Page 13 - The Apex - Touro College of Dental Medicine 2024

ALUMNI
SPOTLIGHT
using a drug which could be good, if used it in the right way?
What are the pros and cons? It was an excellent debate.”
Dr. Shariff adds, “The students felt like, oh, I can do this.
After I graduate, I’ll be able to go into my community or a
specialty program and be able to speak and present. So, it
provides them with an added advantage that
enhances their podium presence.”
THE SUMMER RESEARCH ELECTIVE
Students who are interested in laboratory
research have the opportunity to do so
during the summer after their first year.
The Summer Research Elective is run by
Salomon Amar, DDS, PhD, Senior Vice
President for Research Affairs, Chief
Biomedical Research Officer, Touro
University, and Vice President for Research,
New York Medical College. Students who
are accepted into the program (typically
10-12) spend the summer as research
assistants for faculty who are working on
projects. Students either assist Dr. Amar or
are assigned to other dentists conducting
lab research; some students get exposure
to the medical field by working in the New
York Medical College laboratories. The
students are provided a $3000 stipend for
the summer and enter D2 with hands-on
experience and a broader understanding of
science research.
THE FUTURE OF RESEARCH AT TOURO
Dr. Shariff firmly believes that research has the potential
to not only expand students’ knowledge, but to make a real
difference in the lives of their future patients. He is pleased
with the department’s progress so far. “For a new school,
doing the amount of research we do is exciting. We’re
catching up to what other more established schools are
doing, and we are doing more when it comes to summer
research. Our aim,” he adds, “is to get more grants for
the school. More funding means more resources for the
students and faculty, which ultimately benefits them and
the health and well-being of the public.”
Research has
the potential
to not only
expand
students’
knowledge,
but to make a
real difference
in the lives of
their future
patients.
Jennifer
Jacobson
Meherens
Class of 2020
What is your specialty?
I am a prosthodontist. I chose it in
large part because of the mentorship
at TCDM. As a student, I had the
opportunity to do a case of full mouth
rehabilitation with implant support.
The way that treatment changed that
woman’s life was inspiring to me.
Where are you practicing?
In Central California. This area has
minimal prosthodontic presence, so
I am working on filling a niche. I’ve
already seen several patients who
indicated they have been trying to see
a prosthodontist but had been referred
several hours away for treatment.
What have you done between
graduation and now?
I attended Stony Brook University
where I taught in the preclinic while
learning my specialty. I then held a
faculty position at Rutgers School of
Dental Medicine. I’m hoping one day to
find a balance between clinical practice
and teaching students.
Favorite part about attending
TCDM?
The people. It’s rare to have a dean
whose office is open to students.
Education in my opinion should be
collaborative, and TCDM took that to
another level allowing student feedback
to shape the program in its infancy. I
have very fond memories of learning
dental anatomy and occlusion. It was
a time of realizing my dreams were
coming true of becoming a dentist all
while experiencing something brand
new with my classmates and the faculty.
What advice would you give first-
year TCDM students?
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Failing a
quiz or a practical does not make you a
failure nor does it mean you’ll be a bad
dentist. I failed a fixed prosth practical
after drilling into the wrong tooth and
still became a prosthodontist. Keep
pushing yourself to be better every day
and you will make it to the other side.
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