Prototypical
Researcher Gets Funding for Special Needs Toothbrush 

Dr. Maxine Strickland
Dr. Maxine Strickland has received $50,000 from the National Science Foundation to continue developing a toothbrush for children and patients with special needs.
The new funding allows Strickland, an associate professor in the Department of Diagnostic Sciences, to expand the design of the toothbrush, which is in the prototype development phase. Last year, she received $95,000 from Rutgers University Teach Advance to work with NJIT on the project. LEARN MORE 
Q&A
Dean Explains Why Dental Visits Are Safe During Pandemic

Dean Cecile A. Feldman
Now that dentists throughout the state have resumed seeing non-emergency patients, many are still wary of returning for routine and preventive care. In this Q&A with Rutgers Today, RSDM Dean Cecile A. Feldman explains why it's important to keep up with dental visits during COVID-19 and what steps providers at RSDM and elsewhere have taken to dramatically lower any risks. LEARN MORE
 
Overcoming Hardship
Student Receives Achievement Award

Anastasiya Dovzhenko and Dr. Salvatore Napoli

Fourth-year student Anastasiya Dovzhenko was forced to flee her home in the Ukraine after Russians occupied her town five years ago. She was ready to open her first oral surgery practice just as the bombing began. In the U.S., she took steps to rebuild her life and career, enrolling in RSDM's Internationally Educated DMD program last year. This month, her hard work paid off when she was presented with the William H. Bell Award for Achievement in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Faculty member Dr. Salvatore Napoli presented the award. "She picked herself up and started again,'' he said. "She has a lot of resilience.'' 
Techno Advance
Milling Machines Added to Digital Dentistry Program

 
New milling the machines are the latest additions to RSDM's digital dentistry program.The machines, which use CAD-CAM technology to create crowns from digital impressions, will dramatically reduce the turnaround time it takes to deliver the restorations to patients, said Dr. Heba Elkassaby, assistant professor and Director of Digital Dentistry in the Department of Restorative Dentistry. LEARN MORE 
Welcome Class of 2024
First Year Students Arrive

RSDM's D1 students arrived last month, ready for the challenges of dental school in the age of COVID-19. We wish them all the best in their journey!
 
Faculty Speak at ADEA Webinar on LGBTQ Healthcare

 
RSDM faculty will help lead an ADEA webinar titled Out and Safe: Supporting LGBTQ Faculty & Staff in Dental Education on September 17. Dr. Rosa Chaviano Moran, Associate Dean of Admissions, and Dr. Herminio Perez,
Director of Student Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion, will be contributors to the webinar, which will discuss the challenges of providing a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment among dental school communities. It is co-sponsored by the ADEA Office of Access, Diversity and Inclusion and the ADEA Gay-Straight Alliance Section. For more information on the webinar and how to join, go here. 
Alumni News
How to be a Virtual Mentor

Save the date for 7:30pm on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 for the "RSDM Care to Share Alumni Mentoring Program".  In less than one hour: learn about the dental mentorship program, the Career Connect web platform, the process to connect with your dental student(s) and decide on what type of interaction you prefer with your dental mentees (an office tour, coffee, phone call, etc.)

To become an RSDM alumni mentor now (or after September 23), use this link . It allows web registration (within the Dental Group) for alumni to become mentors for Rutgers dental students. (All registered mentors will receive a calendar invite for the Sept. 23 Webinar.)
New Faculty

Here are the new professors and instructors who have started since July:

Michael Diorio, Assistant Professor, Community Health

David Goldberg, Clinical Assistant Professor, Diagnostic Sciences

Eoin Halpin, Assistant Professor, Community Health

Cynthia Sutton, Clinical Assistant Professor, Diagnostic Sciences

Leonard Swerdlof, Clinical Assistant Professor, Periodontics

Antoinette Tauk, Assistant Professor, Restorative Dentistry/Diagnostic Sciences
Support RSDM
Help Students Facing Hardship During Pandemic
RSDM Foresight Leaders, Class of 2020

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many RSDM students are struggling. They face transportation problems, housing issues, lost income, food insecurity, health insurance complications and more. To help relieve these strains, dental students have been applying directly to Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) student emergency funds, which provides immediate support for those facing serious problems. You can help RSDM students in need by donating. Make your contribution to the RBHS Student Emergency Fund specifically to reach our dental students. To give, click here.