University Honors Presidential Medal of Honor, Alumni Association Awardees

When Kerry Burrell, OD ‘03, found out his mentor and business partner Glenn Corbin, OD ‘82, was being awarded the Salus University Presidential Medal of Honor, the first thing he did was contact Jacqueline Patterson, vice president of Institutional Advancement and Community Relations at the University, to see if he could somehow be involved in the annual recognition reception.

“I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to share my feelings about Glenn,” said Dr. Burrell.

Those feelings run strong. Dr. Burrell initially completed his externship in Dr. Corbin’s office while a student at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University. And, the two eventually entered into practice together.

But even more than that, Dr. Burrell was just 12 years old when his father passed away. Two older brothers helped fill that void — as did Dr. Corbin.

“It’s been my honor that Glenn has become another father figure for me,” said Dr. Burrell. “He has treated me like family from day one. He’s taken pride in bringing me along in my career, making me a better optometrist and a better businessman.”

It was one of several special moments at the reception, which celebrated outstanding achievements and extraordinary philanthropic support on Sept. 18, 2023, at Morris Arboretum and Gardens in Philadelphia.

In addition to Dr. Corbin, a Presidential Medal of Honor was awarded to Henry Greene, OD ‘74, FAAO, president and co-founder of Ocutech ® Inc., which makes cutting-edge telescopic low-vision aids prescribed by eye care professionals to those with impaired eyesight.

“It’s the culmination of a career in a profession that I love where I’ve had wonderful opportunities to contribute to helping people see better and enrich their lives,” said Dr. Greene. “I’m thrilled that my alma mater has been able to learn about all the things that I’ve done all these years and I hope that I represent some motivation for others to follow in my footsteps.”

The 2023 Alumni Association Awards were also presented.

They included:

Albert Fitch Memorial Alumnus of the Year — Mark Boas, OD ‘86, a past Alumni Association board member and president, a longtime member of the PCO/Salus board of trustees, and a former assistant professor at PCO. “It’s been a wonderful life. Going into optometry was the single most fortuitous decision I ever made,” said Dr. Boas, who credited his wife, Suzanne (Helms) Boas, OD ‘86, as the driving force of his accomplishments. “I can’t believe how smart I am to have picked that profession.”

Apparently, that wisdom has trickled down to the next generation. The couple has two daughters who are PCO/Salus graduates and assist in the family practice, Marie (Boas) Gwinn, OD ‘17, and Katherine Boas, OD ‘19.

George S. Osborne College of Audiology (OCA) Alumna of the Year — Amanda Marchegiani, AuD ‘10, a past president of the Alumni Association. “I am profoundly humbled and honored to receive this award. I stand on the shoulders of giants,” said Dr. Marchegiani. “It was an honor and a privilege to serve on our alumni board for more than 10 years.”

In 2012, Dr. Marchegiani established the Nadine Cenci Marchegiani Foundation in honor of her mother. The foundation’s mission is to help individuals with illnesses, contribute to food banks, support students through a scholarship, and assist in the development of a library.

Blindness and Low Vision Alumna of the Year — Lindsay Lee, MEd ‘19.

Lee has become a leader in Alaska as a teacher for the visually impaired (TVI), working with infants to children three years of age, as well as contracting as a Low Vision Specialist (LVTS) for older adults in the community.

Physician Assistant Alumna of the Year — Victoria Wong, MMS ‘16.

After graduating from Salus, Wong began working at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, where she has stayed for the past six years where she has been involved in many different clinical trials, and has benefited from a supportive team and collaborating physicians. She has also remained connected to Salus by working as a guest lecturer, where she has taught students about the urology clinical medicine model, which includes different urologic malignancies.

Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) Alumna of the Year — Carleen Dumas, MS ‘18.

Dumas is the co-owner and director of My Child’s Therapy in Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania, a pediatric outpatient facility that offers speech, occupational therapy (OT), and physical therapy services for children and clients up to age 21. She has maintained a relationship with the SLP department at Salus and now provides externship opportunities for current master’s SLP students.

Public Service Award — David Friess, OD ‘02, FAAO, past Alumni Association president.

Dr. Friess was instrumental in developing a partnership between STAAR Surgical and PCO/Salus, its clinical facility, The Eye Institute (TEI), and James Lewis, MD, a Salus University consulting ophthalmologist, along with support from the facility where he performs lens-based refractive surgery.

He is the vice president of Global Medical Affairs at STAAR Surgical, a leading developer and manufacturer of implantable lenses and companion delivery systems for the eye, and helped launch Project MyVision, a charitable lens-based refractive surgery program.

“The two words that stand out to me are ‘facilitating' and collaboration. I think that the opportunity to bring ideas to Salus and to have such a welcoming community that’s looking to create opportunities is a win-win,” said Dr. Friess.

The University’s Alumni Association also presented two posthumous Special Recognition Awards to David Evans III, OD ‘83, and Bernard “Pepper” Mallinger, OD ‘52.

During Dr. Evans’ tenure as president of the Pennsylvania Optometric Association (POA), the Pennsylvania Optometric Practice Act was amended with Act 99, expanding the profession’s scope of practice. The amendment not only expanded the ability of optometrists to examine, diagnose, and treat patients but also gave the state board the sole authority to set optometric formulary and provided patients with greater access to needed medications.

Dr. Mallinger practiced optometry for 65 years and became part of the medical team that served the Pittsburgh Penguins National Hockey League franchise, a position in which he served for more than 40 years.

A friend to an optometrist of Fred Rogers, Dr. Mallinger appeared in some of the early “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” television shows in the late 1960s, initially to conduct eye exams on one of the show’s puppets and later to conduct an eye exam on Rogers himself.

Salus president Michael H. Mittelman, OD ‘80, MBA, MPH, FAAO, FACHE, has called this event one of his favorite Salus ceremonies, mostly because he has the opportunity to tout the people who make up the unique mix of specialties offered at Salus University.

“It doesn’t matter which profession that we’re honoring, each one of these people has brought a special piece of their wisdom and their talents to the patients and the people that they’ve taken care of that have changed the lives of others," said Dr. Mittelman. “That’s really what we’re honoring tonight.”