Salutations Masthead 2011 

    
     MAY 2013    
In This Issue
REUNION 2013!
PA Students Take Second
PCO Preceptor of the Year
Dean Bray on Limited License Status
Dr. Paul Robinson Retires

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_________________
 WE SALUTE

The Salus community warmly welcomes its newest members:   

 

Michael Vuivivar, Security

 

Dr. Fern Silverman,

Director, Occupational Therapy program 
  
  

The Salus University community offers sincere congratulations to the following members:  

 

Dr. Pierrette Barker,
director, Office of Graduate Programs in Biomedicine, on being named "Alumnus of the Year" at the University of Houston College of Optometry. Dr. Barker was honored at a banquet last month, where she received her award.  

 

Jaime Schulang, associate director, Student Financial Affairs, on her graduation with distinction from Rider Universty, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education from Rider University, along with her program's Outstanding Achievement Award.
 
Dr. Satya B. Verma, PCO associate professor and assistant director of the Externship program, on the presentation of the James Boucher Award
from the National Academies of Practice last month at their annual conference. Dr. Verma is president-elect of the NAP.
 _________________  
Professor from China Visits PCO

Earlier this month, Xiang Chen, MS, PhD, head of the Office of Academic Affairs for the Department

of Optometry at Sun

Yat-sen University in China visited the Elkins Park campus. 

    The dean of PCO,     
Dr. Linda Casser
extended an invitation to students, faculty and staff to enjoy a presentation by Dr. Chen about the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center and the development of optometry in China.
   Sun Yat-sen University was founded in 1924 by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, a democratic revolutionary leader of the 20th century.
  The University, located in Guangdong Province, is a comprehensive multi-disciplinary university, including the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, technical sciences, medical sciences, pharmacology, and management sciences.  

 ______________

CONGRATULATIONS

to the

CLASS OF 2013!

 

You have worked hard

to achieve your dreams - and we wish you the very best.

Remember to stay in touch!
__________________ 

 

Thank you to our faculty, students, alumni and staff who are serving or have served in the Armed Forces.

 

We thank you - and your families - for your service.

 

Have a safe and happy

holiday weekend everyone!

Reunion 2013 
Class of 1973 at 2013 reunion
PCO Class of 1973 Attendees

The annual Alumni Reunion, held May 3-5, had a few added attractions for the enjoyment of attendees. The weekend's events were all planned with an eye to the theme: "Come Laugh with Us."

   On Friday evening two separate events were held and participants could choose between a happy hour at a local restaurant or a Philadelphia Orchestra concert. According to feedback from alumni and faculty who attended, both were a great start to the weekend, allowing people to get together before the main festivities. The happy hour in particular allowed local alumni and faculty unable to attend on Saturday the opportunity to visit with old friends.

     On Saturday, May 4, morning campus tours offered alumni and their guests a chance to see the University's campus, as well as its optometry and audiology clinical facilities, The Eye Institute and the Pennsylvania Ear Institute. A buffet lunch in the University's Caf� followed. After lunch an optional guided tour of historic area points of interest by the Old York Road Historical Society took place. Participants were enthusiastic in their praise of the tour as well as the guide's depth of knowledge.

    Saturday evening a cocktail reception held in the Bennett Lounge of the Hafter Student Community Center was followed by the alumni dinner. Prior to the dinner, alumni and their guests were welcomed by President Thomas L. Lewis '70, and awards were presented by Alumni Association president, Dr. Robert Spivack '85, with PCO dean, Dr. Linda Casser and Osborne College of Audiology dean, Dr. Victor Bray.

    This year's awardees were Robert P. Bittel, Jr., OD '83, FAAO, Albert Fitch Memorial Alumnus of the Year; Robert M. DiSogra, AuD '03, Audiology Alumnus of the Year; Harry Kaplan, OD '49, who was honored with a Special Recognition award, and the New Jersey Academy of Optometry (NJAO), which was presented with a Public Service Award. Current NJOA president, Dr. Clark Chang '07, accepted the award on behalf of the membership.

    Attendees were treated to a photo booth complete with props, a buffet dinner featuring recipes from ABC's show, The Chew, wine tasting with a wine expert, a performance featuring New York comedian Hari Kondabolu - courtesy of the University's Student Government and attended by Salus students - and the drawing of "I Care" raffle prizes and dancing to the music of a DJ.

    On Sunday, the 23rd annual Dr. Joseph C. Toland Excellence in Education conference was held all day on campus. This year's program featured new concepts in preventing, detecting and managing Chronic Ocular Conditions and offered participants eight hours of COPE approved education.

     Photos of the reunion will be posted on the University's website soon. 

PA Class of 2014 Earns Second Place
The Physician Assistant (PA) Class of 2014 had a second place finish at the annual PA Olympics last month. The annual event is a fundraiser and the student committee-comprised of PA students from five area programs-chooses a new charity to support each year. This year the students presented a check for $3,300 to the Philadelphia chapter of the ALS Association. ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is a serious neurological disease that causes muscle weakness, disability and eventually death.

    Class of 2014 Student participants were: Matthew Butler, Justin Crawford, Rachel Kirkpatrick,Ayn Larson, Emily Perovich, Kevin Morrison and Kevin Speechley. Class of 2012 graduate, Andrew Paszko, PA-C, represented the PA faculty at the event. 

PCO 2013 Preceptor of the Year  
2013 Preceptor of the Year.Drs.Parisi.Said and Verma
Left to right: Dr. Maria Parisi; Preceptor of the Year, Dr. Osama Said '99; Dr. Satya B. Verma
Last month PCO held a Preceptor Fair at The Eye Institute, giving second year students and preceptors a chance to meet one another. The PCO Preceptor's Fair has become an annual event that affords second year students the opportunity to meet preceptors and talk with them as the students begin the externship site process. The process continues through late summer, when all externship placements for the students third and fourth years are approved and in place.
      The 2013 Preceptor of the Year award was presented to Dr. Osama Said '99 by Dr. Maria Parisi, Externship program director and Dr. Satya B. Verma, assistant director of the program.

     Preceptors are practicing optometrists who welcome third and fourth year students into their private practices or their workplaces (e.g., Veterans Administration facilities, hospitals, etc.). The preceptors work with the students as clinical instructors and mentors for their externship rotation. A PCO student will complete a minimum of four externships before graduation. Students are required to complete one externship rotation each at The Eye Institute, a disease site, a hospital site and a private practice site. At present, there are more than 400 PCO externship sites in the US, with a few international sites also available. 

Dean Bray on Limited-License Status 
Dr. Victor H. Bray, dean, Osborne College of Audiology, was interviewed for this month's The Hearing Journal cover story about limited-license status for audiologists. In the article, entitled "Unlocking Direct Audiology Access with Limited-License Status," Dr. Bray compares the challenges of today's audiology professionals with the challenges overcome by their optometry colleagues with regard to achieving limited-licensed practitioners status.

    Limited-license physician status means that patients do not need a referral from their primary care physician to see a healthcare professional such as an optometrist, a podiatrist, or a chiropractor. Audiologists currently do not enjoy the same status. Dean Bray is a member of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) "18 x 18" steering committee, which is tasked with changing Title XVIII of the Social Security Act by 2018.                                                              T  The ADA is clear that once granted limited-license status, audiologists would not have prescriptive or ordering rights and would be held to their state scope of practice.   Article

Dr. Paul Robinson Retires
Dr. Paul Robinson Retirement Class of 2015

Earlier this month Dr. Paul Robinson, PCO assistant professor, retired last month. Beginning his PCO career in 1971, Dr. Robinson has worked in the Clinical Skills, Optics and Contact Lens Labs, teaching optometry students before they begin their patient care rotations. He also served as a Clinical Problem Solving (CPS) facilitator. A beloved teacher and student mentor, he was given a surprise send-off by the Class of 2015 (See above. Dr. Robinson is middle row, fifth from left). In a separate surprise gathering, friends and colleagues listened to Dr. Lewis and Dean Casser thank him for his contributions to the College. Thank you - and best of luck, Dr. Robinson!