Message from the Dean: March Alumni Newsletter

The Doisy College of Health Sciences, Saint Louis University and the entire world find ourselves in an extreme time of ambiguity due to the COVID-19 virus. At a point in which we can feel like we have control over so little, the most important aspect of life that we can influence now is how we react to the challenges before us.

It was crucial that SLU worked quickly to transition in-class learning to online learning so students could remain at home and continue their semester while practicing social distancing. We needed to accomplish this, though, without compromising the quality education students expect from a SLU education. We are aIso working tirelessly to ensure that our students who were actively engaged in their clinical practicums have timely and appropriate opportunities to completed these efforts, although much is yet to be determined.  I want to commend our university leadership for being an example of forward-thinking in trying times. I want to commend our faculty and staff for being nimble and perseverant in quickly transitioning classes to an online format mid-semester. I want to commend our students for being understanding and open-minded in truly unprecedented times.  Lastly, I want to commend our alumni, many of whom are on the frontline in healthcare fields, courageously fighting this invisible enemy. Thank you all!

In a message to the university, President Pestello reminded us that St. Ignatius and his first companions saw themselves as “communitas ad dispersionem” – a community in dispersion. While our current circumstances separate us, we are called to be united. We are One SLU, and we will be here for one another during these difficult times.

Take good care of yourselves and your loved ones, and remember that your Billiken family is always thinking of you.

Kind regards,
Mardell A. Wilson, EdD, RDN, LDN