May 2015 
In This Issue
Remembering Dr. Wolfberg
Reunion 2015
PA Student Olympics
Low Vision Conference
OT Conference
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WE SALUTE
  
The Salus community extends a warm welcome to the following new members: 
 
Devon Barnaby, Housekeeper
 
Theresa Barrow, Housekeeper
 
Darrell Veney, Security officer
  
The Salus community extends its sincere congratulations to
the following members:
 
Dr. Lori Grover, PCO dean, on being named a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Vision Care section committee. The IOM is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences.  
  
Jule Ann Lieberman, MS '13, on being named 2015  Pennsylvania Outstanding Employee with Visual Impairment awardee.
  
Dr. Janice Scharre, University provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, on her induction as a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow into the National Academies of Practice (NAP).
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Salus Welcomes KSU Colleague

Earlier this month the University welcomed Dr. Ali Alshaghthrah, head of the Optometry Department at King Saud University (KSU) College of Applied Medical Sciences. Located in Saudi Arabia, KSU is home to four current Salus PhD students in Biomedicine.
Dr. Alshaghthrah is pictured here with Dr. Mittelman and Dr. Scharre.

REMINDER

The University's new website will launch on 
June 1!
 
This has been a Salus community effort, with varied participation in the form of many focus groups as well as content editing completed by department heads, faculty and staff.
 
We hope you will enjoy the new look of the website. Just go to www. salus.edu on or after June 1 
to view the results.
PCO PRECEPTOR FAIR 2015 
Last month the Annual PCO Preceptor Fair was held at the Hafter Student Community Center on the Elkins Park campus. Begun by PCO External Education director, Dr. Maria Parisi, this was the fourth year for this event. The preceptor fair affords students who are preparing to select their fourth year rotations the opportunity to meet PCO preceptors on-campus.
    Dr. Parisi and Dr. Satya Verma, associate director of External Education, presented the 2015 PCO Preceptor of the Year Award to Dr. David Lampariello, clinical director at Fenway Community Heath, Boston, MA and associate professor at the New England College of Optometry.
  Approximately 40 preceptors attended the event, which included a meet and greet with students, a preceptor luncheon, and a program update. Also on the day's agenda was a workshop on clinical teaching, with guest lecturer, Dr. John Littlefield, adjunct professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. According to Dr. Parisi, the preceptor fair was sponsored by the Alcon education grant. Mr. Tom Duchardt, director of Professional Relations and Academic Development for Alcon, addressed the preceptors.   
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VETERANS INITIATIVE PROJECT PARTICIPANTS
The names of all participants in last month's Salus Veterans Initiative were not available before press time. We would like to acknowledge the following individuals for their contributions to this important interprofessional project:
    Faculty: Bre Myers, AuD; Gregory Genna, AuD; Lynn Greenspan, OD; Elizabeth Sedunov, AuD; Elizabeth Tonkery, OD, and Melissa Trego, OD.
    Students: Katelin Archer '17AUD; Arezou Azizaldin '17OD; Kim Cather '17AUD; Nicolette Constanza '18OD; Alexis Conte '17AUD; Sweta Das '17OD; Carly Grodin '18OD; Shawn Horsman '17OD; Lauren Chan Kai Kong '18OD; Greg Lawrence '17OD; Yu Lin '18OD; Amy McGrath '17AUD; Brett Radosti '17AUD; Marisa Ragonesi '17AUD; Jordan Sgroi '17AUD; Ethan Shore '17OD; Rob Stauble '17OD; Jamie Yusupov '17AUD.
Remembering Dr. Mel Wolfberg
Former Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) president, Melvin Wolfberg, OD '51, FAAO, passed away earlier this month at the age of 88. In his announcement to the University community, President Michael H,. Mittelman, a PCO student when Dr. Wolfberg became president, spoke of Dr. Wolfberg's "long and significant association with the Pennsylvania College of Optometry," citing his service on the Board of Trustees from 1959 to 1979 and as Board chairman from 1976 to 1978.
    Dr. Wolfberg became PCO president in 1979 and served for ten years.  During his tenure, the College developed new academic programs, including an optometric technician program, a Master of Science program, and a master of education program.  Dr. Wolfberg supported a growing research program and strengthened relationships between the College, the alumni, and the community.  The Center for the Continuing and Post-Graduate Education became the nation's single, most significant provider of education in pharmacology related to optometry and the diagnosis and treatment of ocular pathology.  
      A Silver Star recipient for his actions during the World War II Battle of the Bulge, Dr. Wolfberg was the first PCO graduate to become president of the American Optometric Association (1969), and the sixth PCO alumnus to become president of the American Academy of Optometry. He enjoyed his retirement in Florida, keeping abreast of what was happening in the world of optometry and with his colleagues, many of whom he met with regularly. Dr. Wolfberg is survived by his wife and partner of forty years, Linda Machesic; daughter, Debra Mease; sons, Michael and Daniel, step-daughter Lisa Hubbard and nine grandchildren. Dr. Wolfberg will be buried at Arlington Memorial Cemetery with full military honors. 
Reunion 2015!
This year's alumni weekend offered attendees much more than the opportunity to renew old acquaintances. Held on the weekend of May 2-3, the theme of collaboration and interprofessional education was much evident on Saturday. Alumni and healthcare professionals were offered a child abuse recognition and reporting seminar in the morning that fulfilled Act 31 requirements, and a Salus interprofessional education (IPE) presentation on Continuum of care and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the afternoon that featured an interdisciplinary team of Salus faculty.
     The family of the late Dr. John Biernacki '52, attended the dedication of a campus bench honoring their husband, father and grandfather that was purchased in his memory by the North East Pennsylvania Optometric Society (NEPOS).
       Also on Saturday, tours of the Elkins Park campus and the University's clinical facilities were held, along with an alumni brunch and a retired alumni reception hosted by Dr. Harry Kaplan '49, which featured a presentation by Merrill Lynch and Nationwide financial planners.
        Saturday evening on the Delaware River saw a beautiful, full moon rise over the battleship USS New Jersey, as alumni and their spouses and guests arrived at the Chart House restaurant for the alumni awards dinner (see below). 
         On Sunday, alumni could choose between CE credits at the annual
Joseph A. Toland Excellence in Education conference on the Elkins Park campus, or the Alumni Association meeting and the alumni breakfast at the Sheraton Society Hill hotel.
 
Alumni Honorees 2015
This year the Alumni Association recognized three distinguished alumni:
Gregory Caldwell, OD '95, FAAO, received the 2015 Albert Fitch Memorial Alumnus of the Year Award, which is presented to an alumnus of the University's Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) who has distinguished himself/herself through extraordinary service and contributions to the profession of optometry, bringing honor and prestige to the University.
Tomi Thibodeaux Browne, AuD '04, received the 2015 Audiology Alumnus of the Year Award, which is presented to a graduate of the University's George S. Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) who has distinguished himself/herself through extraordinary service and contributions to the profession of audiology, bringing honor and prestige to Salus University and OCA.
Judith A. Creuz, AuD '06, received the University's Special Recognition Award. Not an annual award, this is presented only when special recognition of an individual's or organization's contribution to Salus University, their profession or their community is honored.   (photo credit: Dan Z. Johnson)
2015 PA Student Olympics
by Mychal Smith '16PA
  
 
Last month, the University's Physician Assistant (PA) Class of 2016 joined with six other area PA programs to compete in the annual Physician Assistant Olympics, a fundraiser where each school competes by raising money for a select charity. Participants are involved in a variety of competitive and clever games created by the participating schools and the planning committee.
     Each year a charity is chosen to receive the money raised by the students and this year, the Marfan Foundation was selected. Marfan Syndrome is a rare, life-threatening genetic disorder and the Marfan Foundation raises awareness of the disease and its symptoms. With the contributions of the seven participating PA programs and the donations received from a fundraiser in February, $11,581.11 was successfully raised!
     The Salus PA program would like to thank everyone in the Salus community for their contributions during our bake sales that were held throughout the semester in order to help raise awareness for Marfan Syndrome. The University's representatives on the PA Olympics planning committee were Ms. Joy Henderson, PA-C, interim program director and Christine Savage '16PA and Mychal Smith '16PA.                 
CER Students and Faculty Attend Spring Vision Conference

  
  
Faculty and students from the University's College of Education and Rehabilitation (CER) attended the Penn Del AER Spring Vision Conference in April. AER (Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired) holds its conference annually in Harrisburg, PA, bringing together professionals who work in all phases of education and rehabilitation of blind and visually impaired children and adults..
    This year, three CER faculty members presented at the conference:
Dr. Fabiana Perla, director of the Orientation and Mobility program,
Ms. Jamie Maffit, assistant professor, who presented twice, and
Ms. Kerry Lueders, director, Low Vision Rehabilitation program. Shown above are three CER students who volunteered at the conference, Gloria Hiten, Melissa Durnan and Staci Szymanski.  
Salus OT at AOTA Conference
by Caitlyn Foy, MOTR/L

The University's Occupational Therapy department was busy presenting and learning last month at the American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA) national conference in Nashville, TN. 
    We used this conference as an opportunity to market our post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree program and received a lot of interest from conference attendees about the OTD program.  
    Additionally, we were lucky to have our Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) elected board members - all Class of 2016 - Eric Reuter, Lauren Frabizzio, Rajvi Vora and Lindsey Britt at the conference to represent the program, the University and our student body. 
    Kate Hartnett '15OT, was one of only seven OT students nationwide to receive the prestigious Alice Jantzen Memorial Scholarship from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation at the conference.
       We had a total of five Salus faculty presenters at the conference this year, including Dr. Fern Silverman, program director; Dr. Ruth Farber, associate professor; Dr. Lauren Sponseller, coordinator of academic fieldwork; Dr. Andrea Tyszka, assistant professor, and myself.