GSDM Makes Waves at 2016 Yankee Dental Congress
From Jan. 28-31, the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center was abuzz during the 41st annual Yankee Dental Congress (YDC), the largest dental meeting in New England, and the third largest meeting in the United States. The convention drew thousands of dental professionals from around the region, and featured hundreds of dental continuing education courses, lectures and events. Representatives of Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) joined the hundreds of exhibitors in the center.
During the three days of the 41st Annual YDC, hundreds of alumni, students, residents, faculty and staff visited the GSDM booth, which featured the always popular alumni lounge—a place for alumni to sit, relax and enjoy refreshments. “I’m always excited to see the alumni who stop by year after year and help make our booth so much fun,” said Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Ms. Stacey McNamee.
Descriptions of some of the many activities and events members of the GSDM community participated in are below.
Pre-doctoral Research Poster Presentations
Three GSDM students presented posters during YDC’s pre-doctoral research poster session, which took place on Saturday, January 30, 2016. The three student presenters were:
- Megan Sullivan DMD 18, “The Root of the Problem: Occurrence of Typical and Atypical Periapical Pathologies,” with Dr. Vikki Noonan, Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Oral Pathology in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and the Division of Oral Pathology; and Dr. George Gallagher, Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, and Head of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology.
- Jasmine Khedkar AS 17, “Introducing the Next Level in Ethics: Understanding Cultural Diversity,” with Dr. Larry Dunham, Director of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry.
- Manisha Pradhan AS 17, “Oral and Dental Healthcare among Children in Foster Care and Out-of-Home Placements: Exploring the Practice and Perspectives of Child Protection Workers,” with Mona C. S. Schatz of the University of Wyoming.
Sullivan was declared the winner of the pre-doctoral research poster session, which featured posters from several other students from regional dental schools.
Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter remarked, “I would like to congratulate Ms. Megan Sullivan for winning the YDC pre-doctoral research poster session. Her research certainly required her to go above and beyond, and I am happy to see her rewarded as the winner of the session.”
She will again present her poster at the 2016 Annual Session of the American Association of Dental Research in March 2016 in Denver.
GSDM Student Debate Team
Two GSDM DMD students participated in a student debate on Saturday, January 30 that involved all five schools from District One of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) as well as one team consisting of pre-dental students.
The GSDM debate team consisted of Asia Yip DMD 19 and Ashish Agarwal AS 17. Also assisting with the coordination of the GSDM debate team were Monica Schmidt DMD 17, John Barrett DMD 17, and McAllister Castelaz DMD 17.
The GSDM team debated a team from the University of New England (UNE) about whether affordability or access is the greatest barrier to receiving care in underserved and rural communities. While the GSDM debate team took home the top prize in 2015, the team in 2016 was not able to move into the final round of this year’s debate which was won by the UNE team.
ACD Student Leadership Award
On Saturday, Jan. 30, GSDM DMD 16 student Matt Mara received a special award at the 41st annual YDC. Mara received the American College of Dentists New England Section’s Outstanding Student Leader Award. While Mara was not able to attend because he was in Guatemala on a dental service externship, his parents accepted the award from Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter on his behalf.
Both Dean Hutter and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry, Assistant Dean of Students, and Director of Geriatric Dental Medicine Dr. Joseph Calabrese congratulated Mara’s parents on his accomplishments.
Student Volunteers
From Jan. 28-30 a total of 19 DMD students, AS students, and students in the Preceptor Program, volunteered their time at a special booth in the exhibit hall to provide information to conference-goers about HIV. The GSDM student volunteers joined students from other Boston-area dental and dental hygiene schools as well as staff from GSDM and the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC).
The event was coordinated by the BPHC HIV Dental Program, which offers education, dental referrals, and advocacy for people with HIV/AIDS. In addition, the BPHC HIV Dental Program gives students an opportunity to learn more about issues related to HIV/AIDS. The program has provided an educational exhibit on HIV/AIDS oral health issues and infection control at YDC for 18 years.
GSDM Volunteers handed out information packets, talked to visitors, and assisted in collecting consumables to donate to programs for people living with HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts.
Clinical Instructor Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research and Oral Health Promotion Director Ms. Kathy Lituri Ms. Kathy Lituri said, “The students had a great on-site experience and left knowing a little more about HIV and oral health. They were able to spend time with people living with HIV/AIDS, and learn firsthand about the oral health issues they encounter. Thank you for all of your efforts.”
The GSDM volunteers were Chiho Ahn, DMD 17; Chiyoon Ahn, AS 17; Ali Alrubaye, Preceptor Program 16; John Barrett, DMD 17; Aashima Chopra, Preceptor Program 16; Jaehyuk Choi, DMD 18; Tamara Gordon, DMD 18; Tripti Gupta, AS 17; Syed Iqba, Preceptor Program 16; Navtej Kang, AS 16; Jin K Lee, DMD 16; Pooja Palaksha, AS 17; Krupa Patel, Preceptor Program 16; Paulomi Salvi, Preceptor Program 16; Mansi Shah, AS 17; Kushan Shah, AS 17; Chandini Shaikh, DMD 19; Priyanka Sheshagri, Preceptor Program 16; Bhandal Sukhmandeep, AS 17; Parnian Paymozd Yazdi, DMD 17; Moaz Zarbarakji GPH volunteer.
Team Smile Volunteering & Leadership Institute Graduation
Team Smile and the MDS Foundation (The charitable arm of the Massachusetts Dental Society) joined forces to host a free dental clinic on Jan. 28 and 29 at the 41st Annual YDC. The Team Smile Clinic offered free dental services including triage, X-ray, filling, sealant, prophylaxis and oral health education to underserved Boston area children. A total of 24 members of the GSDM community volunteered at this special dental clinic.
The free dental clinic was set up at the YDC exhibit hall. It contained multiple dental chairs and a large supply of dental instruments that allowed volunteers to perform dental work under OSHA, HIPAA and Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry guidelines.
The goal of Team Smile is to communicate the idea that oral health care is vitally important to long-term health by developing a bond between children’s organizations, oral health professionals, surrounding communities, and professional sports organizations.
Boston Red Sox mascot Wally the Green Monster and New England Patriots mascot, Pat Patriot, along with New England Patriots cheerleaders were there to cheer up the children receiving oral health care.
While the event was organized by Team Smile and the MDS, three GSDM community members had a large role in planning the School’s involvement in the Team Smile event. They are Dr. Pelly Chang, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry; Dr. Eleni Kanasi, Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry and the Department of Periodontology, and Practice Leader in the Pre-doctoral Patient Treatment Center; and Dr. Annetty Soto, Geriatric Dental Medicine Fellow PGY2.
The three GSDM community members helped recruit the 24 GSDM volunteers who were stationed at the Team Smile clinic. They did this as part of the requirements of the two-year-long MDS Leadership Institute, which requires participants to attend four half-day meetings, and serve on a special ad hoc committee in which they work toward resolving an issue affecting the dental profession.
At YDC, Dr Chang, Dr. Kanasi and Dr. Soto all received plaques honoring their completion of the Massachusetts Dental Society’s Leadership Institute, and their dedication to the profession.
Dr. Chang said she is especially thankful to Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter and Dr. Celeste Kong for their presence at both the Team Smile Clinic and the Leadership Institute Graduation Ceremony.
Dr. Chang also praised the assistance of Dr. Celeste Kong, Professor and Chair Department of General Dentistry; Dr. Joseph Calabrese, Assistant Dean of Students, and Director of Geriatric Dental Medicine; and Dr. David Russell, Assistant Dean for Patient Care, and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry.
Student volunteers at Team Smile:
Sultan Basha, AS 17; Grace Hannawi, AS 17; Vaibhav Jagad, AS 17. Mohammad Khan, AS 17; Jasmine Khedkar, AS 17; Bart Knowles, DMD 19; Bhoomi Kotak, AS 17; Jignesh Rudani, AS 17; Maedeh Sedaghati, AS 17; Megha Shah, Preceptor Program 16; Rohan Shah, AS 17.
Faculty volunteers at Team Smile:
Dr. Pelly Chang, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry; Dr. David Dano, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry and Practice Leader in the Pre-doctoral Patient Treatment Center; Dr. Simran Grover, Clinical Instructor in the Department of General Dentistry; Dr. Roxana Hashemian, Clinical Instructor in the Department of General Dentistry; Antoine Hraiz, Clinical Instructor in the Department of General Dentistry; Dr. Eleni Kanasi, Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry and the Department of Periodontology, and Practice Leader in the Pre-doctoral Patient Treatment Center; Dr. Waleerat Kaweevisaltrakul, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry, and Practice Leader in the Pre-doctoral Patient Treatment Center; Dr. Theodore Markos, Clinical Associate in the Department of General Dentistry; Dr. Dmitry Merzon, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry; Dr. Debra Pan, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry, and Director of the Pre-Doctoral Preclinical Remediation Program; Dr. Parvis Sadooghi, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry; Dr. Cameron Shahbazian, Clinical Instructor in the Department of General Dentistry; Dr. Athanasios Zavras, Professor and Chair in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry.
Continuing Education
Representatives of Continuing Education (CE) at GSDM were also present on the YCD exhibit floor throughout the conference.
“Attending Yankee Dental Congress was very beneficial for CE. We had the opportunity to promote our Continuing Education program and conduct a short survey to gauge what kind of courses dentists, hygienists, dental assistants, and office staff are looking for,” said Business Manager of Continuing Education Ms. Stephanie Grignet.
“We plan to incorporate the results into our future course offerings,” she said.
In addition, members of CE utilized the conference to learn more about the dental market, and meet potential speakers for courses. They also built relationships with dental companies and local dental associations, along with GSDM alumni.
John Golden Award
On Wednesday, Jan. 27, Dr. John Carl McManama, Professor in the Department of General Dentistry, received the John Golden Award at the 41st Annual YDC Presidential Awards Ceremony and Reception, which took place at the Plaza Ballroom in the Seaport Hotel. This award is in recognition of Dr. McManama’s extraordinary service to the Yankee Dental Congress organization over the past 15 years most recently serving as Yankee Dental Congress General Chair.
The following GSDM faculty and alumni played a large role in organizing and arranging this year’s YDC, Dr. Kathy Alikhani, DMD 88, Endo 90; Dr. Charles Badaoui, DMD 89; Dr. Nathan Birnbaum Pros 74; Dr. Courtney Brady DMD 11; Dr. Gennaro Cataldo; Dr. Pelly Chang, DMD 89; Dr. Nicholas Dello Russo, Perio 72; Dr. Mark Doherty, Jr., Endo 05; Dr. Gerard Dorato; Dr. Debbie Eisen, CAS 84, DMD 88; Dr. Mark Ferriero; Dr. John Fiore, DMD 89, AEGD 90; Dr. Paula Friedman, DPH 88, MPH 00; Dr. John Guarente, DMD 89; Dr. Harish Gulati, PGOE 05; Dr. Deedee Gurin, DMD 97; Dr. Dennis Jodoin, DMD 95, Perio 98; Dr. Suneel Kandru, Endo 07; Dr. Zachary Kano, DMD 96; Samer Khayat, Pros 04, Endo 08; Dr. Iman Labib, DMD 96; Endo 01; Dr. David Lustbader, CAS 86, DMD 86; Dr. Carl McManama; Dr. Debra Pan, MsC 86, DMD 01; Dr. Mina Paul, SPH 97; Dr. Gustavo Perdomo, Pros 85, DMD 99; Dr. Sean Rayment, DMD 97, DSc 00; Dr. Jared Reid, DMD 04; Ms. Leila Joy Rosenthal; Dr. Ronni Schnell, DMD 81; D. Maryam Shomali, CAS 87, Endo 93; Dr. Richard Short, CAS 76, DMD 82; Dr. Lakshmi Thalanki, DMD 88, Ortho 02; Dr. Mark Wang, DMD 94; and Dr. Howard Zolot, Perio 85.
The following GSDM faculty and alumni gave courses at YCD, Dr. Neal Fleisher, DMD 84, Perio 86; Dr. Ronald Fried, DMD 83; Dr. Anita Gohel; Dr. Sheldon Itzkowitz, Perio 92, AEGD 94; Dr. Judith Jones, DPH 00, DSc 02; Dr. Elliot Kronstein, Pros 77; Dr. Bing Liu DMD ’03, DSC ’90; Dr. Carl McManama; Dr. Gigi Meinecke, DMD 88; Dr. Ronni Schnell, DMD 81; Ms. Mary Ellen Sholes, MET 78; Dr. Richard Short, CAS 76, DMD 82; and Dr. Linda Vidone, DMD 93, AEGD 94, Perio 97.
Photos are available on Facebook and Flickr.
Story submitted by GSDM Communications.