Salus University has graduated the first three students to complete its PhD/MSc research degree programs in biomedicine:
- Danielle Leong, OD, PhD (2016)
- Mitchell Scheiman, OD, PhD (2016)
- Michael Baertschi, MSc, PhD (2015)
The University established the degree programs in 2012. They’re designed to be responsive to the professional growth and development needs in the disciplines of optometry, audiology, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, physician assistant studies, and rehabilitation and related fields. The PhD and MSc graduate research degree programs in biomedicine are distinct in that they’re designed for working professionals. Students can remain embedded in their current community and professional positions while enrolled. Using this distributed training model, students take courses online and are linked to successful research laboratories with established mentors in their local communities.
The program was initiated to meet the growing need for faculty with PhD degrees both domestically and internationally and is an excellent opportunity for mid-level, full-time optometric faculty to obtain a PhD or MSc degree while maintaining their position at their current institution.