Tag: College of Dental Medicine

Grant Provides Dental Care for Ukrainian Refugees in Florida

From left: Kateryna Klymenko, Dr. Yehuda J. Benjamin, Class of 2024 endodontic resident Dr. Daniel Romero, Class of 2025 endodontic resident Dr. Rachel Schapiro, and patient Polina Danilova

The Ukrainian Refugee Resettlement Project (URRP), led by founder Angie Watstein in coordination with the Department of Endodontics at NSU’s College of Dental Medicine, has been awarded the 2023 Domestic Access to Care Grant by the Foundation of Endodontics and U.S. Endo Partners. This collaboration marks a significant step toward providing critical endodontic care to Ukrainian refugees in Florida, many of whom face barriers to accessing dental services.

This initiative will help Ukrainian refugees needing endodontic services who are ineligible for Medicaid, don’t have dental insurance or cannot afford dental care. The project aids those affected by the Ukrainian conflict, offering support to individuals facing challenges in accessing health care.

Watstein’s team is facilitated by URRP medical needs volunteer Julie Klitzner, who is the operational lead and first contact point. Services are coordinated by Dr. Yehuda J. Benjamin, faculty and staff. The services are performed by postgraduate endodontic residents. Dr. Benjamin is chair of the Endodontics Department. The initiative aids those in need while highlighting the profound impact of collaborative efforts in providing critical care to underserved communities.

One story underscoring the impact of this initiative involves Polina Danilova, a young Ukrainian refugee and her mother, Kateryna Klymenko, who were faced with the prospect of selling their car to afford a vital endodontic dental procedure. Because of intervention by URRP and the College of Dental Medicine, the family received the necessary endodontic treatment, showcasing the life-changing support this grant and initiative offer to a vulnerable population.

For more details on this initiative and others, visit the URRP and NSU College of Dental Medicine‘s websites.

Posted 04/07/24

Dental Medicine Student Studies Postures of Fellow Students

Natalia Sayeg

NSU’s College of Dental Medicine D4 student Natalia Sayeg presented her poster titled “Ergonomic Posture of Dental Students Prior and After Receiving a Flyer with Information on Proper Ergonomics – Pilot Study” at this year’s American Dental Education Association meeting in New Orleans.

The co-authors of her study were Dr. Liliana Mosquera, Dr. Mauricio Schneider, Dr. Nydia Cummings and Dr. Alexander Bendayan.

 The findings from the pilot study shed light on the ergonomic postures of the college’s dental students during seated fixed prosthodontics appointments, revealing a concerning lack of proper posture, particularly in the trunk and neck. The distribution of an informative flyer on proper posture resulted in noticeable improvements for most students.

These observations reinforced the importance of integrating preventive measures and educational initiatives into the dental curriculum to address ergonomic concerns and promote long-term musculoskeletal health among dental students.

Posted 03/17/24

Dental Medicine Intern Shines at Science Fair Competition

Jade Lubin

Jade Lubin, an NSU University School Upper School student, recently competed in the Miami-Dade STREAM Science Fair competition and was awarded a top-seven finalist prize among more than 200 students. Lubin is a National Institutes of Health Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility grant-supported intern at the NSU College of Dental Medicine.

Lubin’s research was supervised by Dr. Shin Nakamura and Dr. Toshihisa Kawai. She also presented the results of her summer/winter research internship in our laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Nakamura and Elizabeth Leon, a first-year dental student.

Lubin discovered that a novel bacterial protein, RagA, produced by P. gingivalis can cause the differentiation of osteoclasts, in the absence of RANKL that is an authentic permissive osteoclast-differentiation. P. gingivalis is a pathogen of periodontitis (gum disease) that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

Lubin will be competing in the upcoming Florida state science fair and International High School Science Fair.

“This achievement highlights the significance of institutions like NSU in providing the necessary support and guidance for students to flourish and empowering them to reach their full potential, thereby contributing positively to both academia and society at large,” said Dr. Mauricio Schneider, director of Belonging, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the College of Dental Medicine.

Posted 03/03/24

Endodontics Department Gets Domestic Access to Care Grant

Dr. Yehuda Benjamin

NSU’s College of Dental Medicine’s Department of Endodontics has been honored as a 2023 Domestic Access to Care Grant awardee.

This grant, facilitated by the Foundation for Endodontics and U.S. Endo Partners, enables the university to provide critical endodontic care to Ukrainian refugees in South Florida, many of whom face barriers such as unemployment, language challenges, and ineligibility for Medicaid.

This project was led by Dr. Yehuda Benjamin, interim chair and director of post-graduate endodontics that exemplifies our commitment to serving those in dire need of dental care. We are proud to be a part of this humanitarian effort, making a real difference in the lives of those we serve.

The Foundation for Endodontics’ and U.S. Endo Partners’ Domestic Access to Care Program aids endodontic specialists in providing access to free endodontic care to underserved patients within the United States. The Foundation believes every endodontist has the capacity to make a significant difference and is proud to empower specialists to serve patients and spread goodwill.

For more information, see this link.

Posted 01/14/24

NSU Receives Approval by Top University Accrediting Body

Dr. Belle Wheelan, President of SACSCOC with NSU President and CEO George L. Hanbury II

Nova Southeastern University received notification from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) that our Fifth-Year Interim Report has been successfully accepted with no additional reporting requested.

SACSCOC is the body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices primarily among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and certain other international sites approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees.

The Commission also accepts applications for membership from domestic institutions in the other 39 states, as well as international institutions of higher education around the world.

Congratulations to all for this recognition of NSU as a preeminent university of quality and distinction!

Posted 12/05/23

FY2025 PRG and QOL Grant Cycles Now Open

The FY 2025 President’s Research Grant (PRG), formerly the Presidents Faculty Research Development Grant (PFRDG), and Quality of Life (QOL) grant cycles are now open! This year the application process will take place on Cayuse Sponsored Projects, NSU’s new grant management system. Applications are due via Cayuse no later than January 22, 2024, 5:00 p.m.. More information, as well as application instructions, can be found on the PRG and QOL websites, linked below. Through these programs, eligible faculty may apply for internal grants of up to $15,000 in support of a variety of research and scholarly activities. PRG and QOL are tremendous opportunities to obtain support for research and scholarship at NSU, and to build faculty research capacity that can be leveraged toward external funding pursuits.

For more information about how to apply and program guidelines, visit the PRG program website here and the QOL website here. For questions, please contact PRG@nova.edu or QOL@nova.edu.

Posted 12/10/23

NSU Health Veterans Care Receives $5 million from the State

From left, President George L. Hanbury II, Dr. Leonard Pounds, Sen. Alexis Calatayud, and Executive Vice President, COO and President-Elect Dr. Harry K. Moon.

On Tuesday, Oct. 3, Florida state Sen. Alexis Calatayud came to the Alan B. Levan l NSU Broward Center of Innovation and presented a check for $5 million from the State of Florida to Nova Southeastern University’s NSU Health Veterans Care.

On hand to receive the check were Dr. Leonard Pounds, NSU’s Vice President of Clinical Operations; NSU President and CEO George L. Hanbury II; and Dr. Harry K. Moon, NSU’s COO, Executive Vice President, and President-Elect.

Posted 10/09/23

Hispanic Student Dental Association Chapter Places Second

From left, Dr. Liliana Mosquera, vice president and faculty adviser of the Hispanic Dental Association Florida Chapter and Selena Sanchez , the chapter president of NSU’s Hispanic Student Dental Association.

Nova Southeastern University’s College of Dental Medicine Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA) won second place in the 2023 Orgullo Scholarship Competition at the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA) Student Regional in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Sept. 23, 2023, and were awarded $2,000.

This HSDA Student Chapter program and competition is designed to accomplish two important goals:  Outreach and Recruitment.  In order to participate, each student chapter must accomplish a minimum of two activities.

  • Crest Oral-B Community Outreach Program:The outreach program can be geared toward any age group, from pre-elementary to senior citizen. The outreach portion of the competition is designed to be a delivery of services such as oral screenings and oral health education (for example, providing patient education services at a community health fair).
  • Hispanic Dental Association Recruitment Program:The recruitment portion of the competition is recommended for middle school or high school students.  The object of this program is to encourage young Hispanics to strive for a career in dentistry.  This can be accomplished during the same outreach programs discussed above or at specific events such as high school career days.

For some background about this scholarship, Orgullo means “Pride”. The vision for this scholarship sponsored by Crest & Oral-B, is to celebrate and recognize student chapters of the Hispanic Dental Association that share their pride and commitment to the pursuit of excellence in preventative dental education and patient motivation.

For the contest, students developed a video of about three minutes long demonstrating oral hygiene instructions, caries prevention, and nutritional counseling. The NSU video beat out projects by six other dental schools’ students.”

Posted 10/08/23

NSU Holds 2023 ASDA and ADEA Predental Weekend

NSU College of Dental Medicine held their 2023 American Student Dental Association (ASDA) and American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Predental Weekend on Saturday Sept. 30, and Sunday Oct. 1. This year, about 92 students attended the event at NSU to experience an immersive weekend full of presentations, Q & A panels, and sim lab activities.

The weekend was kicked off with breakfast and welcome from Audrey Levitt Galka, D.D.S. Assistant Dean for Admissions, Student Affairs and Services.

Pre-dental participating students were able to :

  • Meet the admissions committee
  • Participate in mock interviews
  • Tour clinic, school, and sim-lab
  • Participate in hands-on sim-lab activities such as impressions

Posted 10/08/23

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