FEBRUARY 2016 
    
2016 Alumni Weekend Celebration: April 1,2,3

Alumni Weekend News
by Jamie Lemisch, director, Alumni Relations 

For the Salus University Alumni Association Board members, the end of the year is a busy and exciting time. It's award selection time, which means lots of emails, coordination of schedules, conference calls, and ultimately, a vote. The end result is a list of recipients who will receive the official endorsement of the Salus University Alumni Association. This year's awardees include 
Diane T. Adamczyk, OD '85, FAAO (shown left), Albert Fitch Memorial Alumna of the Year, and Kathy A. Foltner, AuD '03, (shown below, right) Audiology Alumna of the Year. In about a month's time, the Association will proudly add the name of the first ever Physician Assistant Alumnus of the Year recipient to the 2016 awardees. Nominations are being accepted now through
February, 19, 2016.
       You can support this year's awardees by joining us at the Celebration and Awards dinner on Saturday, April 2, 2016 during Alumni Weekend.
     Dr. Foltner will accept her award at the Salus University Open House, held during the AudiologyNOW! conference on April 13, 2016.

What are your student memories?
Set aside your first thought: "I didn't go to Salus; I went to Pennsylvania College of Optometry." Or perhaps it was "Pennsylvania College of Optometry School of Audiology?" Or better yet, "Pennsylvania State College of Optometry." Rest assured, we haven't forgotten our roots - and we love that the name means so much to our alumni! 
     School name(s) aside, there is a commonality amongst the memories of our graduates. It's a mixture of nostalgia, a sense of youthful optimism, passion and the belief that as professionals you would change the world. While our name has changed, our students share your aspirations. Join us for Alumni Weekend. Reminisce, share your stories and offer your advice and inspiration to the next generation of professionals!
     On Saturday, April 2, 2016, during the Alumni Weekend Open House, two student organizations will host a very special lunch. Members of the current campus chapters of Student Optometric Service to Humanity (SOSH) and the Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) will share their latest endeavors, their challenges and successes, and invite you to share yours. For more information or to register, visit the Social Events section of the Alumni Weekend web page.
Dr. Rajan in ASHA Leadership Program
Dr. Jenny Rajan, assistant professor, Osborne College of Audiology, has been awarded a place in the ASHA (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) leadership development program for audiologists. The one-year program for 30 participants is for ASHA members with leadership potential who are selected through a competitive application process. The program encourages recipients to develop their leadership skills and give back to their professions through volunteering-whether with ASHA, at their workplace or for a related professional organization. (read more)
WE SALUTE 

The Salus community extends a warm welcome to the following new members:
La' Wanda Chavous, 
Medical Care Coordinator Specialty Care Services, The Eye Institute
Joshua Cradic,
Database Administrator,
External Education, PCO
                                _____________________

The Salus community extends its sincere congratulations to the following members:
Dr. Lynn Greenspan (below),
PCO assistant professor, on receiving an award from the National Board of Examiners on Optometry (NBEO) in appreciation of her work for NBEO. For six years, Dr. Greenspan has served on the Part 1- Applied Basic Science Examination Committee as well as on the Exam Council. 

Dr. G.Richard Bennett,
PCO professor and glaucoma expert,  on being the first of 28 national sites to recruit patients for the  Phase 3 Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Bennett is the only optometrist to be named Principal Investigator for this study and he served in this role during the first 15 years of the OHTS study. Ms. Lindsay Bennett is the study coordinator at TEI.
  
Dr. Bhawan Minhas, 
(right), instructor, TEI, on the 
publication of her article
"The Mind's Eye: Ocular Complications of Psychotropic Medications," published in the January 15, 2016 issue of 
Review of Optometry
Christin DeMoss '17OD, 
on her election to the position of national AOSA (American Optometric Student Association) secretary. 
In addition to her AOSA duties, 
Ms. DeMoss is also vice president 
of the Class of 2017.  
 Dr. Lori Grover, PCO dean,   
for her contributions to an article on the importance of making doctor-patient shared decisions in Primary Care Optometry News. 

_____________________________

The Salus community extends sincere condolences to the following members:   
 
The family of PCO retiree, Anita Goldstein, who passed away last month. Ms. Goldstein, who retired in 1991, was executive assistant to the late Dr. Mel Wolfburg, past president of PCO.
   
Apologia
Last month, the name of a new faculty member was misspelled. Our apologies to Thomas Goyne, AuD, Osborne College of Audiology. 
_____________________________ 
 NOSA Salus' Got Talent 
On Friday, March 18 at 7 p.m., the Hafter Student Community Center will be jumping, as  NOSA (National Optometric Student Association)  holds its annual "Salus' Got Talent" show. Talented students, faculty and staff perform for a panel of Salus judges and an enthusiastic audience for a night of fun!

Auditions for this year's show:
Friday, February 19, 6 to 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 20, 11am to 2pm 

SHOWTIME
Friday, March 18, 7 p.m.

Email NOSA
([email protected]) with an audition time slot and a brief description of your talent. Video submissions are acceptable if you cannot make the in person auditions.  
Dr. Ciner and VIP-HIP Research Study 
Salus PCO professor, Dr. Elise Ciner
(shown at left in a photo with Dr. Mittelman), is co-investigator of a research study on the effects of farsightedness (amblyopia) on preschoolers' early literacy, released recently by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The results of the Vision in Preschoolers - Hyperopia in Preschoolers (VIP-HIP) study, "Uncorrected farsightedness linked to literacy deficits in preschoolers," was conducted by a team of researchers with Dr. Marjean Taylor Kulp, OD, MS, lead author, co-investigator and distinguished professor at The Ohio State College of Optometry. (read more)
Erin Cote Awarded National Scholarship
Erin Cote '16PA has been named one of 18 national scholarship recipients for 2015 from The Physician Assistant (PA) Foundation. Ms. Cote was awarded a Bristol Myers Squibb Endowed Scholarship in the amount of $5,000. According to the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA), recipients were selected based on their understanding of the PA role, what they expect to accomplish as a PA, and each individual's relevant volunteer/community service activities.(read more)
Alumni Weekend CE Programs
Join us for an evidence-based approach to patient care as Salus University faculty and invited experts tackle complicated clinical cases and integrated approaches to improving patients' health outcomes.  Then break into smaller, discipline-specific (optometry, audiology, physician assistant, speech-language pathology) sessions for two hours of additional continuing education.  
      Profession-specific continuing education credit will be given for all offerings pending approval.  For more information call 215.780.1382,email [email protected].
Carly Grondin Scholarship Recipient 
Carly Grondin '17OD; '17MPH, is the 2015-2016 recipient of the Salus University John Whitener Family Scholarship. Ms. Grondin, who is from Windham, Maine is in the Accelerated Scholars optometry program. In her essay, Ms. Grondin noted that "The rich clinical experience that I have obtained thus far during my time spent at The Eye Institute and other Salus satellite clinics has left me wondering how I might impact the practice of optometry in a broader way...the MPH program has been an optimal opportunity for me to reconcile my desire to serve the individual, while aiming to address the global needs of particularly vulnerable populations by obtaining an adjunctive education in Public Health [to complement my clinical optometric experience]."  (read more)
Kalie McCartin Wins AOA Award 
An essay authored by Kalie McCartin '17OD has won second place in the 2016 InfantSEE� Scholarship contest conducted by the Scholarship and Endowment Fund Advisory Committee of the American Optometric Association (AOA).
        This scholarship program, with a first place award of $5,000 scholarship and second place award of $2,500, is open to all third-year optometry students in North America and is sponsored by Vision West, Inc. and Optometry Cares -The AOA Foundation. To be considered for this national award, students must be a member in good standing of the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA). Additionally, they must also write a 1,000 word essay and submit an under three-minute video. (Ms McCartin's video)   (read more)
SAAO, Newest Salus Student Organization
There is a new student organization on campus: SAAO, the Student Chapter of the American Academy of Optometry. The SAAO mission is to promote awareness of the American Academy of Optometry, educate students on becoming Fellows of the AAO, increase student participation and attendance at the annual national meetings, and to cultivate students' passion for vision research and exceptional clinical practice, according to chapter president Pelashia Moore Rhodes '18OD, who is also the new Salus SMOTBOT (student member of the Board of Trustees). (read more)
TIME FOR A NEW HEADSHOT?

Support the Students of the American Academy of Optometry (SAAO) FUNDRAISER
March 4, EP Campus, 12:30pm to 7:30pm

                          Reserve your appointment 
               Professional photographer
                    $40 for all faculty/staff    
               $20 for all students/residents


Upcoming Events and CE
NOSA Salus' Got Talent Show - March 19

Dr. Joseph Toland
26th Annual Excellence in Education CE -  May 1

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