Audiology
Current Student News
Speech-Language Pathology
General News
The Hon. Valerie A. Arkoosh, MD, MPH, vice chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and interim medical director of the county Department of Health, will deliver Salus University’s 2016 commencement address on Thursday, May 26 at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts in Philadelphia.
A physician, educator, and nationally recognized public health policy authority, Dr. Arkoosh has been at the forefront of public health policy development throughout her career. Prior to her appointment to the Board of Commissioners she served as chair of the Montgomery County Board of Health.
In addition to her dual roles in Montgomery County, she has served as senior policy advisor for the non-profit National Physicians Alliance (NPA). As a former NPA president Dr. Arkoosh led the “Secure Healthcare for All” campaign, a bi-partisan initiative to educate policy-makers and the public on the need for and the benefits of comprehensive national healthcare reform.
Dr. Michael H. Mittelman, president of Salus University, said, “Our graduates are fortunate to have Dr. Arkoosh share her extraordinary experiences and insights as a pioneering advocate for improved access to healthcare for all segments of the population – especially for women and the underserved.” He called her “message of hope - and determination to create a healthier America for all,” timely, as Salus continues to expand its leadership role to help redefine and elevate primary care medicine through its professional education programs.
From 2004-2014, Dr. Arkoosh was a professor of clinical anesthesiology and clinical obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Prior to that, she was the chair and program director for the Department of Anesthesiology at Drexel University College of Medicine. A graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine, Dr. Arkoosh earned a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She completed a residency in anesthesiology at Jefferson Medical College with a special focus on obstetrics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Northwestern University.
Dr. Arkoosh, whose commentary on public health has been widely published and broadcast, has received numerous honors - including multiple teaching and clinical research awards - throughout her distinguished career as a physician, academic, policy maker and elected official. She was the 2012 recipient of the Philadelphia Leadership Award from Women’s eNews as well as the 2012 Health Care Hero Award winner from the Pennsylvania Health Care Access Network.
