Stony Brook ASDA District 2 Trustee Hosts District 2 Meeting
STONY BROOK, NY - On September 13th, 2014, Stony Brook’s Chapter of the American Student Dental Association hosted 150 dental students at the Stony Brook Wang Center for the annual District 2 Meeting. Gregory Shank, ASDA District 2 Trustee and Stony Brook 3rd year student, organized the successful event. District 2 dental student representatives of NYU, Rutgers, Columbia, Buffalo, and Stony Brook attended the meeting. Pre-dental students from all five schools were also welcomed with open arms to learn more about their future profession. Stony Brook had a record-high attendance of 75 students, representing almost half of the total enrollment of the pre-doctoral program. In addition, thirty local dentists, company representatives, and SDM faculty participated to show their support for organized dentistry, present to the students, and lead round table discussions. Stony Brook ASDA was honored to be joined by many prominent leaders in the dental community including: NYSDA President, Dr. John Liang; Suffolk County Dental Society President, Dr. Chris Salierno; Dean of the SDM, Dr. Mary Truhlar; and National ASDA President, Kris Mendoza.
The District 2 Meeting commenced with opening remarks from Gregory Shank as well as a warm welcome from Dean Truhlar. The guest speakers gave a variety of presentations such as “An Introduction to National ASDA,” “Tricks to Pediatric Management in General Practice,” “Incorporating Technology into your Dental Practice,” and “What you can Learn About Practice Management.” Following these presentations, students participated in topic-based discussions led by dental practitioners. These small group discussions ranged from issues in dentistry such as barriers to care and the ethics of accepting sponsorship from dental companies to the purpose of organized dentistry and whether there is a need for new dental schools.
“The mission of ASDA is introduce dental student to the importance of organized dentistry and instill the importance of lifelong involvement as students make the transition from students to practitioners” emphasized Greg Shank, District 2 Trustee. Adding, “The district meeting gives students from all the District 2 schools the opportunity to join together and collaborate on ideas to advocate for the future of dentistry.”
Indeed, all students enjoyed the opportunity to bond with other students and practitioners over a common passion for dentistry and exchange ideas. The event concluded with a dinner- dance at Lombardi’s on the Sound. It was exciting to see so many students and faculty, not only at Stony Brook, but all the District 2 dental schools dedicated to the mission of ASDA and organized dentistry. The event would not have been possible without the support and generosity of our sponsors: Crest OralB, Benco Dental, IgniteDDS, Medical Protective, NYSDA, Suffolk County Dental Society, and Heartland Dental.
From left to right: NYSDA Speaker of the House Dr. Robert Peskin; NYSDA Executive Director, Dr. Mark Feldman; NYSDA President, Dr. John Liang; Rutgers dental student, Chelsea Rajagopalan; District 2 Trustee, Gregory Shank; Guest Speaker, Dr. Robert Shekitka; Guest Speaker, Dr. Jeff Cole
District 2 Meeting Attendees consisting of dentists and dental students from NYU, Rutgers, Buffalo, Columbia, and Stony Brook
Stony Brook ASDA Dental and Pre-Dental Student Attendees
Stony Brook Second Year Dental Students Enjoying Their Day at the District 2 Meeting
Story by Stella Christina Stavrou, Class of 2017 and Allison Greenberg, Class of 2016
