2021 Year in Review

Reflecting on 2021 at Salus University, one major theme emerges: coming together as a campus community. Filled with a sense of togetherness as in-person learning and events resumed, this year has made our Salus community stronger.

In addition to our flagship events — including five separate White Coat Ceremonies for the Classes of 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 as well as the University’s 123rd Commencement hosted once again at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia — we also welcomed top-notch faculty members across departments, boosted recruitment and enrollment of underrepresented students of color and advanced clinical research initiatives. 

Although no one knew for sure what to expect at the start of 2021, our Salus community focused on what we do best, continuing to educate, lead and inspire. Take a look back at some of our accomplishments in our 2021 Year in Review.

Throughout the year, more than 95 percent of our Salus community, including students, faculty and staff, reported being vaccinated. 

• To further protect our community, a random testing process for asymptomatic students and faculty was instituted, with less than one percent of students and zero percent of faculty testing positive to date. Salus President Dr. Michael Mittelman is also asking everyone to get their COVID-19 booster vaccination by February 13, 2022.

• Fall classes kicked off with in-person learning, welcoming students, faculty and staff back to campus.

Innovative education and research are at the core of the University’s mission, and this year our outstanding faculty and students stayed committed to finding new ways to improve the welfare of others, both locally and worldwide.

• Students from the Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program along with faculty from the PA and Occupational Therapy (OT) programs visited Guatemala to work with Hearts in Motion, a nonprofit organization that provides access to quality healthcare and assists in the development of social programs to improve health, education and welfare for people in the U.S. and Central and South America.

• Dr. Mitchell Scheiman, director of Biomedicine programs in the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus, joined NJIT and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) as part of a multi-institutional team seeking to establish guidelines to help clinicians diagnose and treat a disabling, concussion-induced eye disorder.

• A pilot program developed and implemented by the University's Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) department in partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, specifically for Vanderbilt’s on-staff Physical Therapists (PTs), provided Orientation and Mobility (O&M) skills-based training PTs could offer their patients.

• A group of Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) students formed Salus Students Promoting Awareness in the Community about Education and Rehabilitation Services for People with Visual Impairments (SPACERS).

This year, Salus furthered its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), offering opportunities to learn about culture and community, while continuing to create a campus where everyone feels welcome.

• After a University-sponsored roundtable discussion in 2020, which allowed Salus community members to air their views, students decided to form the Black Student Union (BSU). 

• Salus has a long history in Philadelphia and this year it told HERstory with women achieving a majority throughout the University community. Three Philadelphia area women joined the University’s Board of Trustees followed by the appointment of a new chief of staff Beth Moy. 

• PCO/Salus welcomed a cohort of 14 Doctor of Optometry (OD) applicants to its relaunched Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), renamed the Robert E. Horne SEP as a tribute to its founder, for high-achieving students of color.

• Recognized for its strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, particularly its focus on recruiting and enrolling underrepresented students of color, PCO/Salus also received the National Optometric Association (NOA) 2021 School of the Year award during the University’s inaugural DEI Speaks event.

Overall, 2021 was a stellar year at Salus and we had a lot to celebrate.

• Illinois-based company, Keplr Vision, donated $7,500, recognizing an opportunity to help students through the Optometry Learning Experience (OLE), a program established 40 years ago.

• Salus hosted its 14th annual “Looking Out for Kids” (LOFK) fundraiser event virtually, reaching $170,000 in donations with more than 100 people tuning in to the livestream charity event. Funds raised from LOFK impact economically disadvantaged children who need vision and hearing services in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties. 

• The Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia was the site for the ceremony honoring the 2021 Presidential Medal recipients where medals were awarded, alumni were honored and special recognition was given to MacuLogix for establishing a $25,000 endowed award at PCO/Salus.

• The Occupational Therapy (OT) program at Salus was awarded a subgrant in partnership with Rebuilding Together Philadelphia (RTP), the grantee agency, to help low-income older adult homeowners in the Philadelphia area age in place.

• The University’s Low Vision Rehabilitation (LVR) program, in the Department of Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS), was the first LVR program to achieve accreditation from The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER).

• The Occupational Therapy Institute (OTI) at Salus, the clinical facility for the Department of Occupational Therapy, opened for patient care.

• Highlights from Optometry’s Meeting®2021, culminated in some truly memorable moments. By the conclusion of the event, PCO/Salus achieved two National Optometry Hall of Fame inductions, a student quiz bowl championship and a 5K victory.

• A new face, Dr. Chad Duncan joined Salus as the first director of the University’s newly established Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program that will launch next fall and a familiar face, Dr. Chad Killen, was named director of On-Campus Residency Programs.

• For schools nationwide, including Salus, virtual tours and visits became the best way to introduce prospective students to campus life throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, until this year. In early March, a film crew from The College Tour TV series spent a week on campus to film an episode featuring Salus.

With all we accomplished this past year, we can’t wait to see what our Salus community can do in 2022.