OPT Visionary - Spring/Summer 2013

THE V ISIONARY • S PRING /S UMMER 2013 — 4 The conclusion of another academic year al- ways brings my thoughts to graduation, which involves students from our seven Health Profes- sions Division (HPD) colleges making their rites of passage as they confidently progress to the next phase of their careers. I think the graduation process has taken on a greater significance for me this year due to the public’s knowledge that the country is in the midst of a dramatic shortage of health care profession- als. Although many articles, columns, and TV news programs have addressed the dilemma of a growing shortfall of physicians, nursing profession- als, and pharmacists, it’s really the entire com- pendium of health care professionals that we’re talking about. As the shortage grows, the general public in- creasingly will be seeking the availability and ex- pertise of qualified health care professionals to obtain the medical services needed to sustain and prolong life. In addition, patients are realizing that issues related to wellness and prevention need to be dealt with through discussions and interactions with qualified and educated professionals. What you have now is a U.S. population keenly attentive to the ongoing debates and discussions about the Affordable Care Act. As a result, people care about one central issue: “Who is going to take care of me?” People are living longer due to sci- ence, research, and technology. Similarly, their ability to access medical information through the Internet and various social media platforms has made them more aware of topics related to their health and well-being. As much as I’m an old-fash- ioned individual who still reads newspapers and books, the bottom line is the bulk of our community now receives information from a range of sources that were not available to earlier generations. As a result, people are becoming more acutely aware that they need health care professionals to help them maintain healthy and active lifestyles. With all due respect to the numerous nursing homes and assisted living facilities that exist, most people don’t even want to contemplate the idea of residing in a long-term care facility or being cared for by strangers. They simply want to be independent individuals living in their tradi- tional environments. As many of you may already know, Florida is the epicenter for what I would call the new para- digm of life and culture continuance. The state has the largest percentage of residents over the age of 75 of any state in the union. However, if these individuals would look at their original lifespan ta- bles when they first bought insurance when they were 20 years old, the charts predicted the aver- age American would live to be about 62. But that’s certainly not the case anymore. Based on what I have just discussed, you can understand why I’m so prideful of our graduates, many of whom already received their hard-earned diplomas on May 19 at the HPD Commencement Ceremony held at the BB&T Center in Sunrise. We witnessed 216 qualified osteopathic medical stu- dents make the successful transition from students to physicians, who will now build on their NSU ed- ucation during their residency training experiences. We also graduated knowledgeable pharma- cists that are immediately impacting not only the distribution but the knowledge base of pharma- ceutical information and cooperation with the var- ious health care professions. The same goes for our graduating optometrists, who are now the pri- mary care interveners in eye care, and our highly skilled dental graduates, who will be making a positive impact on dental health care locally, na- tionally, and internationally. You’re also going to see many other qualified individuals, such as our physician assistant, nursing, occupational ther- apy, physical therapy, and audiology students, positively impact their future patients once they graduate in August. As I previously mentioned, graduation season always makes me feel very warm inside. I am proud that I have the honor to provide assistance to our deans as well as the faculty and staff mem- bers who provide exemplary education and able assistance to the students and graduates who will in turn provide their patients with compassionate and comprehensive medical care. When you think of it from a pure numbers per- spective, NSU’s Health Professions Division is en- hancing the quality of life for the people of Florida—and the nation—due to the large number of health care professionals that have or soon will be receiving their diplomas. Chancellor’s Communiqué By Fred Lippman, R.Ph., Ed.D. Health Professions Division Chancellor “...NSU’s Health Professions Division is enhancing the quality of life for the people of Florida—and the nation...”