Centennial
Why did you choose your particular profession?
Being in love with the health care profession.
Tell me about your time at Salus/PCO. Why did you choose to study there?
I was an employee before I also became a student.
What are some of your favorite memories from Salus/PCO – favorite classes, professors, classmates, clinical experiences, co-workers?
Realizing that I am currently the longest serving employee at Salus/PCO, I feel obligated to share some of my experiences for this historic 100 year celebration of the institution. Even though I graduated with the class of 1975, I have been serving as a faculty member since 1971 as I had an optometric degree from India and some graduate work at Berkeley. When I joined PCO in 1971, I found that there was no Low Vision Clinic and I had just come from Berkeley where I had worked with the top educators in the study of low vision at the time and also in the office Dr. William Feinbloom, an optometric scientist in low vision and pioneer in the field of contact lenses and vision rehabilitation. So I suggested that we should start a low vision clinic and advised the clinical staff to refer low vision patients. It was not until few years later when Dr. Randy Jose joined PCO as a faculty member that we had a formal launch of the Low Vision Clinic. Randy started the clinic and I worked with him running the low vision lab. A few years later it was announced that Dr. Jose has resigned and accepted a position at another institution. Dr. Strickland, the Dean at that time hosted a farewell dinner for him at his home to which my wife and I were invited.
After the dinner, we bid farewell to Dr. Jose and wished him well. But to our pleasant surprise Dr. Jose was back in the corridors of PCO the following week. Looks like he had a change of heart after the emotional farewell dinner. Probably it was the collegiality and love and respect for PCO that could not keep him away from it. And some of the feeling is still in the air.
Tell me about your life after Salus/PCO – where do/did you practice, how long?
My life is still at Salus/PCO even though I have been practicing since 1977.
As Salus/PCO celebrates 100 years in 2019, what are your hopes for the college in the next 100 years?
Whatever the founders of PCO envisioned for the college has been realized many folds. I don't think that they ever envisioned that PCO would become Salus University. I hope the future leadership of Salus will continue totake it to bigger and better heights, not envisioned by today's leaders.
