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The big news in 2025 was the merger between Salus University and Drexel University, which was finalized on July 3. But the year was also filled with many other noteworthy moments.
Here’s a look back at the best stories of 2025:
Salus at Drexel University and Bestwork Industries for the Blind, Inc. in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, partnered to open a clinic to serve those in need of blindness and low vision services.
Bestwork is a private, not-for profit corporation dedicated to improving the quality of life for people who are blind by providing training and employment opportunities in a supportive work environment. More than 70 percent of its employees have low vision. Read more here.
Emily McMahan, AuD ‘13 is part of a leading groundbreaking tinnitus research team. It’s the first real-world analysis of U.S. patients treated with Lenire, the only FDA-approved bimodal neuromodulation treatment device for tinnitus.
Her manuscript, co-authored with Hubert Lim, PhD, chief scientific officer of Neuromod (creator of Lenire) at the University of Minnesota, is titled "Effectiveness of Bimodal Neuromodulation for Tinnitus Treatment in Real-World Clinical Settings in the United States.” Read more here.
The sparks didn’t fly immediately between Riya Paranthan, OD ‘14, and Rohit Sachdeva, OD ‘14. In fact, Dr. Paranthan said, very few people in their class knew about their budding relationship. “In the whole school, no one even knew that we were dating because we really weren’t. They just knew we were best friends,” she said.
What took four long years to cultivate unfolded pretty quickly after that. Read more here.
In recognition of March as “Women’s History Month” the National Women’s History Alliance chose the theme of “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating and Inspiring Generations.” That certainly applies to Georgianna Lorrayne Nottage, OD ‘46. Dr. Nottage not only accomplished her career goals but also paved the way for others as the first African-American to graduate from the Pennsylvania State College of Optometry (PSCO). Read more here.
When Jenna Nurick ‘26SLP was in high school, she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to be a teacher or go into medicine. “My grandma said, ‘I know a field that would be good for you. Let me show you what it is,’” said Jenna.
Etta Lee Nurick, PhD, was then what was labeled a “speech teacher” rather than a speech-language pathologist, which better defines the profession. So, she guided her granddaughter in the direction of Speech-Language Pathology (SLP).
And, it stuck. Jenna Nurick is in the Master of Science SLP program at Drexel University, and she loves it.
As an offensive lineman on his college football team, the main job of Logan Tonini ‘26O&P — all 6’4” and 290 pounds of him — was to protect his quarterback from harm. And, now as a student in the Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program, Tonini is still helping to protect people. As Tonini was leaving his externship at the Hanger Clinic in Portland, Maine, he encountered a panicked woman rushing into the clinic who was on the phone with 9-1-1 emergency personnel. That was where being the size of an offensive lineman may have been the difference between life and death. Read more here.
David Meltzer, OD '02, MBA, FAAO, was named the interim vice president of clinical operations, Salus at Drexel University. Dr. Meltzer will be responsible for the clinical operations of The Eye Institute (TEI), the William Feinbloom Low Vision Rehabilitation Center, the Pennsylvania Ear Institute (PEI) and the Speech-Language Institute (SLI). “My goal is to continue to offer quality health care to patients and excellent academic education to students,” said Dr. Meltzer. Read more here.
The love of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) has continued throughout the years for Alton Williams, OD ‘73, and his family, so much so that for more than 50 years he has been one of PCO’s biggest cheerleaders, recruiters and has mentored more than 20 PCO students, particularly African Americans.
And, Dr. Williams is at it again. He and his wife have befriended a married couple, Erique and Danielle Gumbs, who they believe would make great optometrists. And, on a tour of PCO,, he tried to convince the couple that PCO was the right place for them. Read more here.
With three generations of optometrists from the PCOin the family, a lot of experience and knowledge can trickle down through the decades. In the case of the Schott family, one of those things was something informally called “the coat rack test.” Read more here.
Everything that could go wrong with her eyes did. In high school, Jennifer Tsai developed a painful corneal ulcer, only to later experience something even more rare: bilateral retinal tears, a potentially sight-threatening condition in both eyes. It was this experience that made her painfully aware of just how fragile and vital vision truly is. That experience didn’t just shape her — it sparked a lifelong purpose. Today, Jennifer Tsai, OD ‘14, is not only an optometrist but she is also the founder of the groundbreaking practice, LINE OF SIGHT, and was recently named the No. 1 Eyecare Influencer of 2025 by FeedSpot Media. Read more here.
Of all the “firsts” the eight students in the inaugural cohort of the University’s Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program experienced, one of the most memorable may have been the “first pour.”
The “first pour” is the first time students receive instruction and have the opportunity to mix plaster and pour it into molds they will eventually use to design orthoses for their patients.
It can be quite messy. And, a lot of fun.
The “Great Eight,” as they’re called, who started as Salus students and left as Drexel graduates, walked across the stage at the 130th Commencement Ceremony to receive their diplomas and mark a historic milestone as the first graduating cohort for the O&P program. Read more here.
The only connection between optometry and winemaking is that both professions deal with glasses. But that hasn’t stopped Davinder “Dave” Sidhu, BSc, OD ‘15, from being successful at both.
Dr. Sidhu grew up in Oliver, British Columbia, known as the “Wine Capital of Canada.” His family owned vineyards so he’s always been around agriculture. He even conducted research and served as a wine growing consultant for years. But then optometry called. Read more here.
The longtime relationship between the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), The Eye Institute (TEI), Salus University, and National Vision, Inc. (NVI) goes beyond a financial agreement - it’s a true partnership focused on caring for people.
And, because the missions of both institutions align so closely – helping school children with vision problems in the Philadelphia region – it’s no surprise NVI, one of the largest optical retail companies in the United States with more than 1,100 stores in 38 states and Puerto Rico, wasthe recipient of the 2025 Looking Out for Kids (LOFK) Lighthouse Award. Read more here.
Three international students, Nora Lehtimaki, MS ’25, Anni Kappi, MS ‘25 and Anna-Riitta Ripatti, MS ‘25 from Finland, traveled to the University’s Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, campus for a two-week program titled “Specialized Training in Primary Eye Care Emphasizing the Diagnosis and Management of Eye Disease.”
The course is designed for ophthalmic practitioners who have earned a BSc in optometry and beyond. The students first have to undergo a rigorous master of science education program at Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OUAS) in Finland, where they have received didactic studies and hands-on clinical procedures training. Read more here.
Josephine O. Ibironke, OD ‘03, Resident '04, MPH, FAAO, was appointed dean o the PCO,following a national search, effective September 15, 2025.
A pediatric optometrist and public health scholar with more than 20 years of clinical experience, Dr. Ibironke’s work includes landmark research including the Baltimore Pediatric Eye Disease Study and the Baltimore Reading and Eye Disease Study that advanced the understanding of refractive error, and amblyopia and vision’s link to academic success. As a founding faculty member of University of Pikeville’s Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO), Dr. Ibironke co-developed the college’s didactic and clinical pediatric optometry curriculum and created its Leadership in Healthcare course sequence. She has spearheaded community-based eye health initiatives and served national leadership roles within the American Academy of Optometry. Read more here.
The first time that people see the Monarch, the reaction is almost always the same – their jaws drop. The Monarch, used to train Blindness and Low Vision (BLVS) students at the Elkins Park campus, approximately the size of a 15-inch gaming laptop, is manufactured and developed by the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). It has a multi-line display that can render not just multiple lines of braille but also tactile graphics on the same surface.
It’s a game-changer for people with blindness and low vision. The Holy Braille, if you will. Read more here.
The Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) program and its clinical facility, the Speech-Language Institute (SLI), proudly celebrated their 10th anniversary, marking a decade of remarkable success, impactful service and continuous growth. After its first three years, the SLP program became accredited, and it hasn’t looked back since. What began with a cohort of 24 students has now grown to an incoming 42 students in the class of 2027. Read more here.
For a time, Brooke Kruemmling, PhD, COMS, feared the day she might get a phone call saying one of her clients, Joseph Coger, had been hit by a car.
Coger is visually impaired, and has been working with Dr. Kruemmling at the William Feinbloom Vision Rehabilitation Center, which is housed at The Eye Institute.. The Feinbloom Center’s interdisciplinary staff is made up of optometrists, social workers, certified low vision therapists, occupational therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, and vision rehabilitation therapists who have been able to help Coger in a real and meaningful way. Read more here.
Marisa Hellmuth ‘26PA believes that while medical knowledge can be taught in a classroom, true medical care is discovered and developed through hands-on patient experiences.
And boy, did Hellmuth get a real-time example of that coming true. She gained firsthand experience in patient care during a service trip to Guatemala with fellow students from the Salus at Drexel University Physician Assistant (PA) Studies Program.
The group traveled to Zacapa, Guatemala, for a service trip sponsored by the humanitarian organization Hearts in Motion, bringing together 16 students from the Class of 2026 and three faculty members. Read more here.
The danger of witch doctors in the East African nation of Tanzania is very real. And brutal, particularly for individuals with albinism.
There are superstitious beliefs in Tanzania that body parts of the people with albinism — a genetic condition, according to the National Institutes of Health, characterized by a lack of melanin in the skin, hair, and eyes — can confer wealth, health, and political power. Those with albinism are hunted, mutilated or murdered for their body parts, which are then sold for thousands of dollars to witch doctors, also known as traditional healers.
But students in the Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program at Drexel University, Elkins Park Campus, are trying to make a meaningful difference for some of the victims of that violence. Read more here.
There’s been a great deal of interest in concussions over the past decade, especially as they relate to concussion-related vision problems, according to Mitchell Scheiman, OD, PhD ‘16, FAAO, FCOVD, senior associate dean of research at the PCO.
And, now there’s some research to support the theory that individuals experiencing concussion-related vision problems benefit from starting vision therapy immediately, ratherthan waiting to see if their vision issues improve on their own over time.
A paper on that study, titled “The CONCUSS Randomized Clinical Trial of Vergence/Accommodative Therapy for Concussion-Related Symptomatic Convergence Insufficiency” — for which Dr. Scheiman was the co-investigator — has been published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the highest-rated journal in sports medicine. Read more here.
A recent Student Optometric Service to Humanity (SOSH) mission trip to treat patients in Negril, Jamaica, really touched the heart of Amanda Martinez ‘27OD in ways she didn’t anticipate.
There she met a 77-year old man who had lost his vision due to untreated glaucoma. He couldn’t afford glaucoma drops and had been living with very high intraocular pressures. His daughter had carved a walking stick out of wood that he could use to navigate his surroundings.
During his visit, students from the PCO atDrexel University were able to provide a year’s supply of medication to help him lower his eye pressures. They also provided a real cane to help with his mobility. Read more here.
Not only was Andrea Tyszka, OTD ‘18, MS, OTR/L, SIPT, part of the founding faculty for what was then Salus University, now Drexel University, Occupational Therapy program in 2013, she’s also a proud graduate of the very program she now leads.
So, when the director of the Post-professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program opened up, Lauren Sponseller, PhD ‘18, OTD, MSOTR/L, MEd, CLA, chair of the OT department at Drexel, didn’t have to look too far to fill the position.
Dr. Tyszka took over after the exit of Caitlyn Foy, OTD, MOTR/L, who had directed the program from 2018 until her departure in July 2025. Read more here.
For more than 25 years, Osborne Audiology’s distance education programs have helped shape the future of audiology education worldwide, including in countries such as Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, India, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Jordan, Germany, Canada, Jamaica and Colombia. What began in 2000 as a pioneering effort to elevate practicing audiologists from a master’s degree to a professional doctorate has grown into a global network of learners and professionals united by one goal—advancing the science and practice of hearing health care. Read more here.
The day after Thanksgiving in 2024 truly was a Black Friday for Osborne Audiology at the then Salus at Drexel University’s Elkins Park campus.
While the campus was closed for the holiday, a water pipe on the third floor of the West building burst. Unfortunately for the Osborne Audiology department, the Audiometric Principles Lab, a critical hands-on training space for Osborne Audiology students, is located on the second floor directly below the broken water pipe, and extensive damage was done to the lab before the break was discovered and the water was turned off. But now the renovation is complete. Read more here.
After graduating from the University of Scranton in 2010 with a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy (OT), Jennifer Dunne ‘26OTD, OTR/L, worked at a rehab hospital in the Philadelphia area for five years. She then moved to Colorado and worked at a Level 1 trauma hospital for seven years.
At that point, she decided it was time to flex her brain muscles again.
Dunne applied to - and was accepted into - the OT program. What followed was a long and challenging four-year journey to earning her doctorate while juggling school, work and motherhood. Read more here.
