GSDM Students Get Their Point Across; Defeat Tufts in Dental Debate
On Friday, February 12, the Boston University Chapter of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) participated in a debate against Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. The debate was sponsored by the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) and included an introductory speech by guest speaker and GSDM Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives Dr. Paula Friedman.
Debate topics were as follows:
- Mid-level providers
- PGY1 (residency) vs. national licensing exams
- Pass/fail vs scored Board exams
The GSDM team was coached by Dr. Friedman and included students Mike Visser DMD 10, Brandon Johnson DMD 10, Heather Parsons DMD 11, and Dhara Shah DMD 13. More than 80 students, faculty, and staff members from GSDM and Tufts attended the debate, which was judged by a faculty member from each school and a MDS representative.
After a great deal of knowledgeable back and forth between the schools, GSDM was announced as the winner. The debate was followed by a tour of Tufts’ new vertical expansion and a reception.
“Congratulations to the student debate winners,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “Their knowledge of the debate topics is commendable and this event served as an excellent opportunity for our students to interact with their peers at Tufts while brushing up on current topics in dental medicine.”