GSDM attends NDA convention in Washington D.C.

Faculty, residents, and students from the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) headed to the nation’s capital for the 106th Annual National Dental Association (NDA) convention from Wednesday, July 17, 2019 through Saturday, July 21, 2019 at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel in Washington D.C.

“This NDA conference was a celebration of the GSDM spirit of interconnectedness,” said Dr. Larry Dunham, clinical assistant professor of General Dentistry and GSDM director, Diversity & Multicultural Affairs.

For more than 100 years, the NDA has been a national forum for minority dentists and a leader in advancing the rights of those dentists within the dental profession, the armed services, the government, and the private sector. The organization promotes oral health equity among people of color by harnessing the collective power of its members, advocating for dental students of color, and raising the profile of dentistry in their communities.

Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter, Dr. David Russell, clinical associate professor of General Dentistry and GSDM assistant dean of Admissions, and Dunham attended the conference, along with five current and three incoming GSDM students.

On Friday, July 19, 2019, GSDM hosted a reception at the hotel in which the convention was being held that drew more than 75 people, including professors, administrators and dental students from other dental schools in the Boston area and from dental schools at Howard University and Meharry University, both historically black colleges and universities (HBCU), predental students interested in attending GSDM, and former and current GSDM faculty and alumni. In addition to the reception, Dean Hutter along with Drs. Dunham and Russell hosted a luncheon for the students during the conference at the Estuary Restaurant and Bar at the Conrad Hilton Hotel.

Dunham said that members of the GSDM community aided in recruitment efforts, pointing to an instance where a predoctoral student from New York University College of Dentistry interested in applying to GSDM for a specialty degree program was invited to the luncheon after meeting and networking with current GSDM students.

“All of our students catalyzed the recruitment efforts,” said Dunham. “Through their multifaceted interaction with prospective students, they were able to speak about the culturally inclusive environment at GSDM.”

“I am very pleased by our school’s presence at this year’s NDA convention,” said Dean Hutter about the event. “Diversity is a hallmark of GSDM, and is certainly very important to our school’s atmosphere and culture.”