Salus University Alumni Magazine Spring 2021

ALUMNI MAGAZINE T H E F U T U R E O F H E A LT H S C I E N C E S I N C E 1 9 1 9 .

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IN THIS ISSUE

Inside Cover Dr. Mittelman’s Message 4 The Real Deal: Ribbon Cut on Standardized Patient Simulation Lab 8 Dr. Edward Cordes: A Lifetime of Giving Back 10 Dr. Francine Pearlman-Storch Retires 19 DEI Remains Salus Strong with New Addition to University Community

New Simulation Lab Will Provide Best Training Experience Possible

From President Mittelman IT’S BEEN MORE THAN A YEAR now since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s been an unsettling time between constantly changing news about the pandemic, a groundbreaking vaccine which hasn’t been universally available, racial and social unrest, and the presidential campaign. I think most people will look back on this time in history, with the exception of possibly the Civil War and World Wars I & II, and describe it as some of the most turbulent in our history.

In this issue, you’ll read about our new Standardized Patient Simulation Lab, a state-of-the-art facility in a true clinical setting for our students; about alum Edward Cordes, OD ’77, and his wife Gail, who have graciously and generously given back to the University by becoming Heritage Society members; about Francine Pearlman-Storch, OD ’79, Resident ‘80, who retired from teaching after more than four decades at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO); a Q&A with Dr. Juliana Mosley-Williams, our special assistant to the president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and much more.

Although it has been particularly difficult at times, I am confident we will emerge from this public health emergency stronger, smarter and better prepared for the next time. We are better healthcare providers, with refined critical thinking skills, for having gone through these challenges.

We are SALUS STRONG. Our strength stems from the tenacity, compassion and dedication that our entire community has exhibited through our long and storied history. #salusuniversity #podcasts #healthscience March 24, 2021

Michael H. Mittelman, OD ’80, MPH, MBA, FAAO, FACHE

“Healing is a matter of time,

but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.”

HIPPOCRATES

In this issue INSIDE COVER

From President Mittelman

FEATURE

4 The Real Deal: Ribbon Cut on Standardized Patient Simulation Lab 8 Dr. Edward Cordes: A Lifetime of Giving Back 10 Dr. Francine Pearlman-Storch: Four Decades of Teaching Excellence

DEPARTMENTS

4 ON THE COVER

New Training Space Simulation lab instruction has become an important supplement in academic medical programs throughout the world and is critical to providing Salus students the best training experience possible.

14 University News 19 DEI Remains Salus Strong with New Addition to University Community 20 Alumni News 24 2021 Alumni Association Awardees 26 In Memoriam

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COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOPE DALUISIO

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Stay connected to Salus facebook.com/SalusUniversity

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linkedin.com/company/SalusUniversity

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SalusUniversity

Did you catch the 100 Best Jobs of 2021 report by U.S. News? Swipe to see more information about our four programs that made the list! #salusuniversity #topjobs #healthsciences #physicianassistant #speechlanguagepathology #occupationaltherapy #optometry January 28, 2021

“Being able to be in the healthcare profession means the world to me. Helping our patients hear their loved ones and favorite sounds, while gaining back their quality of life, is indescribable.”

If the ducks are back, that must mean spring is on its way...right?

See what a day in Renee’s life looks like: salus.edu/Renee-Kochinski

#salusuniversity #campuslife #spring

#salusuniversity #ichosesalus #audiology

March 4, 2021

January 20, 2021

Why is equity preferred over equality? When we prioritize equity, everyone has a chance to bloom.

#wherearetheynow

#salusuniversity #onesalus #unitedthroughdiversity #equityvsequality

“It didn’t really matter what age that person was, Salus really taught us how to take that person as a person, assess them and come up with customized plans.”

January 22, 2021

Read more: salus.edu/SaraReuss “We fell in love within two weeks. Not to talk like a fairytale, but it really felt like a soulmate type of moment, and that’s how he felt, too.” #salusuniversity #optometry #valentinesday #soulmates February 14, 2021

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#salusuniversity #awesomealumni #BLVS February 10, 2021

Stay connected to Salus PUBLISHED BY SALUS UNIVERSIT Y

Michael H. Mittelman, OD ’80, MPH, MBA, FAAO, FACHE President Jacqueline Patterson, MPA Vice President, Institutional Advancement and Community Relations MANAGING EDITOR

Alexis R. Abate, MA Director, Communications EDITOR

Salus recently signed articulation agreements that will benefit Pennsylvania college students who want to pursue several in-demand healthcare professions.

Learn more: salus.edu/TwoArticulations #salusuniversity #articulationagreements #academicpartnerships

In case you missed it...

Our TEI residents held a Q&A about the PC/ OD Residency in their Instagram stories.

Follow them on Instagram for an inside look at the PCO/TEI residency! #salusuniversity #optometry #saluspco #residency February 1, 2021

Michael E. Morsch Publications Coordinator & Staff Writer CONTRIBUTORS

Samantha Byles, Amanda Marchegiani, AuD ‘10, Juliet Plucinik ’22OD EDITORIAL ASSISTANCE

Alexis Abate, Robyn Bland, Caren Cremen, Hope Daluisio, Olivia Sweger DESIGN

Roni Lagin & Co.

January 28, 2021

PHOTOGRAPHY

Alexis Abate, Robyn Bland, Ryan Brandenberg Photography, Caren Cremen, Edward Cordes Family, Hope Daluisio, Dan Z. Johnson, Michael E. Morsch, Francine Pearlman-Storch Family Salus University Alumni Magazine is published bi-annually for alumni, staff, faculty, parents and friends. Please send comments, contributions and address changes to: Office of Institutional Advancement Salus University 8360 Old York Road Elkins Park, PA 19027

“Salus has a great peer tutoring service that is free for students to sign up. I meet with a second-year student once or twice a week to review material I have learned that week or do a quick run through of the material that will be on whatever exam I have within the next couple days.”

See what a day in Mikenzie’s life is like: salus.edu/Mikenzie-Mikkelson #salusuniversity #ichosesalus #physicianassistant January 27, 2021

If you’re confused about whether to apply to the Traditional program versus the Accelerated Scholars program in the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, check out our infographic for a helpful side by side comparison. #salusuniversity #optometry #optometryschool February 15, 2021

215.780.1393 alumni@salus.edu www.salus.edu Salus University by choice, declares and reaffirms its policy of complying with federal and state legislation and does not in any way discriminate in education programs, employment or in service to the public on the basis of race, color, creed or religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disabilities, or veteran status. In addition, the University complies with federal regulations issued under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Questions concerning any of the above policies should be addressed to: Maura Keenan, Affirmative Action Officer, Salus University, 8360 Old York Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027 at 215.780.1267.

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Feature

The Real Deal: Ribbon Cut on Standardized Patient Simulation Lab 4

SALUS UNIVERSITY ALUMNI MAGAZINE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOPE DALUSIO

Ribbon Cut on Standardized Patient Simulation Lab

W

hen Samantha Wereszczak ’22PA walked into the new Standardized Patient

Simulation Lab, she said it didn’t seem like she was on the Salus University campus anymore.

And, that’s exactly how she wanted it to feel.

“You want to be practicing patient interactions in an environment that mimics the real thing, so when we’re out on rotations and doing assessments on real patients we will be comfortable,” said Wereszczak, who added the realistic lab scrub station will really help students when they’re learning how to scrub into surgery.

The University’s administration and Physician Assistant (PA) Studies faculty members — following COVID-19 safety protocols — celebrated the opening of the new lab with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 1, 2020.

“What we’re standing in is a state-of-the-art patient simulation lab for our students who will now be able to work in a true clinical setting,” said Salus president Michael Mittelman, OD ’80, MPH, MBA, FAAO, FACHE.

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Ribbon Cut on Standardized Patient Simulation Lab

DEANS, DIRECTORS AND FACULT Y JOIN SALUS PRESIDENT DR. MIT TELMAN IN THE CORRIDOR THAT LEADS TO THE EXAM ROOMS IN THE STATE-OF-THE-ART PATIENT SIMUL ATION L AB THAT WAS RECENTLY OPENED ON THE ELKINS PARK CAMPUS.

As one of those students who will be utilizing the new lab, Wereszczak said the feeling of being in a real patient room, with updated technology and equipment, will provide students with the opportunity to be better prepared when they start their professional careers.

“We don’t have to overcome a learning curve that we may have had without these resources,” she said, stressing how Salus “cares about our education and competency as future providers.”

According to John J. Fitzgerald III, DO, FACOG, the associate director of the University’s PA program, simulation lab instruction has become an important supplement in academic medical programs throughout the world and is critical to providing Salus students the best training experience possible.

Through the use of models, computerized patient scenarios and standardized patient encounters, students can

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sharpen their ability to interview and examine live patients as well as master procedural skills.

“This has even greater significance in times when clinical rotations are at a premium, which has happened during this pandemic and with local competition,” said Dr. Fitzgerald. “Whereas we used to bring our students in once during their training to an academic institution for this experience, we can now afford them a much more robust program.” The on-site Standardized Patient Simulation Lab provides the necessary equipment needed for student learning and faculty observation and instruction.

This project and the improvement of classroom space was possible through a $500,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) in addition to contributions from many individual donors.

The lab includes a 10-bay open area

for students to learn the technique of performing a physical examination and participating in both instruction and practice, as well as formative and summative assessments of their clinical and patient care competencies. It will also allow for standardized patient encounters, emergent and acute patient case scenarios, and the management of chronic medical conditions.

The PA Class of 2021 used the space for its seasonal “boot camp,” to practice clinical and technical procedural skills before starting clinical rotations, according to Donna Agnew, MSPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA, former director of the PA program. Training of standardized patients for patient care assessments has also been planned for 2021 through the purchase of additional training models and simulators to expand the array of technical skills taught.

Ribbon Cut on Standardized Patient Simulation Lab

“Whereas we used to bring our students in once during their training to an academic institution for this experience, we can now afford them a much more robust program.”

JOHN J. FITZGERALD III, DO, FACOG, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF THE UNIVERSIT Y’S PA PROGRAM

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Feature

Dr. Edward Cordes: A Lifetime of Giving Back T

he date — May 5, 1973 — is indelibly etched in the memory of Edward Cordes, OD ’77.

Not only was it the day the famed racehorse Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby on his way to win the Triple Crown in thoroughbred racing, but it was the day Dr. Cordes’ life changed.

He and his wife, Gail, were driving from Philadelphia back to their home in

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Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Cordes had applied to the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) and they were in Philly for his interview.

Dr. Cordes’ academic career was off to an inauspicious start. He admittedly wasn’t mature enough to start college at The Ohio State University right out of high school, so after two years of being an average student, he dropped out and

joined the U.S. Navy.

A tour of Vietnam in 1970, where he served as corpsman and participated in a Med Cap (Medical Civic Assisted Program), took him into harm’s way and into civilian villages to provide healthcare to locals.

After his stint in the Navy, he returned to college more mature and became a straight-A student at Wright State

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF EDWARD CORDES FAMILY

Dr. Edward Cordes: A Lifetime of Giving Back

“Everything we have, and all the things we’ve been able to do, would never have happened without PCO.” EDWARD CORDES, OD ’77

University in Dayton.

That maturity was evident during his interview and he was accepted and he would receive his bachelor of science from PCO at the end of his first year.

He was interviewed the weekend of the Derby and was described by PCO officials as “grown up” and “much more motivated” than he was at age 17. The change in maturity worked out well.

And, now Dr. Cordes and his wife would like to give back. They have decided to become Heritage Society members for PCO/Salus.

Heritage Society members are those who have made provisions for Salus as

part of their estate planning in the form of a gift, annuity, trust agreement or life insurance. Through their foresight and generosity, these donors help preserve the heritage of the University and build a stronger future.

“I just feel that if we can give back in a positive way, that we have an obligation to do that,” said Dr. Cordes. “All of us who go to a professional school and go on to do healthcare, we do it because we want to help people. That’s what it’s all about.”

That’s certainly been the case for Dr. and Mrs. Cordes. They’ve been giving back their entire lives.

After graduating from PCO, Dr. Cordes took over a private practice in Corning, New York, a town of about 13,000 people. Gail would eventually become a licensed optician and work with her husband.

The couple kept the practice until 2002, then sold it to a large multidisciplinary medical group in the area. They both joined the staff of that group until Dr. Cordes retired in 2015, with Gail

following him shortly after.

While at PCO, Dr. Cordes was involved in the Student Optometric Service to Haiti (SOSH). His interest in the organization was prompted by his military service, and Dr. Cordes was chairman of the SOSH group his senior year.

That in turn led to a Lions Club International membership. Dr. Cordes would eventually serve at the local, state, national and international level with the Lions and still serves to this day.

Even in retirement, the couple is still giving back to the greater community. In April 2019, Dr. Cordes was able to return to Vietnam for the first time since 1970 to serve on a mission trip arranged by the Lions of California. He was one of eight doctors, and Gail was one of two opticians, who provided medical care to residents in Cam Ranh Bay, which is now called Nha Trang.

Ultimately, PCO laid part of the foundation to what Dr. Cordes and his wife would be able to accomplish during their lifetimes.

“I had enough medical experience after the Navy to know that PCO had a rather extensive clinical training program, between the campus clinic and satellite clinics, and I knew that the ability to get experience was a broadbased set of conditions.” said Dr. Cordes.

“Everything we have, and all the things we’ve been able to do, would never have happened without PCO.” READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/CORDESHERITAGE

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Feature

Dr. Francine Pearlman-Storch: Four Decades of Teaching Excellence W

hen Francine Pearlman-Storch, OD ’79, Resident ’80, decided to retire from teaching at the Pennsylvania College of

Optometry (PCO) after more than 40 years, she took one final review of her emails to see if there were any she wanted to save and take with her into retirement.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEXIS ABATE

Dr. Francine Pearlman-Storch

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Dr. Francine Pearlman-Storch There she found a note from one of her students who needed to come back for a retest, which the student then successfully passed. Dr. Pearlman-Storch — an intense and demanding taskmaster as an assistant professor — broke one of her rules during the COVID-19 pandemic and hugged the student because she was so proud of the student’s accomplishment.

In the email to Dr. Pearlman-Storch, the student wrote: “I want to thank you so much for being a great preceptor and mentor in the Clinical Skills Lab. I will remember all your words of wisdom and the funny antics you had that helped us remember the correct things to do or say once we got to the clinic and have real patients. I hope you enjoy your retirement. Thanks again for everything.”

The note touched Dr. PearlmanStorch.

“That little note from her was the sweetest end to my teaching experience,” she said.

Dr. Pearlman-Storch’s last official day at PCO was Feb. 24, 2021. As an honor, the University presented her with a plaque, fittingly enough, in lane 18 of

DR. FRANCINE PEARLMAN-STORCH’S CAREER TEACHING IN THE CLINICAL L AB ALLOWED HER TO BE THE PARENT SHE WANTED TO BE WHILE WORKING. HERE SHE IS PICTURED WITH HER FAMILY, SOME OF WHOM WERE ABLE TO SURPRISE HER BY AT TENDING HER RETIREMENT CEREMONY.

the Clinical Skills Lab and invited her husband, Jeffrey, and her adult children, son Eli and daughter Leah Eppinger, to join the festivities.

Melissa Trego, OD ’04, Resident ’09, PhD, dean of PCO, said during the retirement ceremony that the College was blessed to have had Dr. Pearlman-Storch as part of the program for more than 40 years.

“One of the things that I could always count on with Francine was her ability to be blunt and to hold the students, faculty and myself accountable,” said Dr. Trego.

“You have made an impact on so many students. We will miss you terribly and thank you for everything.”

Salus President Dr. Mittelman, added that Dr. Pearlman-Storch’s students have stories about her that they will remember, and they will be better for it.

“On behalf of the University, I want to

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thank you for your service. On behalf of myself personally, I want to thank you for what you’ve done for all of us,” said Dr. Mittelman.

The importance of the ceremony certainly wasn’t lost on Dr. Pearlman-Storch.

“It was a very emotional moment. To have my family there, and then with my sweet student’s email, I felt like I went out really nicely,” she said.

Dr. Pearlman-Storch arrived at PCO as a student in 1975 and never left. After graduation in 1979, she stayed on and did what was then called a “fellowship” — it’s called a “residency” now — and immediately began her teaching career in Module 1 at The Eye Institute (TEI), which included Joel Silbert, OD ’73, FAAO; Robert Walker, OD ’70; Christopher Rinehart, OD ’77, FAAO; and Bernard Blaustein, OD ’67, FAAO.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE PEARLMAN-STORCH FAMILY

Dr. Francine Pearlman-Storch Her temperament and her desire to eventually have a family — “I wanted to be able to leave when the time period was over” — steered her toward teaching in the pre-clinical lab as opposed to teaching in the program’s clinical facility.

“In the clinic you have to wait until the students are done, and sometimes that took forever,” said Dr. Pearlman-Storch.

“It’s my personality. I love exactness.

Students weren’t always happy with that because I demanded that they be excellent.”

She was always a part-time assistant professor at PCO, and that’s the way she wanted it. That allowed her to indeed have a family as well as work part-time in Philadelphia’s first HMO, Health Service Plan of PA (HSP). In addition, she also had her own part-time solo private

practice. Dr. Pearlman-Storch also had a front row seat into the building of TEI and PCO’s evolvement into Salus University. “I was a student when TEI was built and we were the first people to use the facility,” she said.

“Except that we didn’t call it TEI back then. We called it the ’Tute,’ as in the Philadelphia pronunciation of ’institute.’”

Dr. Pearlman-Storch believes in some small way, she touched the lives of almost every PCO student during her career. But when the College started adding programs and eventually became Salus, the transition was difficult to negotiate for some.

Throughout her career, though, the love for her patients never waned.

“I really enjoyed the interactions with them. I have been honored to take care of three generations of the same family.

That was a wonderful feeling that there was enough trust in me that they would allow that to happen,” she said.

She also relished the joyful moments and interfacing she experienced with both her students and colleagues.

Dr. Pearlman-Storch doesn’t have any “massive” plans in retirement. Her first goal was to schedule her COVID-19 vaccine and then once the pandemic is over, she and her husband plan to resume something they have loved for years — traveling.

The two have traveled the world and the United States, where they like

“I love exactness. Students weren’t always happy with that because I demanded that they be excellent.”

DR. FRANCINE PEARLMAN-STORCH

to visit state capitals. In pre-pandemic times, they had been to the capitals of 35 states, as well as interesting and unique points of interest along the way. For example, they’ve visited the Idaho Potato Museum when traveling out West; the Paul A. Johnson Pencil Sharpener Museum in Ohio; and the President Jimmy Carter peanut sculpture in Georgia. Other than that, she plans to sit back, take a deep breath and work in the garden with her husband.

But, she will always cherish her time at PCO/Salus.

“The pre-clinical faculty have an interesting role. We are intense with the students and demanding of them,” she said while stressing the importance of the didactic faculty’s role in teaching the students the skills they need prior to entering patient care.

“But that’s our job, to teach them, and then they go off to the clinic and really do forget about us. Off they fly, and that’s a wonderful experience,” she said.

Reflecting upon her time at PCO/ Salus was bittersweet.

“It’s been a good life for me. It’s allowed me to be the parent I wanted to be while working,” she said.

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University News Welcome NEW FACULT Y & STAFF Angela Taylor, Assistant Director of Admissions Patti McCaffrey, Educational Program Coordinator

Election Results, National Impact and Marginalized Populations” Dr. Carroll presented at a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee Lunch & Learn virtual event.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/ELECTIONEFFECT

Stephanie Holt, OD ’04, Resident ’05, Assistant Professor

Asynchronous CE Library A silver lining in the pandemic is the official launch of the University’s asynchronous continuing education (CE) library. Melissa Vitek, OD ’95, FAAO, director of International and Continuing Education and PCO assistant professor has been strategically working with instructors and collecting lectures which are now available at salus.edu/OnlineCElibrary.

Election’s Effect on Marginalized Populations When we discuss marginalized populations, we tend to put those people into categories. However, Jeffrey Carroll, PhD, believes we should take a holistic approach to exactly what the inclusion of marginalized communities looks like in general, and from there, we can then drill down on the specific implications on public health. That was just one aspect of a broader discussion on “2020

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Peer Mentorship Program Benefits All

Philadelphia Pastel Society’s Art Display Usually, the art shows on display at the D’Arrigo Family Gallery outside the Bennett Lounge in the Hafter Student Community Center are available to view not only for Salus students, faculty and staff, but also for the general public.

But as was the case for most of 2020, things were a little different with the latest display to grace the gallery, this one by the recently formed Philadelphia Pastel Society (PPS). Because of the COVID-19 safety protocols put in place, the public didn’t have a chance to personally view the wonderful work by PPS artists, on display in December 2020. Instead, you can watch a virtual exhibition online at salus.edu/PPSdisplay.

When Maricela Cantuna ’23OD and Sana Fasihudden ’23OD arrived at Salus, they were looking for a little guidance, which they found in the form of the University’s Peer Mentoring program. The program’s purpose is for second-year students to help first-year students become acclimated to the Optometry, Audiology and Occupational Therapy (OT) programs (the Physician Assistant (PA) Studies and Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) programs have their own separate peer programs).

Length of Service Award Winners Recognized

Cantuna and Fasihudden had such a good experience being “mentees” during their first year that the following year, they both decided to give something back to the program and become “mentors.”

But that didn’t mean the Salus family wasn’t able to adjust. An important part of the holiday event organized by the Human Resources department — the Length of Service Awards — was still celebrated but with a virtual twist.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/PEERMENTORING

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/LENGTHOFSERVICE

In a move right out of the Grinch’s playbook, the pandemic — to the surprise of nobody — canceled the annual Salus Holiday Party.

University News grams were recently included in a U.S. News and World Report survey. Of the “100 Best Jobs of 2021,” four of the University’s professions ranked among the top: Physician Assistant (PA) at No. 1, Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) at No. 7, Occupational Therapist (OT) at No. 19 and Optometrist at No. 48.

University Makes Holiday Brighter for Students

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/TOPJOBS

Thanksgiving 2020 presented a unique set of circumstances that ended up providing an opportunity for the University to make a potentially dreary holiday a little more special for students.

The spike in COVID-19 cases across the country prior to the holiday season complicated travel plans for many students. With the potential to disrupt the holiday like never before, some students decided to spend Thanksgiving alone in their apartments without their families. University officials tried to ease the burden with a “Turkey Gobbler” event, to provide the students away from home with a Thanksgiving meal.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/TURKEYGOBBLER

New Articulation Agreements Inked with PA Schools Salus recently signed articulation agreements benefitting Pennsylvania college students who want to pursue several in-demand healthcare professions including optometry, occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, audiology and blindness and low vision studies. The partnerships give qualified undergraduate students special consideration for admission to Salus,

including reserved seats, under the new agreements with Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania, and Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/TWOARTICUL ATIONS

Regina Scriven Named New VP of Technology Regina Scriven, who grew up in Philadelphia, is the University’s new vice president of Technology and Learning Resource Services, coming to Salus after serving more than eight years as director of Information Technology at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/REGINASCRIVEN

Four Salus Professions Among U.S. Top Jobs Salus alums have more to celebrate given the University’s top-level pro-

TO READ MORE UNIVERSIT Y NEWS, VISIT SALUS.EDU/NEWS

Salus Joins SEPCHE Salus has joined the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education (SEPCHE), marking the first time in more than two decades that the consortium has expanded its membership. The consortium was established in 1993 and represents more than 20,000 students in small colleges located across all five counties of metropolitan Philadelphia. SEPCHE’s mission is to improve the quality and efficiency of academic programming, student access, faculty development, institutional operations and community outreach through a range of shared activities, services, technology and information.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/SEPCHE

Virtual Events Abound Understanding how patients feel rather than just telling them what to do may lead to better compliance of care. That was one of the takeaways from a virtual meeting Feb. 18 on “Hesitancy Toward Vaccines from Black People” hosted by the Black Student Union (BSU) group.

The BSU event was just one of three virtual discussions offered in February 2020 to Salus students and faculty.

The other virtual events included: Ryan Hollister, MS, associate director of the Bennett Career Services Center (BCSC),

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University News and Molly Marcus, PsyD, a counselor from the University’s Center for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD), conducted a lunchtime webinar Feb. 17 called “Building Resilience,” which discussed resilience, mindfulness and strategies for remaining positive and persevering through difficult times.

And, Juliana Mosley-Williams, PhD, special assistant to the president for DEI presented “Unconscious Bias & Microaggression in the Healthcare Environment,” which took a deeper dive into those aspects that same day.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/VIRTUALEVENTS

Program Updates

(DICE) is offering a series of stackable certificates that culminate in a Master of Science in Clinical Optometry (MSCO) degree.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/STACKABLECERTIFICATES

GL AUCOMA CASE SERIES The New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Optometry donated $10,000 to PCO. Dr. Candice Tolud, OD ’11, FAAO, current President of New Jersey Academy of Ophthalmology, presented the check to PCO during the Fall 2020 virtual continuing education seminar.

HEATHER MCKAY NAMED TOL AND SCHOL ARSHIP WINNER

PCO World Pennsylvania College of Optometry

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Ruth Shoge, OD ’06, Resident ’07, PCO assistant professor of Optometry at Salus, has been nominated by the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) to represent the group on the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Task Force on Disparities in Eyecare.

The group consists of 12 doctors and Dr. Shoge is the only optometrist on the task force. The goals of the task force include providing understanding of the current state of knowledge about visual health and eyecare disparities in the U.S., including gaps in data and knowledge; identifying frameworks by which providers can contribute to addressing gaps and reducing identified disparities; and performing pilot work in those areas.

THE AURICLE Osborne College of Audiology

STACKABLE MSCO CERTIFICATE SERIES

Recent strategic planning at Salus included scenario planning. One of the common themes that emerged from this process was the idea of stackable certificates to meet the increasingly diverse needs of a student pursuing a healthcare and/or educational credential. As a result, the University’s Department of International and Continuing Education

DR. SHOGE NAMED TO AAO TASK FORCE

Heather McKay ’22OD was named the 2020 winner of the Joseph C. Toland Memorial Scholarship. The Toland Scholarship is awarded to a second-year optometry student(s) who has demonstrated exceptional clinical promise during their early patient care assignments, while demonstrating kindness and compassion in the delivery of care, those personal qualities that epitomized the compassionate care and kindness that was representative of Dr. Toland, a beloved teacher, clinical provider and a 1954 graduate of PCO. READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/HEATHERMCKAY

SAA FOOD DRIVE Thanks to the generosity of the Salus community, the Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) was able to collect an abundance of non-perishable donations during their week-long food drive. SAA then delivered them to a non-profit organization in Germantown just in time for Thanksgiving.

VIRTUAL AUDIOLOGY LEARNING EXPERIENCE Going into her last semester at Temple University, Lexi Moyer was on the fence

University News about the direction in which she wants her career to go: Does she want to be an audiologist or a speech-language pathologist?

She planned to take some time off after graduating with a degree in SpeechLanguage Hearing Science in the spring of 2021 to explore the possibilities.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t still gathering as much information as she can along the way about both professions in order to find her best fit.

To that end, Moyer was one of 15 attendees accepted to the University’s Audiology Learning Experience (ALE), held in December 2020, the purpose of which is to expand awareness with undergraduate students about the audiology profession and OCA’s Doctor of Audiology (AuD) program.

The study on which the paper is based — completed before the pandemic hit in March 2020 — was a 10-week mixed methods pilot exploring whether OT programming could assist breastfeeding mothers to reach their personal occupation-based wellness goals while continuing to breastfeed their babies.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/SPONSELLERPAPER

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/NEWRESEARCH

RITE OF PASSAGE FOR RESILIENT PA GRADS SLP RECEIVES PROGRAM GRANT The University’s SLP Program was awarded a one-time grant from the LENA Foundation to Launch LENA Start, a parent program that uses regular feedback from LENA’s “talk pedometer” technology to help increase interactive talk in order to close the early talk gap, improve school readiness, and build stronger families.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/ALE2020

THE PULSE College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation DR. SPONSELLER PUBLISHED IN TOP OT RESEARCH JOURNAL A paper titled “Exploring the Role of Occupational Therapy with Mothers Who Breastfeed” by Lauren Sponseller, PhD ’18, OTD, MSOR/L, MEd, chair of the OT Department and associate professor in the College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation (CHER), has been accepted for publication in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, a top OT research journal.

recently completed a large study that has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The study identified two clusters of surface-exposed amino acid residues that enable high-affinity binding of retinal degeneration-3 (RD3) protein to retinal guanylyl cyclase. Retinal degeneration causes various forms of congenital blindness.

Resiliency was a common theme throughout the ceremony, held virtually Nov. 12, 2020, with 48 graduates of the PA Class of 2020 receiving their long white coats. Donna Agnew, MSPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA, former director of the University’s PA program, said the Class of 2020 is the first cohort in the history of the University that has earned the right to say, “Yes, I have successfully met all the challenges of PA school and I did it right in the middle of a pandemic.”

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/PALONGWHITECOAT

RESEARCH CONTINUES TO YIELD RESULTS DURING QUARANTINE Research never stopped at Salus during the quarantine. In fact, researchers

TO READ MORE UNIVERSIT Y NEWS, VISIT SALUS.EDU/NEWS

This grant will enable the faculty and students of the SLP Department to work with 100 families over the next two years to help parents and caregivers learn about the importance of interactive talk along with ways to incorporate more conversation into their daily routines.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/LENAGRANT

OT, SLP FACULT Y COMBINE THEIR EFFORTS FOR PUBLICATION Engaging in pulling a zipper is a functional skill needed by young children.

A research paper titled “Efficacy of an Intervention to Teach Zippering,” by a group of interdisciplinary Salus faculty that included, Fern Silverman, EdD, OTR/L, Carrie Knight, PhD, CCC-SLP and Anna Grasso, MS, OTR/L, CAPS, has been published that adds evidence to support the use of a modified zippering vest with added visual and language

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University News

Fond Farewells DONNA AGNEW

Daniel Pavlik, DMA, PA-C, associate professor/director of Didactic Edcuation for PA studies, will serve as interim program director as of April 9.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/AGNEWFAREWELL

NAOMI CRESPO Naomi Crespo, administrative assistant in the Department of International and Continuing Education (ICE) resigned from her position effective April 1, 2021.

clues to teach zippering skills to preschool children.

The objective of the study, published in the March/April 2021 issue of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, was to compare the efficacy of a standard zippering teaching vest presented with general visual prompts to a modified zippering teaching vest presented with a related story and vocabulary among typically developing preschoolers.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/ZIPPERINGSKILLS

AAPA CHALLENGE BOWL Each year the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) hosts a medical game show at its annual conference.

Students in PA programs from across the country compete against each other to answer questions ranging from basic sciences to treatment decisions across all medical specialty areas. This year the event was held virtually, with initial regional competitions occurring in April.

The winners from each regional competition will advance to compete in the final event, which will be live-streamed during the conference on May 24, 2021.

The Salus team members are all Class of 2021 and include Samantha Ganey, Leigh Balatgek, Ian Cook, Paige Madden, and Megan Rozmajzl.

She was originally hired as a patient service representative for The Eye Institute (TEI) in 2008, working in primary and speciality services.

Donna Agnew, now former PA program director has accepted a position as assistant director with the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA).

Professor Agnew has been the PA program director since joining Salus in 2015, including while serving as interim dean of the College of Health Sciences from 2018 to 2020. Over the past six years under her leadership, the PA program has flourished, successfully maintaining continued accreditation status, posting 100 percent pass rates on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE), and sustaining an overall student attrition rate of 3 percent.

Her many accomplishments include the initiation of a regional consortium of PA program directors, strengthening the Salus PA alumni network, and helping launch the new multi-purpose simulation center. Professor Agnew has mentored faculty and students alike, promoting and growing the program’s reputation as one nationally recognized in PA education.

A national search for a new program director has begun. In the meantime,

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In 2012, she was named to a newly created position, coordinator of clinical compliance. Crespo obtained her certification as a professional coder through the American Academy of Professional Coders in 2013.

She switched to another new position, educational program coordinator for the Scholars program in 2015, then had that job description changed to take on more responsibility for PCO when Joan Bell retired in 2016.

Crespo became the administrative assistant for ICE in early 2020 before her departure.

University News

DEI Remains Salus Strong with New Addition to University Community Q&A with Dr. Juliana Mosley-Williams

Last fall, Salus University established a new staff position: special assistant to the president for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) appointed to Dr. Juliana Mosley-Williams.

With more than 20 years of experience in higher education and a focus on strategic DEI initiatives, Dr. MosleyWilliams strengthens the University’s longstanding commitment to health and well-being for all by fostering an equitable space for academic excellence, professional development, and holistic growth. In this multifaceted position, Dr. Mosley-Williams will be interacting with all members of the University — students, faculty, staff, and alumni — to ensure our community reflects all the voices that make Salus unique. Get to know more about Dr. Mosley-Williams — or “Dr. J” as she’s known to the students — in the following Q&A. Q. What does it mean to be the first person to take on this role for Salus University?

A. To quote my Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sister and our Vice President, Kamala Harris, “I may be the first, but I will not be the last.” As the inaugural special assistant to the president for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, I carry the tremendous honor and privilege in supporting the University’s ongoing

work in DEI but included in that work is recognizing the foundation set before I arrived and building the infrastructure for it to continue.

In addition to programming and communications, my work will include reviewing current policies and procedures and incorporating DEI throughout the mission and vision of the University in the development of a DEI Strategic Plan.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution and it will take some time to evaluate and implement new strategies, but I am confident that now is the time to act and that Salus, with its focus on improving the public’s health and welfare, can serve as a model institution.

Q. Since your start at Salus University, can you share what you have been working on so far?

A. This position provides me with the unique opportunity to meet and work with the entire University community.

Of course, I haven’t met everyone just yet, but it is critical in my role to be intentionally relational and to develop meaningful and trusting relationships within the University.

One group that will aid in building those relationships is the DEI Committee. I’ve been working to revamp the Committee so that the group can serve in an advisory capacity and can accurately reflect the University’s population of students, faculty, and staff. This year, we welcomed applications for new members to the Committee and will be announcing the new Committee in May.

TO READ MORE UNIVERSIT Y NEWS, VISIT SALUS.EDU/NEWS

Q. What stands out about Salus University?

A. The students, faculty, and staff at Salus are all well-aware of the impact they can have on thousands of individuals through their work in healthcare.

They are proud to carry that responsibility and are eager to make a difference in the world.

That perspective inspires and energizes me in my own work here. My goal in this role is to provide strategic direction, programming, trainings, and experiences to the University community that can become lasting moments in their professional and individual development.

Whether they’re interacting with a prospective student or a new patient, every member of the University community should leave Salus knowing how to treat others with respect and dignity because they have experienced it themselves.

Q. How can our University community follow along with your work?

A. I welcome and encourage conversation on how to amplify all voices at Salus and strengthen our University community. Email diversity@salus.edu to share any ideas, feedback, or to report any incidents that deviate away from our DEI goals. You can also visit salus.edu/DEI-events to find information on upcoming and past events. I look forward to sharing updates through this magazine and connecting with all Salus constituency.

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Alumni News ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear Alumni and Friends, This past year has challenged us in many ways, but our Salus community has remained resilient, compassionate and committed to our mission. Although we have been physically apart, our alumni have found innovative ways to develop and maintain connections both personally and professionally. I am continuously inspired by you and proud of all we have achieved together.

Over the past year, our alumni have collaborated to strengthen existing programs and establish new initiatives that support our students and our broader community. Some highlights include: • Virtual Learning Grants help offset registration costs and allow students to continue presenting at and attending virtual conferences and workshops.

• Mentorship programs like the newly created Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) Mentor Program, as well as alumni panels showcasing both corporate and private practice optometry, virtually bring together students and alumni from across the country.

• Alumni Association Awards recognize professional achievements and contributions of graduates and friends of the University.

• Salus Cares Raffle in Memory of Dr. Harry Kaplan which supports the University’s educational and clinical programs.

These accomplishments are a testament to the generosity of our alumni. Thank you! It has been an honor to work alongside so many talented and dedicated leaders. In July, PresidentElect Merle Silverbook MEd, TVI ’08, O&M Specialist ’10 will take the helm and welcome four new members. Thank you to our outgoing directors for their time, talent and resources.

Your contributions helped advance our association’s mission of enhancing the involvement of our alumni and future alumni.

With gratitude,

Amanda M. Marchegiani, AuD ’10

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Class Notes

Class Notes

2010s

2020s

Weber City Eye Care in Weber City, Virginia, welcomes Sydnee Snapp, OD ’20. Having grown up in the area, Dr. Snapp understands what it means to take care of the community that has supported her over the years. By giving back to those who helped raise her, Dr. Snapp has found her home at Weber City Eye Care.

Ryan Martzall, MMS ’20, knew Jan. 6, 2020, was going to be a special day.

He was, after all, being commissioned into the United States Navy and it would be Salus University president Michael Mittelman, OD ’80, MPH, MBA, FAAO, FACHE — himself a retired Rear Admiral (Upper Half) in the Navy serving more than 30 years — who would administer the oath.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/MARTZALLCOMMISSIONED

private practice, specialty contact lenses, and low vision at Wills Eye Hospital, and surgical co-management of ocular diseases at Einstein Hospital. After graduation, he returned to Central New York and worked for several years in private practice in Utica.

Carly Schlessinger, MS ’19, and Alec Stern recently announced their engagement. Schlessinger is also a graduate of The Ohio State University and is working as a speech-language pathologist at the Monarch Center for Autism. The couple is planning a spring 2022 wedding.

Margaret Garcia, AuD ’18, joined Salus Hearing Centre in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, in February 2021. The most rewarding part for Margaret as an audiologist is hearing how she has helped her patients improve their quality of life and how they reconnected with their family and community through hearing.

Mark A. Nelson, OD ’18, has joined Allen Eye Associates in Oneida, New York. He attended Utica College, and earned a degree in biology with minors in both chemistry and gerontology. His training included clinical rotations in general

During her second year at PCO/Salus, Arieneh Tahmasian, OD ’17, became involved with the intramural volleyball team. It wasn’t long, though, before she sensed that her teammates weren’t exactly enthralled with her volleyball skills — or lack thereof. All except one.

James Komornik, OD ’17, was on that team, too, and he thought she was trying her best and having fun. What happened next was a Salus love story and the couple is now expecting their first child in July.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/LOVESTORY

Camille Cohen, OD ’14, has joined the Women In Optometry’s advisory board. Dr. Cohen, of Brooklyn, New York, manages a Pearle location that she took on right at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was the 2018 National Optometric Association Service Award recipient and was honored in the 2020 Most Influential Women in Optical Special Report by Vision Monday.

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Class Notes Molly Fenwick, AuD ’10, has joined Medical Center Hospital ProCare in Odessa, Texas. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communicative disorders from the University of Mississippi, a master’s degree in audiology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville before earning a doctorate in audiology from Salus.

1990s Lisa Adams-Mahepath, OD ’94, and husband Joel Mahepath opened a new luxury location of Sterling Optical in Christiansted, St. Croix, Virgin Islands, in December of 2020. The St. Croix native is the first local doctor of optometry and optical coherence tomography ophthalmologist. Additionally, Dr. AdamsMahebath is the first female — and first local — to serve on the Board of Optometric Examiners in the Virgin Islands.

Her husband and business partner spent 14 years in the pharmaceutical industry before transitioning to eye care.

2000s Oticon President Gary Rosenblum announced the appointment of David Horowitz, AuD ’08, as vice president of sales. Dr. Horowitz will be responsible for developing sales strategies, driving improvements, and implementing best practices to deliver quality support and services to Oticon’s professional partners. Dr. Horowitz has worked as a clinical audiologist in both private practice and hospital settings. He joined Oticon in 2012 as an account manager in the Mid-Atlantic region. In 2017, he was promoted to director of government services, where he led key cross-functional initiatives in the areas of new product development and telehealth that helped establish Oticon as a “trusted partner with VA leadership.”

Nancy Duncan, AuD ’05, of Duncan Hearing Healthcare in Fall River, Massachusetts, is launching a ground-breaking new appointments service, Virtual Hearing Care, helping the hard of hearing during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. As the state evolves in its methods for dealing with the pandemic, Virtual Hearing Care is an essential part of how Dr. Duncan and her team are adapting to the “new normal” conditions.

The complementary service was one of a range of measures Dr. Duncan put in place after she was forced to close the doors of her offices.

Sakesha Yolonda Caston, OD ’00, published a children’s book, Mommy Loves My Little Toes in 2020. Dr. Caston works

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with the National Board of Examiners in Optometry in examination development and administration, practices in various locations in South Carolina, and is an optometrist for National Vision. While her career is important, Dr. Caston says her role as a mom always comes first.

She became a mom to son Jesiah in 2006. He is the inspiration behind her children’s book, Mommy Loves My Little Toes. Dr. Caston says she is thankful to her own mother who helped her navigate those early days of learning to be a new mother. It was her advice at one of Jesiah’s first bath times — “Make sure you wash in between his toes’” — that led to the title of this special book.

READ MORE AT SALUS.EDU/CASTONAUTHOR

Trinae Rosato, OD ’00, was sworn in as the New Jersey Society of Optometrists (NJSOP) president at the NJSOP’s general membership meeting in January 2021.

She attended the University of Delaware for undergraduate and the PCO for her doctorate. Dr. Rosato did an internship in pediatrics at The Eye Institute (TEI). She also is a member of the American Optometric Society and enjoys volunteering at the New Jersey Special Olympics by doing exams on athletes.

1980s Elisa Haransky-Beck, OD ’87, presented a paper at the International Kraskin Skeffington Symposium in January 2020 in Washington, D.C. As of February 2019, she has a master’s degree in Spirituality and Live Food Nutrition. As a Somatic Movement Therapist and Yoga teacher, she’s spent a good part of 2020 integrating her multidimensional skills and moving online. For those interested in what a former brick and mortar behavioral optometrist specializing in natural vision improvement and working with those on the ADD to Autism Spectrum and with treating TBI is now doing as an integrative worldwide consultant, visit EnliveningConsciousness.com.

Philadelphia-based optometrist Georgia K. Crozier, OD ’84, MS ’87, has joined Ancillare as a Medical Director to serve on its growing Clinical Development Team. Dr. Crozier serves as a Subject Matter Expert for clinical trial planning and execution. Working directly with Ancillare’s internal teams and with Sponsors, Dr. Crozier will consult on matters of compliance for robust Clinical Trial Ancillary Supply Chain (CTASC) design. An optometrist who has worked

Class Notes

at a number of clinical sites, Dr. Crozier brings more than 35 years of experience in her field — as a clinical investigator, medical consultant, and lecturer.

1960s Errol G. Rummel, OD ’65, developed a specialty optical system (Side Vision Awareness Glasses) for individuals with stroke-related hemianopsia, or for those with restricted visual fields due to retinitis pigmentosa. He has currently trained about 25 optometrists around the U.S. and one in Canada to prescribe the lens system, and recently designed another proprietary lens system for people with hemianopsia-related reading difficulties, or for those with hemianopsia requiring a prismatic system that is easier to use. Those interested in the hemianopsia optical system can visit SideVisionAwarenessGlasses. com. Dr. Rummel has a granddaughter who is eight months old named Eve, who he is excited to meet when travel is safe again.

Pratik Shah ’22OD stars in a segment for The College Tour during the film crew’s visit to campus in March 2021. The College Tour is a television series by Emmy-nominated and multi-award-winning producers that tells the story of a university through the lens of the students. The film crew spent a week on campus filming several students and some faculty members, which will result in a 30-minute show on Salus.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOPE DALUISIO

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2021 Alumni Association Awardees The Salus University Alumni Association annually recognizes the professional contributions and achievements of graduates and friends of the institution.

Awardees are nominated by alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends of Salus.

Jule Ann Lieberman, MS ’13

Scott Geller, MS, MMS ’16, PA-C

Lisa R. Stottlemyer, OD ’98, FAAO

BLINDNESS AND LOW VISION STUDIES ALUMNA OF THE YEAR

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDIES ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD

This award is presented to an alumnus of the Salus University Blindness and Low Vision Studies program who has distinguished himself/herself through extraordinary service and contributions to the field of Blindness and Low Vision Education and Rehabilitation, bringing honor and prestige to Salus University.

This award is presented to an alumnus of the Salus University Physician Assistant Studies program who has distinguished himself/herself through extraordinary service and contributions to the physician assistant profession, bringing honor and prestige to Salus University.

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This award is presented to a person or organization, preferably of national standing, who (which) had made a recent significant contribution to Salus University or to their profession.

2021 Alumni Association Awardees

For full awardee biographies, visit salus.edu/alumni-awards

Jonette Owen, MS, AuD ’03

Mitchell J. Fink, OD ’69, FAAO

Elizabeth Tonkery, OD, MPH ’13

AUDIOLOGY ALUMNA OF THE YEAR

ALBERT FITCH MEMORIAL ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR AWARD

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

This award is presented to an alumnus of the Salus University Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) or the PCO School of Audiology who has distinguished himself/herself through extraordinary service and contributions to the profession of Audiology, bringing honor and prestige to Salus University and OCA.

This award is presented to an alumnus of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University who has distinguished himself/herself through extraordinary service and contributions to the profession of optometry, bringing honor and prestige to the College.

This award is presented as special recognition of an individual’s or organization’s contribution to Salus University, their profession or their community.

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In Memoriam WITH SORROW, THE UNIVERSIT Y NOTES THE PASSING OF

1940s Arthur J. Feiertag, OD ’47, passed away on December 25, 2018, at the age of 96.

He was born in Newark, New Jersey, and resided in Bloomfield, New Jersey, until his death. Dr. Feiertag was a decorated World War II army medic and POW. He was an avid tennis player and world traveler. He is survived by his wife, Charlotte; his daughter, Ellen; and a grandson.

Edward J. Walsh, OD ’48, passed away on August 6, 2019, at the age of 94. He was born on November 4, 1923, to James E. and Mary (Fanning) Walsh in Whitinsville, Massachusetts. In his youth, Dr. Walsh enjoyed exploring Purgatory Chasm State Reservation with his cousin Bill. After graduating from Northbridge High, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 and served with Company G, 30th Infantry. He served in WWII in Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France, and the Rhineland.

He earned a Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, and a European African Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Ribbon with four Service Stars. After leaving the army, Edward went on to graduate from PCO in Philadelphia, where he met and married Edna Everling. They moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1952, where he started his

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optometry practice. Together, the two raised five daughters and enjoyed more than 40 years of marriage. Edward was a wonderful father and spent summers driving his family to the Rhode Island beaches, taking vacations in Cape Cod, truly enjoying spending time with his family, and telling stories. He was a communicant of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church where he actively participated in parish life, a member of Knights of Columbus #160 in Indian Orchard, and the John Boyle O’Reilly Club.

Dr. Walsh was predeceased by son James E. Walsh, his wife Edna, and his daughter Margaret Billings. He is survived by his companion Jean Carbonneau, with whom he has shared his life for more than 15 years; his daughters Kathryn Madore of Tucson, Arizona; Harriet and Wesley Kulig of Holyoke, Massachusetts; Jane and George Borjas of Cambridge, Massachusetts; Susan and Paul Silvestri of Enfield, Connecticut; sons-in-law Kenny Billings of Westwood, Massachusetts, and Dalton Madore of Sudbury, Massachusetts; and 11 grandchildren.

1950s Edward J. Diamond, Jr., OD ’50, age 96, passed away on March 4, 2021. Dr. Diamond grew up in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood

SALUS UNIVERSITY ALUMNI MAGAZINE

of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where it was always understood that he would take over the Diamond Optical business from his antecedents, who previously had a storefront on Sixth Street that burned down. Dr. Diamond’s education at Yale University was interrupted by World War II. He joined the Army Air Corps, where he served as an in-flight radio operator on missions in India and elsewhere. Dr. Diamond was awarded two Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster. After the war, Dr. Diamond attended the PCO and he met Edith Ash, a Philadelphia native and student at Smith College. They married in December 1947. For 18 years, Dr. Diamond served as the team optometrist for the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team, making the trip to Florida every year to spring training for physicals and occasionally traveling with the team to assist players with vision problems.

A lifelong sports buff, Dr. Diamond also worked as the team optometrist for the men’s basketball team at Carnegie Mellon University. And, as the contracted optometrist for the United Steelworkers, he often was called upon to examine the eyes of union members who moonlighted as professional wrestlers. When he finally decided to retire in 2009, Dr. Diamond had plenty to fill his golden years, including

golfing and his most beloved pastime, bridge. Along with his sons, Edward Diamond III and Kenneth Diamond, Dr. Diamond is survived by four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a sister, Patricia Seligson, of Erie, Pennsylvania.

Elwood H. Kolb, OD ’50, passed away on December 8, 2020, after a three-year battle with dementia. Dr, Kolb was born on October 4, 1926, in Philadelphia. In 1933, he and his family moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania. Dr. Kolb enlisted in the Army Reserves at age 17 and was called to active duty shortly after his 18th birthday. He served in the 253rd Infantry Regiment, 63rd Infantry Division in Germany. After returning to the United States, he was discharged in August 1946.

In addition to his campaign medals, Dr. Kolb was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge and the Bronze Star Medal.

Seven months after returning home, he enrolled in Pennsylvania State College of Optometry (PSCO), later renamed PCO, in Philadelphia and graduated with a Doctorate in Optometry in 1950.

He then entered into practice with his father in Allentown and also started to teach at the College. He retired from teaching in 1988, having served as Chief of the Contact Lens Service at The Eye Institute (TEI) and associate professor of Contact Lenses at PCO/Salus. He continued

In Memoriam to practice until September 1996. Dr. Kolb was a member of numerous optometric organizations including the International Contact Lens Association, the Pennsylvania Optometric Association, and the American Academy of Optometry, serving some as president. He also served as the president of the Lehigh Valley County chapter of the Lehigh Valley Association for Rehabilitation Centers Inc. He was co-founder and also served as president for the Allentown Sertoma Club and was a member of Temple Beth El, Allentown, where he volunteered for many years. Since his retirement he had been a volunteer for the Lehigh County Historical Society and the Emmaus Library. He married Vivian Frumer in 1947 and had a daughter Beverly and a son David. He then married Marilyn Rosenfield in 1988.

His son David Kolb; stepdaughter Janis Wilkins; four grandchildren; Vanessa Kolb; Sharon Reinhart; Ian Reinhart; Stephanie Rozen and three great-grandchildren survive him.

Howard Frankel, OD ’52, passed away on November 5, 2019, after a brief illness. He was born in Philadelphia, and grew up in the Strawberry Mansion section of the city.

He went to Central High School and then graduated from Swarthmore College.

He was an accomplished tennis player advancing to Davis Cup competition, and continued playing into retirement. He was called to serve his country in the U.S.

Navy during WWII and acted as a Jewish Chaplain in the Marshall Islands and Pacific Theatre. After returning home with the GI Bill, he graduated from PCO and practiced optometry until his retirement 25 years ago. He served as the founding father and acting rabbi of his community’s synagogue, Temple Sinai. He cherished his violin and studied at the Settlement Music School. He founded the Le Nouveau Chamber Ensemble, and gave recitals frequently throughout the tristate area for many years. He was intimately involved with reviving the classics locally and the Atlantic City Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Frankel was an avid boater for many years, and enjoyed being out on the water cruising and fishing with friends and family. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Leonore; his son, Victor (Deanna); daughters Lorie Vernon (Paul) and Rhonda Schaffer; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Richard J. Mandel, OD ’54, age 87, passed away on July 23, 2019, after a brief illness.

Richard was an active retiree who enjoyed golfing, ballroom dancing, State College Spikes baseball, Penn State basketball, playing piano, model airplanes and travel.

Dr. Mandel retired after a long career in optometry working in Pittsburgh, West Mifflin and Uniontown, Pennsylvania, helping thousands of people in Western Pennsylvania with their vision. Born in Kokomo, Indiana, in 1932, he moved with his parents to Chicago,

Illinois, ultimately settling in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania.

After optometry school he served in the U.S. Air Force as an optometrist. He married his wife Patricia (Chauvaux) of 49 years in 1961 and moved to Churchill, Pennsylvania, raising his family before moving to State College, Pennsylvania, after retirement to be close to his daughter.

His wife passed in 2011. He is survived by his longtime fiancée Pauline McVay; her children Lisa and Mark; and her grandson Marshal. Also surviving are his daughter Susan Justice and husband Bill; his son Bill and wife Kori; and six grandchildren.

Carl R. Urbanski, OD ’58, age 92, passed away on December 24, 2020, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Born in Kingston, Pennsylvania, where he resided until the final years of his life, he was the son of the late Kamil and Anna Alinsky Urbanski. He was a graduate of Kingston High School, Class of 1947, Wilkes College, and PCO. Dr. Urbanski was an optometrist for 40 years practicing in both Wilkes-Barre and Kingston. He was a Korean War veteran serving in the U.S. Army. He was a member of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Jaycees, Tatra of Luzerne County, Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley Railway Historical Society, Luzerne County Conservation District board of directors, and the Cultural Heritage Council where he had been instrumental in running the Luzerne County Folk Festival.

Professionally, he was a life

member of the Northeast Pennsylvania Optometric Society, where he served as secretary for more than 50 years, the Pennsylvania Optometric Association, and the American Optometric Association. In addition to his parents, Dr. Urbanski was preceded in death by his wife, Janice Winans Urbanski, in 1997; and his brother Edward Urbanski. Surviving are his son, Carl J. Urbanski, OD ’92 and his wife, Martha Shipe, OD ’92, Mountain Top, Pennsylvania; and a granddaughter.

1960s Peter P. Frisko, Jr., OD ’62, age 83, passed away on November 5, 2020. He was born March 27, 1937, to Peter and Catherine Frisko in New York. He graduated from St. Francis College and PCO. He married Lillian, a school teacher from Brooklyn, New York. Following graduation and being commissioned into the USAF, they found themselves based at Whiteman Airforce Base in Missouri, where 1st Lieutenant Dr. Frisko began examining patients. The two made Somers Point, New Jersey, home in 1965.

He was called to serve in several positions for the New Jersey Society of Optometric Physicians (NJSOP), sat on the Atlantic County JCC, served as president for St. Joseph’s Parish Council, was awarded Optometrist of the Year from ACMOS, served as a vision consultant for

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In Memoriam Somers Point Schools and was a fourth-degree Knight for the Knight of Columbus.

One of his most treasured areas of service was serving as a Eucharistic Minister for 40 years. Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Lillian; children Peter (Amy), Cathy (Jeff), and Michele; and seven grandchildren.

H. Martin Simmerman, OD ’62, FAAO, age 83, passed away at his home from complications related to Parkinson’s disease on Sunday, April 12, 2020.

Dr. Simmerman was born on January 23, 1937, in Woodbury, New Jersey, to his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Harold Simmerman, OD ’30, FAAO. Upon completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Delaware, Dr. Simmerman earned his Doctor of Optometry from PCO. Together, the father and two sons practiced family optometry in Gloucester County, New Jersey, for decades. An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Simmerman and his wife of nearly 40 years, Pam, loved nothing more than being active and out in nature together. He is survived by his wife; his daughters, Shelley Addy (Bill) and Marcy Ireland (Mike); seven grandchildren; and his brother, Steven Simmerman, OD ’65, FAAO. Kenneth M. Talley, OD ’63, passed away on January 2, 2021, after a 10-day battle with COVID-19. He had been in declining health for several years with osteo and rheumatoid arthritis and COPD. Dr. Talley was born in Springfield, Tennessee,

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and raised in Fuquay Springs, North Carolina. Following graduation from Fuquay Springs High School he graduated from Campbell Junior College and studied at PCO, receiving his Doctor of Optometry degree in 1963.

He served three years active duty as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, where he examined the eyes of recruits bound for Vietnam. Dr. Talley was a member of Lillington Baptist Church and the Simmons Sunday School class, committee member, chancel choir member, deacon and participant in two mission trips to upstate New York, and three trips each to South Africa, Armenia and Honduras. He retired from full-time optometric practice in 1996 following coronary artery bypass surgery and continued some part-time work until 2003.

He was preceded in death by his parents Roy and Lucille Talley; his sister Elizabeth Appleton; and brothers Billy and Roy. Survivors include Kathryn Rowland Talley, his wife of 59 years; son Kevin Matthew and wife Cindy of Jacksonville, Florida; brothers Jerry of Willow Spring, North Carolina, and John David and wife Bert of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina.

1970s Edward J. Cogan, Jr., OD ’73, age 74, passed away on January 20, 2021. Born in Red Bank, New Jersey,

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he lived in Glens Falls, New York, before moving to Toms River, New Jersey, in 1974. Dr. Cogan received his bachelor’s degree from Villanova University and his doctorate from PCO. He was an optometrist and owner of The Eye Glass Store in Toms River for many years. He was a devoted fan of the Villanova University men’s basketball team. Predeceased by his parents Edward Sr. and Anne, he is survived by his wife of 45 years, Renee (Concato); two children, Ryan of Toms River and Elyse of Toms River; and siblings Nancy Pereless of Middletown, New Jersey, Ellen Farley of Queensbury, New York, and Robert of Warrensburg, New York.

Donna Jeanne Corbin, OD ’73, age 72, passed away on December 26, 2020. Born in Roxbury, New York, she was the oldest daughter of Pauline Swingle and the late Norman Haflett. She was a graduate of Canton Area High School, Class of 1966, and then attended Temple University in Philadelphia. She went on to graduate from PCO in 1973. She started with a practice in her home in Morrisville, New York, and later continued and ended her career in her practice in Oakmont, New York. She was an active member of Center United Methodist Church, where she was a Sunday school teacher and youth group leader. She was an active member and past president of the Tarentum Area Lions Club. She loved all of her animals and taking care of them, including her horses,

chickens and her sidekick, Flynn. She loved crafts and making personal gifts for everyone she loved. She also had a passion for gardening and everything outdoors, including a special talent for weeding. The family plans to have a celebration of her life when it is safe to gather again in large groups.

Frederic P. Weitz, OD ’76, age 69, passed away on December 14, 2020. He was the husband of Debra (née Berliner); father of Alexander and Serena; and brother of David (Jerri) Weitz. Dr. Weitz was born in Philadelphia, to the late Harry and Betty. He received his doctorate degree from PCO in 1976. He loved helping everyone he encountered and shared his expert optometry skills for a total of 44 years in Pennsylvania and in Arizona. Dr. Weitz was also a gifted linguist who spoke many languages; a stereo photographer who explored many techniques; a triple-rated pilot; and a navigator skilled with many instruments.

1980s Yvonne D. McBride, OD ’80, age 70, passed away on December 6, 2020, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Dr. McBride was born in Grenada and lived there as a child. She graduated high school in Brooklyn, New York, and furthered her education at SUNY Binghamton. She earned her Doctor of Optometry degree from PCO. She

In Memoriam immediately opened her own practice in Ledgewood then satellite offices in Newark and South Orange, New Jersey. She also had an office in Woodbridge Mall before opening Healthy Eyes Vision Service in Fords in 1995, which she was still operating.

Dr. McBride was a member of the State Board of Optometry, the National Optometric Association and the American Optometry Association. She moved to Franklin Township, New Jersey, in 1993 and had resided there since. She was a parishioner of St. Matthias Church in Somerset, New Jersey. In her time off, Dr. McBride enjoyed cruising, traveling to Europe and many other destinations around the globe. She was predeceased by her parents, Cuthbert and Cecelia Samerson.

Dr. McBride is survived by her husband of nearly 48 years, Ronnie of Somerset; sons Ronnie D. and his wife Anne of North Plainfield, New Jersey, and Geoffrey of Philadelphia; a brother; Vaughn Samerson; sister LillyAnn Venturino and her husband Michael both of Long Island, New York; and one granddaughter.

Geoffrey R. Taylor, OD ’85, age 73, died suddenly on October 29, 2020, at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital, Forest Campus, Richmond, Virginia.

Born in Moorefield, West Virginia, May 6, 1947, he was the son of the late Aura Clay and Muriel Bertha Anderson Taylor. Dr. Taylor graduated from Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach in 1965 and Virginia Military

Institute (VMI) in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. While at VMI, Dr. Taylor started on the wrestling team, played the snare drum in the band and sang in the glee club. Following graduation, he spent a few years teaching science and coaching in Portsmouth and Virginia Beach City Schools, where he met and married Frances Mae Gilliam. After starting a family, they moved to Europe for four years, where he was a budget analyst for the Department of Defense Schools in Germany and England. Upon returning to the U.S., Dr. Taylor earned a Doctorate of Optometry from PCO, serving a residency in North Dakota on a Sioux Indian Reservation. He operated several optometry practices in Virginia Beach and he opened one of Virginia’s first Walmart optometry practices in 1992. He later supervised the opening of 10 other practices across the state. He was the owner and operator of Dr. Geoffrey R. Taylor & Associates, OD, at the Short Pump Walmart.

Dr. Taylor volunteered with Good Samaritan Ministries, Needle’s Eye Ministries and the Center for Christian Counseling in Richmond. He served on the boards of Good Samaritan Ministries and Commonwealth Christian Academy. He was a member of Cambridge Baptist Church and he earned a Doctorate of Theology from Community Bible Institute and Seminary in Richmond. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Frances Mae Gilliam; his son,

Geoffrey Aura and wife, Amy; a daughter, Sarah Katherine Taylor Warnick and husband, Shannon; four grandchildren; and a sister, Linda Taylor Alcox and husband, Herbert.

2000s Deborah Sanderson, AuD ’09, age 61, passed away on December 15, 2020, at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York. She was born January 28, 1959, in Rome, New York, the daughter of Adrian (Skip) and Sarah Stirling Briggs. Dr. Sanderson educated at Stokes Elementary School, Strough Jr. High and graduated from Rome Free Academy in June 1977.

Dr. Sanderson was a member of the First Presbyterian Church and accompanied the cherub, children’s choir and sang in the youth choir. She also played hand bells in the Senior Bell Choir. Dr. Sanderson went to Geneseo College graduating in 1981 in Speech Therapy and continued on at Geneseo to obtain her Master’s Degree in Audiology, graduating in 1982. In 2009, she graduated from Salus University with her Doctorate in Audiology. On October 23, 1982, she married Thomas Sanderson in First Presbyterian Church, Rome, New York. They resided in Rochester, New York. She was employed at Rochester Hearing and Speech Center for 35 years. She was a senior clinical audiologist and a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She was also a

member of the Irondequoit Presbyterian Church. She is survived by her husband of 38 years, Thomas; her two sons, Timothy and Joshua; her parents, Adrian and Sarah Briggs; and four sisters, Dr. Linda Moffatt, Cynthia (Mike) Briggs-Ford, Adrianne (David) Dubiel, and Patricia (Patrick) Politio.

2010s Colin R. Kingston, OD ’19, age 30, passed away October 12, 2020.

Salus Staff Jasper Jenkins, former employee of The Eye Institute, passed away on January 31, 2021.

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Amy Sumner ’21OD, conducts an eye screening on a student at Glenside Elementary School in March 2021 as part of The Eye Institute’s community outreach program.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOPE DALUISIO