Centennial Celebration Weekend - Week of April 26th

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

Greetings from Elkins Park and the beginning of our Centennial Celebration weekend! I can’t believe it’s actually here!

Tonight, at 6:00 p.m., at the Science Institute, we celebrate the achievements of 35 professionals who have made significant contributions to their professions, the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and Salus University. It’s going to be a very special weekend that kicks off our celebration that goes through the weekend.

Concurrently, on Friday night from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. the AOSA Quiz Bowl will be happening in the Hafter Center. All students and faculty are welcome to attend, and those who do will receive two drink tickets and food. Second year optometry students will compete and the winner will go on to represent PCO in the national ASOA Quiz Bowl competition at the Optometry’s Meeting in June 2020.On Saturday, we’ll begin the day with free optometric continuing education on the Elkins Park campus at 8:00 a.m. sponsored by Physician Recommended Nutraceuticals. Drs. James Deom and Thomas Kislan will be discussing a practice guide to build a sustainable, medically focused practice to capitalize on the changing landscape in eye care.

At 10:00 a.m. the Salus Alumni Board will hold its annual meeting in room S301 on the Elkins Park campus. I’ll be giving an update about all the great things that are happening at the University and we’ll hear about plans for the coming year. All alumni are invited and encouraged to attend.

Campus tours of both Elkins Park and TEI in East Oak Lane; and PEI and SLI Open Houses will begin at 10:00 a.m. and go until 1:00 p.m. At 12:30 p.m., there will be the Presidential Medal of Honor Plaque Unveiling at the Hafter Student Community Center.

In additional to all the other things going on Saturday morning, Salus - PCO faculty and students will perform comprehensive eye exams at the VSP® Chester, Pa. event. Community service is in our DNA – and this is yet another example of how we care for those in need.

Now, that’s a busy morning! The BIG EVENT, the Gala, celebrating 100 years of Pennsylvania College of Optometry’s legacy, starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing and the Essilor Luxottica “After Party” starts at 9:30 p.m. 

View Weekend Schedule

This will be a great weekend of events to celebrate the College’s 100 years, and a great kickoff to the next 100 for the entire University.

As a prelude to this weekend’s events, on Tuesday, I was interviewed by Rosemary Connors from NBC10, who will also be hosting the Gala. Here’s a link to the interview if anyone’s interested.

Needless to say, it’s going to be an action-packed, fun weekend. I hope everyone has the opportunity to participate in any or all of the festivities. We’ve got a great deal to be thankful for and to celebrate. The Pennsylvania College of Optometry pretty much defined how optometry is practiced today and will continue to do so well into the future. That’s something to celebrate!

Have a great weekend. I hope to see many of you at the functions both on and off campus.

Mike

Graduation Is Right Around the Corner: Week of April 18th

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

Greetings on a beautiful Thursday from Elkins Park. My update is a day early this week due to the holiday schedule. 

Last Friday, students and staff participated in the inaugural Health Fair conducted by the LeVine Backstretch Clinic, which is operated at the Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pa., as part of the horse racing facility. Salus had the largest group of participants with 21 volunteers and conducted 78 vision screenings and 28 hearing screenings. It was a great turn out. 

Renovations are under way at The Eye Institute at Chestnut Hill – last week new auto-phoropters were installed. Other renovations will include new signage, remodeling of the front desk area and a renovation of the pre-screening area. 

I can’t believe it, but our Centennial Gala is only a week away! Catch up on some more PCO history with this story on Melissa Trego, OD’04, Resident ’09, PhD, PCO dean. 

Finally, with so much swirling around in the news these days, between the horrible fire at Notre Dame Cathedral and the release of the Mueller Report, it’s easy to forget that this weekend should be one of reflection and celebration. On Friday evening our Jewish colleagues and friends will begin to celebrate Passover, commemorating the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. At the same time, our Christian colleagues and friends will be observing Good Friday and then celebrating Easter on Sunday. Both of these holidays represent a time to reflect with family and friends how lucky we all are to be able to observe these holidays together in a country that was founded on the premise of religious freedom and equality. 

I hope everyone takes some time this long weekend to take a break from all the news around us and concentrate on what’s most important – family and friends. 

Be safe, get some exercise and come back next week ready to move into the final stretch as our semesters begin to come to a close. Graduation for many is just around the corner! 

Happy Passover and Happy Easter to all those celebrating these holidays!

Mike

Raising Awareness in DC: Week of April 12th

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

Greetings from Salus where Spring is in full bloom and our new stock of goslings are floating around our pond. Between some of our students taking exams and others on spring break, the campus has appeared to be pretty quiet this week although there’s lots going on!

Earlier in the week, about twenty students and I headed down to Washington DC, along with 600 other Doctors of Optometry and students to bring the American Optometric Association’s pro-patient, pro-access message to nearly all of the 535 members of the 116th Congress. During that time, we had the opportunity to brief members of Congress on important issues and pending legislation that included:

• Fighting costly health and vision plan abuses
• Stopping the FTC's unnecessary contact lens paperwork proposal
• Making the contact lens prescription verification process simpler and safer
• Supporting essential vision, eye health care for veterans by continuing to fight for better vision and eye health care for America's veterans
• Preserving the doctor-patient relationship, legislation that argues for the appropriate use of tele-health services as a supplement to high-value, high-quality eye and vision care.

Our students carried the day in discussions with legislative staffers and a few principles. While these visits don’t guarantee support, they certainly raise awareness of key issues facing our patients and the profession, overall.

On Thursday, Dr. Stephen Pugliese, our liaison representative from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), our University accrediator, spent most of the day at Salus as one of the first steps in the self-study review process with MSCHE. The process plays a vital role in the University’s ongoing planning, assessment, and accreditation and provides the opportunity to document Salus University’s impact and effectiveness as an institution of higher education. In addition to meeting with me, several Board of Trustee members and our MSCHE internal Steering Group, there was also an open forum for student leadership, faculty and staff which was extremely well-attended.

On Thursday evening, the Sports Vision Club hosted a webinar with the Sports Vision Pros - three prominent optometrists in the sports vision field - where they discussed cases and hot topics commonly seen in sports vision.

On Saturday, Salus Physician Assistant students will take part in the PA Olympics - with other area PA programs - at the Bamboo Gardens in Vincentown, NJ. Games will include “Dodge the Flu", “Egg Speculum”, and Trivia. Good luck!

Also, on Saturday, from 10AM – noon, we will be hosting “A Conversation with Veterans” along with State Representatives Steve McCarter and Jared Solomon.  The goal of the forum is to identify some of the challenges Veterans in the local area might be having and discuss possible solutions.  If you’re interested in hearing the discussions, please join us in the Lombardi Classroom.

To celebrate #NationalFoodMonth, why not get cookin’ with our throwback to the Pennsylvania College of Optometry Out of Sight Recipe book - published in 1994. If you try one of the recipes we pulled - take a photo and tag us!

Finally, only a couple of short weeks until our CentennialGala. I’m extremely excited about honoring all of our Presidential Awardees on the 26^th, as well as the party on the 27^th! I hope you all have purchased your tickets and got your dancing shoes all shined and ready to go. We’ve got over 400 people registered for the event which is going to fill that room at the Hilton!  

Have a great weekend.  Be safe, have some fun and look out for one another!

Mike

SLP Capstone Presentations: Week of April 5th

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

Greetings from a cold and rainy Elkins Park. What happened to Spring??? The campus has been a little quieter than usual since some of our programs are on their Spring break.

Earlier this week I attended the annual meeting of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) in Harrisburg. The most important issue they are working on, in my opinion as it pertains to us, involves potential changes to federal financial aid programs and how ultimately loans will be paid back. We (Salus) have been very strong advocates for deferral of interest accrual until after graduation as well as expansion of shortage area loan forgiveness programs that include all of our professions. I’m not overly optimistic we’ll see quick changes, but my plan is to be the “squeaky wheel” since very few are raising these issues. 

Yesterday, students from the Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program presented their capstone project posters to a good size crowd in the Hafter Center, including Dr. Eckert and I. The work was fantastic and really a reflection of all the hard work both the students and faculty mentors put into these projects over the course a semester. Well done!

We’re less than a month away from our Centennial celebration. Dr. Jeff Nyman and I were interviewed by Monica Cryan from PHL17, who just happens to be Dr. Pagani’s daughter, earlier this week and I had the pleasure of being interviewed yesterday by Patty Jackson from WDAS (105.3), which was lots of fun. Both interviews centered on PCO’s heritage and the commitment we have had to our community over the past 100 years. So, I hope this helps to motivate you to purchase your tickets for the Gala. There’s still some time. Just click here to get your tickets.

Next week many of us will be in Washington, DC to help the American Optometric Association educate several Congressional leaders about optometry and some of the national legislative issues that affect how we all practice. I’m always excited about participating in these events and even more excited that our students will be engaged, which is so very important.

I hope everyone has a safe and restful weekend and has a chance to get out and enjoy some of the early buds and flowers. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate!

Mike

Countdown to Centennial Celebration: Week of March 29th

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

It’s been a busy week at Salus as plans for the Centennial Celebration continue to move along at lightning speed. We’re just a month away from the Gala and I hope you have been having fun reading through the exciting history of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) and have purchased your tickets to attend. Here’s another - more colorful - story: salus.edu/mural-Monday

On Monday, I spent the day in Harrisburg, along with Dr. Trego and other members of the PCO faculty and students, educating our State Representatives about the upcoming optometry scope of practice and children’s vision bills. From what I could tell, most of the representatives were very receptive and understood why both of these bills needed to pass. As I’ve said previously, one of our missions at Salus is to advocate for all of our professions. Monday was a great example of this in action. Our students, in particular, hit it out of the park!

This week Dr. Aravamudhan and the Institutional Advancement office hosted Osborne College of Audiology's (OCA) Alumni and Friends Open House at American Academy of Audiology (AAA) Convention in Columbus, Ohio, which Dr. Barry Eckert, Dennis Washington and I had the opportunity to attend. The event was exceptionally well attended by faculty, staff, advisory board members as well as many alumni. We recognized our Alumni of the Year, Dr. George Lindley at the event. He’ll be receiving all of his “bling” during the Presidential Awards ceremony the day prior to our Gala. 

Salus OCA was also well represented at the AAA meeting with presentations and posters by our OCA faculty.  It was great to see so many of our faculty presenting on the national stage!

Lions Club Members are invited to attend our Spring Vision Screening at Philadelphia Fight Community Health Center 1207 Chestnut Street, 3rd floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

We have entered the conference season. This week, our students, faculty, and staff have attended the following conferences: Vision Expo East, American Academy of Audiology and the Northeast Association of Advisers for the Health Professions.

Before I close, I want to once again mention the importance of a $10 donation to the University. I was disappointed that only one person took me up on my suggestion to donate $10 towards scholarships last week. Actually, that one person donated $20, which we really appreciate! So, if anyone is inclined to invest in our student's future, please click here and have at it! Thanks in advance for your consideration and generosity! 

As I mentioned earlier, we’re less than a month away from our Centennial Gala in celebration of PCO’s 100 years.  If you haven’t had a chance to purchase your tickets yet, you can do so by clicking here to get to the website.  

Have a great weekend - enjoy the sunshine and moderate temperatures and have some fun.

Mike

The Importance of Any Size Donation: Week of March 22nd

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

I happened to wake up in the middle of the night thinking about how $10 can really help improve your day. Think about it. For $10, you can get a fancy Starbucks coffee and a snack, you can go to Wawa and get a coffee and a sandwich, you can go to the movies (unless it’s a Friday or Saturday night), you could go on Amazon and buy the Zeefo Retro LED night light you’ve always wanted or if you happen to be in Taiwan, you can buy a box of dumplings at a street side shop, a loaf of bread, 1 kg tomatoes and a dozen eggs in a supermarket. You can also contribute to the Salus Alumni fund – many $10 donations really add up quickly and if we’re going to try and establish meaningful scholarships to help offset the cost of education, this is a great way to start.  So, for $10 you can do many things – the one that might have the longest lasting impact would be an investment in our institution’s future. Just click here to see how you can make that happen.

I spent the earlier part of the week attending Thomas Jefferson University College of Population Health’s 19^th Population Health Colloquium, which featured speakers from all over the country who addressed issues involving public health, the social determinants of health, how to improve the American healthcare system (many ideas on that one) as well as discussions on compassionate leadership and what our future might hold. Every year, Dr. David Nash, the Dean of the college and a recipient of a Salus honorary degree a couple of years ago, shares what he believes are the top 12 issues that will affect our healthcare system. He calls them the, “Dirty Dozen” and I thought I’d share them with you as they touch on many of the issues we confront at Salus and many of you are confronting every day in your practices.  

1. Healthcare will be affected by a rise in consumerism to include home health, wearables and consumables. Much is already happening.
2. Medicare Advantage & Managed Medicaid will continue to be front-lines as they begin to deliver value. Outcome data will drive reimbursements. “No outcomes - No Income”.
3. Tax Reform has already created the largest deficit in American history. This will force a decrease in Federal spending, specifically in healthcare and other social programs.
4.  Precision Medicine and Population Health will become prominent practices to help save money and lives.
5. Deal making (such as mergers of systems) will continue.
6. Healthcare delivery systems will continue to consolidate.
7. Health information technology will continue to create the necessary information to improve care.
8. There will be an increase in the use of predictive analytics and artificial intelligence in the management of population health. This will lead to a rise in Population Health Intelligence.
9. Pharmaceutical industry will be disrupted with price becoming the most important aspect from a national perspective.
10. More venture capital dollars will be moving into healthcare – we’re already seeing this as private practices around the nation are being bought.
11. Workforce development in the areas of artificial intelligence, quality measurement and management through data analytics.
12. The Phillies will win the Pennant (this might be the most debatable of the 12)

Many of these will directly affect every one of our professions as time marches on. It behooves all of us to be aware of these changes and proactively move to be part of the change rather than the recipient of the changes. This is where our scenario planning exercise has provided invaluable insights that are consistent with these “Dirty Dozen” predictions. 

If you have chance, I encourage you to stop by the D’Arrigo Family Gallery in the Hafter Student Community Center to see curator Elynne Rosenfeld’s newest art display, courtesy of the Montgomery County Guild of Professional Artists. It’s really very unique and wonderfully done. 

Congratulations to Anna Grasso, assistant professor in the College of Education and Rehabilitation, who has completed all graduation requirements and is now a Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist (CAPS). She teaches Occupational Therapy's geriatric practice course and volunteers her time making home safety recommendations for the under-served in Philadelphia.

Help support our physician assistant (PA) students and their involvement in the PAOlympics. There is a joint fundraiser tonight from 5-10pm at Frankford Hall, a restaurant in the Fishtown neighborhood in Philadelphia. Ten percent of all proceeds for the night will be donated to PA Olympics.

Thanks to Dr. Stanley Hatch for presenting a great lecture on, “The Powerful Placebo” at this morning’s Clinical Grand Rounds at The EyeInstitute.   

PCO sponsored Dr. Ken Sorkin, immediate past president of the New York State Optometric Association (NYSOA) and Dr. Mark Parsons were on campus to host a meeting with optometry students. They talked about how to expand the scope of practice in New York, the benefits of NYSOA membership, and updates on current legislation. 

We’re almost a month away from the Centennial Gala – have you bought your tickets yet or are you a student interested in going to the after party? You can find all the information and buy tickets here! 

Just a note that Drs. Maria Parisi, Jeffrey Nyman, Richard Brilliant and Georgia Crozier and I will be speaking at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine this Sunday as part of the Advances in Interdisciplinary Eye Care interdisciplinary CE program, presented by the Moore Eye Institute.  I’ll be addressing what I believe integrated care should look like and my predictions for the future of vison care in the U.S. over the next 10 – 15 years.  I’m hoping to raise some eyebrows!

If you have a chance, get out and enjoy the early Spring weather.  Have fun, recharge and look out for one another.

Mike

Feels Like Spring at Salus: Week of March 15th

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

Good morning from Elkins Park, where Spring is flirting with us, just a little.  It’s the Ides of March and today marks the end of another busy week at Salus with many students taking mid-terms while other are busily working on special projects and getting ready to go on clinical rotations.

These last couple of days, we’ve been hosting the accreditation team from the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. They are here to review our SLP program. Their work should be completed later today with results to follow.

In our College of Education and Rehabilitation, Emily R. Vasile, MAT, TVI, MS, CLVT, has been invited to serve as a member of the Advisory Council of the Pennsylvania Deaf-Blind Project. The Advisory Council and its members serve a critical role to the Project by assisting in the identification of needs and areas for improvement as well as by providing feedback on materials, resources, and professional development. The members of the Council work in partnership with the Project to improve the lives of students with deaf-blindness and their families by building the capacity of intermediate units, school districts, and approved private schools through evidence-based practices and staff-driven collaboration. Congratulations!

On Monday evening, Salus Board member Rebecca Delia, Salus Provost, Dr. Barry Eckert and I attended a very interesting program addressing, “The Future of Work and its Implications for Higher Education." The program, which was sponsored by Deloitte and hosted by The Chronicle of Higher Education, addressed many of the themes we’ve been discussing during our Scenario Planning. Deloitte believes that the future of work is being shaped by the growing adoption of artificial intelligence in the workplace and the expansion of the workforce includes both on and off balance sheet talent. These changes should be influencing higher education to ensure people have the right skills when they leave college or technical training. While most of the conversation focused on undergraduate educational programs and the importance of maintaining studies in the humanities and other liberal arts subjects, there was also an emphasis on stacked and competency based learning and hybrid/online courses. All this affects the way each of our professions will be trained and ultimately practice. Hence, the importance of embracing many of these disruptive technologies and looking at new educational models.

Somewhat related to that discussion, yesterday, I sent out an email to all students with a link to a survey that asks about your opinion concerning the four strategic imperatives our scenario planning developed. We really need your input if we’re going to get this right, so please take the time to fill out the survey.  

The Pennsylvania College of Optometry will be sponsoring an Alumni and Friends reception at Vision Expo East reception on next Saturday, March 23, 2019 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. So, if you’re up in New York for the meeting, please stop by.

Finally, do you want to know more about PCO’s founder? Check out this “tour” of Dr. Albert Fitch’s home.  It’s an interesting read!

Only a few weeks left until our PCO Centennial Celebration. Please click HERE to get your tickets!

As we approach the weekend, please take some time to get out and enjoy the nicer weather we have. Be safe, have fun and look out for one another!

Mike