Legacies Continue, Colleagues Interact During University Development Day

The Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) and Salus have always been a big part of Sharon Marcy’s life. Her father, Bernard Blaustein, OD ’67, FAAO, worked in a number of roles over five decades there, including as director of Residency Education and associate professor at PCO – all while seeing patients in the Primary Care Service at The Eye Institute.

“He loved working here and spoke often – and warmly – of the faculty, staff and students,” said Marcy, OT ’16, MS, OTR/L, one of the new faculty members in the University’s College of Education and Rehabilitation (CER). “In fact, some of the OD professors were at my Bat Mitzvah and my wedding, so he certainly considered them part of his extended family.”

And, now Dr. Blaustein’s daughter has returned to continue her career at Salus.

“Because my father and I are very close, it was a dream of mine to continue his legacy in some way at the University. I thought I had reached that milestone when I began as an adjunct instructor at Salus in 2018,” said Marcy. “So joining the University as a full-time instructor was even more poignant. Although my professional accomplishments are a result of my own hard work and dedication, I am quick to note that I would certainly not be where I am today without my dad.”

Marcy was one of several new faculty members introduced at a reception during the University Development (UD) Day Aug. 22-23. The event, held twice a year, provides Salus faculty and administration professional development opportunities, group discussions and a chance to connect with colleagues.

“We do this twice a year because we want to stay fresh. It’s really important that the faculty in particular get away from everything they normally do, so they can talk about subjects that pertain to healthcare and think big,” said University president Michael H. Mittelman, OD, MPH, MBA, FAAO, FACHE. “When they’re in the classroom, they’re thinking about what they’re teaching. When they do something like this, everything is expanded a little bit. And their ability to speak freely and interact with other professions, that pays unbelievable dividends because everybody looks at it through their own lens.”

Session topics throughout the two days included “Patient/Client Perspective on Communication;” “The Institutional Review Board;” “The Institutional Review Board;” “Interprofessional Education and Salus Professions;” and a Salus professions overview.

A reception was held at the end of the first day, and included the introduction of new faculty, recognition of faculty promotions and recognition of faculty tenure.

Among the new faculty members recognized in their respective colleges  included: PCO – Christin DeMoss, OD; Nicholas Gidosh, OD; Alice Lim, OD; and David Meltzer, OD; CER – Beth Davidoff, PhD, CCC-SLP and Sharon Marcy, MS, OTR/L; and in the College of Health Sciences, Cara Orr, MMS, PA-C.

“I enjoy the academic environment and getting to interact with colleagues within my own profession and within other health professions,” said Orr. “It’s been nice to see the faculty together as a whole and thinking about some of these issues that affect all of us across the board.”

Faculty promotions included: assistant professor – Doan Kwak, OD, FAAO, Andrew Meagher, OD, FAAO, Siva Meiyeppen, OD, FAAO, and Mary Jo Thomas, OD FAAO; associate professor – David Smith, MPAS, PA-C, and Lauren Sponseller, PhD, OTD, MSOTR/L, MEd; professor – Sarah Appel, OD, FAAO, Dipl., and Kelly Malloy, OD, FAAO, Dipl.; and professor emeritus – Anthony Di Stefano, MEd, MPH, FAAO and Richard Brilliant, OD, FAAO.

Among the faculty achieving tenure are Linda Casser, OD, FAAO, FNAP; Kelly Malloy, OD, FAAO, Dipl.; Martin Pienkowski, PhD; and Andrea Tyszka, OTD, MS, OTR/L, SIPT.

“These UD days, they always have some sort of a theme and in this case, it’s all about patient-centered care, and that’s what we’re all about,” said Dr. Mittelman. “I think this is a wonderful kickoff to the semester because it makes everybody think a little bit about what’s going on.”