact that I believe, as healthcare professionals, we need to set the example for everyone and get vaccinated. Frankly, it is our professional responsibility to get vaccinated to ensure the safety of our patients and those working with us. These vaccines are safe and effective and have already begun to help curtail the spread of the virus in places where they have been widely distributed. The sooner we can reach herd immunity the more lives can be spared. In addition to receiving the vaccine ourselves, we also should be playing a key role in acting as vaccine advocates and educators to those who might be hesitant to receive it. There are several independent, scientific resources that will help debunk inaccurate theories and help to educate those who might be reticent to be vaccinated. They include: The Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medicine, New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), WebMD, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, to name just a few. Additionally the Black Doctors Consortium has been extremely successful in decreasing vaccine hesitancy amongst the African American community in Philadelphia. You can learn more about their efforts here. I would encourage you to review some of these resources to help educate yourself and others about the safety and efficacy of these miraculous vaccines.

As you probably read last week, we have announced that beginning June 1st, we will authorize university-sponsored travel for those who are vaccinated. We’ll be adding more incentives within the coming weeks to include a requirement to be vaccinated to use the fitness center. External to us, most clinical externship and clerkship sites are requiring students to be vaccinated, and we are considering the same for TEI, PEI and SLI. Please don’t put your professional education in jeopardy by not getting vaccinated. If you haven’t already received the vaccine, I strongly advise you to take the initiative and get it done now! 

As you prepare for the weekend, try to get out and about and enjoy the spring weather. With the updated CDC guidelines addressing the use of face masks, remember, if you’re vaccinated, you still need to wear your mask if you attend a crowded, outdoor event. If you are not vaccinated, you should be wearing your masks when attending small outdoor gatherings, even with vaccinated people, when dining outdoors and attending crowded outdoor events. Just some more incentives to get vaccinated! Enjoy the weekend. Be safe, make arrangements to get vaccinated, if you haven’t already and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Snow is Coming! Week of December 8th

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

I hope everyone is having a great Friday!  It’s cold and the weather forecasters are predicting snow for the first time this year tomorrow.  We’ll see…

This morning, many of us were treated to a wonderful Grand Rounds lecture from Dr. Bernie Blaustein. Dr. Blaustein has been a member of our optometric clinical teaching staff since 1974, which is a bit over 43 years! He’s been an optometrist for over 50 years and we have been so very lucky to have him on staff. Today’s engaging Ground Rounds lecture covered 50 years of clinical experiences that were priceless.  Many of us remember having Dr. Blaustein when we were students at The Eye Institute. Always patient and willing to provide students with the time to teach and explore options, Bernie has influenced the way we practice this great profession for as long as he’s been a teacher and mentor. Dr. Blaustein, who will be retiring after this month, was awarded Professor emeritus status by the Board of Trustees several months ago. Some of Dr. Blaustein’s many accomplishments include serving as Chief of Optometry Services at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Coatesville, Pa., and as editor for both the Ocular Manifestations of Neurologic Disease and Ocular Manifestations of Systemic Disease. During his professional career, Dr. Blaustein has written numerous professional articles and chapters in optometric texts, has also regularly presented papers and has lectured at various professional conferences. He also previously served as director of the PCO Residency Program and has always taken a special interest in educating our young optometric interns and residents. We wish him “fair winds and following seas” as he begins his well-earned retirement - but also hope to see him around The Eye Institute from time to time doing what he loves and also what he does best - teaching and mentoring all of us!

Last Friday, Mr. Don Kates and I attended the Metropolitan Caucus, a political event in New York sponsored by the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia. We had the opportunity to meet and more importantly, tell many local politicians and civic leaders about Salus and the wonderful services we provide for children and others in the greater Philadelphia and Montgomery County regions. There were over 500 people at this one event which, hopefully, helped to raise awareness about Salus and all of the great things our faculty, staff and students do for our communities on a daily basis.  

Earlier this week, Drs. Janice Scharre, Brooke Kruemmling, Gregory Benjamin, Radhika Aravamudhan and I attended the annual meeting of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. As our University's accrediting body, we had the opportunity to learn more about new standards and rules that will affect us over the coming years. While each one of our programs also has individual accrediting bodies, Salus, along with over 560 other universities in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country, is accredited by Middle States. Since we successfully completed our Periodic Review Report last year, our next accreditation visit will be in 2020. But, it’s never too early to begin to prepare for these visits and to learn about any new incoming standards in which we need to adhere.  As always, we learned a great deal and felt confident we’re moving in the right direction.  

At 5 p.m. this evening, PCO will be hosting a reception for the American Optometric Association’s InfantSEE program in the Hafter Student Center. Tomorrow, an InfantSEE community event will be held at The Eye Institute at 10 a.m. The InfantSEE program is a public health initiative managed by Optometry Cares, the Foundation of the American Optometric Association. It’s designed to ensure vision care becomes a vital part of an infant’s wellness program. Optometrists who are part of this program provide a no-cost initial eye assessment to children between 6 to 12 months of age. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that on December 7th we remembered the 76th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. This significant event thrust the United States into World War II, thus defining a generation of Americans as “Our Greatest Generation." Many American service men and women lost their lives or were injured on December 7, 1941. Please take a moment to reflect on this and the brave men and women who sacrificed everything to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today.  

Finally, on a much lighter note, tomorrow is the annual Army-Navy game at Lincoln Financial Field here in Philadelphia. As many believe, last year’s Army win was a fluke, but we’ll see how this year’s event turns out :-).  

GO NAVY - BEAT ARMY!

Have a great weekend,

Mike