Dental Student Blog

A Game Changer in Dentistry

dentalschoolblogger — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:02:38 +0000

Our ASDA Chapter President, Danielle Marquis ’13, recently wrote an article about Dr. Arthur A. Dugoni, our school’s dean emeritus, as a “game changer” in dentistry. The article was published in the winter edition of ASDA’s quarterly publication Mouth, which this quarter focuses on some of dentistry’s most influential individuals. You can check out Danielle’s article here: http://mydigimag.rrd.com/publication/?m=17477&l=1

Now Online: Autumn Edition of The Condenser

dentalschoolblogger — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 22:55:57 +0000

Once every quarter dental students receive a copy of The Condenser, the official publication of the Dugoni School’s ASDA, ADEA and CDA student chapters. The Autumn 2011 Edition is now online thanks to current editor Nichole McKenna.

Read the Autumn Edition>>

ADPAC Week 2011

dentalschoolblogger — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:07:54 +0000

Our school’s ASDA Chapter recently hosted ADPAC Week, an annual campus event. ASDA leaders shared the below recap for the student blog.

Pacific’s ASDA chapter had another successful ADPAC Week this year. If you didn’t know what ADPAC was at the start of this year, you would almost certainly know now. American Dental Political Action Committee (ADPAC) is the legislative branch of the ADA that supports “dental friendly” legislators. The ASDA leadership has made an extraordinary effort to market ADPAC and to promote political awareness on our campus. “It’s very important for us to have a say in the policies that are shaping our profession. Contributing to ADPAC is one way for students to do this,” commented Ivan Chicchon, ASDA’s Legislative Liaison.

The featured speaker this year was Ricky S. Gill, a 24-year old candidate for U.S. Congress. His exciting campaign has made headlines around the nation and his visit to Pacific drew a capacity crowd–the room was so full that people even sat on the floor! “It is quite possibly the biggest ASDA event in terms of attendance that we have had,” says Kristin Hann, last year’s ASDA historian. Ricky shared his thoughts on healthcare reform and spoke about what inspired him to run for Congress at such a young age. Even though much of the audience had rushed in from clinic or previously sat through Anatomy or Pathology lectures, the discussion was both engaging and motivational. An attending faculty member, Dr. Dick Gregory stated, “As an educator and a dentist in private practice for the past 31 years I was pleased that Mr. Gill took the time and political initiative to visit our dental school. Moreover, I was impressed that he was interested enough in his audience and the health of his future constituents to pursue more accurate information about some of the issues impacting the dental profession.”

The officers in charge of planning ADPAC week this year, Ivan Chicchon and Rob Costisevschi, took a novel approach. Rather than trying to appeal to dental student’s sense social responsibility or taking an aggressive salesman-like approach, they tried to make the process fun and exciting. They set up a spin-the-wheel type app on a big LCD screen and also raffled off cool prizes such as Pac-Man stress balls and Marvel Heroes Bobbleheads. Once they caught a student’s attention, they would give them a ‘spin’ or a cookie and then take time to explain to them what ADPAC is and why it is important. “They definitely did a great job of marketing it,” said classmate Gurshawn Sahota. “I mean, who wouldn’t want to approach their table with all their gizmos and gadgets?”

Their approach paid off. By the end of their campaign, over 80 students signed up as ADPAC members equaling to roughly 20% of the student body. “I’m really pleased with our turnout this year,” said Costisevschi. “With a little extra effort and a little incentive we were able to get the highest enrollment rate we’ve had in a long time. I feel like we’ve set a high bar that subsequent years can emulate and hopefully surpass.”

The Articulating Paper Launches Online Edition

dentalschoolblogger — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:57:14 +0000

As co-editors, we are pleased to release the latest version of The Articulating Paper. Bigger and better than ever, many thanks go out to those who contributed to this issue, which for the first time is being distributed online. To check it out, simply click here.

For those who may be unfamiliar, The Articulating Paper is currently in its 10th year of publication. It is a student-run, student-produced newspaper created to update the dental school community about student affairs and activities. Enjoy!

Mark Christie and Sam Liu
DDS 2013

New School Year, New Leaders, New Projects

dentalschoolblogger — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:43:14 +0000

Our school boasts some of the best and brightest dental students around. Many of these students, in addition to their rigorous course load, decide to take on leadership positions at the Dugoni School. Be it in student government, as representatives to national organizations, or members of committees and clubs, these students embody what it means to be a leader at our school.

Officers and elected positions were recently announced for the 2011-2012 school year. In the coming year, these students will take on new projects, support and guide their classmates, plan events and improve their communities. We’re looking forward to the year ahead!

Check out a full list of leadership positions and the students that currently occupy them here.

ASDA Shoreline Clean Up with UCSF

dentalschoolblogger — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:30:35 +0000

A few times each year, dental students from San Francisco’s two dental schools join forces to give back to the community. On August 13 Dugoni School students gathered with students from UCSF to clean up a shoreline of the San Francisco Bay.

ASDA students will be coordinating another event with UCSF later in the fall, so stay tuned for information about upcoming service activities!

In the meantime, here’s a short video recap from the shoreline clean up!

What’s Your One Word?

dentalschoolblogger — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:04:22 +0000

How would you define yourself in only one word? Recently a group of DDS and IDS students participated in a personal reflection exercise and photo shoot for the Dugoni School’s pilot involvement in Pacific’s One Word Project. Students chose one word to describe their ideal or best self. Check out a video compilation of Dugoni School students and their word choices below!

To learn more about the Pacific One Word Project, visit: http://pacificoneword.org.

Getting Involved: National Leadership Positions

dentalschoolblogger — Tue, 17 May 2011 18:05:31 +0000

In this post, Class of 2012 student Veena Vaidyanathan shares some information about her national position with the American Student Dental Association (ASDA).

As the Chair of ASDA’s Legislative Grassroots Network (LGN), I oversee all of the legislative related activities around the country. However, I do not do it alone! I have a council packed with passionate, driven individuals from around the country who all help in making the LGN an effective and efficient council. This year, ASDA has nationally instituted a 5-year Strategic Plan in which each council has their own goals and action items to meet.

Two of the main goals pertaining to the LGN are to increase student involvement in state and national lobbying efforts and to educate members on issues important to dentistry. In order to help with the first goal the LGN is starting a $500 State Lobby Day Scholarship to ASDA chapters in need of resources. We hope this scholarship will aid with the daunting task of starting a State Lobby Day, especially with chapters that do not have an established relationship with their state dental associations. In order to follow through with the second goal the LGN is going to continue the Legislative Ledger. The Legislative Ledger is a monthly e-publication sent to all members that is a short synopsis of pertinent issues covered in the ADA State Government Affairs Report and the ADEA Capitol Update. We will be contributing legislative articles to ASDA News on a monthly basis as well.

Another large part of my job is to plan National Dental Student Lobby Day, which takes place in Washington, DC every year. Dental students from across the country come together on Capitol Hill to lobby for various issues impacting the dental community. A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the ADA’s Washington Leadership Conference (WLC). This is the conference that National Dental Student Lobby Day is modeled after. I was given the opportunity to meet my hometown legislators of Florida and to meet leaders in the dental community of the my state, which is a rare occurrence since I go to school 3,000 miles away from home! I hope to foster the same enriching experience I had at the WLC at the next National Dental Student Lobby Day.

To read an article about Veena’s recent experience at the ADA’s Washington Leadership Conference, visit: http://www.ada.org/news/5787.aspx

The Pursuit of Happiness: Engaging in Your Future

dentalschoolblogger — Wed, 04 May 2011 22:22:52 +0000

Dan Hammer, Class of 2011, student body president and ASDA District 11 trustee, recently wrote an article about what makes dental students happy despite their many academic stresses.

So, what makes a happy dental student? Read Dan’s full article, originally published in The Mouth, here: http://mydigimag.rrd.com/publication/?i=65948&p=26

ASDA Vendor Fair and Fundraiser

dentalschoolblogger — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 21:25:11 +0000

A few weeks ago the ASDA Chapter at the Dugoni School of Dentistry hosted a very successful vendor fair and fundraiser. This year 32 vendors attended the fair to demonstrate new products and network with students and faculty. Check out a video from the event below!