SAA Appreciation Dinner and SAA Baord Election Results

Appreciation Dinner
The annual SAA Appreciation Dinner was held this year on December 7, 2010, 6:30 pm at the Cafe. This dinner is SAA's way of paying tribute to those faculty members, staff, and students who have given so generously much of their time and effort to make SAA, and OCA in general, such a great place to be a student. It is also a laid back event for students, faculty and staff to mingle and enjoy each other's company outside of classroom settings.

Special recognition to:
- Dean Victor Bray whose counsel, trust and active support of SAA is evident in the success of SAA's ownership of screening events which were traditionally faculty driven.
- Dr. Eileen Rall for her involvement in making it possible for SAA to participate in multiple screenings this year. Also, her seminar on Interview Skills have garnered much positive reviews, and promises to be a regular installment for future years.
- Dr. Calantoni who has taken on the role as Faculty Adviser to SAA OCA since Dr. Inverso's departure; she has been a most positive influence, and SAA continues to benefit from her guidance.

We would also like to welcome new faculty members:
- Dr. Jonette Owen, Coordinator of External Clinical Education
- Dr. Girija Sundar, heading the new Distance Learning Program soon to be implemented internationally
- Dr. Zorina Mikhelson, full time PEI Preceptor

New SAA Board Elected
Elections for the SAA OCA Board 2011 were held this past week, and the winners were announced during the Annual SAA Appreciation Dinner.

President-elect: Andy Lau, Class 2013
Vice President-elect: Kelly Flaherty, Class 2013
Treasurer-elect: Cheryl Barron, Class 2013
Secretary-elect: Anita Avila, Class 2013
Fund-raising chair: Kira Pozdnyakova, Class 2013

Good luck as they take on their new positions next year. Special thanks to the current board for making this year's SAA such a success.

Nov. 6 Screenings (Special Olympics, PA and Bharatiya Hindu Temple)

SAA would like to thank all those who served at one of the two screenings held on Saturday, November 6, 2010. The first screening was held at Villanova University, where members performed basic hearing screening on Healthy Athletes who participated in the Special Olympic Fall Games. We enjoyed the pleasure of working alongside colleagues from California University, PA in this endeavor, and look forward to working with them in the near future.



Salus University Students in attendance:
Emily McMahon
Stefanie Natelson
Anita Avila
Theresa Mamah
Latoya Shuler

Preceptor: Amanda Marchegiani, Au.D.


The second screening was held at the Bharatiya Hindu Temple in Chalfont PA as part of its Health and Human Services Program on Hearing and Vision. Coinciding with Dewali (the Festival of Lights), SAA members had the pleasure of screening upwards to 50 plus attendees to the festival in the span of two hours.


Students in attendance:
Becky Bacon
Dana McAdams
Diya Guo
Namrata Desai
Mariana Coleman
Brittany Panetta
Kristen Conley
Kamila Bome
AjaFatou Camera
Andy Lau

Preceptor: Radhika Aravamudhan, Ph.D.

For more information, please select one of the following links:
1) Special Olympic Fall Games at Villanova University(http://www.villanova.edu/studentlife/specialolympics/)
2) Bharatiya Cultural Hall in Chalfont PA (http://www.b-temple.org)

Dr. Rall on Interview Skills

Date: November 3rd, 2010
Time: 6:30 to 7:30pm
Venue: Board Room

SAA would like to thank Dr. Rall for delivering a most engaging lecture on interviewing techniques, and how to make ourselves stand out from other applicants.



Video recording to follow.

Walk4Hearing

Walk4Hearing was a success! The Osborne College of Audiology was able to raise money above their target. Thank you to all who have contributed, be it financially or in action.

Salus University SAA Raised $3052.00!!
Thank you to all who raised money.
Amann, Casey: $340.00
Avila, Anita $165.00
Bacon, Rebecca $320.00
Bonanno, Ashley $120.00
Camara, Fatou:$15.00
Conley, Kristen: $130.00
Dabrowski, Tricia: $280.00
Deputy, Kelsey: $15.00
Desai, Namrata: $146.00
Mamah, Theresa:$55.00
Mariello-Baiada, Lisa: $110.00
Mott, Abby: $150.00
Myers, Megan:$541.00
Panetta, Brittany: $15.00
SAA, OCA:$515.00
Salemi, Lisa: $30.00
Schenk, Megan: $15.00
Schultz, Sarah: $45.00
Stoneman, Kalie: $30.00
Zamani, Darius: $15.00

OCA SAA Meet and Greet with National SAA Chair

Hello everyone,

Members of SAA OCA enjoyed a unique opportunity last evening to meet with Ryan Bullock, current President of National SAA, via WebEx. Through the web interaction, Ryan was able to learn a bit more about our chapter; and it was definitely encouraging to hear his insights.

It was a historical meeting, and we hope to have many more of them in the near future. On behalf of the SAA board, thank you to all who attended. A special thanks to Ryan and the National SAA board for all that they do.

Car Wash

The Car Wash on September 17, 2010 went smoothly.

Special thanks to the following students for their participation


Ashley Bonano
Abby Mott
Becky Bacon
Natalie (friend of Becky's)
Brittany Panetta
Diya Guo
Fatou Camara
Kamila Bome
Kristen Conley
Lisa (Kira) Salemi
Namrta Desai
Sarah Kate Deatrich
Emily McMahan
Kimberly Otero
Andy Lau

We would also like thank Mr. Robert Coxhead from Physical Plant who made this possible; and to all who donated.

Senior audiologist at CHoP on role of an audiologist in Cleft Palate Management Team

On behalf of SAA - OCA Chapter, we would like to thank Maria Hetlinger, Au.D., CCC-A, Senior Audiologist at CHoP, for her time on September 8, 2010. Dr. Hetlinger gave a lecture on cleft palates, and what an audiologist's role is in a team of specialists aimed at treating or managing patients with cleft palate. Her experience and insight has been most illuminating. Recording from the lecture will be posted shortly, for now, please find below her presentation.




ps. if you would like a copy of this presentation, or presentations from previous seminars, please do not hesitate to contact us at saa@salus.edu

Wake me up when September ends... oh wait, no, there are events you can't miss!

September 8th, 2010: 6pm @ Boardroom
Dr. Maria Hetlinger, Senior Audiologist at CHOP, will be speaking about Audiologist's role in treating patients with Cleft Palates. If you cannot be there physically but can be there via webex, let us know so we can set you up.


September 20th, 2010: 7:00pm @Boardroom
General SAA meeting and Meet and greet with President of National SAA, Ryan Bullock via WebEx.
Important that all SAA members attend. We will be telling you about reimbursing you for AAA membership. You will get FULL reimbursement:) So please come to find out more. If you can't be there, please let us know so that we can keep you updated.

September 25th, 2010: Walk 4 Hearing

Pending events:
- Car Wash
- Hearing Screening at Dreshner PA

Join the Salus University team at the walk4hearing!!

Steps to be walker:
1.) go to this site: http://hlaa.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=walk_home_page
2.) click on "find a walker or team"
3.) click on "find a team"
4.) In the search bar, type in "salus university"
5.)click "join a team"
6.)Type in "Salus University" in the Team name search bar.
7.) click on "join"

SAA Icebreaker Picnic

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to thank those that attended the SAA picnic. We hope every one had a good time and got the chance to get to know each other, or at least have a good start towards a beautiful friendship.

I also want to specifically thank Emily McMahan in leading out in getting the details together, and purchasing all the food needed to feed every one. Stefanie Natleson also helped Emily with the food so I'd like to thank her.

And lastly I'd like to thank Dean Bray for providing us with some financial support towards this picnic.

Theresa Mamah
President, SAA OCA Chapter

HLAA Walk-4-Hearing Kick off event

HLAA held a kick off event on August 8th. A third year student, Daniel Gibbons attended this event and said he had a great time, he brought back posters and brochures to share with the students at school. Thank you for attending the event Daniel!

HLAA states that there are three main reasons to hold a kickoff event before a walkathon which are listed below.

1. To gather as many confirmed and likely potential supporters of the walk together at one time to get them excited about the Walk and motivated to support it.
2. To give these supporters some basic training on how to use the materials they will receive at the kickoff to organize a team of walkers to participate in the walk and to raise money for the walk.
3. To distribute the walk materials (primarily a walk team captain instruction folder, walk posters and walker money collection envelopes) to the volunteers in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

The Salus Group is being created, we will keep you updated once we have it up.

Dr. Merenda from the Delaware County Intermediate Unit speaks to SAA

Thank you to Dr. Merenda for speaking to us about Educational Audiology. The video of her talk will be posted on our google group.

Thank you to all that attended the talk, please take a minute of your time and answer the 3 question survey that was sent to you through the saa email on August 4th.

Chillis Fundraiser

SAA thanks all that chose to eat at Chillis on Today. 10% of your meal price was given to SAA so thank you very much for your support.

Children and Youth Festival and Health Fair

When: Sat Jul 24 10am – 2pm
Where: The Masonic Temple on North Broad St

Thank you to Nicole Deweese, Katherine Steinhafel, Megan Myers, Andy Lau, Kelly Flaherty, Stefanie Natelson and Dr. Yell Inverso for giving their time to the community attending the Health Fair.

Hearing Awareness

SAA appreciates Alison Stich and Megan Myers for giving their time and advocating for hearing protection to people visiting the Keswik Theater for music concerts.

Car Wash

Thank you to Andy Lau, Theresa Mamah, Latoya Shuler, Megan Myers, Stefanie Natelson, Amber Rosen, Anita Avila and Emily Mccman and friends for volunteering their time to wash cars for this fundraiser.

We want to thank every one else who stopped by to get their car washed thank you for your support!

More pictures are linked in the blog album through Picasa

SAA 1st General Meeting

SAA at OCA hosted its first general meeting today since its transition from NAFDA. President Theresa Mamah a reports on the progress made by SAA over the past few months. Members were also informed of future plans, and what the SAA board aims to achieve in the future.

While this meeting heralds a new era for SAA and a cause for much celebration, it is nonetheless marred by the fact that we must bid farewell to our Faculty Advisor, Dr. Yell Inverso, whose mentorship has been invaluable to us over the years. Dr. I., you will be missed. We wish you the very best in your next endeavor. You will always have a special place here at the OCA Chapter. Thank you for your dedication, your guidance, and your continual involvement in creating better leaders in the field of audiology.

Dr. Kelly Austin's visit

Dr. Kelly Austin from Oticon graced us with her presence this past Wednesday, and gave a wonderful lecture entitled "So You Wanna be an Audiologist" detailing some of the perks of being in the field of audiology specifically the Industrial aspect of the feild.

Guest lecturer series

Hello everyone,

Here is the tentative schedule of guest lectures coming to present at Osborne College of Audiology. Be sure to save the dates!

July 7th at Noon- Dr. Randi Pogash and Dr. Kelly Austin from Oticon will be speaking to us about Industrial Audiology. The food wont be Pizza or sandwiches this time! We will have a Pasta Bar, Fruit salad, cookies and drinks available!:)

August 4th at Noon- Dr. Irene Marenda, an Educational Audiologist from the Delaware County Intermediate Unit will be speaking to us about Educational Audiology.

September 8th in the evening after class- Dr. Maria Hetlinger, Senior Audiologist at CHOP will be speaking to us about Audiologists role in treating patients with Cleft Paletes.

October- SAA invited Dr. Barry Freeman and Dr. Jerry Northern to speak about the future of Audiology. More details on this will be given later since the University is involved with this event.

See you there.

PA State Representative Mike Gerber's Senior Health Fair

Salus University was invited to share their knowledge of audiology at the Senior Citizen Health Fair hosted by State Representative Mike Gerber. This event was held on June 17th. Special thanks to Megan Schenk, Megan Myers, and Theresa Mamah for volunteering their time at this event.

Special Olympics NJ 2010

The New Jersey Special Olympics was held on June 13 and 14, 2010 at The College of New Jersey. Salus University and Montclair University came together for this great cause. The children really enjoyed learning about ways to protect their hearing. SAA would like to thank Heidi, Megan, and Theresa for volunteering their time. We also would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Lisa Soslow from CHOP for inviting us to this event. We look forward to having more Salus University presence for the Fall Special Olympic Games held at Villanova University!

President of HLAA-Philadelphia Chapter

On June 9th, 2010, Carolyn Meyer (President of HLAA Philadelphia Chapter) and her colleague, Diana Bender, gave a lecture entitled "Things We Wish Our Audiologists Have Told Us", providing useful insights on how audiologists can better inform their patients with regards to resources and support.



To learn more about Hearing Loss Association of America, and how you can advocate for your patients, please visit: http://www.hearingloss.org.

Hearing Awareness Wrist Bands

Hello there,
Here are some pictures from our wristband sales this past week. Thank you to those who stopped by and purchased a wristband. For those of you who are interested in getting a wrist band, feel free to contact us at saa@salus.edu

Cheltenham Police Bike Rodeo

On May 1st 2010, four SAA members under the supervision of Dr. Eileen Rall went and performed hearing screening on 53 children at the Cheltenham Police Bike Rodeo. This event, held annually by the Cheltenham Police and Fire Department, attracts school-age children from all over Cheltenham and neighboring township to come and learn about bike safety. Salus University, formerly PCO, has a long history of participating in this event, providing vision hearing. This year, we have had the pleasure of joint venturing with the optometry students in providing vision and hearing screening to all participants ages ranging from 3 to 15 y.o. It is a legacy we hope to continue in the years to come as SAA becomes more involve with community outreach, and cross-modality screenings.

Thank you for all who attended, and especially to Dr. Rall for her expertise.

Stay tune for more pics to follow.

May is Better Hearing Month! Get your ear on!

Did you know...
1) Approximately 36 million Americans suffer from hearing loss.
2) More than half of the people with hearing loss are younger than age 65.
3) Hearing loss is the third most common health problem in the United States.
4) the stapes is the smallest bone in the human body. It is only 0.25 to 0.33 cm long [0.10 to 0.13 inches] and weighs only 1.9 to 4.3 milligrams
5) Exposure to noise level of 85 dB SPL or greater can put you at risk of noise induced hearing loss? Consider the following sounds then:
- 90 dB—Hair Dryers, blenders, and lawnmowers
- 100 dB—MP3 players at full volume
- 110 dB—Concerts (any music genre), car racing, and sporting events
- 120 dB—Jet planes at take off
- 130 dB—Ambulances
- 140 dB—Gun shots, fireworks, and custom car stereos at full volume
6) Fish do not have ears, but they can hear. They hear pressure changes through ridges on their bodies.
7) Crickets have their hearing organs in their knees.
8) Cats have amazing hearing ability. A cat's ear has 30 muscles that control the outer ear (by comparison, human ears only have six muscles). These muscles rotate 180 degrees, so the cat can hear in all directions without moving its head.
9) The word tragus originates from the Greek word tragos meaning male-goat because of the similarity to the tuft of hair that forms the goat's beard.
10) The color of an egg depends on the color of the hens ear lobe! Hens with white ear lobes lay white eggs. Hens with red ear lobes lay brown eggs. Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshires and Plymouth Rock chickens lay brown eggs. White Leghorns and Brown Leghorns lay white eggs.

Fourth year returns to share her experience

Felicia Stallings, Class of 2010 and fellow SAA member, returned to campus on March 29th, 2010 and gave an illuminating talk on her experience in intra-operative monitoring. We thank her for taking the time to come, and we are proud of her accomplishment.

Lions Club Screening on March 27th, 2010

SAA would like to thank everyone for a job well done at the Lion's Club Health Fair.
We would especially like to thank:
- Dr. Tricia Dabrowksi
- Theresa Mamah
- Megan Myers
- Andy Lau
- Kelly Flaherty
- Latoya Shuler
- Sarah Schultz
- Lisa Mariello
- Dan Gibbons
- Nicole Deweese
- Alison Stitch
- Darius Zamani
- Haley Askins
- Stefanie Natelson
- Casey Amann
- Shannon Stewart

Thank you for taking time out of your weekend to serve your community. Because of your efforts, SAA was well represented and much appreciated.

DVD Drive a Success!

Hello everyone,

On behalf of the SAA board, I would like to thank all of you who contributed to the DVD drive for the children in Kenya. Attached is a picture, as a display of their gratitude for your efforts.

Sincerely,
Latoya Shuler
SAA Treasurer 2010

DVD Drive

Hello All,
As some of you may know, a few students and a faculty member of the George S. Osborne College of Audiology here at Salus will be leaving in a few days- linking up with the HEARt of the Village organization to provide free basic hearing health care services through a philanthropy mission in Kenya. These services will be provided to children living in group homes, whose families were effected by HIV.

Although the children have limited resources, they were at some point given a computer, an old projector, and a few DVDs. They have been using those resources to have huge movie nights, using the computer to play the movies and projecting it onto a wall. Although it doesn't seem like much to us I'm certain it's the highlight of their week. There are also children that are constantly medically monitored who have received donations of portable DVD players, to enjoy movies because they can not join the others in the corporate movie nights. As an additional gift to all of the children, the Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) will be collecting and donating child friendly DVDs until Friday February 19, 2010 in the area near the cafe. We are asking: if you have any child friendly DVDs, please join us in giving to these children by placing it in the box entitled SAA DVD Drive near the cafe.

For more information on this mission visit:
www.nyumbani.org
www.heartofthevillage.org

Thank you in advance for your help!
Sincerely,

Latoya Shuler
AuD Class of 2012
SAA Treasurer 2010