PCO WORLD Pennsylvania College of Optometry
THE OSBORNE AURICLE Osborne College of Audiology
Dr. Neal Nyman, associate professor, transitioned from his administrative role as chief of Primary Care Suite 3 at The Eye Institute on January 1. He will continue in his teaching role as faculty. Dr. Nyman was surprised by his colleagues and friends after the January faculty meeting as they celebrated his 29 years of service and friendship.
Dean Victor Bray was selected as a Distinguished Fellow in the National Academies of Practice (NAP), and as a Distinguished Public Policy Fellow of the inaugural class of NAP’s Audiology Academy. Dr. Satya Verma, PCO associate professor and associate director of the Externship program, is president of the NAP.
The annual SOSH (Students in Optometric Service to Humanity) humanitarian trip saw twenty students and two faculty preceptors go to Haiti in August. SOSH members raise money through a series of fundraising events held during the year prior to the trip. Proceeds cover purchased supplies and travel expenses. Members also solicit supplies from optometric companies, their families and friends, and the greater Salus Community.
Girija Sundar, PhD, director, Distance Education Programs, was elected chair of the Audiology sub-committee for the Coalition for Global Hearing Health.
In January, the University hosted a donor recognition reception at The Eye Institute (TEI). Invitees were those who helped contribute $2.3 million to Setting Our Sights, the capital campaign for the $11.2 million renovation of TEI. Attendees were able to view their plaques and tour the facility while enjoying light refreshments. They heard remarks from President Michael H. Mittelman; immediate past president, Dr. Thomas L. Lewis, under whose tenure the project was conceived and brought to completion; Board of Trustees chair, Ms. Jo Surpin, and Dr. Susan Oleszewski, who was executive director of TEI before, during and after the renovations. In another student fundraiser, AOSA (American Optometric Student Association) held their annual Wormington 5K Run/Walk, named for Professor Charles M. Wormington, OD, PhD, in the fall. More than 150 runners and walkers participated, the highest number of participants to date. Proceeds from this event are donated to Fox Chase Cancer Center in honor of Dr. Wormington, who is always there with his family to cheer on the runners and walkers and congratulate the winners. In October, the seventh annual Looking Out for Kids (LOFK) silent auction and reception was held. This year’s co-hosts were former Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook and Norristown PA School District superintendent, Dr. Janet Samuels. LOFK raises money to fund vision care and eyeglasses for underinsured and uninsured schoolchildren. This year The Eye Institute expanded its reach to include a Friday afternoon vision screening at Norristown public schools. Proceeds from LOFK are used to fund this new program and the decades old Philadelphia School District program at The Eye Institute.
Thomas Goyne, AuD, adjunct, was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA). In February, the College hosted Dr. Bettie Borton, president of the American Academy of Audiology for a town hall meeting and light refreshments with faculty and students. t
In March the College was one of many web-host sites for the 24th Annual Mayo Clinic Audiology Conference. The fifty participants included alumni, faculty, preceptors and students. Three presentations were given on different issues within the profession, including, cochlear implants for tinnitus, clinical applications of Auditory Electrophysiology, the impact of changing US healthcare on Audiology and what’s working for children who are hard of hearing. In March, the College hosted a distinguished guest from India on campus, Mr. Ranjith, principal of the Institute of Speech and Hearing at Madras ENT Research Foundation (MERF). The institute is part of the Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University in Chennai, India, a leading organization in cochlear implants programs. Mr. Ranjith lectured to faculty and students of the College on “Cochlear Implant Program Delivery in India: The model at Madras ENT Research Foundation.”
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