Embracing Transitions: Week of May 5, 2023

 

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

Good morning and Happy Cinco de Mayo! It’s been another busy week at Salus with our students preparing for finals, upcoming commencement and new clinical rotations. We’ve had therapy dogs in the Learning Resource Center, bagels in the morning to help jump start the day, and the symphony of construction as work continues on our first floor renovation. Here are some other items of interest:

A HIGHER LEVEL: Yasmin Battat, AuD ‘09 wanted a higher level of training where she could attain more in-depth knowledge about her profession. So, she enrolled in the distance learning program in audiology at what was then the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) School of Audiology. Read more about Dr. Battat’s journey here.

ACCEPTED STUDENT DAY: Salus University’s Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) and Orthotics & Prosthetics (O&P) programs hosted their inaugural accepted student days this past weekend. Students had the opportunity to visit the Elkins Park campus, tour the facilities, meet faculty, and interact with prospective classmates. Accepted student day was first offered for PCO students last year, but has since expanded to include the Audiology, SLP, O&P and Physician Assistant Studies (PA) programs.

OT CONFERENCE: Five Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program (OTD) students and two Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) students attended the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri from April 19 to April 23. SOTA officers Lexi Hunn MSOT ‘24, and Mia Nicolosi, MSOT ‘24, represented Salus at the annual Assembly of Student Delegates meeting, and Caityn Foy, DOT, MOTR/L, OTD program director, hosted a Salus University expo table and talked to prospective MSOT and OTD students.

AAPI HERITAGE MONTH: Monday marked the start of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month), recognizing the challenges faced by Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians and their vital contributions to the American story. May is significant to the AAPI community for two reasons. On May 7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrant arrived in the United States. More than 20 years later, on May 10, 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was completed, largely due to the project's more than 20,000 Chinese workers.

FINAL THOUGHTS: On Tuesday evening, I was delighted to help “send off” our 3rd year Audiology students who are preparing for external clinical rotations. I always enjoy this ceremony, as I encourage our students to take full advantage of the learning that will challenge them clinically and academically, and that will help them build confidence in what they’ve learned at Salus. This got me thinking about transitions, and how at this time of the year many of our students are preparing to transition to their next stage of training or into professional practice opportunities.

Transitions can be exhilarating and exciting, and they can also feel uncomfortable, challenging and scary. Over the course of my 33-year career with the Navy, I transitioned a number of times to positions with increasing responsibility all over the world. Each transition helped me grow professionally and intellectually by getting me out of my comfort zone and forcing me to confront new ideas and situations. Some transitions were harder than others. As I reflect on all of them, the ones in which I learned the most were the ones I approached with an open mind, grace and ease—allowing myself not to know everything, reaching out when I had questions, and giving myself the space to make mistakes and learn from them.

Every day and every interprofessional and interpersonal encounter presents an opportunity to embrace change in the way we look at things, communicate and respond. Over their years of education and clinical training at Salus University, our students are being shaped by our faculty and staff to become exceptionally prepared healthcare professionals, educators and researchers. Each step along the path is a transition presenting students with challenges and opportunities that contribute to their professional formation.

As we continue our discussions with Drexel, our faculty and staff have been thinking about what a transition could look like if an integration moves forward. Like other transitions, this presents great opportunities, and it can also feel stressful, because the status quo will change over time. In healthcare and higher education, where our worlds intersect, change is the norm. This can feel difficult and destabilizing. Having been through a lifetime of significant transitions, I want you to know that I appreciate what you may be feeling. As you have questions, please reach out to me or our leadership team. We can navigate this together.

I cannot stress enough the importance of flexibility and agility as conditions in our industry change. These changes require transitions from the way we currently think to new ways of thinking that are more encompassing, collaborative and more complex. That’s the goal of the integration with Drexel: providing us with the opportunity to shape and evolve the future of our current programs in a way that we could not envision independently.

Marcus Aurelias, the famous stoic, once said: “The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.” In every transition I have encountered, I have asked myself, “What am I learning about my response to change, and how can I grow from this experience?” This question has helped me see the opportunity for positive growth that is always there, if I look for it.

As you start your weekend, try to reflect on the transitions you’ve experienced and the learning that has come out of them. Congratulations and best of luck to our audiology as well as our other students heading to clinical rotations. Be safe, continue to look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

-Mike

Starting Our Strategic Planning Refresh: Week of February 18th, 2022

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

Good morning on a cool, windy morning in Elkins Park. It’s been another busy week on campus with many of our students preparing for practicals and other tests and changing clinical rotations. All of the moves from last week are now complete with renovations beginning in earnest in the West building, paving the way for the construction of our new Orthotics and Prosthetics and Activities of Daily Living labs. It will be great to have all of our academic programs situated centrally. Our COVID positivity numbers remain extremely low with zero cases reported over the past couple of weeks. Thank you for all you’ve done to help keep us healthy and safe!

Here are some other items of interest:

TOP JOBS: We are extremely proud that several of the professions in which Salus University trains are once again among the top 100 jobs in the nation for 2022 as ranked by U.S. News and World Report. Check out the rankings here. 

DEI SPEAKS!: Our next DEI Speaks! event will be from noon to 1 p.m. today featuring David X. Marquez, PhD, Professor of Kinesiology and Nutrition and Director of the Exercise Psychology Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Marquez's talk, “Importance of Culture in Addressing the Health of Latino/a/XS,” will provide perspective and relevance, given the current national conversation on how social determinants of health impact Brown and Black communities. The Office of DEI and White Coats for Black Lives (WC4BL), student organization, are co-sponsoring the event.

EATING DISORDER AWARENESS: Did you know that eating disorders affect at least 9 percent of the population? Within this general population, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), gay men, people with larger bodies, and transgender individuals are less likely to be identified as and treated for eating disorders. Please tune in to CPPD's social media accounts (IG: CPPD Salus; FB: Center for Personal and Professional Development at Salus University) for more information pertaining to disordered eating during National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, Feb. 21-27. CPPD's Dr. Tami April-Davis will be handing out psychoeducational information (and treats) outside the cafe from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23. CPPD is also using Black History Month as an opportunity to highlight black mental health accounts on IG. Check out CPPD's weekday IG stories for these highlights. 

STUDENT NETWORKING SERIES: Registration began this week for the second session of the Student Networking Series scheduled from 7 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, where we will explore the Pennsylvania Occupation Therapy Association (POTA) scholarship application process. The session will be led by Dr. Lauren Sponseller, PhD, OTD, MSOTR/L, MEd, chair of the Occupational Therapy department at Salus University, and facilitated by our student liaison, Ashley Boyd. Dr. Sponseller has served as a member of the POTA Student Scholarship Committee and as a reviewer of Student Scholarship Applications in 2021. The session is free for POTA members and $10 for non-members. Use this link to register. 

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: This week’s Where Are They Now features Kristin Kaplewicz, MSOT ‘20. Check out how Kristin incorporates her therapy dog, Syrah, into her work as an occupational therapist. Read more here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Thanks to all of those who attended our Salus Community Update meeting yesterday to discuss the next steps in updating our Strategic Plan. I’m looking forward to getting our focus groups together to hear your thoughts and help move our university forward. I also wanted to take the opportunity to once again thank all those who completed the Town Hall survey in advance of yesterday’s session. As I noted yesterday, I read every response you send, and I take each one to heart. Here are some of the themes that emerged from the survey that I wanted to share with those who may not have been able to attend yesterday’s meeting:

Staff turnover and employee retention. We have experienced very real staff turnover in TLS and at TEI, and we are taking this seriously. We are conducting a series of meetings across TLS staff and we'll be scheduling focus groups at TEI to learn more from you about what you're seeing, what's working and what's not. We’ve already made changes to our weekly hours for TEI staff and will be monitoring that closely. Please be in touch with me or my Chief of Staff or Human Resources if you'd like to share any concerns or suggestions. We know we can always do more to improve and welcome your constructive suggestions.

The recent move of administrative and academic offices to 8380. This move was required to make space for our new Orthotic and Prosthetics program as well as expand our Activities of Daily Living lab. In doing so, we thought it best to consolidate our teaching and learning spaces together to make it easier for students and faculty. Thanks, in part to a generous grant from the Commonwealth, we were able to accomplish this. Anyone with a Salus ID can easily access the administrative offices in the North building.

DEI. Establishing the office of DEI is an active recognition of the impact we and our emerging educators and healthcare practitioners have on the health and well-being of the thousands we serve. I encourage you to reach out to my special assistant, Dr J., if you have questions, suggestions or concerns.

Data on how students are doing. This is something we're all extremely interested in learning and tracking. Our Academic Assessment Committee is preparing a student survey to gather data on student performance, engagement and impacts of the pandemic. They'll share the results as soon as available.

For those issues we did not address, I encourage you to please reach out to me directly or to my Chief of Staff or Human Resources. We sincerely welcome your thoughts, comments and suggestions.

As you prepare for the weekend, while the COVID numbers are decreasing in our region, please continue to remain vigilant in your preventive measures by wearing a face mask when around others, socially distance when you can and wash your hands frequently. Also, please remember what you do off campus directly affects all of us on campus.

Have a great weekend. Please be safe, look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

An Exciting Time at Salus: Week of February 11th, 2022

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

Good morning from a sunny and relatively warm Elkins Park campus where I am writing this update from our new digs on the 4th floor of the North building. Together with Academic Affairs, we have moved from our office spaces in the West building to accommodate the construction of our Orthotics & Prosthetics spaces and new Activities of Daily Living lab. This is an exciting time to be at Salus! Here are some things of interest:

BOOSTER DEADLINE: Our February 13th deadline is quickly approaching. By Monday, all students, faculty and staff are to be boosted with an FDA-approved vaccine (or such later date that an individual first becomes eligible for a booster – i.e. six months after having received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine). Please remember to upload your booster information by Monday. An email has been sent with additional instructions. 

ACCELERATED SCHOLARS PROGRAM: Three of our students share why they chose the Accelerated Scholars Program at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University. This program enables students to complete the traditional optometry program degree requirements in an accredited 36-month, year-round, campus-based program. To read more about their perspectives and experiences, click here.

OT vs. PT: In our latest podcast, we talk with Brianna Brim, MOT, OTR/L, CPAM, CLIPP, director of the Occupational Therapy Institute (OTI) and an assistant professor of Occupational Therapy. Second-year OT students — Bradley Hess, Aditi Kadakia and Rachel Boas; join in. They talk to us about the difference between OT and Physical Therapy (PT) and why they chose Salus University’s OT program. To read more, click here.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: This week’s Staff Spotlight is on Jaime Schulang, MA, director of Student Financial Affairs at the University. Find out about her lifelong love affair playing the viola and how she met her musical hero. Read more here. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: Earlier this week I had the opportunity to attend Senator Bob Casey’s 2022 Higher Education Roundtable in Washington, DC. Thirty-five college presidents attended the meeting. Congresswoman Susan Wild, from the 7th Congressional District, kicked off the meeting with her priorities for higher education including support for college completion and obtaining skills that will allow them to earn livable wages. Ambassador Susan Rice, President Biden’s Domestic Policy Advisor, discussed the importance of Pell Grants. Of note, Ambassador Rice’s mother, Lois Rice -- a corporate executive and on the College Board, was instrumental in getting the original Pell Grant program passed almost 50 years ago. Ambassador Rice stressed the importance of making higher education accessible to everyone.

During the discussion period, I noted that while Pell grants are extremely beneficial for attending undergraduate schools, the current Pell guidelines have no impact on graduate programs. While we strongly advocate for additional funding for the Pell Grant program, these must be made available to graduate students as well as undergraduates. According to the Washington Post, 40 percent of today's federal student loans are given to graduate students with borrowing increasing by $2.3 billion over the course of six academic years. Comparatively, undergraduate borrowing decreased by $15 billion over the same time period.

These discussions are extremely important to raise awareness among leaders and policymakers to the challenges our students face. Know that I will continue to champion issues that impact you.

As you prepare for Super Bowl weekend, I hope your favorite team wins! In the meantime, as you participate in Super Bowl festivities or are out and about, please remember to wear your facemask around others (even in light of discussions to eliminate mask mandates, which I believe are premature) socially distance when you can, and continue to wash your hands frequently. As always, be safe, be smart and look out for one another – together we remain SALUS STRONG.

Mike

Black History Month - A Call to Action: Week of February 4th, 2022

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

Good morning from a rainy, rather warm Elkins Park campus. This weather reminds me more of late March than early February! It’s been another busy week on campus with more classes being held in-person with COVID numbers in the local area coming down. It’s great to see our campus community coming back! Our overall positivity rate remains low (0.4%) with random screenings showing 1.5% (1 positive) positivity rate this last week.

Here are other items of interest:

O&P LAUNCH PROGRESS: As work behind the scenes to launch our new Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program continues, program director J. Chad Duncan, PhD, CRC, CPO, talks about what prospective students can expect when the program launches this fall. Read an interview with Dr. Duncan here.

CAREER OPPORTUNTY: The career path of Chrystyna Colón, ‘23OT, has taken another step forward as she was recently accepted by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) into its Summer Institute of Future Scientists in Occupational Therapy, scheduled in April 2022. Read more about Chrystyna’s opportunity here. 

ACCELERATED SCHOLARS: Before the first Doctor of Optometry Accelerated Scholars Program cohort began in July 2014, a small pilot group of traditional program students were given the opportunity to accelerate their clinical skills and enter The Eye Institute. That was seven years ago and since then, the program has progressed. Read more here.

SLP OPEN HOUSE: Open houses help prospective students get a sense of what a program is actually like. What better way to learn about a Salus University program than firsthand from one of its current students? Read more about the Speech-Language Pathology program’s recent virtual open house here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As many of you know, Black History month began Tuesday. In an email that went out earlier this week, Dr. Mosley-Williams eloquently described her experiences with this when she was younger but also pointed out the many accomplishments Black Americans have made over the years. She also noted the great disparities that still exist in our country and right in our own back yard in access to quality health care. The pandemic has exposed significant differences in the outcomes Black, Latino/a/x, and Indigenous people have experienced. People of color make up just under 40 percent of the U.S. population but account for approximately 52 percent of all the “excess deaths” above normal through July of 2020.* These data reveal gross inequities in healthcare that need to be aggressively addressed. As healthcare providers and as a university community, we have an obligation to recognize the issue, explore the root causes and do everything in our power to help mitigate these inequities. This is tough stuff and won’t be easy nor will it occur quickly. But until organizations such as ours actively and holistically challenge the status quo, nothing will happen. The first step is acknowledging the issue. The next steps require a commitment to address social injustice and health inequities actively and consistently. I know our Salus community is up to that task.

As you prepare for the weekend, please keep in mind that the temperatures are forecast to plummet potentially creating icy roads and walkways. Please continue to wear your facemasks when out and about around others, social distance and wash your hands frequently. Be safe, look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG! 

Mike

*Flagg, A., Sharma, D., Fenn, L. and Stobbe, M. (2020). Covid-19’s Toll on People of Color is Worse Than We Knew. The Marshall Project, Analysis: 8.21.2020. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/08/21/covid-19-s-toll-on-people-of-color-is-worse-than-we-knew

Salus New Year Message: Week of January 1st, 2021

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

As we prepare to thankfully leave 2020 in our rearview mirrors and welcome in 2021, I want to take this opportunity to thank the entire university community for your continued support, indefatigable resiliency and compliance with our Salus Safety Strategy which has allowed us to effectively provide our world-class programs, overcoming significant challenges along the way. You all rock!

Reflecting upon 2020, with its many challenges, it has been a year of intense focus, clarity and noteworthy achievements, to include the completion of our Standardized Patient Simulation Laboratory; our Occupational Therapy Program received a 10-year reaccreditation; we celebrated milestone professional recognition for several of our faculty and staff members; we recognized 4 outstanding faculty members with the Presidential Medal of Honor; several of our professions have already achieved or are on the road to achieving 100% national board pass rates; we welcomed our new Special Assistant for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, Dr. Juliana Mosley-Williams; we welcomed our new Dean of the College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation, Dr. Jim Konopack; we wished Mr. Bill Brichta a fond farewell as he began his retirement and welcomed Ms. Regina Scriven as our new Vice President, Technology and Learning Resources and we recently received a $750,000 Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant from the state to help fund our new Orthotics and Prosthetics program.

While 2021 promises to be much brighter than 2020, we still have a ways to go before we approach any semblance of what we would consider normal. History reminds us that in the midst of a crisis, things might actually get worse before they get better. For example, in late 1944, following the successful D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, it seemed as if the Second World War was all but over. On Dec. 16, with the onset of winter, the German army launched a counteroffensive that was intended to cut through the Allied forces in a manner that would turn the tide of the war in Hitler's favor. Thousands were killed or wounded. The battle that ensued is known historically as the Battle of the Bulge. The U.S. Army ultimately beat back the German offensive, but with great sacrifice, and continued their drive toward Berlin, thus helping to end World War II.

We can draw some parallels from this to what we’re experiencing today. While there are now several vaccines approved for COVID-19 around the world, experts are still predicting a rather grim winter for our country, given the current number of infections and hospitalizations. Thus, it’s imperative that we continue our diligence with wearing face masks, social distancing and frequent hand washing. While these measures are certainly effective, as you know, we have also implemented our “Return to Learn” testing program for all students and clinical faculty returning to campus for scheduled instruction. To date, over 500 people have signed up for their tests and I’m sure others are preparing to do that this week. Remember, you cannot return to campus for your scheduled instruction unless you have evidence of a negative test. Additionally, throughout the semester we will be offering testing solutions to our students returning to campus from their externship, clerkship and other clinical rotations.

There is light at the end of the tunnel as we look towards 2021. We will emerge from this public health emergency stronger, smarter and better prepared for the next time we’re confronted with any emergency that comes our way. We are better healthcare providers, with refined critical thinking skills. 

My staff and I are working hard to ensure we receive the vaccine along with other healthcare professionals at the appropriate time. As you know, we’ve applied to become a COVID-19 vaccine closed Point of Dispensing (POD) that will help to ensure all of us, including our immediate family members, are vaccinated efficiently. Hopefully, that will be approved shortly.

Needless to say, 2020 has been a most challenging year for us all; probably the most in our school’s 100-year history. Personally, I can’t wait to see our classrooms and labs full of students and faculty and be able to show up on campus and not wear a mask and douse my hands with hand sanitizer. But, that will all have to wait. Looking ahead, 2021 does promise to be a much brighter and exciting year. As vaccines become more ubiquitous, and people receive them, things will improve quickly. Salus is a great university because of the students, faculty, staff and volunteer board members that bring our university to life. That has never been more apparent to anyone looking at us than this year. I look forward to working with each and every one of you as we prepare for an exciting 2021 and position ourselves for another year of great accomplishments, growth and successes.

Wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year. Stay safe, stay healthy and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Mental Health Awareness: Week of January 31st, 2020

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

Greetings from a very busy Elkins Park campus where we’ve been lucky enough to skirt most of the winter weather – at least so far! I apologize for the length of this update but there’s lots to talk about!

I want to start this update by addressing an issue that we don’t talk enough about, but affects almost everything that we do – and that’s mental health. Those of us who were in the military were keenly aware of the stigma associated with service members who had mental health challenges and the necessity of eliminating that so people would feel free to seek help when they needed it. It’s still a problem, although it has gotten better. I suspect that this same stigma occurs in our world of academia. I think everyone at Salus realizes the extraordinary pressures that are on all of you to succeed. We’ve been having discussions about this with deans and program directors for a while and also discussed this with our Board of Trustees earlier this week. Everyone is very aware of the issue, and more importantly, wants to ensure we’re providing students, faculty and staff with all the tools you need to help address any challenges you might be having. To that end, we have a very robust counseling program on campus through our Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD). Their office is located on the 3^rd floor of the West building in Suite W-326. Counselors are available Monday-Friday and can be reached for appointments at 215-780-1315 or 215-780-1534. You may also email a counselor individually. It’s funny, stress manifests in many different ways for different people. So, if you feel like you need to or just want to talk to someone about some of the stressors in your life, please don’t hesitate to access our experts in CPPD.

Along the same lines, I just read a very insightful article about mental health in graduate schools that was in the Chronicle of Higher Education by Kathryn R. Wedemehyer-Strombel, a former graduate student at the University of Texas, that I would encourage you to read. It’s a short read and well worth the time. I know I’ve spent a good deal of time on this, but I feel it’s important to put this subject in the forefront. Our goal is for everyone to succeed and remain healthy in the process.

Around campus, at the quarterly meeting of our Board of Trustees on Monday, the Board approved our recommendation to move forward with the planning process to bring an Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program to Salus. For those of you who aren’t familiar with O&P, the profession is dedicated to the management and restoration of function and mobility to individuals who have experienced limb loss, loss of mobility or disability due to medical conditions or trauma. Unfortunately, there are over 2 million people in the U.S. who live with limb loss and with almost 20 million in the world. 20 million people in the U.S. require some type of orthotic management (think about that orthotic you wear in your shoes today) with 100’s of millions more globally. There is a huge demand for these specialists nationally and internationally, and there are only 13 programs in the country training them today. As we continue with our planning, we’ll keep everyone informed. This is truly an exciting time for us at Salus as we look to bring this new program into our already robust educational offerings.

At Monday’s Board meeting we also welcomed two new members, Joyce Koh, a seasoned corporate transactional attorney with solid experience and training as a large-firm associate as well as in-house senior legal counsel, and Carolyn Forcina, an expert in healthcare systems and currently the vice president of government relations and education at Pandion Optimization Alliance, have been elected to the Board.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee will be hosting a student mixer on Monday, Feb. 3, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the Toland Classroom at The Eye Institute. The mixer is an opportunity to meet students, faculty and staff along with DEI committee members to learn about getting involved and share ideas about how Salus can create a more inclusive environment. All are welcome. 

There will be an opening reception for the Community Expressions 2020 art exhibit, featuring works from Salus University faculty, students, alumni, staff, spouses and significant others, at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 6, in the Bennett Lounge of the Hafter Student Community Center. The exhibit will run from Feb. 4 through March 13.  Here’s an article about last year’s exhibit: salus.edu/community-exhibit.  It’s always fun to see all the artistic talents our colleagues have!

By now, most of you are aware of the spread of a new coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and has since spread to other parts of the world. Currently there are several confirmed cases of nCoV in the U.S. although there are hundreds of confirmed cases and over 20 deaths worldwide currently attributed to this novel coronavirus. There have been no confirmed cases in our region, and there are ongoing investigations to learn more.

There is no vaccine for the nCoV. To protect yourself, the CDC guidance includes many of the same recommendations to prevent infection with other respiratory viruses, i.e. influenza. They include:

• Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
• Staying home or in your dormitory room when you are sick.
• Covering your cough or sneezing into a tissue, then throwing the tissue in the trash.
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Students, faculty and staff considering international travel should review the up-to-date recommendations available on the CDC website.

Finally, it’s Super Bowl weekend! So, if you’re an Andy Reid fan, I assume you’ll be rooting for the Chiefs; if not, the 49er’s are looking pretty good. Either way, enjoy the game! Be safe, have some fun and look out for one another. Have a great weekend!

Mike

Greetings from the West: Week of January 24th, 2020

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

Greetings from someplace over the western U.S. Drs. Eckert, Kruemmling and I are headed back from some whirlwind travel that has taken us to Loma Linda University in California and Baylor University in Texas over the past few days. That was in addition to a trip we made to Chicago a few weeks ago to visit Northwestern University. These three institutions have what most experts in the field consider to be the leading programs in Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) in the country. 

We’ve been checking out these programs to determine if an O&P program would be a good fit for Salus as we begin planning for the next step in our institutional evolution. All indications are that O&P would not only be a great fit at Salus but also help to fill a much needed workforce and training gap in that profession, given the relative scarcity of programs (there are only 13 in the country, with only 2 on the East Coast) and an increasing demand for that skillset nationally.  That’s compounded by the fact that about 25% of the current O&P workforce is projected to retire within the next several years. I’ll keep you all posted as we continue with our due diligence moving forward. 

In the middle of all that travel, on Wednesday, Dr. Eckert and I had the opportunity to visit with Jack Lynch, the CEO of Main Line Health and several members of his team to see if we could obtain additional clinical rotations for some of our programs in their health system. Main Line includes Bryn Mawr Rehab and Hospital, Paoli and Riddle Hospitals, Lankenau Medical Center as well as several smaller centers.  As a result of the meeting, their administrators are going to be working with some of our program and external rotation directors to see if we can identify rotations that are not only required and educationally relevant, but also sustainable. As competition for these rotations continues to increase regionally, establishing these types of relationships are key to keeping our students local and at the same time, meeting their clinical education needs. We’re hopeful that something fruitful will come out of these meetings! 

Closer to home, thirty-five prospective students attended the annual Optometry Learning Experience (OLE) the week of Jan. 6, 2020, at the University's Elkins Park, Pa., campus. The OLE program, which has been part of the University's Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) for approximately four decades, is designed to offer participants an opportunity to step into the shoes of students in the Doctor of Optometry program, as well as offer a general outlook on the profession of optometry as a whole.

Submissions are now being sought for Community Expressions 2020, featuring the work of Salus University faculty, students, alumni, staff, spouses and significant others, that will be exhibited from Feb. 4 through March 13 at the Hafter Student Community Center. Participants can write to Elynne Rosenfeld at erosenfeld@salus.edu and should include:

• Name of artist
• Title of work
• Dimensions of work
• Media used
• Price (or indicate not for sale)
• Affiliation with Salus University or the relationship of someone who is affiliated
• Three- to five-sentence statement that can be used for publicity purposes

The deadline for submitting this information is Wednesday, Jan. 29. Drop-off of the artwork is from 11 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at the Hafter Center. Pick-up is Friday, March 13, or by arrangement over the weekend.

Robert M. DiSogra, AuD '03, has been selected to receive the Clinical Excellence in Audiology award for 2020 from the American Academy of Audiology. The award is based on Dr. DiSogra's contributions to the fields of audiology and pharmacology focusing on ototoxicity and diabetic ear. The award will be presented in April at the annual meeting of the Academy in New Orleans. Dr. DiSorgra is the former chairman of the Osborne College of Audiology Advisory Board.

Eight students from the National Optometric Student Association (NOSA) from Salus participated in the annual Greater Philadelphia Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service - one of the largest King Day events in the nation - on Monday, Jan. 20, at Girard College. The students conducted vision screenings, which included testing visual acuity, checking eye muscle issues in the eye with the direct ophthalmoscope and letting patients know if they needed further evaluation.  

On Wednesday January 22, Dr. Elise Ciner and Kerry Lueders presented to the Pennsylvania Advisory Committee for the Education of Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired (PACES-BVI). Entitled "VT and TVI: The Difference is More Than Just the I", this interprofessional presentation clarified the roles of optometry and education for students who are visually impaired and how to meet the functional and educational needs of those children referred for vision therapy. 

I’ll bet most people on campus don’t know that we started a post-baccalaureate last fall and have 13 really great students enrolled in the program. As we get to the part of the year where they are beginning to apply for their professional programs such as optometry, PA, dentistry, occupational therapy and others, I want to wish them luck (although, I know they won’t need it) as they prepare to move to the next step in their educational journeys.

On Monday, our Board of Trustees will be on campus for their quarterly meeting in our newly renovated Board/Multipurpose room (W400). We will also be hosting a social for board members on Sunday in Hafter Center. Having our extremely talented volunteer board members on campus gives us the opportunity to show them all the great things that are going on around campus and also provides us with extremely helpful insights and guidance as we move Salus forward. We greatly appreciate all of their time, talents and financial support.

Finally, it looks like at least half of the weekend is going to be rainy and cool so that’s a good day to hunker down and get some studying done! For those of you who are getting out and about, please be careful and look out for one another. Have a great weekend – I look forward to seeing many of you on Monday for our quarterly Board meeting. 

Mike