Remembering Our Veterans: Week of November 10, 2023

 

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

Good morning on this cool, fall morning! It’s been an exceptionally productive week on campus. Yesterday we had the opportunity to host Professor Dáire Keogh, President of Dublin City University (DCU) and his wife Katie on campus. Professor Keogh spent the day sharing his experiences and lessons learned with deans, directors and President’s Council members about the merger between St. Patrick’s University and DCU 6 years ago. While all this was going on, folks have been putting the finishing touches on the new cafeteria which will have a “soft” opening next week (photos attached). Here are some other items I hope you will find interesting:

PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL: Walt Fleming, vice president of Field Maintenance and Quality Assurance for National Vision, Inc., has made significant contributions to optometry and vision care. Our congratulations and collective thanks to Walt, our Salus University Presidential Medal of Honor recipient. Click here to read more.

DAY IN THE LIFE OF A DEAN: So, just what does a day in the life of the dean of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University look like? Well, it’s pretty exciting, according to Dr. Melissa Trego. She likens it to a Netflix show that always has a different plot line. Click here to find out more about Dr. Trego and her responsibilities at PCO/Salus.

CHER CAREER FAIR: The College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation (CHER) held its first-ever career fair earlier this week for students in our Occupational Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology programs. The event featured 24 businesses from across the region. Click here to see what our students thought of this important networking opportunity.

CAPSTONE PROJECT: For her capstone project, Shannon McCabe, PA ‘23, explored whether social media has a positive or negative effect on females with eating disorders. Her research looked specifically into women with anorexia. Read more about her findings here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Today is the 248th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Here in Philadelphia, on November 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution establishing the Continental Marines. Since that time, Marines have distinguished themselves in defending our freedoms around the world. During my 33-year Navy career, I had the privilege of serving with the Marine Corps for almost a third of that time.

Tomorrow, 11 November, we recognize all veterans as we celebrate Veterans Day. World War I – known at the time as “The Great War,” officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, a temporary cessation of hostilities, between the allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” Originally designated Armistice Day by President Wilson, November 11 commemorates the armistice that began that day. In 1954, Congress changed the name to Veterans Day to recognize all veterans.

As a retired Navy veteran, I regularly reflect on how lucky we all are to have women and men who make sacrifices and place their lives on the line every day to ensure we continue to enjoy the freedoms we have, such as Tuesday’s election day. They do this while being held to the highest of standards, professionally, ethically, and morally. Core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment for the Navy and Loyalty, Honor, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Integrity, and Personal Courage for the Army have been the moral and ethical compasses that have guided women and men in uniform for 248 years.

Here at Salus we are particularly lucky to have some of our nation’s finest learning with us. Ozoaru Chukwu, or Lyna -- as most of us know her, recently shared with classmates her journey to Salus having served overseas in significant tours. I am inspired by Lyna’s selfless service to our country, her dedication and commitment to improving the lives of others, exceptional leadership and remarkable courage. (see photo)

As healthcare professionals, we have much in common with our military service members. We, too, have commited our time and talent to serve others. Most importantly, as healthcare professionals we also must be guided by an ethical and moral compass that emulates that of our Navy and Marine Corps – that of Honor, Courage, and Commitment; or U.S. Army - Loyalty, Duty, Honor, Respect, Selfless Service, Integrity, and Personal Courage.

As we celebrate Veterans Day, take time to thank the many veterans and service members around us and to recommit ourselves to acting with honor, exercising courage to denounce actions that are counter to our democratic values, and doing what’s right for our patients, clients and students. In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to lead by example.

Have a great weekend! Stay safe, continue to look out for one another and come back next week SALUS STRONG!

-Mike

Shaping the future Delivery of Integrated Healthcare and Healthcare Education: Week of March 24, 2023

 

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

Good morning from Chicago where I have been attending the annual meeting of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) along with John Gaal and Chaitali Baviskar. As always, the meeting attracts world-class experts from around the country addressing the most pressing issues affecting healthcare delivery in our country. I am energized by the wealth and exchange of ideas to improve what we do in patient care and education. In my final thoughts, I’ll share a little of what I learned here, particularly from remarks given by keynote speaker Dr. Fareed Zakaria, host of GPS for CNN Worldwide.

First, let me share some exciting happenings around campus:

LIVING THE DREAM: Maura Waldner, MMS ‘22, enrolled in the Salus University Physician Assistant Studies (PA) program with the ultimate goal of working in dermatology. Less than three months after graduation, she is living her dream. Click here to read more about her professional journey.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: A big fan of Greek mythology, Sarah Gosnell, MS ‘19, suspected Salus University might be a good fit. Salus is named for the Roman goddess of safety and well-being (welfare, health and prosperity). So, it was no surprise she ended up at Salus pursuing her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Read more by clicking here.

DYNAMIC DUOS EVENT: The Department of Continuing Education (DICE) at Salus University will be hosting its annual Dynamic Duos event on Sunday, March 26. This continuing education program is a synchronous, in-person event at our Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, campus. The program, COPE accredited for six continuing education credits, is designed to offer optometrists a comprehensive review of conditions impacting patient health and well-being. For more information on the event’s topics and to register, click here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: In our keynote session “What it Takes to Thrive Amid the Forces in Society, Economy and Culture that are Creating the Future,” Dr. Fareed Zakaria posited that our society is being fundamentally altered by the speed of technology development, nearly instantaneous communications though social media, and other means of information dissemination, and that these developments are playing a contributing role in the polarization of society. He observed that 20 years ago, most Americans received their news from 3 television networks. The content would generally be the same on each network, closely regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. Today, there are literally hundreds of ways people get their news online, with little scrutiny of accuracy, enabling viewers and listeners to choose news that aligns with their own opinions. That social media can amplify any viewpoint, irrespective of evidence or scrutiny, has led to proliferation of widespread misinformation. We saw many examples of this throughout the pandemic as we debated the efficacy of masking and safety of vaccines.

At the same time, the economy has been affected by many of these changes. Companies, such as Amazon and Facebook have leveraged these changes and have become outsized influencers in how we shop and communicate every day. Their impact on our culture and its evolution over time is significant and enduring.

This has direct implications for the way we communicate with our future patients and clients, and importantly, how they expect to communicate with us. Both are undergoing rapid change. The way we teach and prepare our graduates for their professions must also adapt to these forces.

And this is where things get really exciting. Teaching what have historically been lock-step programs in a more flexible, hybrid fashion; building on-ramps and off-ramps for students who work and raise families while pursuing training; enables us to prepare more graduates to address the growing need and demand for healthcare professionals. Embracing interprofessional education in a way not previously done – providing micro-credentials for students throughout their professional development, better prepares our students to learn continuously -- a habit requisite for excellence in comprehensive, integrated patient care. Expanding telemedicine across all our professions and learning to provide definitive care in more cost-effective ways improves access to better healthcare and improved health outcomes.

As we let go of old habits and beliefs, we can be an active contributor in shaping the future delivery of integrated healthcare and healthcare education. The changes we make forward our mission: advancing integrated healthcare through innovative education, research and clinical services.

As you prepare for the upcoming weekend think about what changes you can make to be an active contributor in the future delivery of integrated healthcare. For those observing Ramadan, I wish you an easy and restorative fast. To all, please continue to look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

-Mike