Dental Missions Visit Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico

NSU College of Dental Medicine started off the summer semester with a tremendous outreach to several communities and potential new collaborations.

In late April 2023, Mark Schweizer, Assistant Dean for Community Programs and Public Health visited the Dominican Republic to see the wonderful work being done by One Smile led by our own IDG, Christopher Garcia who has provided more than 17 missions through his organization.

They were also joined by IDG students, Nelson Carrillo, Rafael Castro, Pranayan Chakma, Jay Shah, Christopher Basily, Alexandra Izaguirre, Dayli Vidal, and Kenia Marmol, traveling to the remote area outside of Santa Domingo to treat children from underserved communities and provided food and medical screenings.

Schweizer also met with the Dean of Unibe Dental school to explore potential for educational and clinical programs.

The love continued when the Kiran Patel College of Health Care Sciences joined the College of Dental Medicine in Utuado, Puerto Rico in May 2023. Students from NSU Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Dental Medicine provided care to hundreds of patients at the Cassao Community Clinic.

Schweizer and Dr. Norberto Coerezza led students Jim Skaff, Mary Wick, Christopher Garcia (IDG), Shekhar Gill-Uppal, Austin Jackson, and William Thornton. The community was so gracious of the care we provided, and we plan on returning in October. The exchange and connection between the students and patients were just amazing.

Posted 05/21/23