ALUMNI EMBODY THE SCHOOL’S VALUES OF DIVERSITY & INCLUSION.
The Halfway Mark
33
A publication for alumni and friends of Boston University Henry M. Goldman
School of Dental Medicine.
DEAN
ASSISTANT DEAN, DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI RELATIONS
Kevin Holland
DIRECTOR, ALUMNI RELATIONS & ANNUAL GIVING
Stacey McNamee
DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH
Charis Anderson McCarthy
PRINCIPAL DESIGNER
Andrew Adamides
WRITERS
Shannon C. Broderick
Multimedia Content Creator
Communications & Outreach
Louise Kennedy
Senior Writer
Development Communications
CONTRIBUTORS
Katie O’Shea
Development & Alumni Relations
PHOTOGRAPHY
Andrew Adamides
Shannon C. Broderick
Dave Green
Gabriela Hasbun
Nathan Morgan
COVER and Aidee Herman embody the school’s values of diversity and inclusion (see page 13).
Send address change to:
Development & Alumni Relations
Boston University Henry M. Goldman
School of Dental Medicine
Solomon Carter Fuller Building
Boston, MA 02118
sdmalum@bu.edu
Boston University’s policies provide for equal and admission to all programs of the University.
A message from the Dean
“The Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine is much more than just a physical building. It is a community – a community that is just as strong virtually as it is gathered together in the same place. ”
It is hard to know how to begin this letter. Under normal circumstances, I would be writing about the extra lift in my step from the spring weather, or
together in the new collaborative spaces that came online in March 2020 with the completion of Phase II of our Addition & Renovation Construction Project. But these are not normal times. Now as I write this letter, in late March, our beloved building sits nearly empty, with just a handful of essential faculty and
campus from their respective homes around Boston, the country, and indeed, the world. It is an eerie feeling to see the city hollowed out, quiet, and still, at a time
But – spring is always a time of hope and renewal, and I have never been more hopeful than I am right now. It gives me hope to see the spirit and resiliency of our students – especially those members of the Class of 2020 – as they adjust to attending classes online. It gives me hope to see the
how best to adapt our curriculum to the constraints of our online, socially distant world. And it gives me hope to see our alumni – to see all of you –responding to this crisis with courage, compassion, and commitment.
The Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine is much more than just a physical building. It is a community – a community that is just as strong virtually as it is gathered together in the same place. I have seen over my years as dean the way our community supports each other, in good times and bad. We have never before needed to rely on that community support in the way we do now – and I know that each of you will step up in whatever way you can.
This issue of Impressions focuses on diversity and inclusion, and the many ways our alumni, faculty, students and residents celebrate and live these values. This daily commitment to diversity and inclusion, which I know all of you embody as well, helped build the foundation for the strong community I just spoke of, and thus it is an excellent time to be highlighting these stories.
I spoke of hope earlier – and I am certainly hopeful that by the time you read this letter, some degree of normalcy will have returned to our lives. But regardless of the state of the world, I know that you will have found within yourselves a strength and resiliency that you may not have known existed – and I know that,
It is always, and even more so now, a true honor and privilege to serve as the dean of our Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine at Boston University.
Sincerely,
Dean
and Spencer N. Frankl Professor in Dental Medicine
A message from the Alumni Association President
proud of the strength, courage, and resiliency demonstrated by the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine community.”
Dear Fellow Alumni,
our lives could change. As I am writing this in late March, most of the U.S. population is living under a stay-at-home order in the hopes of slowing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, and nearly 200 countries and territories
temporarily or shifted to providing emergency-care only. The disruption in our lives has been jolting, and it’s not clear when things will go back to normal.
courage, and resiliency demonstrated by the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine community. I’ve seen social media posts from alumni who are donating much-needed masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals and
GSDM community who have shown dogged determination to continue to serve their patients. One example is Gregory Pezza DMD 03 AEGD 04 ORTHO 08, who took to the road to deliver new trays of Invisalign treatments to patients’ of how our community is there for one another, whether that’s sharing a
This issue of Impressions highlights the diversity and inclusivity of the GSDM community. Although the theme was planned long before the COVID-19 pandemic, I can’t help but think how topical it is in this moment in history. In these pages, you’ll see multiple examples of how our alumni, faculty, and students are dedicated to creating a more diverse, compassionate and inclusive profession. Ultimately, I believe you’ll agree that GSDM is a welcoming community that supports all comers and thrives as a result of this very ethos.
It’s that community that helps sustain all of us through this period in time. Without question, after a global event such as this, life will change. However, I’ve no doubt that these changes will serve to further strengthen our ties to one another. I’m so proud to be a member of the GSDM
are making to support each other, our profession, and the world.
I am hoping that, by the time you read this, we’re all back to work and rebuilding. But if not, please know that you can call on any one of us, at any time, for help.
Sincerely,
Alumni Association President
Of Note Awards,
recognition, and accomplishments
Five GSDM alumni – Luri Lee DMD 16 AEGD 17, Ana Keohane DMD 16, Lea El Hachem PERIO 14 MSc 14, Christopher Ward DMD 18, and James Lee DMD 14. – were recognized at the 2020 Yankee Dental Congress in February 2020 with the Massachusetts Dental Society’s (MDS) “Ten under 10” award, which recognizes dentists who have been in the profession for 10 years or less and have
In February 2020, faculty member Antoine Hraiz, and alumni Simran Grover AEGD 08 DPH 08, Ana Keohane DMD 16, James Lee DMD 14, Cameron Shahbazian DMD 14, and Wanpeng Xu PERIO 13 MSc 13 DMD 15 were recognized during the 2020 Yankee Dental Congress for their participation in the 2020 First District Leadership Academy, a leadership development
was named the 2019 MDS William McKenna Volunteer Hero by the Massachusetts Dental Society in August 2019. Chang, a clinical associate professor of general dentistry at GSDM, was celebrated by her peers at the 2020 Yankee Dental Congress for substantial contributions to organized dentistry at both the state and local district levels.
In January 2020, , clinical professor of orthodontics & dentofacial orthopedics, received the Frederick Moynihan Award, which recognizes an individual’s contributions to the profession of orthodontics in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This award was also presented during the annual Orthodontic Symposium Luncheon during the 2020 Yankee Dental Congress.
received the Anthony A. Gianelly Award, which is given to an individual who demonstrates dedication to academia or clinical practice and
contributes to the good and welfare of the orthodontic profession in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The award was presented during the annual Orthodontic Symposium Luncheon, held on Friday, January 31, 2020, during the 2020 Yankee Dental Congress.
In January 2020, Alexander was appointed ad interim chair of the school’s Department of Restorative Sciences & Biomaterials. Bendayan succeeded Dan Nathanson DPH 85 PROS 90, who retired in December 2019 after 22 years as department chair (see pgs. 28–29).
was appointed in March 2020 to the newly established position of assistant dean for biomaterials & biomaterials research. Giordano joined the GSDM community as an assistant professor of restorative sciences & biomaterials, and was promoted to associate professor of restorative sciences & biomaterials. He also holds an
academic appointment at Boston University College of Engineering
In January 2020, was promoted to associate dean for quality management, compliance and January 1, 2020. In this position, Errante will lead the school’s quality management, compliance, and continuing education activities.
In April 2020, was announced as a recipient of the American Dental Association’s
recognize 10 new dentists who demonstrate excellence early in their careers. The recipients were chosen from about 80 nominations. Benz is the director of the Samuels Sinclair Dental Center at Rhode Island Hospital and program director of the Joseph S. Sinclair General Practice Residency; she also manages a hospital-based practice specializing in intellectually disabled individuals and medically complex patients.
September 2019 Alumni Weekend
More than 100 alumni and friends of the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) returned to Boston in September 2019 for Boston University’s Alumni Weekend. A record-setting 112 people attended the school’s annual Alumni
Four Seasons’ Aujourd’Hui room with laughter and reminiscences about their days at GSDM.
This year’s reception marked a change in leadership for the GSDM Alumni Association: Outgoing president Sean Rayment DMD 97
time, and then handed both the gavel and the presidency to Gigi Meinecke DMD 88.
attending other alumni events throughout the year, volunteering your time, or supporting the School philanthropically—we could not
DMD Class of 89 - John Fiore, Alex Montazem, Steven Young, Sandra Morin, Ana Torres-Houssami, Kevin Ferguson.
George Abou-Ezzi DMD 90 and Louay Abrass DMD 98
John Bhambra DMD 94 ENDO 97 with his son and daughter.
Baback Emami DMD 94, Muneki Hirayama DMD 94, AEGD 95, John Ictech-Cassis PROS 86 DMD 88 and Mohammad Mobasherat PEDO 78 DMD 82
Ashish Agarwal DMD 17, Arifa M. Bakerywala DMD 18, Grishma Rudani and Jignesh Rudani DMD 17
Selena Francis MED 14 DMD 18 and Stephanie Brooks DMD 18
Dean Hutter, Baback Emami DMD 94, and Setare Emami
(Top left) Members of the DMD Class of 1994 gathered during the 2019 Alumni Weekend reception.
(Above) The DMD Class of 1994 in their white
Dean Hutter and Gigi Meinecke DMD 88
Dean Hutter, Daphne Rayment, and Sean Rayment DMD 97 DSc 00
Alumni Events
For Mark Desrosiers ENDO 06, the equation is simple: giving back is its own reward.
things that we can give—time,
extent that I can, I’ve tried to give all three—and I’m asking each of you to do that, because truly in giving, I
his profession, his School, and his community, Desrosiers was named the 2019 Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine Distinguished Alumnus. The award is presented annually to an alumnus who has made outstanding contributions to the School, to the profession, and/or to his or her community.
goes about his work, relentlessly pursuing excellence in his own practice while supporting his community and mentoring aspiring
In 2018, Desrosiers received the President’s Award from the American Association of Endodontists (AAE); the award is one of the highest honors given out by the Association. Desrosiers, who maintains a private endodontic practice in Connecticut and serves as a volunteer faculty member at the school, received his DMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental of Advanced Graduate Study in endodontics from GSDM in 2006.
More than 500 members of the GSDM community attended the school’s alumni reception held during the 2020 Yankee Dental Congress in Boston, Massachusetts. The reception, which is one of the school’s most popular annual events, was held at the Plaza Ballroom of the Seaport Hotel on January 31, 2020.
attended the school’s annual alumni reception at the 2019 American Dental Association FDI World Congress. The event was held on Thursday, September 5, 2019, in San Francisco.
Almost 100 members of the GSDM community gathered in the Trustees Ballroom and Postgraduate Operative and Esthetic Dentistry (PGOE) Alumni Dinner and Continuing Education Course.
Dozens of alumni from the Orthodontic and Dentofacial Orthopedics program returned to campus in fall 2019 for the annual Giannelly Symposium and to recognize Dr. Kenny Drizen, who celebrated his 50th anniversary at GSDM in the spring of 2019.
Members of the GSDM community headed midwest in November 2019 for the American Academy of Periodontology Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. During the meeting, about 20 alumni, faculty, residents and students gathered for an alumni reception at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago on November 3, 2019.
students, faculty, residents, alumni and friends
October 31, 2019, during the American College of Prosthodontists Annual Session in Miami, Florida.
GSDM
About 150 alumni and friends of the school’s Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery gathered in September 2019 for an alumni dinner in Boston, held during the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons annual meeting. The Dr. Donald F. Booth Endowed Professorship in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery was announced during the dinner (see pg. 26).
Endodontics came from all corners of the country in early October to meet in Burlington, Vermont, for the 2019 Endodontic
LIVING OUR VALUES
BY CHARIS ANDERSON MCCARTHY
Diversity, inclusion, equity – these values are woven throughout the fabric of the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine community. But that didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen by accident. It happened because the individuals who make up our community – our alumni, our students and
to create an environment where those values can prosper. In this issue, we highlight three GSDM alumni who put in the work, day in and day out, to make our community and our profession a more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming place. They embody these values – and we can’t wait for you to read their stories.
CHERAE FARMER-DIXON
Taking every opportunity to have her voice heard and be a role model for women in the profession.
The summer before Cherae FarmerDixon DPH 14 started her junior year in college, she sat down with her advisor, and told him she wanted to go to dental remembered, and told her that he wasn’t certain she would be a strong applicant.
More than three decades after she matriculated at Meharry (and with a brief departure for the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, where she did in dental public health), Dr. Farmer-Dixon is still there – but now, she’s the dean.
Farmer-Dixon had known since before she even set foot on campus that she wanted to major in biology and she wanted to be a dentist. At the time, though, dentistry was still considered a male profession: Her personal dentist was a man, the dentist she shadowed in high school was a man, said Farmer-Dixon. Farmer-Dixon didn’t have a mentor to Her college had a career counseling
someone who really guides and advises
who broke the barriers and went to [dental] school, many of them will say it was were told they were taking a spot a man
today, we have come a long way and we’ve made a lot of advances, but that does not
The gender distribution in dental school enrollment has made steady progress over the last two decades, according to the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). In 2000, the entering class of dental students was about 39 percent female; in 2018, it was 50.5 percent female. At Meharry, the entering class of 2018 was almost 60 percent female.
But instead of taking her advisor at his word, Farmer-Dixon took it as an opportunity to prove him wrong: She
second semester of her junior year, found an advisor who supported her career accepted to four, and enrolled at Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry.
Farmer-Dixon attributes the growing number of women in dentistry, in part, to the fact that the profession allows for a manageable work-life balance. Women don’t have to choose between being a leader in their career or having a family:
said. In other words, they can have it all.
gender lines, the profession as a whole – and particularly leadership positions – is still catching up. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 34 percent of the country’s dentists are women. In 2014-2015, 22 percent of U.S. dental
note that of 28 new deans appointed in the two years prior to publication, 10 were women.
“Having the opportunity to let young women see me and other women as leaders, as professionals, is just as important today as it was before… because, unfortunately, there’s still that perception that when you think of a doctor, you think of a man,” FarmerDixon said. “It’s important that women as leaders should take every opportunity to have their voices heard and to be role models and mentors to other young women, to give them pearls of wisdom.”
Mentorship is a common theme when talking to Farmer-Dixon. Indeed, in addition to everything she learned about leadership management, research design, and developing public health research during her dental public health program at GSDM, one of the things she values most about her experience at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) is the relationships she formed.
“Feeling like you connect with someone is very important,” Farmer-Dixon said. “I felt that I could connect with the individuals at GSDM, [both
fellow students and faculty]. And so when there was something that wasn’t clear, or I was feeling overwhelmed, it wasn’t a thing that I felt like, ‘Okay, I’ve just got to deal with this myself.’ I could go and I could talk with someone about it.”
Those relationships helped her while she was at the program and continue to help her years later, said Farmer-Dixon.
“I didn’t get here on my own,” she said. “It was through mentorship and guidance – I had and I continue to have a great support mechanism.”
Farmer-Dixon believes it is her responsibility to pass that mentorship on – but not her responsibility alone. She also advocates for dental schools to be more proactive in providing mentors and guidance to their students, especially students who may be coming from traditionally underrepresented genders, races, and ethnicities.
wonderful,” Farmer-Dixon said. “But I think there [also] has to be intentional [outreach] to those students … [and] being very intentional about setting them up with mentors who will check in with them, even if it’s a local alumnus, so that they can talk with someone who has walked the path that they’ve
“Dental school is stressful enough … [we need to] provide as much support as we can to help them in that journey,” she said.
WALLACE BELLAMY
Honoring the history of black dentists in the U.S. while advocating for, mentoring the next generation of dentists of color.
day he decided to become a dentist. It was an oven-hot summer day in Sacramento, and he had a dental appointment sandwiched between two-a-day high school football practices.
music playing … and I could watch the procedure recalled. “He watched me as I was watching him, and at the end of the procedure, he asked if I wanted to come in and shadow him.”
Later that afternoon, Bellamy’s football coach asked the team what they wanted to be when they grew up. One by one, Bellamy’s teammates shared their goals – a professional football player, a baseball player – but when Bellamy’s turn came, he said, “I want to be a dentist.”
At the time, there weren’t many dentists of color in Sacramento, he said, but that didn’t deter him from charting a course into the profession by way of the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. (“I loved my time in Boston,” he said. “[I loved] living and working and being educated in such a great city with a great academic history, with all of the other dental schools there that seemed
early 90s, there still weren’t very many dentists of color in the area: Only about 30 of the city’s
So Bellamy decided to get involved in local professional organizations, including the Sacramento chapter of the National Dental Association, which works to promote oral health
equity among people of color and advocate for and mentor dental
career-long engagement with the National Dental Association and its state and local chapters that continues to this day (see sidebar).
NDA, which was founded 120 years ago by Robert T. Freeman
as the [mid-to] late 1960s, dentists of color couldn’t belong to
but there is still room for improvement. Nationally, about 8 percent of dentists identify as Black/African American or Hispanic, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of students who entered dental school in 2018, only 5.3 percent were Black/African American and 10 percent were Hispanic/Latino, according to the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). While the percentage of entering Hispanic/Latino students has almost doubled since 2000, the share of Black/African American students increased only incrementally.
to the community as a whole, because those are generally the people –not necessarily all – but generally the people who are going to go back
Bellamy believes that it is important for patients to feel like their
sometimes, particularly for patients who have been marginalized in the past, that can manifest as a desire to be treated by
why, according to Bellamy, it is important for clinicians to have a holistic understanding of the community they’re treating.
Bellamy’s Leadership Positions
Board of Directors, Trustee District VI – National Dental Association (2009-2016)
Vice Chairman – Leadership Development Committee, California Dental Association (2014-present)
Past President – Sacramento Chapter of the National Dental Association (1996-1997)
President – Sacramento District Dental Society (2016)
One barrier to expanding the pipeline of dentists of color is that, in many cases, young people of color don’t necessarily have
Bellamy. Through his work with the National Dental Association and other related organizations, Bellamy has reached out to students, particularly high school age or younger, with the goal of exposing
some of the things you would like to do – or never even thought
students, because they’re hungry for knowledge, they’re hungry
Board of Directors – Sacramento District Dental Society (2013)
Member – Ethics Committee, Sacramento District Dental Society (past)
Member – Continuing Education Committee, Sacramento District Dental Society (2013)
AIDEE HERMAN
Helping to create the leaders of tomorrow by building a pipeline from elementary school to the dental practice.
Aidee Herman MSc 84 PERIO 86 DMD 90 knows what it is like to feel a little lost.
In 1981, when she arrived in Boston from Venezuela to begin the oral biology program at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM), she didn’t speak English. The then-chair of the program allowed her to delay her admission by a few months so she could take a crash course in the language; once she support to ensure she would be successful.
said Herman, who went on to complete three degrees at GSDM: a MSc in oral biology, a CAGS in periodontology, and a DMD through the Doctor of Dental Medicine Advanced Standing program.
immigrant, believe me. We leave our countries
Herman believes that she was successful, in part, because of the support and mentorship she received. Ever since, she has felt a sense of responsibility to give back to the Latino/Hispanic community and to other internationally trained dentists, by advocating for them and by giving them the same support and mentorship she herself received.
This dedication to helping others dates to early in her career when, in the early 1990s, leaders from the National Hispanic Dental Association (NHDA)
– which was founded in 1990 – approached Herman about creating a state-level chapter. In 1993, the Massachusetts Hispanic Dental
Herman didn’t stop there. She thought the best way to ensure that clinicians understood the importance of advocacy and community service was to hook them early, before they got too busy with their practice, their families, and the myriad of other responsibilities of life.
we have to start right now, not when they are students that we have to show them that they can balance their time, and do
chapter of the National Hispanic Dental Association at Tufts University. She then went on to help form student chapters at both Harvard School of Dental Medicine and at GSDM. (Both the Tufts and the GSDM chapters are still active, according to the NHDA website. For more on GSDM's chapter, see page 27.)
Having successfully established a pipeline from dental school to advocacy and community service, Herman decided she needed to do something about the pipeline of minority students into dental school. (As of 2000, the earliest year that data on dental school enrollment is available from the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), national enrollment was still
overwhelmingly white, with Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino students representing about 4.7 and 5.4 percent of the entering class of dental students.
This is a complex issue without an easy solution, but Herman believed one way to address it was to reach children early and provide them with information about oral health generally and information about the types of careers that are
Herman partnered with the Boston Public Schools to create a program where, during National Children’s Dental Health
the district, alongside her students and other members of the dental care team. The program helped students learn about good oral hygiene and expose them to
see me being Latino, Spanish. I didn’t speak English at all when I came here. But you see me now, what I’ve accomplished in my life.
Even with all she has already done, Herman is still looking for new ways to give back. She
Mission, with the goal of reducing disparities in oral health and improving overall oral health, and she continues to search for internationally trained dentists who want to come study and work in the United States.
a dream, to get my education, improve in Boston University accepted me… because maybe I would have felt frustrated if I didn’t
Leadership: New Alumni Board Members
Dr. Kadambari (Kady) Rawal received Study in Advanced Education in General Dentistry from the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) in 2010. Then in 2018, she received a Master of Science in Dentistry, also from GSDM. She also has a bachelor of dental surgery from Dr. D.Y. Patil School of Dentistry in Mumbai, India.
Since 2010, Dr. Rawal has served as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and Biomaterials at GSDM. Also since 2010, she has practiced at the Boston University Dental Health Center and served as an attending dentist at both Hebrew Senior Life and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center.
Dr. Cameron Shahbazian received his DMD from the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) in 2014. From 2014 to 2015, he did his GPR at Lincoln Hospital. He also has a bachelor’s degree in general biology from the University of New Hampshire, from which he graduated magna cum laude. He is currently going for his MBA at the Questrom School of Business.
Since 2015, Dr. Shahbazian has served as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of General Dentistry at GSDM. Along with his parents, Amir Shahbazian DMD 88 and Shahrzad Shahbazian DMD 96, he is the coowner of Shahbazian Family Dental in Quincy, Massachusetts. From 2015 to 2017, Dr. Shahbazian was a lecturer of
Dr. Rawal is actively involved in
She has participated numerous times in both the American Dental Association and the Massachusetts currently serves as a board member for the Massachusetts Dental Society’s Women in Dentistry Committee, and is a board member for the Boston District Dental Society, among other activities.
Thus far in her career, Dr. Rawal has received numerous accolades and awards, including being named a recipient of both the American Dental Association and the Massachusetts Dental Society’s 10 under Ten award in 2019. She is a fellow of the International College of Dentists and of the American Society of Geriatric Dentistry.
restorative and biomaterials science at Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
Dr. Shahbazian has received numerous honors and awards thus far in his career. He was inducted into the International College of Dentists in 2019; also in 2019, he was a recipient of the Massachusetts Dental Society’s 10 under Ten Award. He graduated cum laude from GSDM.
He is an active member of the Massachusetts Dental Society, currently serving as the Massachusetts Dental Society Secretary for the South Shore District Society. He is also an active member of the American Dental Association, the American Dental Education Association, and the American Academy of Osseointegration.
Continuing Education Course Highlights
The Do’s And Don’ts of Porcelain Laminate Veneers
Gerard Kugel, DMD, MS, PhD
Robotic and Navigation Assisted Surgery (NEW)
Hussam Batal, DMD
Serge Dibart, DDS
Ruben Figueroa, DMD, MS
Jess Liu, DDS, CAGS, MSD
Neal Fleisher, DMD
Pinelopi Pani, DDS, MS
Soft Tissue Laser Dentistry for the Pediatric Population (NEW)
Athanasios Zavras, DDS, MS, DrMedSc
Martin Kaplan, DMD
Melissa Mugno, OMT
Peter Vitruk, PhD
bu.edu/dental/ce
Calendar of Events
July 9–12
New Orleans, LA
October 5–10
San Antonio, TX
October 31–November 3
AAP Annual Session Honolulu, HI
July 15–18
Las Vegas, NV
October 15–18
Orlando, FL
For more information, contact Stacey McNamee, director of Alumni Relations & Annual Giving, at smcnamee@bu.edu or 617-358-6107. Events subject to change due to COVID-19.
November 4–7
New Orleans, LA
October 2–4
Boston, MA
October 21–24
Santa Barbara, CA
November 6–7
Montreal, Canada
GSDM THROUGH THE DECADES
Interviews compiled by Shannon C. Broderick
This year brings the dawn of a new decade—and as we look forward to the future, we also wanted to take a moment to look back at the rst six decades at GSDM. We asked seven alumni to share what the school was like when they attended—while the school has grown and the techniques have changed, we’re happy to see that some things have stayed the same.
“The seven story structure built in 1973 – 74 still remains as the core of the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine today”
Burton Langer PERIO 66
We had our classes in a brownstone… and all the specialties had their didactic classes in those buildings. Some of the people in the specialties were trained in their clinical years at Beth Israel, and some of [us] were trained at Massachusetts Memorial Hospital. e clinic there was in the basement—there was no air conditioning, which was okay except for in the summer months, when we were sweating to death and the poor pros people had all of their impressions materials melting!
Because all the specialties were united in this small area, we received some great interdisciplinary education… it was not unusual, when we had a problem, to call over one of the people
from pros, or endo to just come over to our chair and put our heads together. We really developed a keen awareness of the other specialties, which really served me well when I left BU.
Stephen DuLong DMD 75 PROS 78
e rst big change [in the 1970s] was the addition of the predoctoral dental program to the very successful postdoctoral programs that were developed. A class of 24 DMD students was welcomed in 1972, and eventually the name of the institution was amended to “Boston University School of Dental Medicine.”
e DMD students admitted in 1972 spent much of their time blended into courses [with] their medical student
colleagues. But when preclinical and clinical dental courses began in 1973, the space at 100 East Newton was clearly insu cient. So in 1973, the construction of four additional oors on the dental school building was begun.
e seven story structure built in 1973- 74 still remains as the core of the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine today.
Stephen Polins PERIO 73
It was all graduate programs [when I started]—Of course, it was all the usual experience of being a resident—ups and downs and all—but it was a great experience. From the time I walked through the doors in 1971 to now, I’ve never left.
Stephen DuLong DMD 75 PROS 78
Tina Valades DMD 84
Classes were small – we graduated 47. is also meant that the dental students took the basic sciences with the medical students. For the rst year and a half of our four years, all of our classes were with the medical students, including labs. We dissected the human body with the medical students. We didn’t have any dental courses until our second year of dental school.
Siri Steinle DMD 91 ORTHO 93
I graduated from GSDM in 1991. ere were no virtual classes, there were fewer students, and we didn’t wear scrubs unless you were doing your oral surgery rotation. And I don’t remember cell phones either! We bought textbooks; nothing was done online. No computers, only projectors for overhead learning, and we took notes by hand. We also had to carry around light bulbs for the lab bench lamps.
ere were only paper charts, posterior composites were very rare and we did gold inlays, amalgams and crowns. I had my rst implant lecture (the “latest thing”) literally one of the last weeks before I graduated from dental school. ere were no scanners yet. e CEREC machine was in a trial at BU in 1989. We had a radiology rotation and used lm as there were no digital images yet.
Despite the serious studying and late nights at the lab doing wax-ups and practicing crown preps, I found that my classmates always helped to alleviate the stress with humor and camaraderie. e lab and the med school library were popular places on weeknights, pizza was ordered, breaks were taken, sometimes at the med school cafeteria if we needed a change of scenery. e program was demanding, but there were always friends to sympathize with who knew exactly how I felt, since they had the same challenging test to study for or a similar di cult denture to make for a patient.
1980 1990
“What I miss the most is getting to see our friends every day—you just hang out, every day, for four years straight. I really miss that. And I met my husband while I was here, too!
Heidi Huang DMD 05 AEGD 06
When I got to the clinic, it was a lot of fun. And that was the part that I really enjoyed the most—getting hands on, seeing patients, and getting to talk to di erent people and having a relationship with patients. Of course, it was stressful—we had to manage our own schedule, we had to study, we had all the board exams—it was stressful. But looking back, I’m glad I did it.
What I miss the most is getting to see our friends every day—you just hang out, every day, for four years straight. I really miss that. And I met my husband while I was here, too! (Tun-Yi Hsu ENDO 04)
Anuradha Deshmukh DPH 04 PERIO 10 DMD 17
GSDM has been a second home for many of us and will always remain so. e people who have been there and who are still associated make the school what it is! I met so many wonderful teachers, sta and co-residents. It was so fun to interact with everyone and make lifelong friendships.
Katy Bednar DMD 12 ORTHO 15
I would have to say that some of my favorite memories, aside from having my father as a faculty in orthodontics (Jack Bednar ORTHO 75), would be coming in early before the hustle of the
day started and seeing Lestor (custodial engineer) and his beaming smile, having Mary Ellen Sholes (radiology) greet me with a huge hug and Patty Delorey in since 4 :30am plugging away at her computer popping her head up for a “good morning” hello and quick chat. ese are just a few of the “core” GSDM people that may be “behind the scenes” but truly set GSDM apart.
Additionally, the friendships I made at GSDM have truly been amazing. I think when you go through the rigorous courses of dental school and a residency program, the people who surround you become your temporary family and from those experiences life-long bonds are formed.
Heidi Huang DMD 05 AEGD 06
Faculty Q&A Fernando Harp Ruiz
Dr. Fernando Harp Ruiz is a clinical assistant professor in the department of General Dentistry— we spoke to him about his time at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM).
What brought you to Boston? between dental school in Mexico and GSDM?
GSDM—do you feel you’ve made an impact in creating a more diverse and inclusive environment within the school?
It’s important that GSDM provides culturally competent care to patients—what are some challenges that LGBT patients might face?
What makes the GSDM community special to you?
On Campus: Highlights
free endodontic care to 50 patients
Bernadette Ponce had a problem.
there was a gaping hole in her tooth.
as she imagined what might have happened had she not sought dental care—including getting something stuck in the tooth or having an abscess form.
Luckily for Ponce, her dentist had a solution— a referral to the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) for the Teeth Worth Saving Day. On Monday, November 18, 2019, the school partnered with Tufts School of Dental Medicine, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and the American Association of Endodontists (AAE) to provide free endodontic care to more than 50 patients in total. GSDM alone performed 20 endodontic
The three schools provided over $59,000 of care to patients, all of whom were pre-screened and preselected based on need. The event was part of the AAE’s Worth Saving
campaign, which emphasizes the importance of saving natural teeth and seeking endodontic care.
and two dental assistants provided support and coordination for 19 residents and six faculty members.
participation, and I think it has been a great experience for both the
Tun-Yi Hsu ENDO 04, assistant professor of Endodontics and clinical director, Advanced Education Program in Endodontics.
Dr. Taylor Cook, a second-year endodontics resident, said that he thinks giving back to the community through events is a
Spanish classes to GSDM students
GSDM’s Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA) is helping to bridge the language barrier between Spanish-speaking patients and English-speaking dental students with Spanish classes and translational guides focused on dental terminology.
times a semester, focusing on phrases and words related to oral health. “Our classes are structured in a way where we try to teach the basics, [as well as] what most students would need to speak with their patients,” HSDA President-Elect Victoria Ramos DMD
In addition to Spanish classes, HSDA has created English-Spanish translational guides—
incorporate these,” she said. “Everybody loves them—they’re perfect for the patient treatment center and they’re laminated— it’s just a great resource to have handy.”
HSDA Vice President-Elect Cassandra Pierre-Jerome DMD 21 said that speaking Spanish—even just a few words—can help establish trust between patient and provider.
helping a few people—especially the ones that need it—is such an impactful thing. It means a lot to me and I know it means a lot to the
“Having someone speak your language, and try to make that connection with you is so important,” said Pierre-Jerome. “I think it goes a long way in terms of treatment, general trust and comfort and patient care.”
Alexander Bendayan PROS 05 appointed ad interim chair, GSDM Restorative Sciences & Biomaterials
Alexander Bendayan PROS 05 was appointed ad interim chair of the Department of Restorative Sciences & Biomaterials at the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM),
As ad interim chair, Dr. Bendayan will serve as the direct link between the dean, the Executive Committee, and
each of the GSDM departments and programs. He will also be responsible for collaborating with the director and clinical director of the Advanced Education Program in Prosthodontics as well as the clinical director of the
Graduate Study (CAGS) in Operative Dentistry and Digital Dentistry on all aspects of the didactic, clinical and research components of the programs.
Dr. Bendayan earned a DDS from the Central University of Venezuela School of Dental Medicine in Caracas in 2000.
of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) in Prosthodontics at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. He joined the school’s faculty in 2005.
Throughout his career, Dr. Bendayan has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to delivering excellent dental education and patient care,
while continuing to explore and implement the innovations in dental technology. In 2011, he was awarded Best Faculty Poster during the John McCahan Education Day, and in 2014 received the Best Educator Award at the American Academy of Fixed Prosthodontics annual meeting, as well as appreciation awards from the GSDM Advanced Education Program in Prosthodontics Classes of 2016 and 2017. In May 2017, he was presented the school’s Spencer N. Frankl Award for Excellence in Teaching.
In April 2020, Bendayan was promoted to associate dean of digital development, technology & innovation.
Dan Nathanson DPH 85 PROS 90 retires, is honored after 37 years at GSDM
After a long and illustrious career as professor and chair of the Department of Restorative Sciences & Biomaterials at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM), Dan Nathanson DPH 85 PROS 90 retired from the school’s faculty in December 2019.
In recognition of his contributions to the school, Nathanson was awarded the honorary title of GSDM Distinguished Scientist, an honor conferred only to individuals at the highest level of academic and research achievement. Nathanson is only the second individual to be so recognized in the school’s history. Nathanson also was appointed to the academic rank of emeritus professor of Restorative Sciences & Biomaterials.
“Dr. Nathanson established himself as a renowned teacher, educator, clinician, Hutter. “Over the last few decades, he
During his time at GSDM, Nathanson’s work and restorative dentistry through clinical application and research. His list of publications
nearly 100 published articles, textbooks and textbook chapters; Nathanson presented his work in 40 U.S. states and 42 countries.
Even in retirement, Nathanson will continue countless residents he has mentored and advised throughout the years. Graduates of the programs headed by Nathanson serve in academic, industry, and other positions of distinction around the globe, a tribute to his contributions to the profession and industry.
SNDA co-hosts Black History Month
Celebration and SNDA District One Dinner
Students and faculty from all three Boston dental schools came together in February to celebrate Black History Month and, in so doing, to forge a sense of connection and belonging.
is important for our students— perhaps more so for students from Larry Dunham, GSDM director of
maintain and further develop a sense of belonging among our students.
Dunham chairs the School’s Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging Advisory Committee (DIEBAC) at GSDM, a special initiative that aims to assess the current diversity and
inclusion climate at the school and continue to nurture an inclusive and welcoming campus for faculty,
Celebration and Student National Dental Association (SNDA) District
One Dinner on Friday, February 7, 2020, which was co-hosted by the Boston GSDM SNDA, is just
DIEBAC that is helping to create an inclusive environment at GSDM.
Dr. Brian Swann, assistant professor of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, delivered the keynote address. Swann shared with attendees an overview of contributions made
by black people to oral healthcare in
of African descent to graduate from dental school (Robert T. Freeman, who graduated from Harvard in 1869).
The SNDA chapter at GSDM was re-launched during the 2007-2008 academic school year as a diverse and all-inclusive organization which exists to help the growth of members academically and professionally.
SNDA chapter played in putting on this is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, and this annual event
GSDM professor advocates to eliminate wait periods for pediatric patients
Jonathan Shenkin, a pediatric dentist in Maine and a clinical associate professor of Health Policy & Health Services Research and Pediatric Dentistry at GSDM, knew insurance wait periods were a serious problem for his patients.
oftentimes months— that an individual must wait between signing the full coverage. During the waiting period, an insurance company may not pay for certain procedures. In practice, this meant that Shenkin would often see new patients who urgently needed treatment – but wouldn’t be able
to get it unless their parents were willing to pay for the entire service.
on my entire career,” said Shenkin – but last year, he decided to do something about it.
He contacted state Sen. Heather Sanborn, who serves as the chair of the Maine Legislature Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services, and she agreed to sponsor a bill to eliminate these wait periods for children. The bill successfully passed in the state legislature, and then was signed into law on March 17, 2020 – making
eliminate wait periods for children.
eliminate wait periods for children, Shenkin said he hoped to see other states follow in their footsteps.
“If you have wait periods—you have a problem,” Shenkin said. “They have to end everywhere, not just in Maine. It’s a national thing that has to unfold for kids.”
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
Text message interventions could improve oral health of at-risk children
Text message interventions have the potential to improve the oral health of at-risk children by positively in uencing caregivers’ attitudes and behaviors toward their children’s oral health, according to the results of a randomized pilot feasibility trial published in November 2019 in the Journal of Medical Internet Research- mHealth and uHealth.
“ e most e ective interventions are those that are integrated into the daily fabric of people’s lives,” said Belinda Borrelli, PhD, the studies lead co-principal investigator and professor of Health Policy & Health Services Research at GSDM, where she also directs the Center for Behavioral Science Research. “ rough text messaging, we can target previously unreachable populations with evidence-based information that they can access in real time – most people carry their cell phones throughout the day –wherever they happen to be when the text comes in.”
Research, they developed a text-message program focused on motivating adherence to pediatric oral health behaviors. ey based the program content and structure on clinical guidelines as well as on feedback from a multidisciplinary scienti c advisory board, the medical community, and parents in the target population.
Participants in the study were parents or caregivers of children who were patients of pediatric clinics (patient treatment centers) in two community health centers in an urban and underserved area of Boston. ey were randomized to receive either oral health text messages or child wellness text messages. Text messages in both groups were interactive, focusing on problem-solving barriers to behavior change.
e feasibility trial (Borrelli et al.) explored the e cacy of harnessing the power of text messaging –currently used by more than 95 percent of adults, with no disparities in race, ethnicity, and income – to improve pediatric oral health among at-risk populations. ese at-risk populations have disproportionate rates of untreated dental decay and lack adequate access to dental care.
Together with Michelle Henshaw DDS DPH 07, co-principal investigator and GSDM associate dean for global & population health and professor in the Department of Health Policy and Health Services
ese ndings from the eight-week feasibility trial indicated rst that the intervention, as designed, was e ective at reaching and engaging its target audience. ey also demonstrated the potential of the intervention to change behavior and beliefs related to oral health.
Based on the results of the feasibility trial, Borrelli and Henshaw secured a $3 5 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to conduct a larger trial on the text message intervention; currently, 753 families are enrolled in the study.
e study is assessing the text messaging program’s impact on preventing new cavities in preschool children.
As part of Phase II, the entire dental school was clad in a new façade – from the outside, it now looks like a brand-new building.
–WAY MARK
On Tuesday, February 25, 2020, GSDM opened the School’s East Newton Street entrance, the seven-story addition to the west side of the dental school, and the two-story addition on the building’s north side, bringing Phase II of the Addition & Renovation Project to near-completion. The new spaces include a and a 117-seat simulation learning center.
The doors opened at seven in the morning on February 25, with Dean Hutter on with commemorative chocolates and maps. Members of the GSDM community wandered through the new addition, exploring the new spaces and taking photos.
(Above) Dean Hutter gives Dr. Karen Antman, provost of Boston University Medical Campus and dean of the medical school, a tour of the new spaces.
the new spaces opened.
(Above) Dean Hutter greeted members of the GSDM community on the day
A brand-new Simulation Learning Center (above) was built
“When people in the now, they think of BU.”
Dr. Donald Booth
A new endowment at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) will honor Donald F. Booth, professor emeritus and former chair of the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, with the Dr. Donald F. Booth Endowed Professorship in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Current and former faculty members, led by department chair Dr. Pushkar Mehra, are building on an endowed fund that Booth started to support residents in the department. Now, the endowment will ultimately support the Donald F. Booth Professorship. Many of the residents Booth helped train over the years have also contributed to the fund.
Starting at the top
This decades-long relationship all started with a fairly quick decision back in 1970. Booth had been practicing in Beverly, Massachusetts, for about six years and was realizing that he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life doing routine
Meanwhile, Dean Frankl was looking for someone to head GSDM’s oral surgery department, and he knew Booth from a shared project in Danvers, Massachusetts. So Frankl invited Booth to take the job, and he found it too good to pass up.
into teaching at the top, chair the department, start my own residency program, and not
Booth said he knew he would pursue a career in dental medicine as far back as junior high school—
In 1970, when Dr. Donald F. Booth became the chair of the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at what was then called the Boston University School of Graduate Dentistry (now GSDM), the department had exactly one fulltime faculty member: Dr. Donald F. Booth.
By the time he retired in 2002, the department boasted eight full-time surgeons, and it was building a national reputation for excellence (a reputation that has only continued to grow). To hear Don Booth tell it, though, he was just in the right place at the right time.
was here at the right time, and I worked under two
He’s grateful for that good luck, and for the career he built at GSDM. That’s why, in 2019, he established the endowed fund.
career extended beyond GSDM. In 2000, he was named president of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons; in 2005, he was elected to England’s Royal College of Surgeons.
Beyond the newly endowed professorship, his
well: Since 2007, the School’s annual Donald F. Booth Education Day has drawn practitioners back to campus for professional development and the latest on clinical best practices. It’s a
Class Notes
Dee Gulis Harrington DMD 12 married Devin Harrington on January 5, 2020 at Aria in Minneapolis, MN.
and
Deema Raslan DMD 20 married Omar Raslan on December 27, 2019 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
on October 2019.
James Rochefort DMD 08 and wife Sara welcomed
Weihao Wang DMD 20 and Peixi Jiang welcomed baby boy Ryan on November 9, 2019.
Sarah Guzman DMD 15
husband Christopher welcomed baby boy Jack Christopher Guzman on January 27, 2020.
Jun Hyuk Hwang DMD 12 and Priscilla Sia, and big brother Julian welcomed baby girl Pheobe on February 23, 2020.
Amal Lattouf DMD 15 and Thaer Faraj welcomed baby girl Deanna Lattouf Faraj on October 10, 2019.
Shawn Groyeski DMD 12 and Stefanie Gorendar welcomed baby boy Bradley Dylan on October 28, 2019.
Daryl Dudum ENDO 10 and wife Katherine welcomed baby girl Brooklyn Mary Dudum on November 22, 2019. Pictured with her new siblings Dylan and Kennedy.
Danielle Berkowitz Vertolli DMD 13 and husband Travis welcomed baby Sloan Riley Vertolli on January 10, 2020.
Matthew Haddad
ENDO 10 and wife
Margaret welcomed baby girl Norin Anne Haddad on January 12, 2019, pictured with new siblings, Elian and Wellin Anne.
Jennifer McCormack
Giletto DMD 08 and husband
Steve welcomed baby girl Cora on November 29, 2019.
Jenny Lorenzo DMD 13 PEDO 15 and husband Alade Soremekun welcomed baby boy Francis Ayodele Soremekun on November 22, 2019.
Adam Becker
ENDO 18 and wife
Katie welcomed baby boy Wyatt Evan Becker on September 3, 2019.
Cecilia Deller
DMD 19 ORTHO 19 and her husband
Greg welcomed son Sebastian
Oliver Deller on March 22, 2020.
Daniela Toro ORTHO 12 DMD 13 and husband Cesar welcomed baby girl Daniela on July 30, 2019. Pictured
John Vasko DMD 15 and wife Marissa welcomed baby girl Mara Catherine on March 27, 2020.
Rohan Kirtane DMD 12 AEGD 14 and wife Rajasi welcomed baby girl Navya on May 13, 2019. Dr. Kirtane is also currently in his second year of a Graduate Orthodontic Program at the University of Manitoba and is expected to graduate in June 2021.
Susan Baloul DScD 09 ORTHO 11 recently
Orthodontist. With this achievement, she is now dual Board of Orthodontics and the American Board of Prosthodontics.
and Helen welcomed baby girl Liyah Eliyanah on January 11, 2020.
Brad Dressler DMD 15 and Michelle Dube Dressler DMD 15 welcomed baby daughter Hannah Ruth on November 23, 2018.
Haranchal Bains DMD 16 and husband Pritpal welcomed Ganeev Singh Bains born on November 5th, 2019. In addition, Dr. Bain’s dental practice named Element Dental had its grand opening on February 20, 2020.
Matt Haddad ENDO 10, Mark Haddad ENDO 09, Darron Rishwain ENDO 98, and Daryl Dudum ENDO 10 founded a new company called Endo1 Partners, where they are creating the largest Endodontic Partnership Organization in the country.
Jignesh Rudani DMD 17 was selected as the chief editorial board member of American Academy of Implant Prosthodontics (AAIP).
In November 2019, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine honored Joel Dunsky ENDO 62 for 50 years of service to the dental school, where he served in many roles: as director of the endodontic program, as Assistant Dean for Administration, as Director of Continuing Education, and he re-established the post-doctoral endodontic program in 1993. While at the school he also served as Endodontics Commissioner and Chair of the Endodontics Review Committee of the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. Additionally, Dunsky has served as Chair of the endodontic section of the American Association of Dental Schools and has represented Harvard on the Council of Faculties of the AADS. Dr. Dr. Dunsky retired from clinical practice after 50 years, but continues to teach at Harvard.
Hussain Alsarraf DMD 15 PROS 21 with Azim Rabiei PROS 22 and Alexander Bendayan PROS 05 presented a poster titled An Accelerated Process to Finalize an Implant Supported Fixed Prosthesis.
Ammar Hussain Pabaney DMD 16 was invited to present at the Dental Section at the Medics International's 10th International Conference in Pakistan from December 23-27, 2019.
Campaign Donors
The Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine gratefully recognizes individuals who have given $10,000 or more, cumulatively, over the life of the Campaign for Boston University.
$5,000,000–$15,000,000 Anonymous
$2,500,000–$4,999,999 Anonymous
Oreste D. Zanni (PERIO'76)
$500,000–$2,499,999 Anonymous
Donald Booth DMD
$100,000–$499,999
Tarun Agarwal DDS and Mona Gupta DO Hussam Batal (DMD’98, OMFS’03) and Arghavan Shahidi (DMD’01)
Radhika Chigurupati DMD
Thomas L. Chou (ORTHO'88)
Shadi Daher (DMD’90, OMFS’94) and Milagros Serrano DDS
Richard D’Innocenzo DMD MD and Linda D’Innocenzo
Jeyasri Gunarajasingam (DMD’88) and Ponnudurai Gunarajasingam
Robert Ibsen DDS and Marcia Ibsen
Richard A. Konys (DMD’84, OMFS’88) and Caren John-Konys (DPH’82)
Jonathan Levine (DMD’81) and Stacey Levine (CAS’79)
David Lustbader (DMD’86, CAS’86) and Wendy Lustbader (SAR’83,’84)
Pushkar Mehra (DMD’95, OMFS’99) and Deepika Mehra
Mina Paul DMD (SPH’97) and Ajay Saini (Questrom’82)
Uday Reebye (DMD’98) and Laura Reebye
Andrew Salama DDS MD
Samuel Shames DDS and Honey Shames
Alfredo Tendler (DMD’99, OMFS’04) and Minelle Tendler DMD
$50,000–$99,999
Kulminder Bahi (DMD’99, OMFS’03) and Kelly Bahi
Timothy S. Colton (OMFS’88)
Karen Crowley (OMFS’86)
Ruben Figueroa DMD and Annie Guillianie
Raymond George (ORTHO’66)
John F. Guarente (DMD’89) and Barbara Guarente
Katherine A. Haltom (DMD’79, OMFS’82)
Hikmat Hannawi (DMD’99) and Mouna Hannawi
Harry Hersh (OMFS'75)
Judith Jones (DPH'00, DSc'02) and Michael P. Fitzmaurice (CAS'73, Wheelock'77)
William F. Lane (DMD’77, OMFS’81) and Jayne Lane
Burton Langer (PERIO’66) and Laureen Langer DDS
Ernesto Muller (PERIO’61)
Ramesh Narang (OMFS’68, DSc’70)
Estate of Ruth B. Pearson
A. Stephen Polins (CAS’65, PERIO’73) and Betty A. Polins
Nathan Turley (OMFS’12) and Jenna Turley
James Wu (OMFS’97) and Janice Wu
$25,000–$49,999
Chandan Advani (DMD’04) and Kulwinder Advani
Adela Agolli Tarshi (DMD'08, AEGD'09, ENDO'12) and Michael Tarshi
Omar Al-Ani (DMD’18) and Mays Ibrahim (DMD’20)
Anonymous
Tim Auger (DMD’91) and Meghan Auger (DMD’91)
Evis Babo (DMD’01) and Stephen Weizenecker
Marshall A. Baldassarre (DMD’78, OMFS’81) and Pamela Baldassarre (DMD’82, PERIO’84)
Alexander Bendayan (PROS’05) and Rebika Shaw-Bendayan
Manish Bhagania BDS and Mina Bhagania
Ishwar Bhatia BDS and Punam Bhatia
Nazila Bidabadi (CAS’82, DMD’87) and Alireza Hakimi (ENG’82,’86)
Steven Bookless DDS and Patricia Bookless
Boston University Orthodontic Alumni Association
Daniel S. Budaso (PROS’80)
Joseph M. Calabrese (DMD’91, AEGD’92) and Michele A. Calabrese (SSW’93)
J. Pino Carriero (OMFS’96)
Gennaro L. Cataldo DMD
Vincent Celenza (PROS’79) and Christine Celenza
Pelly Chang (DMD’89)
Peng Cheng (DMD'10)
Brian Cherry (OMFS’07) and Lisa Cherry (PEDO’06)
Sudha S. Chinta (ENDO’09) and Suryanaryana M. Chinta Pharm.D
Christopher Clancy (OMFS’01) and Joan Rooney
Samuel Co n (CAS’73, DMD’78, Questrom’85) and Deborah Coppa
Mohammad Hossein Dashti (DMD’88, PROS’91) and Roxana Hashemian (AEGD’12, SPH’19)
Matthew DeFelice (OMFS’00) and Amy DeFelice
Leslie Diamond (OMFS’95) and Paula White-Diamond
Leonid Dumanis (OMFS’05) and Irene Dumanis
Larry Dunham (DMD’83) and Lynn Dunham (MET’81)
Maged El-Malecki (DMD’02) and Zeina El-Malecki
Baback Emami (DMD’94)
Margaret R. Errante DDS and Mark Crotwell
Neal Fleisher (DMD’84, PERIO’86) and Peggy Fleisher
Michael C. Furia (DMD’95) and Flor Furia
Raul I. Garcia DMD and Linnea W. Garcia MD
Mareen George (DMD’01) and Sanjay Mathew
Jasjit S. Gill (DMD’96, OMFS’00) and Meeta Gill
Russell Giordano II DMD
Camila Guiribitey (DMD'20) and Juan Carlos Izquierdo (DMD'20)
Jeremy E. Hadibe (OMFS’18) and Neima Hadibe
Michelle Henshaw DDS (SPH’96, DPH’07) and Cli Marble
Eric Hoverstad (OMFS’14) and Sarah Hoverstad
Zhiqiang Huang (DMD’08) and Jun Jiang
Dean Je rey W. Hutter DMD and Kathleen Hutter
Gregg Jacob (DMD’00, OMFS’04) and Deborah V. Jacob Psy.D
Mark Jesin (OMFS’12) and Stephanie Jesin DMD
Yanling Jiang (DSc’91, DMD’95, ENDO’99) and Tao Xu (DSc’90, DMD’95)
Dennis Jodoin (DMD’95, PERIO’98) and Vickie Jodoin
Michael Jory (DMD'96) and Rhonda Jory
Suneel Kandru (ENDO'07) and Santhi Kilaru W. David Kelly (OMFS'76)
Thomas Kilgore DMD and Colleen Kilgore
Puneet Kochhar (DMD’03) and Shweta Kochhar
Celeste V. Kong (PROS’84, DMD’87)
Nanarao Krothapalli (DMD'02, ENDO'09) and Padmaja Krothapalli (PERIO'10, MSc'10, DMD'15)
Maria Kukuruzinska PhD
David Lee (DMD’98) and Susan Lee
Cataldo Leone DDS and Rosemary Leone
Xiaojing Li (DSc’03, DMD’07) and Jungmee Youn (Msc’06, PERIO’06, DMD’08)
Bing Liu (DSc’99, DMD’03) and Hong Dong
Hongsheng Liu (DMD’10, ENDO’12) and Min Zhu (PhD’12, DMD’17)
Sumeet Malhotra (DMD’10) and Khushbu Malhotra (DMD’18)
Madalyn L. Mann (DPH’76) and Robert C. Goldszer MD (Questrom’99)
John Marshall (OMFS’95)
Tim and Pam McDonough
Gigi Meinecke (DMD’88) and Douglas Meinecke PhD (GRS’87)
Robert Miller (DMD’84, PERIO’86) and Sharon Miller
Jeremy Miner (OMFS’08) and Anita A. Hoelscher
Abhishek Mogre (DMD’06, OMFS’11) and Veena Mogre
John Morgan (OMFS’91) and Stephanie A. Morgan
Robert Moskal (DMD’95) and Suzanne Moskal
Resmi Nair (DMD’01) and Prajeet Nair
Azita Negahban (DMD’94, AEGD’04)
Olena Norris (OMFS’14)
Sepideh Novid (DMD’04, AEGD’05) and Aria Tavana PhD
Frank G. Oppenheim III (GRS'74, DMD'76, PERIO'77)
Tim Osborn DDS MD
Debra Pan (DPH’86, DMD’01) and Nelson Pan DDS
Steven Perlman (PEDO’76) and Harriet Perlman
Loubna Chehab Pla (ENDO'08) and Philippe Pla
Madhuri D. Punaty (DMD’01)
Richard D. Rabbett III (MET’10) and Yun Lam MD
Sean Rayment (DMD’97, DSc’00) and Daphne Rayment PhD
Frederick E. Robinson III (DMD’94, OMFS’99) and Elaine M. Kelley
Richard Rosen DDS (CAS’79) and Rosa Calcano (DMD’96)
Joel Rosenlicht (OMFS’78) and Doreen Rosenlicht
Tanios Rubeiz (DMD'98, OMFS'02) and Vera Rubeiz
David Russell DMD and Sharin Russell
Mitchell V. Sabbagh (DMD’87) and Kelly Sabbagh
Parimal Sapovadia (DMD'01, OMFS'05)
Frank E. Schiano (CAS'01, DMD'06, AEGD'07, ORTHO'18)
Douglas Schildhaus (DMD’91, PEDO’93)
Ronni A. Schnell (DMD’81) and Richard A. Short (CAS’76, DMD’82)
Amit Sethi DDS and Sumati Bhalla DDS
Amir Shahbazian (DMD’88) and Shahrzad Shahbazian (DMD’96)
Ali Basha Shaik (DMD'15)
Maryam Shomali (CAS’87, ENDO’93) and Bahram Shomali
Jeanne Sinkford DDS
Mingfang Su (DMD’91) and Xiaoying Zhao
Tadeu Szpoganicz (DMD’11) and Valeria Papa Szpoganicz
Cheryl Ullman (ENDO'80)
Tina M. Valades (DMD’84) and Ralph D. Tullberg
Mariana Velazquez (OMFS’14) and Diego Romero
Naveen Verma (DMD’04) and Monica Verma
Evan Wardius (OMFS’18)
Ronald G. Weissman (PROS’77) and Maria Weissman
$10,000–$24,999
Saleh Al-Bazie (OMFS'01)
Craig M. Allen (DMD'95) and Nicole Paquette (DMD'95)
Anonymous
Philip S. Badalamenti (ORTHO'80)
Alan J. Berko (ORTHO'81)
Abdulelah M. Binmahfooz (PROS'13)
Howard Bittner (ENDO'95)
Eric W. Bludau (ENDO'04)
Boston University Endodontic Alumni Association
Boston University Italian Alumni Club
David G. Burros (ENDO'93)
Alfonso Caiazzo (OMFS'97)
John C. Cataudella (DMD'92, OMFS'96) and Maureen Cataudella (CAS'88, DMD'92)
Christopher Douville (ENDO'00)
Kenneth B. Drizen DDS
Ray English (DMD'83)
Ronald M. Fried (DMD'83)
Ernestine A. Gianelly
Norris R. Glick MD
Anita Gohel BDS and Raj Gohel
William M. Gordon (CAS'84, DMD'88, ORTHO'90)
Andre F. Hashem (PROS'90, DMD'92) and Christine Lo (PROS'92, DMD'95)
Michael S. Hauser (DMD'77)
Ralph D. Hawkins (ENDO'89)
Neil S. Hornung (DMD'81)
John R. Hughes (ENDO'83)
Geri R. Hunter (ORTHO'92)
Sok-Ja Janket DMD
Daniel C. Jeong (OMFS'09)
Anita Jhamb and Tarun Jhamb (DMD'98, AEGD'99)
Berdj Kiladjian DMD
Iman S. Labib (DMD’96, ENDO 01)
Charles T. Loo (ENDO'84)
Patricia Machalinsk (DMD'90, AEGD'91, ENDO'93)
Dina Macki (CAS'95, DMD'99, AEGD 00, PROS'06) and Gregorio P. Sena Buonaiuto (PROS'05)
Joseph Mills (DMD'79)
Peter A. Morgan (ENDO'75)
Richard P. Mungo (PEDO'75)
Peter T. Ngo (DMD'06)
Casey V. Pedro (DMD'03)
Jamily F. Pedro (DMD'11)
Janet R. Peters DMD and Jonathan Zucker (DMD'84)
Albert M. Price (PERIO'74)
Stephen J. Reichheld (ORTHO'89)
Leila J. Rosenthal (CFA’64,’65, SDM’79)
Steven E. Roberts (DMD'79)
Angela V. Ross (DMD'84, ORTHO'86)
Tanios Rubeiz (DMD’98, OMFS’02) and Vera Rubeiz
Yousri Z. Said Tawfik (PERIO'75)
John Silber (HON'95)
John P. Smith (ENDO'97)
Shervin Tabeshfar (AEGD'10, PROS'14) and Marieh Vakili (MET'10)
John D. West (ENDO'75)
Leslie A. Will DMD
Hideo Yamamoto (PROS'90, DMD’92)
Donald C. Yu (ENDO'81)
Carol K. Yun (DMD'87)
Named Spaces
(As of February 2020)
Student Resident Lounge
David Lustbader (DMD’86, CAS’86) and Wendy Lustbader (SAR’83,’84)
Conference Room
Jeyasri Gunarajasingam (DMD’88) and Ponnudurai Gunarajasingam
Admissions Conference Room
Mina Paul DMD (SPH’97) and Ajay Saini (Questrom’82)
Cafe
Samuel Shames DDS and Honey Shames
Meeting Room
Judith Jones (DPH’00, DSc’02) and Michael P. Fitzmaurice (CAS’73, Wheelock’77)
Burton Langer (PERIO’66) and Laureen Langer DDS
A. Stephen Polins (CAS’65, PERIO’73) and Betty A. Polins
Patient Treatment Room Donors Anonymous
Chandan Advani (DMD’04) and Kulwinder Advani
Adela Agolli Tarshi (DMD’08, AEGD’09, ENDO’12) and Michael Tarshi
Tim Auger (DMD’91) and Meghan Auger (DMD’91)
Evis Babo (DMD’01) and Stephen Weizenecker
Alexander Bendayan (PROS’05) and Rebika Shaw-Bendayan
Nazila Bidabadi (CAS’82, DMD’87) and Alireza Hakimi (ENG’82,’86)
Daniel S. Budaso (PROS’80)
Joseph M. Calabrese (DMD’91, AEGD’92) and Michele A. Calabrese (SSW’93)
Gennaro L. Cataldo DMD
Vincent Celenza (PROS’79) and Christine Celenza
Pelly Chang (DMD’89)
(In memory of Chung Chang and Oshun Chang)
Peng Cheng (DMD’10)
Sudha S. Chinta (ENDO’09) and Suryanaryana M. Chinta Pharm.D
Samuel Co n (CAS’73, DMD’78, Questrom’85) and Deborah Coppa
Shadi Daher (DMD’90, OMFS’94) and Milagros Serrano DDS
In memory of Andrew Delima (DMD’96, PERIO’01)
Larry Dunham (DMD’83) and Lynn Dunham (MET’81)
Maged El-Malecki (DMD’02) and Zeina El-Malecki
Baback Emami (DMD’94)
Margaret R. Errante DDS and Mark Crotwell
Neal Fleisher (DMD’84, PERIO’86) and Peggy Fleisher
Michael C. Furia (DMD’95) and Flor Furia
Raul I. Garcia DMD and Linnea W. Garcia MD
Mareen George (DMD’01) and Sanjay Mathew
In memory of Raymond George (ORTHO’66) and Raymond George, Jr. (ORTHO’88)
Russell Giordano II DMD
John F. Guarente (DMD’89) and Barbara Guarente
Camila Guiribitey (DMD’20) and Juan Carlos Izquierdo (DMD’20)
Hikmat Hannawi (DMD’99) and Mouna Hannawi
Mohammad Hossein Dashti (DMD’88, PROS’91) and Roxana Hashemian (AEGD’12, SPH’19)
Michelle Henshaw DDS (SPH’96, DPH’07) and Cli Marble
Zhiqiang Huang (DMD’08) and Jun Jiang
Dean Je rey W. Hutter DMD and Kathleen Hutter
Yanling Jiang (DSc’91, DMD’95, ENDO’99) and Tao Xu (DSc’90, DMD’95)
Dennis Jodoin (DMD’95, PERIO’98) and Vickie Jodoin
Michael Jory (DMD’96) and Rhonda Jory
Suneel Kandru (ENDO’07) and Santhi Kilaru
Puneet Kochhar (DMD’03) and Shweta Kochhar
Celeste V. Kong (PROS’84, DMD’87) (In memory of Rodolfo R. Kong and Estela V. Kong DMD)
Maria Kukuruzinska PhD
David Lee (DMD’98) and Susan Lee
Cataldo Leone DDS and Rosemary Leone
Xiaojing Li (DSc’03, DMD’07) and Jungmee Youn (Msc’06, PERIO’06, DMD’08)
Bing Liu (DSc’99, DMD’03) and Hong Dong
Hongsheng Liu (DMD’10, ENDO’12) and Min Zhu (PhD’12, DMD’17)
Sumeet Malhotra (DMD’10) and Khushbu Malhotra (DMD’18)
Madalyn L. Mann (DPH’76) and Robert C. Goldszer MD (Questrom’99)
Tim and Pam McDonough
Gigi Meinecke (DMD’88) and Douglas Meinecke PhD (GRS’87)
Robert Miller (DMD’84, PERIO’86) and Sharon Miller
Robert Moskal (DMD’95) and Suzanne Moskal
Ernesto Muller (PERIO’61)
Resmi Nair (DMD’01) and Prajeet Nair
Azita Negahban (DMD’94, AEGD’04) (in memory of Houssein Negahban Pharm.D)
Sepideh Novid (DMD’04, AEGD’05) and Aria Tavana PhD
Debra Pan (DPH’86, DMD’01) and Nelson Pan DDS
Steven Perlman (PEDO’76) and Harriet Perlman
Loubna Chehab Pla (ENDO’08) and Philippe Pla
Madhuri D. Punaty (DMD’01)
Richard D. Rabbett III (MET’10) and Yun Lam MD (In memory of Kathleen S. Ferland and Christopher Ferland)
Sean Rayment (DMD’97, DSc’00) and Daphne Rayment PhD
Richard Rosen DDS (CAS’79) and Rosa Calcano (DMD’96)
David Russell DMD and Sharin Russell
Mitchell V. Sabbagh (DMD’87) and Kelly Sabbagh
Frank Schiano (CAS’01, DMD’06, AEGD’07, ORTHO’18)
Douglas Schildhaus (DMD’91, PEDO’93)
Ronni A. Schnell (DMD’81) and Richard A. Short (CAS’76, DMD’82)
Amir Shahbazian (DMD’88) and Shahrzad Shahbazian (DMD’96)
Ali Basha Shaik (DMD’15)
Maryam Shomali (CAS’87, ENDO’93) and Bahram Shomali
Jeanne Sinkford DDS
Mingfang Su (DMD’91) and Xiaoying Zhao Tadeu Szpoganicz (DMD’11) and Valeria Papa Szpoganicz
Tina M. Valades (DMD’84) and Ralph D. Tullberg
Naveen Verma (DMD’04) and Monica Verma
James Wu (OMFS’97) and Janice Wu (In memory of Charles Wu)
Josephine Pandolfo CAS 74 DMD 79 PERIO 82 (2000–2003)
Maddy Apfel DMD 80 (2003–2006)
Joseph Calabrese DMD 91 AEGD 92 (2006–2008)
Shadi Daher DMD 90 OMFS 94(2008–2010)
Tina Valades DMD 84 (2010–2012)
Mitch Sabbagh DMD 87 (2012–2014)
Bing Liu DSc 99 DMD 03 (2014–2017)
Sean Rayment DMD 97 DSc 00 (2017-2019)
David Paul Lustbader CAS 86 DMD 86
Chair
Chief of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Milton Hospital
Immediate Past-President, Massachusetts Dental Society
Clinical Instructor in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Boston University
Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Founder, South Shore Oral Surgery Associates Quincy, MA
Tarun Agarwal
Owner, 3-D Dentists
Founder, Raleigh Dental Arts Raleigh, NC
Donald Booth
Professor and Chair Emeritus, Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Former Associate Dean for Hospital A airs, Boston University Henry M. Goldman
School of Dental Medicine
Retired Chief, Department of Dentistry
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Boston Medical Center Rye, NH
Donald Casey, Jr.
CEO, Dentsply Sirona York, PA
Shadi Daher DMD 90 OMFS 94
Cofounder and President, Medical Missions for Children
Past President, Boston University Alumni Council
Past President, Boston University
Henry M. Goldman School of Dental
Medicine Alumni Association
Clinical Assistant Professor in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine Westwood, MA
Richard A. Konys DMD 84 OMFS 88 Founder, Eastside Dental Fayetteville, NY
Jonathan B. Levine DMD 81
Immediate Past Chair, Boston University
Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Dean’s Advisory Board
Founder & CEO, GLO Science
Founder, Jonathan B. Levine & Associates New York, NY
Geo rey Ligibel
President & CEO, 42 North Dental Waltham, MA
Madalyn Mann DPH 76
Former Director, Applied Professional Experience (APEX) & Extramural Programs, Boston University
Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine Miami, FL
Timothy McDonough
Executive Director of Finance & Operations
Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine Boston, MA
Gigi Meinecke DMD 88
President, Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine Alumni Association
Founder, Gigi Meinecke, DMD, FAGD Instructor and Leader, FACES
Clinical Instructor, Boston University
Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine
Potomac, MD
Alon Mozes CEO, Neocis Inc. Miami, FL
Thomas Olsen CEO Mavrik Dental Therapeutics Costa Mesa, CA
Mina Paul SPH 97
Administrative Dental Director, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center
Former Chair, Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry Past President, American Association of Dental Boards
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor in General Dentistry, Boston University
Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine Boston, MA
Uday Reebye DMD 98
Founder, Triangle Implant Center Clinical Adjunct Faculty, UNC Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
Jeanne C. Sinkford
Former Associate Executive Director, Center for Equity and Diversity, American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Dean Emeritus, Howard University College of Dentistry Washington, D.C.
Richard A. Soden LAW 70
Partner Emeritus, Goodwin Procter LLP
Chairman, Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Oversight Committee Boston, Massachusetts Boston, MA
In Memoriam
David F. Constantine (Jidu) OMFS 65
New Bedford, MA; June 27, 2019
Dr. Constantine graduated from New Bedford High School in 1955, and then went on to earn a B.S. from Stonehill College in 1959 and a DMD from Tufts University in 1963. He also served in the United States Army from 1956 until 1962. In addition to his numerous professional and civic initiatives and commitments, he served as chief of oral maxillofacial surgery at Union/Parkwood Hospital in New Bedford from 1966-1988, and director of Oral Surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Clair J. (Roy) Constantine, his 11 children, and 11 grandchildren.
Alan Cutler DMD 79
Pitts eld, MA; March 4, 2020
Dr. Cutler graduated second in his class from Pitts eld High School in 1970, and graduated cum laude from Williams College in 1974 . He then earned a DMD from GSDM in 1979. After a year working as a resident at Berkshire Medical Center, Dr. Cutler opened his dental practice in July 1980 and continued working in private practice until his retirement in 2011. He is survived by his beloved wife, Ellen McKeever Cutler, his three children, and one grandchild as well as a sister and numerous nieces and nephews.
Je ery A. Daughenbaugh ENDO 80
Monterey, CA; December 7, 2019
Dr. Daughenbaugh completed his undergraduate education at the University of San Diego, and then earned his dental degree from the University of the Paci c School of Dentistry. He then headed to Boston University and obtained his Masters of Science in Dentistry for Endodontics. Upon graduating, Dr. Daughenbaugh returned to California and opened his own practice in Salinas, which saw him provide treatment for root canals to patients for over 30 years. He is survived and remembered by his wife, Cheryl, a daughter, a grandson, two brothers, two sisters, a sister-in-law Joan, numerous nieces and one nephew.
Pasquale Charles Gabriele PERIO 60
Naples, FL; March 6, 2020
Dr. Gabriele received a doctorate from University of Pennsylvania in 1958 and postdoctoral training from Boston University School of Medicine in 1960. He then went on to practice periodontics in White Plains, New York, for 43 years. During this time, he pioneered new treatment methods, served as adjunct professor of Dentistry at Columbia University, took leadership roles in professional societies, and endeared himself to patients and associates alike. He is survived by a sister, a sisterin-law, four loving children, seven grandchildren, and 13 wonderful nieces and nephews.
Gerald Isenberg PERIO 65
Dedham, MA; October 9, 2019
Dr. Isenberg was a prominent periodontist for more than 50 years and a professor at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. He was also on the Board of Visitors for the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. He was the beloved husband of the late Elaine Isenberg and the late Jo-Anne Snyder Isenberg, and was the devoted companion of Joyce Creiger. He is survived by numerous children, stepchildren, grandchildren, siblings, nieces, and nephews.
Leonard Mark (faculty)
Portsmouth, RI; February 10, 2020
Dr. Mark served as a faculty member in the Prosthodontics CAGS program at GSDM from 1982 until his retirement in 2011, and was well known by faculty, sta , students, and residents for his dedication, enthusiasm, and love for his job. Dr. Mark attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and received his DDS in June 1957. His residency training was in Prosthodontics at the U.S. Naval Dental School in Bethesda, MD; he was board certi ed in 1967. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie, his three children, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
H. Robert Nagel ENDO 74
Newton, MA; February 1, 2020
Dr. Nagel founded e Endodontics Group in 1974 , and was well respected in the dental eld, admired by colleagues and patients alike, He was a veteran of the Vietnam War, serving as a captain in the Air Force. Dr. Nagel is survived by his beloved wife, Carol (Shapiro) Nagel, his three children, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and ve grandchildren.
Nimin Jai
Pothuluri PEDO 03
Texas; October 31, 2019
Dr. Pothuluri received his DDS at LSU School of Dentistry and completed his pediatric dentistry residency at GSDM. He was the former owner of Children's Dental Center in Kingwood, Texas, and Avery Ranch Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Pothuluri is survived by his wife, his son, his parents, his sister, and his brother-in-law.
Erdjan Salih (faculty)
Plymouth, MA; January 28 , 2020
Dr. Salih, most recently a research professor of periodontology, was a member of the GSDM community for 14 years. He received a B.SC. (honors with distinction) in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry from Loughborough University of Technology (Loughborough, England, UK) in 1980, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the Medical College of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London University (London, England, UK) in 1983. Dr. Salih is survived by his wife of 29 years, Louise Aline Benjamin Salih, as well as his son, his two brothers, a sister, and many brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews.
The Last Word
The Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) clearly has a multicultural environment. One need only walk the halls of the School or pop into a classroom to see the many cultures, races, ethnicities, and more represented by our student and resident always used – this environment to enhance the cultural
We are proud of our School’s diversity and proud of the work we have done to support students and residents in becoming culturally competent clinicians – but we also know there is always room for improvement. So in keeping with the building expansion of GSDM, we thought this was an ideal time to revisit our cultural climate for humanistic expansion.
the Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, & Belonging Advisory Committee (DIEBAC) to monitor the cultural climate of the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine and to ensure that all the voices in our diverse community are heard. I am honored to chair this committee, which
climate survey to our community. DIEBAC is now analyzing the results of this survey; and, based on these results, will develop a strategic plan to further enhance and measure the
GSDM diversity, inclusion, equity, & belonging goals. GSDM is committed to integrating current and evolving concepts of inclusion, cultural competency, and unconscious
educational opportunities built into their work schedule. Part of GSDM’s mission is to foster an environment of must continuously grow in cultural competency to keep pace with our ever-evolving society. We also believe it is important to foster a sense of belonging in our patients. GSDM is an interconnected community that must meet the academic, clinical, and humanistic needs of our students, residents, workforce, patients, and alumni.
“Part of GSDM’s mission is to foster an environment of belonging for all.”
We would love for you, our alumni, to be involved in your own experiences with our students and residents, volunteering to mentor students or residents, or supporting in any way you can the ongoing diversity
to learn how you can get more involved in this work.
By Larry Dunham DMD 83, Director,
10 TAKEAWAYS FROM
“[GSDM] is much more than just a physical building. It is a community...” 1 7 4
“When people in the now, they think of BU.”
“...We’ve made a lot of advances, but that does not mean there’s not still work to be done.”
Spring 2020 10 2 5
3
“I hope that they...feel represented or comfortable, or that they have someone they can talk to.”
“...GSDM’s mission is to foster an environment of belonging for all.” 8
9 6
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To the GSDM Alumni Community
Our thoughts are with each and every one of you during this tough time. We may not be able to be together physically right now, but our bonds are just as strong virtually. We will be able to support one another through this crisis. We wish you and your loved ones health, safety, and happiness.
