Salutations Masthead 2011

September 2014

In This Issue

CER Awarded New Grants

Alexis Abate Appointment

Salus Scoop a Success

InfantSEE Events

NOSA Students at the NOA

Salus University Alumni Association

Salus University Admissions

Dr. Mittelman's blog

______________

WE SALUTE

The Salus University community warmly welcomes its newest members:

Greg Genna, AuD,

Osborne College of Audiology, Clinical Educator

The Salus community extends congratulations to the following members:

Dr. Sarah Appel, co-director, Feinbloom Low Vision Clinic, on the publication of a position paper she co-authored for the American Academy of Optometry about the evaluation and treatment of students with visual impairments.

Dr. Neil Draisin '71 and Dr. Bill Monaco, associate dean, Biomedicine, for being profiled in recent issues of "How I See It" in Focus, the magazine of the American Optometric Association (AOA).

Derek Kramer '15OD, who was the nation's top scorer for Part Two of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) exam.

_______________

THANK YOU!

Thank you to the members of the Salus community who participated in the many focus groups held over the summer for the purpose of discovery for the University's strategic planning and marketing plans. Your input was invaluable and essential. Your willingmess to share your thoughts, opinions and time speaks well of our community and how we will continue to work together for a better Salus.

______________

Taking the Challenge

Over the past few months thousands of people have taken the Ice Bucket Challenge in support of the ALS Foundation.

Dr. Mittelman began the Salus chain of challenges. PCO dean, Dr. Lori Grover, was the first to answer his challenge, followed by the Student Council Executive Board, and then a joint response by Andrea Carr Tyszka, MS, OTR/L, SIPT, assistant professor, Occupational Therapy and Dr. SallyAnn Geiss, assistant professor, Speech-Language Pathology.

Thanks to all for your responses. Since July 14, when the Ice Bucket Challenge debuted, the ALS Foundation has raised more than $115 million dollars in support. More importantly, public awareness of this disease has risen 1,000%!

CER Awarded New Grants

Dean Audrey Smith announced recently that the College of Education and Rehabilitation (CER) Department of Low Vision and Blindness was awarded two five-year grants by the US Department of Education to support the College's personnel preparation programs in Orientation & Mobility and Teachers of the Visually Impaired. The grants totaled $2.3 million.
Dr. Smith said, "My heartfelt appreciation and congratulations goes out to the CER and Sponsored Programs Administration team effort ... with special thanks to team leaders, Dr. Fabiana Perla and Ms. Lynne Dellinger." In her thanks, Dr. Smith noted that everyone had worked tirelessly to produce quality grant applications whose caliber enabled Salus to be selected from a large competitive pool of many other university applicants throughout the country.

Alexis Abate Appointed Salus

Director of Communication

Alexis Abate, MA, has been appointed director of Communication for the University, effective October 1. In his announcment to the Salus community, President Mittelman said, " I look forward to working with Alexis as we proceed with the Salus branding and marketing efforts. Her background, experience and expertise will serve the University well, as she leads our efforts to ensure that our name and reputation find a wider audience as we continue our mission to become the best institution in the nation for the education of healthcare professionals."

Ms. Abate has been marketing coordinator for The Eye Institute for the past six years. As director of Communication, she will report to Dr. Mittelman and have multiple responsibilities that include: the development of an innovative communications strategy designed to engage audiences and stakeholders across multiple constituencies within Salus; creation and implementation of strategies to ensure the University's outreach efforts and multiple-market visibility are maximized and the building of relationships with the media and surrounding communities to advance our position with relevant constituents. Ms. Abate also will be responsible for Salus University's varied and integrated communications, including web-based media and publications; community relations; marketing of research and education programs; public outreach events and activities; and other current programs.

Ms. Abate holds a BA in Communication/Mass Media Writing from LaSalle University and a Master of Arts in Communication Arts, Public Relations and Advertising from New York Institute of Technology.

Salus Scoop a Success

On Friday, September 5, Student Council held the University's first "Salus Scoop," complete with food trucks and a steel band. Colorful and creative booths representing the University's student organizations lined the lawn and parking lot of the Hafter Student Community Center, while the air was filled with music from a steel band and the aroma of wonderful Caribbean delicacies had mouths watering. Student members manned their booths and answered questions from fellow students and potential members about their organizations.

This year the Student Council wanted to make this event more than just an information session for new and returning students. A prize for the most creative booth had student organizations on their creative mettle and the results were wonderful. Congratulations to the Student Academy of Audiology (SA
A), who took home the prize for most creative booth. Laughter mixed with a great deal of enthusiasm did much to alleviate any discomfort from one of the hottest days of the summer.

Not content to rest on their Salus Scoop laurels, the Executive Committee of the Student Council - president, Jenna Roney '17OD; vice-president, Alex St. Pierre '16AUD; secretary, Irina Linkov, '17AUD; treasurer, Alexis Conte '17AUD and SMOTBOT* Kathryn Tribulski '16AUD - answered Dr. Mike Mittelman's ALS Ice Bucket Challenge at the end of the afternoon. Dr. Mittelman surprised the students by joining them, making this the second time he has done the challenge and with the help of Salus provost, Dr. Jan Scharre and PCO dean, Dr. Lori Grover and fellow students, the challenge was answered satisfactorily to the delight of the onlookers. (*SMOTBOT: Student Member of the Board of Trustees)

InfantSEE Events for Salus

The Salus community welcomed speaker and entertainer Tom Sullivan, AOA representative Glen "Bubba" Steele, OD, FCOVD, and Pennsylvania Optometric Association (POA) president, Dr. Marianne Boltz '96, to campus on September 5 and 6 for InfantSEE early eye care intervention events. InfantSEE is a public health program managed by the American Optometric Association (AOA) that promotes comprehensive eye exams at six to 12 months of age because of the rapid development of vision during a baby's first year of life.

On Friday evening, optometry students attended an event at the Hafter Student Community Center and heard from Dr. Michael Mittelman, Dean Lori Grover, in addition to Dr. Steele, Dr. Boltz- who presented the University with an InfantSEE resolution from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - and Mr. Sullivan, who spoke of his commitment to InfantSEE in his funny, sometimes irreverent and always interesting delivery style. Mr. Sullivan, who was born prematurely, was blinded as an infant due to complications in an incubator.

On Saturday morning, Salus staff and local professionals who work in the areas of early childhood development, occupational and physical therapy, and in community programs with young mothers and their babies attended a breakfast at The Eye Institute and heard presentations on infant vision and development from Dr. Steele; Dr. Eileen Schanel-Klitsch, Salus faculty member and psychologist whose specialty is working with children with vision impairments; Dr. Ruth Shoge, chief of Pediatrics at TEI, and Mr. Sullivan. Dr. Marianne Boltz also attended this event.

The message at both events was the importance of early intervention. In addition to vision impairments, connections were made to the impact of those impairments on a baby's development and how greater emotional and developmental delays are related to them. An example given by Mr. Sullivan on Saturday morning was that "chewing is a visual response. How can babies learn to chew if they can't see someone do it?" The events were informative and interesting and the audiences were left with the challenge to help raise public awareness of early intervention and the InfantSEE program, which is offered to the public without charge.

Salus NOSA Students Attend National NOA Conference

by Courtney Goode '17OD

Members of the Salus University PCO chapter of NOSA (National Optometric Student Association) attended the National Optometric Association's (NOA) annual conference in Washington, DC in July. Students Evelyn Dearing '17OD, Courtney Goode '17OD, Stefanie Hwang '16OD, Sadia Kalsoom '16OD, Ting Wei '16OD, Zainab Hasan '16OD, Shirley Yan '16OD, Caitlyn Bomee Kim '16OD, Cerina Buchanan '15OD, Gina Pelaez '15OD and new alumnus Dr. Kennard Herring '14 made certain Salus PCO was well-represented.

Evelyn Dearing, current Salus PCO NOSA president, was recognized by NOSA for her contributions at the National Pharmacy Convention earlier in the year. Evelyn traveled to Washington DC to speak to pharmacy students on behalf of NOSA to bridge the gap between optometry and the other health professions. Former PCO chapter president Stefanie Hwang assumed her position as Recording Secretary for the NOSA National Executive Board. Sadia Kalsoom was awarded the Drs. John L. Howlette & C. Clayton Powell Award for her outstanding service to the community and to NOSA. Courtney Goode was awarded the Wal-Mart and Sam's Club Academic Scholarship for her exemplary academic achievement, and was elected treasurer of the NOSA National Executive Board for 2015-2016. Dr. Kennard Herring '14 was also recognized and welcomed as a new graduate member of the NOA.

During the conference, optometry students were invited to participate in continuing education lectures, networking events, and social events. The conference allowed students the opportunity to network with optometrists and students from across the United States. A panel of ODs offered students advice on surviving optometry school and on what to expect after graduation. Students participated in a "speed-netting" event that allowed them to explore different career options within optometry. The NOSA banquet featured a live band, with lots of food and fun to go around.