CER's Dr. Duane Geruschat
Consults on Artificial Retina Device

Dr. Duane Geruschat, assistant professor in the College of Education and Rehabilitation, was a consultant on the recently unveiled Argus II project, the first FDA approved artificial retina device. The device, invented by Second Sight Medical Products of California, is intended to replace the function of light-sensing cells in the retina destroyed by retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease that affects about 100,000 Americans.

For this project, Dr. Geruschat's role was to lead the development of a functional assessment of performance called the FLORA (Functional Low-Vision Observer Rated Assessment), to develop an instructional curriculum that can be implemented with the patients who receive the Argus II, and to develop an online continuing education program for low vision therapists and orientation and mobility instructors who will be implementing the curriculum as providers of the direct services.

03.29.2013

CER Debuts Occupational Therapy Program

The College of Education and Rehabilitation (CER) will welcome Master of Science (MSOT) and Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) students to the Elkins Park campus in August. the appointment of the program's director, Dr. Marian Gillard, was announced by Dean Audrey Smith in December. 

These new programs mark the first time that the College will have a cohort residential program on campus. The incoming class of Occupational Therapy (OT) students will participate in the white coat ceremony that marks the beginning of Orientation week for all programs. Since the early 2000's, students in the CER current master's degree and certificate programs for Low Vision and Blindness have taken a hybrid of online courses with a two to eight week summer residency period in Elkins Park.

"Occupation" is composed of the daily tasks and purposeful activities in which people engage, coupled with the meaning these tasks and activities provide. Occupational Therapy is based on the principle that people can improve their health and well-being by engaging in occupation, the dynamic process that supports a person's continuous adaptation.   

The Salus multiple pathways model allows students to stop at the Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) level, or continue to the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) program, or the University's new PhD degree in Biomedicine, an interdisciplinary program designed for health professionals seeking graduate research training and/or an academic career track. 

For more OT program information.