Staff Spotlight: Tracey Robbins, CHER Administrative Coordinator

Tracey Robbins, the administrative coordinator for the College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation (CHER), does a lot of heavy lifting for the College.

She handles a multitude of administrative details, including supporting individual directors for all programs, assisting with budgets, processing all expenses, scheduling appointments and Zoom meetings, helping with grant applications and serving as the assistant to James Konopack, PhD, dean of CHER.

In addition to her commitment to Salus, it comes as no surprise that when’s she done the heavy lifting at work, she does more heavy lifting on her own time. Robbins is dedicated to her family, friends and maintaining a balanced lifestyle. She likes to stay active and enjoys activities such as yoga, hiking, salsa dancing — and weightlifting.

“My favorite hobby is weightlifting. I am committed to a healthy lifestyle and spend most of my leisure time participating in activities that promote physical and mental wellness,” she said.

Robbins initially started at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1999 as a secretary in the Department of External Education. Shortly thereafter, she moved over to The Eye Institute (TEI) and worked in the billing office.

In 2001, she moved to Department of Graduate Studies and worked in the Blindness and Low Vision Studies (BLVS) department. Since then, she has remained part of the administrative staff. She has been in the trenches throughout the growth and development of the University’s newest programs including Occupational Therapy (OT) and Speech-Language Pathology (SLP).

When CHER was officially established, Robbins’ duties increased even more because in addition to BLVS, SLP and OT, the College would now include Physician Assistant Studies, Biomedicine, Post-baccalaureate programs and Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P), the newest program, which will have its first cohort in the fall of 2022.

 With all of her other activities, Robbins also likes to read and has a love for plants, which is evident when you visit her workspace. Her mother was a big plant lover, and that passion was passed down.  

“I remember when I was younger asking my mother, ‘Why do you have so many plants in here?’ But I never paid much attention to them,” she said. Then one day, someone from work wanted to gift her a plant.

“I said OK, and the next thing you know, someone else had sent me a plant. I just started caring for them and it became a thing,” she said. “Now, I love to buy plants and care for them. I have a yoga room in my house and keep plants in there. Every room in my house and every ledge has a plant.”

Robbins has been a witness to a lot of change at the University over the years. And, she remains right in the thick of it now with CHER. As a result, she personally looks forward to new opportunities to learn and support the future growth of the College as a whole.

“I’ve seen the University transition and grow from one program now to seven,” she said. “It was Dr. Mittelman’s vision to see those programs align together to create something appealing to people who are looking for the education and rehab part.”