Importance of Getting Your Booster Now: Week of December 10th, 2021

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

Greetings from a chilly Elkins Park campus. It’s been another busy week at Salus as we wind down the semester. Some students are already off-campus completing virtual final exams while others are still in clinic and doing practical exams in labs. In addition to all of this, here are points of interest for your review:

PODCAST SERIES: In part one of our new Biomedicine podcast series, we hear from Dr. Mitchell Scheiman, dean of Research and director of Graduate Programs in Biomedicine. He talks to us about the uniqueness of the Biomedicine program and how it can advance any healthcare career. Listen to it here.

BLIND TENNIS: Richard Feldstein, OD ‘62, has been playing tennis for more than 75 years. His love of the sport combined with his passion for helping people as an optometrist led him to Highland Park Tennis Club in Pittsburgh, a clinic teaching blind children and adults ages six to 80 to play tennis. Dr. Feldstein offers his consulting expertise at the Pittsburgh club where he's made significant contributions to a research project that now runs in conjunction with the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Read more about Dr. Feldstein's impact here.

O&M PILOT PROJECT: A pilot program developed and implemented by the University's Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) department in partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, specifically for Vanderbilt’s on-staff Physical Therapists (PTs), provided Orientation and Mobility (O&M) skills-based training PTs could offer their patients. Read more about the extremely unique opportunity we are thrilled to offer with Vanderbilt here.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Our latest Staff Spotlight features someone with whom I have the pleasure of working every day. After serving first PCO, and then the University for a total of 30 years, most of you already know Lisa Lonie, who serves as my executive assistant keeping the office running smoothly. She's the best! As you will see by clicking here, Lisa has many talents and interests!

MEET THE CAST OF THE COLLEGE TOUR: In our next profile on the cast of The College Tour, meet Ashka Patel '23OD. During the show's "Building Community" segment, Ashka described her experience providing care to patients in the University’s clinical facilities first and foremost and then at local elementary schools and abroad to places like Panama treating underserved populations. Read more about Ashka here.

AUDIOLOGY GRAND ROUNDS: The next Audiology Grand Rounds will be today, Dec. 10 at 12:15 p.m. Kris Such will present on “Dementia & Adapting Testing Procedures to the Condition.” Click here to join the meeting.

FACULTY AND STAFF GIFTS: Don't forget to pick up your Salus hoodie sweatshirts and large Salus umbrellas for all (regular FT/PT) faculty and staff. Academic Affairs is giving out the gifts to faculty and academic administrative staff. Union and administrative staff can stop by the new Human Resources located on the 4th floor of the Breyer Office Park building at the Elkins Park campus to grab your gifts. Human Resources will also be at The Eye Institute (TEI) today to continue with distribution. 

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY HOLIDAY FUNDRAISER: Help Pi Theta Epsilon, the Occupational Therapy honor society, meet their goal of raising $1,000 for OT research in the St. Catherine Challenge. You have a couple more days to participate in the holiday fundraiser by purchasing Gertrude Hawk Chocolates. Order your chocolates by Dec. 12 by placing your order here.

TOY DRIVE: The National Physician Assistant Student Society (NPASS) is asking for support with a Marine Toys for Tots Drive to support children in our community. Happening now through Dec. 13, they are seeking new, unwrapped toys to donate to local children. The drop-off location is a large, white Toys for Tots bin outside the cafeteria at the Elkins Park campus. Monetary donations can also be made via QR code available on the collection box. For more information, please visit https://www.toysfortots.org/Default.aspx.

FINAL THOUGHTS: We have been closely following the Omicron variant, especially the studies that have been looking at the efficacy of our vaccines. The most recent laboratory studies suggest that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, with a booster, offers good protection against the variant. Given Moderna is also an mRNA vaccine, many have suggested that it will perform similarly. Thanks to all who have already taken the initiative to get a booster. To our students, I strongly encourage you to get your booster prior to heading home for the holiday break. If you can’t, please get a booster while home prior to returning to campus in January. To Salus faculty and staff, now is the time to get your booster.

In addition to Montgomery County facilities, many nearby pharmacies provide boosters: 

• Yorktown Pharmacy
• Walgreens
• CVS
• Riteaid
• Walmart

Let’s aim to have everyone on campus “boosted” by February 1st. It’s the only way to ensure our health and safety as a campus community and stay ahead of these threats.

Between the Omicron COVID-19 variant, final exams, preparing for externships and everything else swirling around us, our stress levels are understandably high. Over the holiday break, I’d like to suggest that you use that time as a mental health respite. Take the time to mentally disengage, unwind, enjoy being with your friends and families, get outside, get some exercise (in anticipation of all the great food we’ll enjoy during the holidays), rest and recharge for the upcoming semester. As always, counselors in the Center for Personal and Professional Development are available to talk with students. For benefit-eligible employees, Unum has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) providing unlimited access to consultants by telephone ((800) 854-1446), in addition to other resources.

Many students have already left campus since some of our final exams are being administered virtually. While we take all appropriate precautions to prevent the spread of the virus, even if you are fully vaccinated with a booster, continue to wear a mask when around large groups, both inside and outdoors, socially distance when you can and wash your hands frequently. Remember, what you do off campus, even during the break, can directly affect all of us on campus.

Enjoy the weekend, especially Saturday, when the temperatures are supposed to get close to 70, continue to look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Get Your Booster/3rd Shot Now: Week of December 3rd, 2021

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

Good morning from a blustery Elkins Park campus where most of our students begin finals. Wishing our students and faculty an successful end to a very full semester! Even as the final exam cycle of the semester commences, many other activities have been occurring on and off campus:

BLVS ADMISSIONS: In our latest podcast, we talk with Candida Mulligan, admissions officer in the University's Office of Admissions. She talks about the Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) program, and tips and tricks for applications. Listen to it here.

STAFF SPOTLIGHTS: Two new Staff Spotlights feature Stella Lee, who works in our Finance department, and Andrew Rohe, a security officer at Salus. Get to know more about Stella here as well as Andrew and his work beyond Salus as a performance coach here.

MEET THE CAST OF THE COLLEGE TOUR: In our next profile on the cast of The College Tour, meet Sonja Makitan ‘23OD. For the on-campus programs at Salus, a large percentage of the student body hail straight from undergraduate institutions with the average age being 23-years-old. But for Sonja, this is not the case. Although she is a traditional Doctor of Optometry student, she took a non-traditional route to the University’s Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO). Read more about Sonja here.

FACULTY AND STAFF GIFTS: Last year, Academic Affairs and Human Resources purchased Salus hoodie sweatshirts for all faculty and staff around Nov/Dec. Unfortunately, they took so long to come in, we decided to give them out this winter. This year, Human Resources purchased large Salus umbrellas for all (regular FT/PT) faculty and staff. Hoodies and umbrellas for faculty will be distributed by Academic Affairs sometime in the upcoming weeks. Hoodies and umbrellas for staff will be distributed by Human Resources around the same time. Be on the lookout for emails regarding distribution/pick up.

OT HOLIDAY FUNDRAISER: Pi Theta Epsilon, the Occupational Therapy honor society, is participating in the St. Catherine Challenge to raise money for OT research. The goal is to reach $1,000 with a holiday fundraiser through Gertrude Hawk Chocolates. To order your chocolates, place your order here. The fundraiser is underway now and runs through Dec 12.

A DAY IN THE LIFE: Check out “A Day In the Life” featuring second-year Physician Assistant (PA) student Lauren Wychowski. She is currently in her third rotation, which is pediatrics. Read more about a typical day for Lauren here.

SLI SUPPORT GROUP: Join Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, the chair and program director of the Speech-Language Pathology department, as he moderates a podcast that focuses on the Traumatic Brain Injury Group at the Speech-Language Institute (SLI). He is joined by one of its members as well as the supervisor and two students who have had the pleasure of working within the group. Click here to listen. 

COCHLEAR IMPLANT WORKSHOP: Thahira Kallumurikkal ‘22AUD was an audiologist in India for 14 years, but decided she wanted to upgrade her skills. That’s why she decided to enter the MSc in Clinical Audiology program in Salus University’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) where she had the opportunity to attend the College’s Cochlear Implant Workshop from Nov. 2-5. Read how beneficial the program was according to Kallumurikkal and other OCA students here. 

HOLIDAY TRADITION: For those who stayed local this holiday, the University provided a complimentary “Turkey Gobbler” dinner — prepared by the University Cafe’s Metz Culinary. Salus also continued its longtime Thanksgiving tradition of delivering meals to Jenkintown and Cheltenham police departments on Thanksgiving Day as well as AstraZeneca Hope Lodge in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania. Read more about the festive to-go feasts here.

AUDIOLOGY GRAND ROUNDS: The next Audiology Grand Rounds will be today, Dec. 3 at 12:15 p.m. Julie Jimenez and Renee Kochinski will present on “Seesaw Nystagmus.” Click here to join the meeting.

TOY DRIVE: From Nov. 29 to Dec. 13, NPASS is hosting a Marine Toys for Tots Drive to support children in our community. They are seeking new, unwrapped toys to donate to local children. The drop-off location is a large white Toys for Tots bin outside the cafeteria at the Elkins Park campus. Monetary donations can also be made via a QR code that's available on the collection box as well. For more information, please visit https://www.toysfortots.org/Default.aspx and consider making the holiday brighter for less fortunate children in our community.

FINAL THOUGHTS: If you’ve been to our Learning Resource Center and in most of our larger classrooms, you’ve seen some large, white devices placed around the rooms making a very soft swishing noise (see below). These custom-built air filters are the work of Mr. Rick Echevarria and our exceptional facilities team. The design for the filters was developed by the dean of Engineering at the University of California, Richard Corsi. Tested by several labs, they have been proven more effective than more expensive HEPA-based portable air cleaners on the market. These devices give us an additional level of protection against the spread of the virus.

While taking the extra step to filter out the virus from our environment is helpful, the most important things we can do to prevent spread remain the same: get vaccinated, wear a face mask, wash hands frequently and social distance. As studies are ongoing, most public health and infectious disease experts agree that getting a booster/3rd dose enhances our protection from the newly identified Omicron variant. If you haven’t gotten your booster, make a point to get one now, especially as you prepare to head home for the holidays. It’s only a matter of time when the third shot will be considered “fully vaccinated.” I’d like everyone to be ahead of that. Additionally, if you’re not feeling well, please stay home and get tested to ensure no one is bringing the virus to campus or our clinics.

I know how frustrating this is. Just as we thought things were getting better, along comes a new variant. This is the nature of pandemics, especially when such a large portion of the world’s population remains unvaccinated. Things will get better. We need to continue holding our course. Thank you for all that you’re doing to help us stay the course.

Please take some time to relax during your study breaks. Get outside, if you can and just enjoy the fresh air! Continue to look out for one another and be safe. You are SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Remaining Vigilant About the Pandemic: Week of November 12th, 2021

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

Good morning from a cool, soggy Elkins Park campus. It’s been another busy week with many of us catching up from a week away while attending the American Academy of Optometry’s annual meeting last week. I know that many of our students are preparing for finals and clinical practical exams which we recognize adds a little more stress to an already packed academic schedule. Please don’t hesitate to contact our counselors in CPPD who are ready to help support anyone who thinks it would be helpful. Below are some additional things I hope you’ll find interesting:

COMBINING FUN AND SCIENCE: According to Bre Myers, AuD ‘06, PhD ‘17, CH-AP, a lot of amusement park rides excite the vestibular system in very specific ways. That gave Dr. Myers an idea: Take her students to an amusement park and have them report on how they felt after riding the rides. Find out more about that went by clicking here.

INSIDE AUDIOLOGY AND SLP: In part one of our most recent podcast, we talk with Dr. Lindsay Bondurant, director of the Pennsylvania Ear Institute and associate professor for Salus University's Osborne College of Audiology, and with Robert Serianni, chair, program director and associate professor for the Speech-Language Pathology program. They detail the audiology and speech-language pathology professions, how to know which one to choose, and how they work together in the healthcare field. Listen to the podcast here.

HOCKEY CHAMPION: Our very own David Meltzer, OD ‘02, FAAO, an assistant professor and clinical instructor at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University and a U.S. Army veteran, can add ice hockey champion to his resume. The team on which he plays, the Flyer Warriors, won the 2021 USA Hockey Warrior Classic recently in New Jersey. The tournament is the signature annual event of USA Hockey's Warrior program, which provides hockey access to nationwide teams of military veterans with VA-certified disabilities of at least 10 percent. Congratulations Dr. Meltzer! 

STUDENTS AT LEISURE: Our latest Students At Leisure (SAL) story features Angela Delfino ‘23OT. When Angela looks to break away from studies for physical exercise and mental stimulation, she goes all out. Whether it’s rock-climbing, yarn crafting or aerial circus. Read more about Angela here.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: This week’s Staff Spotlight features Monica Scirrotto, our director of Admissions here at Salus University. Recently, much of her free time has been devoted to her seven-month-old daughter. Read more about Monica here.

AUDIOLOGY GRAND ROUNDS: The next Audiology Grand Rounds will be today, Nov. 12, at 12:15 p.m. Jocelyn Jacob and Kathleen Wezensky will present on “Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Management in a Type II Diabetic.” Click here to join the meeting.

THE COLLEGE TOUR CAST: During filming of The College Tour, Mohit Batra, OD ‘21, was a fourth-year student whose main goal upon his entrance to the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) was to leave the school better than when he started. As student body president, he was able to do just that. Read more about Dr. Batra and his segment of The College Tour here.

TURKEY GIVE-AWAY: As has been our tradition for many years, as a way of saying, “Thank You” to our faculty and staff for all of your hard work, we will again be providing a free turkey, ham or tofurkey to all faculty and staff who would like one. Please sign up here by 4PM today to order one.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As I go about my travels, I sometimes think I live in two different worlds – one at Salus where we have been diligent about getting vaccinated and wearing our face masks on campus and in our clinics – and one where many people are still refusing vaccination and more commonly, not wearing facemasks when out and about. This was once again accentuated in the news this week when a popular NFL star tried to rationalize why he wasn’t getting vaccinated.

The truth of the matter is that we are still very much in the throes of the pandemic (as evidenced by the recent increase in cases in many parts of the country) and to let our guard down now would be inconsistent with the way in which we’ve addressed our mitigation strategies to date. While numbers are currently trending in the right direction in our area in terms of numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, vaccination rates have slowed down considerably.

I am extremely happy and proud that our internal vaccination rate is about 98%, which speaks to everyone’s commitment to doing the right thing for themselves, their families and those we care for clinically. Our random testing program has yielded no more than a 1% positivity rate, which is well below what would be expected, which is great.

I am hopeful that sometime after the holidays the numbers will continue to trend in the right direction here and the CDC will be able to adjust the guidelines we currently follow. Until then, we’ll continue to stay our current course. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate everyone’s cooperation! Like you, I cannot wait to get rid of these masks! But, until it’s safe, masked we will continue to be. For those of you who are eligible for a 3rd dose/booster vaccine, I strongly encourage you to get one as soon as you can. They are readily available through the county or most local pharmacies.

I hope everyone has a restful weekend. It won’t be long before the holidays are upon us. As you begin your planning, please keep in mind that what you do off campus will directly affect all of us on campus.

Please, remain vigilant, stay healthy, continue to look out for one another to stay SALUS STRONG!

Mike

The Importance of Teamwork: Week of October 29th, 2021

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

Good morning from a windy and cloudy Elkins Park campus where the leaves are falling everywhere and the weather definitely feels like Fall!

MSCHE: As I noted yesterday, we successfully completed our Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) site visit yesterday with no required follow-up issues and accolades on several of our academic and non-academic processes. This was truly a team effort which allowed us to display the best of Salus during this process! We are Salus Strong because of all of you! More about this later….

THE BATTLE AGAINST CANCER: Check out this story on how PCO/Salus alum Kailee Watson, OD ‘12, and her connections to the University played a major role in a young patient’s battle against cancer. Dr. Watson describes how the experience helped reinforce her decision to come to PCO/Salus. Read the story here.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Our next Staff Spotlight is on Lindsey Cardillo, HRIS administrator in our Human Resources department. Lindsey says what she loves most about her job is interacting with the different employees and departments at Salus. Read more about Lindsey here.

STUDENTS AT LEISURE: Our next Students At Leisure (SAL) story features Ariella Erin Poon ‘24OD and the special way she commemorated the White Coat ceremony, which was virtual for her class because of the pandemic. Instead of dwelling on something that was beyond anyone’s control, Ariella made the most of it. Read how here.

ULTIMATE TREAT EVENT: Don’t forget about “The Ultimate Treat Event,” sponsored by the Office of Student Affairs, from noon to 1:30 p.m. today. Stop by the lobby table outside the cafeteria to pick up some Halloween treats, play trivia and have a chance to win some prizes.

AUDIOLOGY GRAND ROUNDS: The next Audiology Grand Rounds will be today at 12:15 p.m. Jessica Heritage and Jenna Jalowiec will speak on “Hybrid Cochlear Implant Use for Hearing Loss Caused by Ototoxicity.” Click here to join the presentation.

RESIDENT CLASS OF 2022: This week’s resident story features Chandni Patel, OD ‘21, ’22 Resident, whose personal experience with how her vision change in high school influenced her to become an optometrist. Read more about Dr. Patel here.

WALK4HEARING EVENT: The Salus University chapter of the Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) recently participated in the Walk4Hearing, where it raised a total of $1,635 (tripling its original goal of $500). The proceeds will go to the Hearing Loss Association of America, an organization focused on advocating and providing educational programs for individuals with hearing loss.

THE COLLEGE TOUR CAST: Continuing to spotlight the cast of The College Tour, meet Tavii El, MSOT ‘21, a Doctor of Occupational Therapy student at Salus, who became so enmeshed in student life while on campus that it only made sense for her to talk about Student Life during The College Tour segment. Read more here.

FLU SHOTS: It’s flu season and if you have not already gotten your flu shots, please take the time to get one this weekend. We want to keep everyone healthy!

FINAL THOUGHTS: Teamwork is integral to everything we do in healthcare. Organizationally, the importance of working together as a team is no less important. It’s been my experience that working together as a team provides opportunities for people to improve relations and professionally bond with one another over specific projects they undertake, besides accomplishing tasks more efficiently and effectively. Working through our Self-study and culminating with the site visit earlier this week, certainly provided us with these opportunities.

One other important result of working as a team is that members develop a greater sense of personal and professional accountability, as they don’t want to let their other team members down. We certainly exhibited all of these attributes as we worked through the MSCHE self-study process, in an exceptional way! We learned a great deal about ourselves that can be leveraged well into our future.

Each recommendation for improvement that was identified in our Self-Study presents opportunities for us to continually improve, which, ultimately is why we do all of this.

In the end, the fact that we had a successful MSCHE site visit comes as no surprise to me. Throughout my Navy and now academic career, I've had the good fortune to have served on several great teams, and the team we have at Salus is as good, if not better, than any of them. Whether it was how we transitioned to virtual teaching and learning at the beginning of the pandemic, created virtual commencement and white coat ceremonies, developed new relationships with local, state and national politicians or successfully worked through the MSCHE re-accreditation process, we have demonstrated we can operate as an effective team - I cannot thank you all enough for that! You are rock stars and together, make us the great institution we are today.

Have a restful and safe weekend - you all deserve it! Sunday is Halloween, so if you happen to go out trick or treating, please remember to wear your face masks when out and about (especially when indoors with lots of people around), wash your hands frequently and socially distance when you can. Stay safe, continue to look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

The Importance of "Thinking Bigger": Week of October 15th, 2021

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

Greetings on a delightful Fall morning from our Elkins Park Campus. It’s been an exciting, fun and busy week for all of us, especially those who participated in the Physician Assistant Long White Coat ceremony and our first in-person commencement ceremony since the pandemic began in March, 2020! We had the opportunity to celebrate some members of the Class of 2020 as well as the Class of 2021 during the festivities as well as hear an extremely inspiring message from our honorary degree recipient, the Honorable Alison Beam, Acting Secretary of Health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Check our website for stories on the Kimmel Center ceremony, our Graduate Awards Luncheon and the Physician Assistant Studies program’s Long White Coat ceremony.

NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY: We celebrated National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, a day that recognizes the milestones of being seen and heard and the continued strides for equity and respect, specific to the LGBTQ+ communities. The day allowed us to continue to raise awareness for individuals within the LGBTQ+ community, and combat the silence that often breeds homophobia and the hierarchy of sexual orientation and identity norms. National Coming Out Day originated 33 years ago with a march on Washington for lesbian and gay rights, and has been celebrated in all 50 states since 1990.

GRAND ROUNDS: Audiology Grand Rounds will be today (Friday, Oct. 15) at 12:15 p.m. The topic is “Navigating Patient Comorbidities and Subjectivity,” presented by Alexander Wozniacki and Luke Obenrader. Click here to join the meeting. 

IMPACT HBCU: On Tuesday evening Drs. Trego, Mosley-Williams and I had the opportunity to participate in Impact HBCU, where over 300 attendees from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other undergraduate schools were able to learn about optometry, PCO, Salus DEI efforts, our Summer Enrichment Program and certain aspects of the optical industry. It was an informative and fun event!

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: The Staff Spotlight this week is on Joe Noce, who works in the University bookstore. Joe has been playing in a classic rock/blues band for nearly 30 years. To read more about Joe, click here.

THE INSPIRATION CENTER: Join Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, the chair and program director of the department of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) at Salus University, as he moderates a podcast that focuses on The Inspiration Center, a community therapy organization in the country of Belize, where physical, occupational and speech therapists work with the families in Belize with children from birth through 16 years of age. He is joined by the students and the speech pathologists from the program who had the opportunity to cross borders to provide speech pathology care in areas of great need. Click here to listen.

PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL WINNER: In our continuing series featuring the individual Presidential Medal of Honor winners for 2021, read more here about Reade Fahs, Chief Executive Officer of National Vision Inc. and a member of our Board of Trustees since 2017.

THE COLLEGE TOUR CAST: In another continuing feature for us, “Meet the Cast of The College Tour,” we introduce you to Samantha Wereszczak ‘22PA. Samantha was a respiratory therapist working on the frontlines of the Medical ICU where she experienced working collaboratively with other healthcare disciplines, which is what initiated her decision to start her path at Salus to become a physician assistant. Read more about her here.

RESIDENT CLASS OF 2022: This week’s new resident feature is on Bailey Ford, OD, ‘22Resident. Because she had such great experiences with her eye doctors, Dr. Ford wanted to be the best doctor she could be for her patients. She believed that pursuing a residency would ensure that, especially at PCO/Salus. Read more about Dr. Ford here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As we celebrated our graduates on Tuesday, I was extremely pleased to hear that one of Secretary Beam’s recommendations to our graduates, as well as all of us listening, was to, “think bigger.” As she mentioned the challenges of “inequitable healthcare, stalled education, hungry families, oversubscribed mental health and unemployment,” Secretary Beam challenged us to use this “once in a lifetime experience” to take “preconceived, rigid constructs and turn them on their head”. Noting that the pandemic has exposed many of the challenges that have existed for a while but surfaced because everything was so stressed.

Let’s try to capitalize on Secretary Beam’s wisdom and challenge what many have always accepted as societal norms and work to develop creative and effective solutions that will serve to improve the lives of all those we are entrusted to care for. Much of that work starts here, at Salus. We are committed to working towards improving access to quality equitable healthcare for everyone. For example, ensuring those students that did have their education “stalled,” have good vision, hearing and important tactile skills to succeed, and screening and appropriately referring those we find have food insecurity or mental health challenges. The care we provide must be holistic, integrated and empathetic.

As I told our graduates on Tuesday, and Secretary Beam also noted during her remarks, they’ve all been given a great gift – and this is their time to transform all they have learned into something that will positively affect the lives of all those they will care for. While each graduate will confront these challenges differently, they all will be extremely successful. For those of us remaining behind, our gift will be to operationalize these lessons as we care for our patients and clients in all of our clinics, seek to innovate our programs to apply lessons learned during the pandemic and to continue to push the envelope of excellence in everything we do.

As you prepare for the weekend, please take the time listen to Secretary Beam’s comments on our website to hear them first hand. Continue to wear your face mask when around others, vaccinated or not, wash your hands frequently and socially distance when you can. When you have the alternative, I highly encourage you not to eat inside when going to restaurants or bars. Take advantage of the nice weather while we have it! Remember, what you do off campus really does affect all of us on campus. Have a great weekend. Be safe, be smart, look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

The Importance of Taking Care of Yourself: Week of September 17th, 2021

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

Good morning! It’s been another busy week on campus and in our clinics! The weather has even cooperated as it’s getting cooler again! In addition to our normal campus activities, here are some other things that I hope will be of interest to you:

PAYING IT FORWARD: Kathy Foltner, AuD ‘02, knows firsthand the value of scholarships. Now, Dr. Foltner is eager to ease the financial burden for future Salus University audiologists through an endowed scholarship for students in the University’s Osborne College of Audiology (OCA). Read more about Dr. Foltner’s generous gift here.

FACULTY FOCUS: Korey Patrizi, OD, Resident ‘21, joined the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University faculty in July 2021. Read more about Dr. Patrizi’s desire to find and fit in with her “people” and the feeling of comfort she experienced during the interview process at PCO/Salus here. 

MSCHE SELF-STUDY: Thanks to the hard work of many of our faculty, staff and Board members, our MSCHE self-study has been submitted. The final copy will be posted on Blackboard if any members of our University community would like to see all the processes, procedures and policies that are involved in running our university in accordance with accreditation standards.

RANDOM COVID TESTING: If you have been selected to be tested this week, you will have received an email asking you to pick up your home testing kit from security at either Elkins Park or TEI, depending upon where you are assigned. Please ensure you remember to do that!

STUDENTS AT LEISURE: Her first love is optometry, but Olivia Burger ‘22OD has discovered that while healthcare providers are passionate about the fields of healthcare in which they practice, they can also have passion for other activities. In Olivia’s case, it’s concert photography. Click here to find out how she got interested in photography and what famous artists she’s photographed, all while pursuing her dream to become an optometrist.

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH: This week marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month — Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 — where we celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from the Americas (North, Central and South), the Caribbean and Spain. There are lots of ways to acknowledge Hispanic Heritage Month, whether it’s engaging with books, films, documentaries or live programming related to Hispanics and Latinos and their history in the United States. At Salus, we are choosing to highlight a few of our Hispanic/Latino alumni. The offices of DEI, Communications and Institutional Advancement are collaborating to feature some of our alums during this month. Keep an eye on the University's social media outlets for the Hispanic Alumni Highlight campaign in the coming weeks. 

MEET THE COLLEGE TOUR CAST: While filming The College Tour segment focused on Career Flexibility, Jaqueline Wiafe ‘24AUD was a first-year Doctor of Audiology student. During her time on camera, she educated the audience about the various career settings and the flexibility achieving a degree from Salus University affords its graduates. To read more about Jaqueline’s experience, click here.

SLP PODCAST SERIES: The latest in our podcast series is titled “SLP Q&A: From Externship to Clinical Fellowship, Part 1,” featuring Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, chair and program director of the department of Speech-Language Pathology at Salus University, as he speaks with externship supervisor Joanna Smith and one of our recent graduates, Rebecca Ritsick, MMS ‘21. Click here for the podcast.

GRAND ROUNDS: The next Optometric Grand Rounds will be from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 24. Dr. Kelly Malloy will speak on “Getting to the Heart of the Matter.” For more information about that, click here. Audiology Grand Rounds will be held today at noon. Taylor Fisher and Sarah Gallagher (AUD 23) will be presenting Hyperacusis and Other Symptoms after a Traumatic Brain Injury. Click here to listen in.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I know all of you are getting into your normal routines by now. I want to take a few moments to once again remind you about the importance of taking care of yourselves - not just physically, but also mentally. Getting out for some exercise, eating healthy foods and just taking “brain breaks” every once in a while can be helpful tools to relieve stress and just allow you become more effective learners. It’s not lost on any of us that we’re still in the midst of the pandemic, which just adds another layer of stress to everyone in the University community. If you feel like you would like to talk with someone about ways to relieve some of that stress I highly encourage you to seek out our fantastic behavior health counselors in the Center for Personal and Professional Development. You can begin the appointment process here. It’s not a sign of weakness but rather a sign of great self-awareness to reach out. Similarly, for faculty and staff, Human Resources can help you contact similar expertise if you desire. 

As we approach the weekend, please be cognizant of the fact that what you do off campus can affect all of us on campus. Please wear your face mask when around others not in your normal social network; certainly, when you go to the grocery store and other places where the large numbers of people can congregate and try to restrict your dining out to outdoor venues. Have a great weekend - be safe, be smart, look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Remembering 9/11: Week of September 10th, 2021

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

Good morning on a beautiful day from our Elkins Park campus. It’s been another busy week on campus with our classes, labs and clinics all going strong. 20 years ago tomorrow, it was also a beautiful day when terrorists attacked our country. Tomorrow we remember this heinous event. Following is information that I thought you’d want to know: 

PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF HONOR: Congratulations to the 2021 Presidential Medal of Honor Awardees! As you know, the Presidential Medal of Honor is bestowed upon those who have made contributions to their professions and for their service to Salus University. Check out the biographies on this year’s winners and look for extended feature stories on each of them in the future on our website. Click here for more information. 

RESIDENT CLASS FEATURE: This week’s Resident Class of 2022 features Natalie Rackus, OD ‘21, ‘22Resident. She only applied to PCO/Salus for her residency because she knew that the William Feinbloom Vision Rehabilitation Center was a world-class place to learn. Read more about Dr. Rackus here. 

DEEP DIVE INTO OT: Check out our latest podcast, which features Melissa Cinciruk, associate director of Admissions at Salus University, as she talks about the Occupational Therapy (OT) program as well as tips and tricks for application. Click here for details.

RANDOM COVID TESTING: As most of you have already been notified, we will begin our random COVID testing program next week. This initial phase will extend until the end of the fall 2021 semester. Please be on the lookout for emails that will be sent out each week to determine if you’ve been selected to be tested.

HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR: A very Happy and Healthy New Year to all of our Jewish community and friends who celebrated Rosh Hashanah earlier this week and will observe Yom Kippur late next week.

STARS OF ‘THE COLLEGE TOUR’: We’re featuring a closer look at some of the “stars” of our recent episode of “The College Tour.” In this edition, get to know Zachary LaBarth ‘23AUD and Sierra Niesen ‘24AUD, how they got to Salus and how their careers have been advancing. Click here for more. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed 2,977 people and injured thousands at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Flags will be at half-staff and there will be a country-wide moment of silence at 8:46 am, which is when the first plane crashed into one of the Twin Towers.

September 11th is designated as Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance. On this day Americans across the country are called to volunteer in their local communities as a tribute to the individuals who were lost or injured in the attacks, first responders, and the many who have been called to service to defend our freedom. It is my hope that 9/11 can also present an opportunity for all Americans to come together in unity. Even with all of our differences, we were united in our pain and humanity regarding loss of life, injury, and way of being. And just like we rebuilt the World Trade Center and Pentagon, it’s time to ‘rebuild’ what it should mean to be an American; united in cause, intolerant of racial injustice, sexual and gender inequality and dedicated to the betterment of society. It’s what we should strive to do as healthcare providers. Most of us can remember exactly where we were when the first jet hit the World Trade Center, with that moment engrained in our memories for the rest of our lives, which changed from that point forward. I ask each of you to reflect upon what this day means to you and how you are going to embrace what’s best about our democracy to help make other’s lives better.

Please, also keep those who have been affected by the recent storms, fires out west, political and social unrest around the world in your thoughts and prayers. Do, however, enjoy the weekend. The weather is supposed to be perfect. Please remember to socially distance, wear your face mask when around others and wash your hands frequently, as what you do off campus directly affects all of us on campus. Be safe, be responsible, continue to look out for one another and remain SALUS STRONG!

Mike

The Importance of Taking Care of Yourself: Week of August 6th, 2021

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

Good morning from a sunny and bright Elkins Park campus where we are, once again, all wearing masks, whether we’re fully vaccinated or not in accordance with the latest CDC guidance. As always, the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff and patients remain our top concern. Even with the increased precautions, our incredibly talented faculty, student body and staff continue to move things ahead, both on and off campus as we prepare for orientation our White Coat Ceremony and the start of Fall classes. Here are some things you might find of interest:

LVR ACCREDITATION: Congratulations to Salus University’s Low Vision Rehabilitation (LVR) program, in the Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS), for being the first program of its kind to achieve accreditation from The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER). Read more here.

MEET THE COLLEGE TOUR CAST: In the first of a series, we meet the Salus cast of The College Tour, a TV series produced by Emmy-nominated and multi-award-winning producers featuring individual episodes on colleges and universities across the country. A film crew from The College Tour spent a week at the University’s Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, campus in early March to capture its specialness. This week we feature Kelly Malloy, OD ‘96, Resident ‘97, FAAO. Click here to read more.

WELCOME BACK: The international mixed cohort that was on campus in April is back again starting today (Aug. 6) for Advanced Studies workshops/labs over the next two weekends and Controlled Patient Care during the weekdays. Their in-person activities culminate on Aug. 20 with White Coat ceremony.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: We’re showcasing some of the great staff members who work at the University in a social media series called “Staff Spotlight.” Some of these will also turn into expanded feature stories on our website. We kicked off the series with Bonnie Taylor from the Institutional Advancement department. Learn more about Bonnie here.

GRAND ROUNDS: The next Grand Rounds will be at 7:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 13, titled “We All Know What Dr. Meagher’s Gonna Talk About . . . Glaucoma” with Dr. Andrew Meagher. 

FINAL THOUGHTS: As the progress we have made in fighting the pandemic has most recently reversed course, our levels of stress, fear and uncertainty as we begin this month have undoubtably increased. We continue to face important decisions about how to keep the University community, our families and those patients we care for as safe as possible. While we often think about the toll on our physical health, we often neglect our mental health, which is equally important. As most of you know, the World Health Organization defines health as, “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This pandemic has certainly tested that definition as it applies to all of us.

As we prepare to start our Fall semester, I want all of us to take an accounting of our total health and see what we can do better to ensure we are addressing our mental health needs. For many, that might entail looking at your nutritional, exercise and daily sleep routines. Instead of reaching for that donut, maybe you should think about some healthy snack foods such as fruits or nuts and consider adding something to your normal exercise routine such as a short jog or walk? How many hours of sleep are you getting each night? As the semester gets busier, sleep often becomes a casualty of unsuccessful time management. Most experts recommend at least 7 hours of sleep per night for us. While you may not be able to do all of these things, just hitting some of them will make you more productive and feel better.

Even when doing “all the right things,” sometimes we just need someone to talk with who can listen to our concerns, fears and frustrations. To that end, for our students, we have a very engaged and effective counseling service in our Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) which I encourage you to access, if needed. There’s no shame in reaching out - it’s no different from asking your PCP why your foot hurts. For our faculty and staff, Human Resources has places for you to turn as well. For those benefit eligible employees, Unum has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that provides unlimited access to consultants by telephone in addition to other resources. For all employees not enrolled in our health plan, your health insurance companies will have mental health resources you can access as well.

I suspect the pandemic will continue to throw challenges our way. I can assure you that we will continue to carefully monitor the situation and make necessary changes in how we conduct our business based on CDC recommendations as well as local conditions. As more people get vaccinated, the better things should get over time. In the meantime, it’s important that we continue to look out for each other and do what’s necessary to balance our educational mission with keeping everyone healthy and safe. That means, continuing to wash our hands frequently for at least 20 seconds, not coming to campus or clinics if you’re not feeling well and wearing your facemask when around others, even if you’re fully vaccinated and socially distance when you can. Also, please remember that the deadline for everyone to be fully vaccinated is next Friday, August 13. If you are not completely vaccinated by that time (2 weeks following your last dose of the vaccine), you will be required to submit proof of a negative test prior to coming onto campus.

Enjoy the weekend and please reflect on what I’ve written, especially as it applies to your mental well-being. I hope to see everyone on campus remaining healthy and SALUS STRONG!

Mike

Celebrating Our Summer Enrichment Program: Week of June 11th, 2021

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

Greetings from a very busy Elkins Park campus where our hot and muggy weather is finally gone, although it’s a bit soggy this morning! We have our summer cohort of Blindness and Low Vision Studies students on campus for their face-to-face learning experience in addition to students from all our other programs. It’s fun watching our BLVS students navigate around with their blinders and canes. In addition to this, here are some other activities that will be of interest to you:

THE COLLEGE TOUR: We had a great time last night at the launch party for the Salus segment of The College Tour, a TV series produced by Emmy-nominated and multi-award-winning producers featuring individual episodes on colleges and universities across the country. Special thanks to Dr. Juliana Mosley-Williams for serving as our Mistress of Ceremonies and to Alexis Abate and her communications team for putting the event together. I’d also like to thank the stars of the show, those students and faculty who made the production come to life, for sharing their stories with all of us. The evening included a viewing of the show, which streams on Amazon Prime and Roku, a meet-and-greet with the “stars”, refreshments and a DJ. To read more about The College Tour experience, go to salus.edu/TheCollegeTour.

OTI DIRECTOR: Brianna Brim, assistant professor of Occupational Therapy, has been named director of the Occupational Therapy Institute (OTI), located at The Eye Institute. James Konopack, PhD, dean of the College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation (CHER) made the announcement this week. Brianna brings a unique blend of clinical expertise, legislative and advocacy leadership, interprofessional education, and a strong record of scholarship and student mentorship to OTI. Congratulations Brianna! I know the OTI will be in great hands!

SPECIAL RECOGNITION: I’d like to extend our congratulations to Joel Silbert, OD ‘73, FAAO, former director of the Contact Lens Program and former chief of the Cornea and Specialty Contact Lens Service at TEI, who was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of Optometric Contact Lens Educators (AOCLE); and to Brooke Kruemmling, PhD, COMS, Associate Provost, who was presented with the Salus coin on June 2 in recognition of her leadership on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. 

FACULTY FOCUS: This week’s Faculty Focus features Christine McCormick, MS, MMS, PA-C, an assistant professor in the University’s Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program. Find out how she went from wanting to be a professional dancer to becoming a PA and which Disney character “influenced” her wedding dress. To read more, go here.

SLP PODCAST SERIES: The next installment of our podcast series about the Speech-Language Pathology program at Salus University features department chair and program director Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP, as he speaks with a clinical educator and three students about about their field experience in the preschool setting. To listen to the podcast, click here.

ARTICULATION AGREEMENT: Salus University and Manhattan College recently signed an articulation agreement creating a pathway for Manhattan College students to earn their master’s degrees in occupational therapy. Under the agreement, students who gain admission into Salus via the 4+2 program will be able to complete their Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) degree program in two years. Read more about it here.

FINAL THOUGHTS: On Monday we will be welcoming 15 students into our revitalized Robert E. Horne Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) thanks to a very generous grant from America’s Best/National Vision Inc. The initial SEP was developed by Dean Robert Horne in 1977. It was funded by a government grant to support, “disadvantaged students”. Since then, the mission of the program has shifted to help assure that Salus continues to attract talented students of color who want to pursue health professions. As a testimony to the success of the SEP program, Pennsylvania College of Optometry remains one of the most diverse optometric programs in the country with the largest black student enrollment. Of note, while PCO may be number one, we still have a great deal of work to do to ensure that all of our programs, to include optometry, are representative of those communities we live and work in.

Finally, I want to once again, address the importance of getting vaccinated. As we survey our current student body as well as incoming students, while we’re doing fairly well, we are not at levels I would expect a university specializing in the health sciences to be. If any of you who have not yet gotten vaccinated and need to get more information about these very safe and effective vaccines, here are some links you can reference: 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. Keeping the Salus community healthy and safe is our primary concern. Because we also work closely with patients and clients, we have an additional responsibility to keep them safe, as well as protect ourselves and our loved ones. Thus, it is our expectation that unless people have a medical or religious reason not to get vaccinated, they do the right thing and get the jab. Please, if you’re not vaccinated do it now. As you prepare for this weekend, try to get out and enjoy the nice weather. If you are unvaccinated, wear your mask when indoors or outside around others. Please watch out for one another and stay SALUS STRONG!

Reflecting on a Year Since the Pandemic Began: Week of March 12th, 2021

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

I hope everyone has been enjoying the very nice reprieve from winter! The pond in the middle of campus is almost totally ice-free and our ducks and Canadian geese are returning. As we prepare to lose an hour of sleep later this weekend as Daylight Savings Time begins early Sunday morning, we should also reflect on the fact that one year ago today we effectively pivoted to an online, hybrid educational model within 72 hours. As I walked around the campus and clinics this week I was energized by the level of excitement I saw in all of you. While not nearly back to normal yet, there is still a great deal of activity within our University community that is a testimony to your resilience, dedication and professionalism. Here’s some of what’s happening around campus:

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! If you’ve been at The Eye Institute or on the Elkins Park campus this week, you may have noticed a film crew at work. That’s the folks from The College Tour, a TV series hosted by Alex Boylan, that tells the story of a single college through the lens of its students. They’re doing a half-hour show on Salus University, and have enlisted a number of our students and a few of our faculty members to be in front of the camera detailing the many wonderful aspects of our University. Some students have had the opportunity to appear as extras, and I even have a cameo appearance in the end. This is going to be a great marketing opportunity for Salus and will help us to attract prospective students and faculty. We’ll keep you updated as to when the show will air.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: This week’s Where Are They Now features Rachel Plavnik, MS ‘19, who after graduation moved to Los Angeles where she is a speech-language pathologist at a skilled nursing facility and also works part-time at a local hospital. Read more about Rachel’s journey into the professional world at salus.edu/RachelPlavnik.

LOOKING OUT FOR KIDS: In what will be the first of several reminders in the coming weeks, Salus University’s 14th annual “Looking Out for Kids” fundraiser will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 1. This year’s event is virtual and will honor TD Bank as the “Lighthouse Award” winner. Once again, NBC10 News anchor Rosemary Connors will host the event. To purchase virtual tickets or VIP reception boxes online, visit SalusUhealth.com/LOFK. Please RSVP by April 9, 2021.

EMERITUS STATUS: The University’s Board of Trustees recognized the many contributions of board member Jane Scaccetti over the past 12 years and granted her emeritus status at its first board meeting in January. Jane has served as chair of the Finance Committee and most recently as chair of the Health Services Committee and was a member of the Executive Committee. She will now participate and continue to contribute as an emeritus trustee. Thank you Jane, for all you have done and will continue to do for Salus. To read more about Jane’s service, go to salus.edu/JaneScaccetti.

VACCINATIONS FOR UNION MEMBERS: As you might have seen in your emails yesterday, on Thursday, March 18, UFCW Local 1776 will be partnering with ACME Pharmacies to offer vaccinations for its union members in the Toland Classroom at TEI. We are pleased to assist in this effort, which will benefit those in our patient service, housekeeping and facilities staff that are members of Local 1776. Those employees will receive a separate email with more information on how to register for an appointment. Unfortunately, due to limited supply and their mandate, vaccinations are not able to be provided to non-union members in the Salus community. However, we are continuing to lobby local government for increased vaccination opportunities for the Salus community.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As many of us reflect on the last year and how we have all had to make significant changes and sacrifices along the way, I can’t help but to feel very proud of the way that Salus has weathered the storm. Because of the manner in which everyone has conducted themselves, when we compare ourselves to other institutions, we have had lower numbers of COVID cases than most of our peers and we have been able to provide our essential labs, clinics and classes, often in modified formats, since this began. Throughout this emergency I have been highlighting the fact that our faculty have been rock stars - but so have our students and staff. Organizations get through difficult times as a team and we have done just that. I cannot effectively convey the level of pride I have in leading and representing such a talented, spirited, intelligent and successful group of professionals. You are the ones that make us SALUS STRONG!

As we prepare to set our clocks forward this weekend and lose that hour of sleep, please take some time to reflect on what you have accomplished this year. It should not be minimized. We still have a ways to go, but as vaccines become more available and COVID rates hopefully continue to decrease, it is more important than ever to continue to follow the CDC’s guidelines for social distancing, wearing a face mask when around others, (even if you are vaccinated) and washing your hands frequently. If we do this, then our Fall semester might be more normal. Stay safe, get out and have some fun and come back even SALUS STRONGER!

Mike