Jim Hindman, owner of Jiffy Lube® International, will address Salus University’s incoming students during the White Coat Ceremony on Monday, October 12, 2015 at 2 p.m. at the Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel Synagogue in Elkins Park.
The ceremony represents the transition from student to healthcare provider as the students receive the symbol of their profession – the white coat. Recipients are from all of the University’s clinical specialties, including optometry, audiology, physician assistant, occupational therapy, and, for the first time, speech-language pathology.
Hindman, the founder of the Jiffy Lube® International franchise, has also held numerous leadership positions at health care institutions. He served as director of medical administration at NASA‘s Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, oversaw the rebuilding of Baltimore County General Hospital and built a successful nursing home business. In addition, he was the football coach at Western Maryland College for four seasons, beginning in 1976.
At the age of 57, Hindman lost his vision due to atrophic age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that causes a small area in the retina to breakdown and deteriorate, and can lead to eventual blindness. Twenty years later he was legally blind – until he received an implant of a tiny telescope behind the iris of his left eye and can now see. He is dedicated to giving and raising money for low vision rehabilitation, education and research programs and is the author of a book about his experience with AMD, titled "Was Blind, But Now I See."