GKAS • Ian Libberman

D1 Daddy • Mission

Dentists’ Day on The Hill

NSU ASDA Chapter Newsletter

Winter 2015

NOVAcaineNewsA student newsletter published by the Nova Southeastern chapter of the American Student Dental Association

PresidentJohn Aylmer ‘16

Communications ChairKalynn Foster ‘18

EditorPreston Hansen ‘17

Special ThanksWade McDaniel ‘17

Cover: Florida State

Capitol Building.

If you have any

comments or suggestions

or would like to write an

article for NOVAcaine News,

please contact Kalynn Foster

at kf683@nova.edu.

In this Issue...

4 Give Kids a Smile

6 Denitstry Abroad

8 Bowling for Ethics

11Making the Jump

12Dentists’ Day on the Hill

14D1 and a Daddy

16Member Spotlight

Find NSU ASDA on Social Mediafacebook.com/nsuasdayoutube.com/nsuasda@nsuasda #nsuasda

Letter from the Editor

Preston Hansen‘17

When I was told I was going

to be the go to guy for NSU ASDA’s

websi te and newslet ter I thought i t was

a joke. With no previous knowledge or

exper ience I t rudged along. Now that the

newslet ter is almost complete and ASDA’s

websi te beginning to be updated I feel I

have come to have a greater appreciat ion

for p icking up a new ski l l . I t took me back

to my f i rst year here at NSU. I had no

idea what I was doing but wi th the r ight

instruct ion and pract ice I am now ready

to enter the c l in ic. I am looking forward to

learning al l that I can.

Over the past semester NSU ASDA

has been busy. The winter term was

kicked off wi th a bang, ASDA held i ts f i rst

back-to-school BBQ. Members, f r iends,

and fami ly came out to enjoy their t ime

before school got crazy again. Also,

winter term holds a couple events that

are always a huge success. The biggest

and most rewarding event is NSU’s Give

Kids a Smile, an event

giv ing to fami l ies

that cannot afford

dental care for their

chi ldren; hundreds

of k ids are seen and

thousands of dol lars

given. Another event

dur ing the winter term is Dent ists ’ Day on

the Hi l l , a chance for ASDA members to

explore their pol i t ical s ide by lobbying for

the profession. A number of NSU ASDA

members gave up their spr ing breaks to

at tend. These events along with many

others make NSU ASDA a success.

To stay up to date wi th everything

ASDA related please vis i t www.nsuasda.

com, facebook.com/nsuasda, and

instagram.com/nsuasda. I t is my hope

that you enjoy th is newslet ter and

you cont inue to support NSU ASDA in

everything i t does for our student body.

.

The Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) event has been held

annually for the past 11 years. It has become one of

Florida’s premier service campaigns, despite a diffi-

cult past. A few years ago, legal issues suspended our

event. Over 100 dental students attended the pivotal

town hall meeting headed by Amanda Buscemi, a

former GKAS Coordinator, and the University’s Pres-

ident, Dr. George Hanbury. Their dedication saved

this community service opportunity from permanent

hiatus! With this fighting spirit, we have carried on

with continued success.

Children, aged 2-18, come mainly from the Boys

& Girls Clubs in Broward County. Kelly and I, this

year’s coordinators, felt that these children would

benefit most from our care. With our GKAS team of

30, we set out to recruit patients. Last year alone, we

were able to provide dental care to over 320 children

with a total of $115,797.00 services provided. And

this year, we yielded very similar results, and even

expanded treatment to special needs patients.

We are determined to provide less fortunate children

in our community with the dental care they need and

deserve. Our pediatric dental program was awarded

the Patriot Grant, which allows these children the op-

portunity to continue dental treatment with the resi-

dents at Nova Southeastern. Over 194 children have

been referred for the Patriot Grant, which provides a

maximum of $200,000.00 in dental services.

With a clown, face painter, balloon artist, DJ, and a

cast of characters from Elsa and Anna to the Trans-

formers, the children couldn’t be more at ease. The

Miami Dolphins cheerleaders and HEAT dancers cer-

by Jae Berman ‘15

A Smile Worth Giving By: Adam Saltz ‘17

tainly woke up the parents in waiting. Children were

more accepting of dental treatment. We have seen

some families for years on end because of this atten-

tion to detail.

GKAS has improved cultural com-

petency for students by establishing

a baseline tolerance for the diverse

communities that we treat. Patients

come from a variety of backgrounds,

speaking languages and practic-

ing traditions unaccustomed to us.

Our work with these demographics

improves our cultural awareness,

teaching us how to better accom-

modate the needs of other ethnic

groups. It also provides a unique

opportunity to work on pediatric patients and develop

behavioral management skills.

We are striving to become a model for other dental

schools both as a structural basis for student leader-

ship, and more notably, for community outreach. We

worked with the

Lake Eerie College

of Osteopathic

Medicine School

of Dental Medi-

cine to help start

a program of their

own using ours as

a template. Next

year, we hope

to represent the

American Den-

tal Association (ADA) as their annual GKAS kick-off

event.

Our program serves as a platform for the advocacy of

the lack of access to care. While it only eliminates the

cultural, geographic, and financial barriers that day,

it raises awareness for these central

issues. Throughout the year, our

students continue to visit schools

in the surrounding areas to edu-

cate them on the value of good oral

hygiene. Here, they reinforce what

was learned at GKAS, and even offer

a toothbrush-toothpaste starter kit

to take home. We are proud to have

received the 2014 ADA Foundation

Dental School Student Community

Leadership Award for these ongoing

efforts.

Overall, GKAS provides a new perspective to attend-

ing patients on the value of a dental home. The Patri-

ot Grant has allowed these children to continue with

treatment with our on-site pediatric dental residents.

This event does not serve as a one-day cure-all, but

instead, ex-

poses parents

and children

to the severity

of their dental

needs and the

value of proper

home care and

hygiene. Their

commitment

to our program

marks a para-

digm shift in how our community sees dentistry. We

can’t wait to see you next year!

Den

tistr

y Abr

oad

D2, D3, and D4 Students with NSU faculty ready to give their all for those who do not have access to dental

care in The Dominican Republic.

During spring break, over twenty-five Nova Dental students went to the Dominican

Republic to provide dental care to five different local neighborhoods in San Fransico

de Macoris. Partnering up with the Universisdad Catolica Nordestana, we were able to

perform over seven hundred procedures to improve and repair the local’s oral health. During

our trip we were able to not only provide patients with restorative and surgical procedures

but also provided them with fluoride treatment, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. However

these finite tangible gifts were nothing compared to giving them the proper knowledge in

oral hygiene which will last them the rest of their lives.

Having an interest in family dentistry, I was thrilled that we had the opportunity to

treat entire families at one of the sites. Being able to treat members of the family of all ages,

from a two year old who needed fluoride treatment to her grandmother who needed a deep

cleaning, in the same day allowed me to gain a great variety of valuable clinical experience.

Although it is true we did do a lot for them, that did not compare to what we received in

return. I distinctly remember some of our patient’s offering us coconuts or sincere hugs

in return for what we had done for them, but they made it clear that what we had done for

them was worth more to them than anything that they could give us. There were even times

where our patients became emotional. They were so grateful for us relieving their pain, but

at the same time they were torn because they knew that they couldn’t repay us. However,

for me that didn’t matter, because the joy and fulfillment that I received from knowing that I

was able to do something to help someone and had someone’s infinite gratitude is priceless.

This trip was a great experience and I would highly recommend it to others. I learned so

much this entire week and made memories for a lifetime! MACHUCA

By: Alexis Otero ‘17

Den

tistr

y Abr

oad

Bowling for Ethics

ASDA Student Code of Ethics

The right of a dentist to professional status rests in the knowledge, skill and experience with which she/he serves her/his patients and society. Every dentist should strive to continuously improve his/her knowledge of ethics in order to help achieve higher levels of patient care. These foundational ethical values will serve as a guideline throughout the dentist’s career, from predoctoral student to fully credentialed professional.

The American Student Dental Association (ASDA) recognizes the importance of high ethical standards in the dental school setting. Therefore, the Association believes students should conduct themselves in a manner re-flecting integrity and fairness in both the didactic and clinical learning environments. The code outlined below relates most directly to the dental school environment. To gain a more expansive understanding of ethics in practice, please see the ADA Code of Ethics.

The following is the American Student Dental Association Code of Ethics:

I. Dental Student ConductA. All dental students are obligated to maintain high standards of moral and ethical behavior and to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. This applies to the classroom, clinic, laboratory, and other institutional facilities; externships, community service, or meetings of professional organizations.B. Ethical and professional behavior by dental students is characterized by honesty, fairness, and integrity in all professional circumstances; respect for the rights, differences, and property of others; concern for the wel-fare of patients, competence in the delivery of care, and preservation of confidentiality in all situations where this is warranted.C. All dental students are obligated to report unethical activity and violations of the honor code to the appro-priate body at the school.

by Amandeep Chadda ‘17

The College of Dental Medicine competed in the ninth annual HPD Ethics Bowl. Congratulations to our team

members for getting to the semi-final round. Coached by Dr. David Boden, our team members were Douglas

Edwards, Amandeep Chadda, Russell Kotch, William Kotkin, and Ryan Whelen. Thank you Dr. Bob Seltzer,

Dr. Vic Rampertaap, Dr. Michael Siegel, Ms. Linnette Fodor and Mr. Anthony Martinez for judging and moder-

ating.

The Ethics Bowl is built on the belief that to be an ethical thinker, you’ve got to be open to a diverse range of

views. This means appreciating the concerns of others, and making a real attempt to understand their views-

even when they’re unclear or emotional in the way they express themselves.

II. Patient Autonomy ("self-governance")A. Informed Consent and Refusal1. Students should conduct a thorough discussion with every patient. This must be repeated whenever there are substantive changes or additions to the treatment plan.Discussion should include:

• Diagnoses• Treatment Plan• Prognosis• Risks/Benefits• Alternatives

-The discussion should be in understandable terms and enable a reasonable patient in the patient’s position to make an informed decision regarding care, except in emergencies, when risks are unknown, commonly known or the patient waives the right to disclosure. 2. Students should inform the patient of the consequences of not accepting treatment. The patient has a right to an informed refusal which should be honored by the student.3.The student should make sure to allow time to answer any and all questions the patient may have to the best of their ability B. Patient Confidentiality1. Should follow HIPPA Guidelines. III. Nonmaleficence ("do no harm") and Beneficence ("do good")A. The student should conduct him/herself with veracity (truthfulness). He/she should always act in a manner that promotes the welfare of patients and avoids harm to the patient.B. Treatment plans should be determined according to patient needs as opposed to unmet requirements of the student.C. No procedures should be started without instructor authorization, and all procedures should be evaluated by the instructor upon completion.D. Referrals to residents, specialists, or staff members should be made when the complexity of the case exceeds the student's ability to meet the standard of care. The referring student should inform the patient who will be responsible for dental maintenance and the reason for referral.E. Students should exercise discretion in treating family members due to problems associated with medical his-tory disclosure, confidentiality, objectivity, and professionalism.F. Students are encouraged to participate in community outreach programs in order to improve the dental health of the public.G. Students should advocate access to care for patients who are unable to receive care due to physical or mental disability or financial hardship. IV. Justice ('fairness")A. Ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, or infectious disease status should not influence whether or not a patient is accepted by a student to receive care. Furthermore, all patients should be treated with the same level of compassion, kindness and respect.B. Students must not discriminate against patients in high-risk behavior groups.C. The student should not cheat, plagiarize, forge, or falsify official records, patient charts, or examinations.D. The student should not participate in activities involving theft and/or vandalism of school or student proper-ty.E. Sexual harassment between colleagues, between health care provider and patient, and between students and faculty or residents is unacceptable and must be reported.F. Students must report suspected abuse/neglect of patients to an appropriate instructor.G. Students should exercise respect when working with human cadavers.H. Controlled substances1. Students have the responsibility of protecting the integrity of the profession by reporting any suspicions of unethical behavior.2. Students must never perform dental procedures while in an impaired condition, regardless of the source of the impairment. V. All members of the American Student Dental Association must comply with the ASDA Code of Ethics.

ASDA Student Code of Ethics can also be found at asdanet.org

The first day of clinic; the chance to finally be a practicing dentist. It’s what has got-

ten us through those late night study sessions, those grueling weekend hours in the sim

lab and the endless lectures. Once you enter clinic the game changes. It’s no longer about

acing that test or polishing those plastic teeth but about managing your patients and pro-

tecting their well-being.

The first day of clinic is both exciting and terrifying. As you walk through the clin-

ic doors into the maze that is Davie Predoc you know you’ve made it! You are so eager to

get started with treatments but so anxious about dealing with patients. It takes about a

month for you to understand what you can get from dispensing and another month for you

to know exactly what materials you need for each procedure. The wet lab will be the land

of the unknown as you try to figure out how all the machines work and you’ll finally get to

use that stash of microstone that they’ve been hiding from you for the past 2 years. You’ll

fumble through your first couple patient encounters as you trip over your words (or your

shoes), but eventually you’ll become an expert at small talk. The first time you hold that

high-speed hand piece you’ll be sweating bullets and every new procedure will make you

wish you paid more attention in lecture.

Eventually you will find your groove and you will begin to forget those first day jitters,

as you push yourself with more advanced procedures. The clinic that was once so foreign

will begin to feel like home. As I reflect back on my first day of clinic, I am amazed at how

much I have grown this past year; I am no longer that anxious student lost on the clinic

floor but a confident and professional clinician.

Making the JumpBy: Jil l ian Rose ‘16

Dentists’ Day on the hill

By: Kalynn Foster ‘18

Du r i n g s p r i n g b r e a k, 11 s t u D e n t s, r a n g i n g f r o m D1 – D3, r e p r e s e n t e D nsu Co l l e g e o f De n ta l me D i C i n e at t h e a n n u a l De n t i s t s ’ Day

o n t h e hi l l i n ta l l a h a s s e e, fl o r i D a. th e s t u-D e n t s l o b b i e D f o r t h e fl o r i D a De n ta l as s o C i a-t i o n a n D w e r e a b l e to i n f o r m fl o r i D a l e g i s l a-to r s o n s o m e m a j o r i s s u e s. th e m a i n i s s u e at h a n D wa s t h e De n ta l Ca r e aC C e s s e s aC C o u n t

(sb 606/ hb 657), w h i C h w o u l D C r e at e a n a C C o u n t f o r D e n ta l s t u D e n t l o a n r e pay m e n t b y p r o v i D i n g C a r e to t h o s e i n u n D e r s e rv e D a r e a s.

he r e a r e s o m e o f t h e e x p e r i e n C e s f r o m t h e s t u D e n t s w h o at t e n D e D.

franCesCo piCCione (D2) “Dentist’s Day on the hill was a Completely new experienCe for me. i am usually not someone who is on the Cutting eDge when it Comes to politiCs, but i CoulD not pass up suCh an opportunity. to be able to walk arounD the floriDa’s state Capitol builDing speaking faCe to faCe with the politiCians anD explaining the impaCt that Certain bills woulD have on Dentistry, from the prospeCtive of a Dentist, is invaluable. it really grants us an amazing op-portunity to have the ears of the politiCians anD to have an impaCt on the future of Dentistry. asiDe from all that there is also the possibility to network with Dentists who are also passionate about the future of Dentistry. i haD a great experienCe, met some amazing people, anD plan on going baCk again next year!”

fl o r a sa r m i e n to (D1) “wh e n i f o u n D o u t w h at De n t i s t s ’ Day o n t h e hi l l wa s a b o u t i s i g n e D u p w i t h o u t h e s i -tat i o n. i e a g e r ly t r a D e D i n a C o u p l e o f va C at i o n D ay s f o r m y b u s i n e s s s u i t a n D t h e o p p o rt u n i-t y to b e a n a D v o C at e o f D e n ta l l e g i s l at i o n. th i s wa s m y f i r s t t i m e at t e n D i n g a n D i m u s t a D m i t t h at g o i n g t h r o u g h t h e C a p i to l s s e C u r i t y at s e v e n i n t h e m o r n i n g h a D m y n e rv e s a l i t t l e o n e D g e. ho w e v e r, a f t e r m e e t i n g w i t h l e g i s l ato r s a n D e n g a g i n g i n a C a D e m i C D i a l o g u e s o n t h e s e i s s u e s i l e f t w i t h a s e n s e o f f u l f i l l m e n t a n D e n t h u s i a s m. i s h a r e D m y p e r s o n a l s to ry a D D r e s s-i n g s t u D e n t D e b t a n D h o w m u C h m o r e m o t i vat e D D e n ta l s t u D e n t s w o u l D b e to w o r k i n u n D e r-s e rv e D C o m m u n i t i e s i f t h e s tat e m at C h e D f u n D s to h e l p s t u D e n t s r e pay D e b t. st u D e n t D e b t r e pay m e n t a n D a C C e s s to C a r e a r e t w o i m p o rta n t i s s u e s pa rt i C u l a r ly i n t h e s tat e o f fl o r i D a. th i s i s w h y i u n D e r s ta n D t h e i m p o rta n t a n D k e y r o l e w e p l ay i n t h e De n ta l Ca r e aC C e s s aC-C o u n t in i t i at i v e a s w e l l a s o t h e r i s s u e s, w h i C h u n D o u b t e D ly a f f e C t C u r r e n t a n D f u t u r e D e n ta l s t u D e n t s. i a m g r at e f u l f o r t h e o p p o rt u n i t y i h a D t h r o u g h asDa a n D t h e fDa to p r o u D ly r e p r e s e n t D e n ta l s t u D e n t s at l a r g e at t h e fl o r i D a’s stat e Ca p i to l. i l o o k f o rwa r D to pa rt i C i -pat i n g i n f u t u r e r e wa r D i n g e x p e r i e n C e s l i k e t h i s o n e. “

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al e x ve r g a (D3) “as a t h i r D-t i m e at t e n D e e, i C a n s tat e w i t h f u l l C o n f i D e n C e t h at De n t i s t s Day o n t h e hi l l i s a n e x C e p t i o n a l o p p o rt u n i t y f o r a l l D e n ta l s t u D e n t s. Du r i n g t h e 2-D ay e x p e r i e n C e, s t u D e n t s a r e D i r e C t ly e x p o s e D to t h e n e C e s s i t y o f o r g a n i z e D D e n t i s t ry a n D h o w a D v o C a C y a C t i v e ly p r o t e C t s t h e i n t e r e s t s o f D e n ta l s t u D e n t s a n D p r a C t i C i n g D e n t i s t s. pa rt i C i pa n t s a r e e D u C at e D a b o u t t h e p r e s e n t i s s u e s a n D b i l l s a s s o C i at e D w i t h D e n t i s t ry b y a u t h o r i t i e s i n t h e f i e l D, i n C l u D i n g r e t i r e D D e n t i s t a n D C u r r e n t fl o r i D a se n ato r Dr. al a n hay s. st u D e n t s a r e a l s o e x p o s e D t h e l e g i s l at i v e g o a l s o f t h e fDa a n D h o w t h e fl o r i D a De n ta l as s o C i at i o n po l i t i C a l aC t i o n Co m m i t t e e s t r at e g i C a l ly a n D e f f e C t i v e ly p l a n s o n a C h i e v i n g t h e m. aD D i t i o n-a l ly, s t u D e n t s a C t a s a v i ta l pa rt o f t h e p o l i t i C a l a C t i o n t e a m b y e D u C at i n g l aw m a k e r s o n i m p o rta n t i s s u e s s u C h a s s t u D e n t D e b t a n D a C C e s s to C a r e. th i s u n i q u e, f i r s t-h a n D o p p o rt u-n i t y o f f e r s s t u D e n t s va l u a b l e p u b l i C s p e a k i n g e x p e r i e n C e a n D e x C e p t i o n a l i n s i g h t i n to t h e fl o r i D a l e g i s l at i v e p r o C e s s. ev e ry y e a r i a m p r o u D to s e e a n i n C r e a s i n g n u m b e r o f s t u D e n t s at t e n D De n t i s t s Day o n t h e hi l l . in a D D i t i o n to m y C o n f i D e n C e i n t h e fDa’s e x C e p t i o n a l l e a D-e r s h i p, i v i e w t h i s i n C r e a s e a s a n i n D i C at i o n t h at t h e p r o f e s s i o n o f D e n t i s t ry w i l l C o n t i n u e to b e o n e o f t h e b e s t-r e p r e s e n t e D p r o f e s s i o n s f o r y e a r s to C o m e.”

By: Andrew Falestiny ‘18

Four years ago, the news of having a chi ld f r ightened me in a

way that I had never been fr ightened before. How was I sup-

posed to save up for my chi ld ’s educat ion whi le I was st i l l ed-

ucat ing mysel f? How was I supposed to teach my chi ld when

I hadn’ t f in ished learning everything mysel f? The truth is, I

thought my career goal of becoming a dent ist would come to an

end; but qui te the opposi te happened. Very of ten I am asked,

“Andrew, how do you do i t? I don’ t even have a pet and I ’m

barely holding on, what ’s your secret?” By the end of th is art i -

c le I bel ieve you wi l l know the answer.

I t ’s not hard to understand that being a parent requires fu l l

sel f -sacr i f ice. Whether expect ing or not, there is no bul letproof

method to prepar ing for parenthood. I t ’s l ike running a hal f of a

mi le every day in preparat ion for a fu l l marathon. Parenthood is

just that , a marathon. No amount of books or t ra in ing can pre-

pare you for th is adventure. Trust me, “Being a Great Dad for

Dummies” and the many other books I read opened my eyes, but not wide enough. How-

ever, when I was graced with my daughter Li l ly, I quickly learned that the chal lenge was

di ff icul t but just as rewarding. Not only did I get to exper ience uncondi t ional love, I a lso

gained an unexplainable amount of mot ivat ion. With the help of my amazing wife, Jen-

nie, I was able to focus on school and transform mysel f into a decent appl icant for Dental

School . This mot ivat ion didn’ t just g ive me the abi l i ty to weather the storm of being a fu l l

t ime student and working 32 hours a week. As soon as Li l ly came into my l i fe, school be-

came a way to actual ly learn rather than a means to make compet i t ive grades. Complet ing

an Undergraduate degree as a parent was chal lenging enough, but how was I going to

survive the f i rst year of dental school as a parent?

Before my l i t t le fami ly moved down to Ft . Lau-

derdale, my wife got a job as a 1st grade teach-

er, and we enrol led Li l ly in a pr ivate school .

Needless to say, one of the biggest chal lenges

we were about to face was staying f inancial ly

stable. Not to ment ion, I was about to brave

a 38 credi t hour semester. Much Like I d id in

undergrad, I t rusted my mot ivat ion, kept my

head low, and jumped r ight in. Due to the fact

that L i l ly had to be dropped off at school no

ear l ier than 7:30 and my wife had to be at work

by 7:00, I took the l iberty of taking Li l ly to school every morning. Li t t le did I know, th is t ime would be valuable and precious, as I would stay on campus unt i l 2:00 am some nights. At f i rst , I t r ied to be home for dinner and night- t ime

every evening. I t worked for the f i rst two weeks of school , but once the f i rst wave of tests

hi t , my fami ly began to see less of me. I never knew my 3-year-old daughter was capa-ble of gui l t - t r ipping, but morn-ing dr ives to school became lectures by Li l ly : “Daddy… you

didn’ t rub my back last n ight! ” Losing sleep accompanied by the amount of energy I needed

in the morning to prepare Li l ly for school made i t very di ff icul t

to keep my eyel ids in the fu l l upr ight and locked

posi t ion. But the same mot ivat ion that got me to

th is point , a long with the café con leche across

the street, kept me going through the tough

t imes. Being a parent, my pr ior i t ies are di fferent as

a student. I choose to budget more of my en-

ergy to Lab work rather than the core science

classes. Al though I don’ t have the desire to

special ize, I do have the dr ive to become the

D1 and a Daddy

Before my l i t t le fami ly moved down to Ft . Lau-

derdale, my wife got a job as a 1st grade teach-

er, and we enrol led Li l ly in a pr ivate school .

Needless to say, one of the biggest chal lenges

we were about to face was staying f inancial ly

stable. Not to ment ion, I was about to brave

a 38 credi t hour semester. Much Like I d id in

undergrad, I t rusted my mot ivat ion, kept my

head low, and jumped r ight in. Due to the fact

that L i l ly had to be dropped off at school no

ear l ier than 7:30 and my wife had to be at work

by 7:00, I took the l iberty of taking Li l ly to school every morning. Li t t le did I know, th is t ime would be valuable and precious, as I would stay on campus unt i l 2:00 am some nights. At f i rst , I t r ied to be home for dinner and night- t ime

every evening. I t worked for the f i rst two weeks of school , but once the f i rst wave of tests

hi t , my fami ly began to see less of me. I never knew my 3-year-old daughter was capa-ble of gui l t - t r ipping, but morn-ing dr ives to school became lectures by Li l ly : “Daddy… you

didn’ t rub my back last n ight! ” Losing sleep accompanied by the amount of energy I needed

in the morning to prepare Li l ly for school made i t very di ff icul t

to keep my eyel ids in the fu l l upr ight and locked

posi t ion. But the same mot ivat ion that got me to

th is point , a long with the café con leche across

the street, kept me going through the tough

t imes. Being a parent, my pr ior i t ies are di fferent as

a student. I choose to budget more of my en-

ergy to Lab work rather than the core science

classes. Al though I don’ t have the desire to

special ize, I do have the dr ive to become the

best dent ist I can be. That being said, I st i l l

spend long nights in the l ibrary wi th a fe l low

D1-Dad, Danny Nguyen, who somehow manag-

es dental school wi th two chi ldren. Danny and

I both agree that we could not put in as much

work as we do without the help and understand-

ing of our wives. They pick up where we leave

off . Without that teamwork, we would not be

successful parents and we would not be able to

put in the t ime needed to complete our goal of

becoming competent pract i t ioners. The every day struggle is very real as a D1 student, but the re-

ward of seeing my fami ly when

I come home keeps me going. There are many students wi th chi ldren in the c lass of 2018, and they each know the value of fami ly t ime. For me, i t is best

to have a structured t ime every

week that I know I wi l l see my gir ls. Every Wednesday I make

i t a point to f in ish my lab work as ear ly as possible so I can make i t to Li l ly ’s gymnast ics c lass. Whether I had a pract ical

exam, a regular lab session, or

just a di ff icul t day al l together,

seeing my daughter do some-thing she enjoys completely erases my day and reminds me what I am f ight ing for. So when my fel low students ask

me “How do you do i t?” I te l l them that my l i fe

depends on i t . My fami ly is my l i fe and they are

depending on me. That is my mot ivat ion and

that is how I get through dental school as a

Dad. I a lways ask my col leagues how they man-

age surviv ing dental school when they have to

mot ivate themselves every day. I can’ t imagine

being where I am without my fami ly. They are

the reason I am a Daddy and a D1.

MeMber SpotlightBy: Ian Lieberman ‘15

Throughout den-tal school I have immersed myself in the profes-sion, striving to become the best practitioner I could be. In my first semester, I was elected Pres-ident of my class. Since then, I fostered a strong record of leader -

ship and involvement while maintaining award-winning academic excellence and garnering professional experience outside of the classroom. Outgoing and engaged, I learned as much as I could about every available career path. Now I am certain: a career in Orthodontics is the best f it for me. Orthodontics of fers the unique oppor -tunity to maintain intellectual stimula-tion, to help patients, and to employ and potentially develop technologies, while serving as a leader in my community.Over the past four years, I pursued activi-ties related to Orthodontics to confirm my interest in the field. I assisted a research project with an Orthodontic postgraduate student, and I have recently undertaken an individual research project. I also fo-cused on clinical Orthodontics. Eighteen months ago, I was selected to assist Dr. Real in his faculty practice twice a week. Under his tutelage I developed a prelim-inary understanding about treating pa-tients’ Orthodontic problems in a clinical setting. Every week I look forward to us-ing my extra time to apply and improve my clinical skil ls while discussing re-search and learning about Orthodontics. I was given the opportunity to attend diag-nostic conferences with the residents as an assistant—a practice I continued as a student in the Orthodontic Honors course since my acceptance into the Orthodontics Program at the University of Colorado. Through these specialized activities, I have been able to discuss diagnoses,

treatment plans, and practice manage-ment while developing my patient inter -action skil ls assisting cases of Invisalign, l ingual braces, metal and ceramic brack-ets. I have also gained familiarity with ad-vanced Orthodontic technologies including Dolphin 3-D Imaging software, Panoramic and Cephalometric analysis, as well as iTero digital computer aided design. My Computer Science Engineering degree prepares me to work with these advanced graphical software products and drives my interest to engage with them during my career. I am excited about a future of practicing Orthodontics in a private set-ting.During my Masters program, I began to participate in service events that were focused and fulfi l l ing. While I have also participated in general community out-reach, I wanted to help people face to face. I volunteered through a wide array of organizations, including Ronald McDonald house, Habitat for Humanity, and Pines Nursing Home. I continued giving back to the community in dental school and will continue to throughout my career. In den-tal school, I was exposed to service events that I can continue to volunteer with as an Orthodontist. I have taught oral hy-giene instructions with events such as A Day for Children, and Relay for Life; I of-fered direct pro bono care with screenings at Oral Cancer awareness walks and as a student dentist at Give Kids a Smile and a Jamaica inter -professional mission trip. I have experienced how fulfi l l ing it is to create quality results and to improve pa-tients’ l ives, and I believe a career in Or -thodontics can provide me the best oppor -tunity to help patients for years to come. Throughout each patient’s treatment du-ration, I can monitor physical and behav-ioral development to remedy li fe problems as I guide their eruption and craniofacial development.

As my record of ser v ice work conveys, I am deeply committed to my communit y. By holding leadership posit ions, volun-teer ing, and organiz ing other innovat ive ac t iv i t ies, I enjoy helping my peers. Given my involvement and dr ive, depar tment chairs se lec ted me as a tutor for B iolog-ical Sc iences, Operat ive Dent istr y, and Prosthodontics. I dedicate t ime to ass ist pre - dental and dental students by par t ic -ipat ing in quest ion-and-answer sess ions, one - on- one tutor ing, and creat ing tutor ia l documents and prac t ice quest ions for a l l f i rst and second year labs. I a lso helped to develop educat ional mater ia ls and sof t-ware : I worked with a c lassmate to create a Neuroanatomy DVD Tutor ia l . We sold this as a DVD and donated a l l proceeds—which amounted to $11,500 —to Joe DiMaggio Chi ldren’s Hospita l ’s Craniofa-c ia l fe l lowship which went toward provid-ing an implant based craniofacia l implant for a chi ld with proger ia . M y shor t-term goal i s to expand

my k nowledge base, exper ience, and re -cord of excel lence by beginning an Or-thodontics Res idenc y Program in 2015. I put mysel f into posit ion to fur ther my k nowledge by completely immers ing mysel f in the dental school exper ience. To t r y to better my chances for this po -s i t ion, I wanted to leave no shadow of a doubt . I became a Master of B iomedical Sc iences, a super lat ive dental student , and a student prac t i t ioner with c l in ical exper ience. I have much to of fer a st rong Or thodontics Res idenc y Program: with meticulous t ime -management, I have held mult iple posit ions as both a leader and a team member, and I wi l l br ing these sk i l l s and pass ions to my new academic home. Committed to improving my a lma maters, I p lan to cont inue to contr ibute as an a lumni presence throughout my career. M y background in Engineer ing and com-pass ion for my pat ients has sharpened my desi re to prac t ice Or thodontics to help people improve their qual i t y of l i fe.

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