Page 17 - The Apex - Touro College of Dental Medicine 2024

TCDM requires 40 hours of
community service of its
students, and a majority
of that time must be spent
outside the walls of dentistry.
do. Work the registration table, then
walk.”
On campus, the annual learn to knit
event is perennially popular among
students, yielding about 100 knitted
hats for White Plains-based 914 Cares,
which provides them to families in
need.
Whichever way TCDM students
set out to serve the community,
Longo preapproves their plans and
recommends that they complete 10
hours per year to stay on track.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
While TCDM students are required to
complete most of their service outside
the purview of dentistry, community
outreach efforts are centered closer to
home. “We want their minds focused
not just on how to be a good technical
provider, but as police of their own
profession,” says Dr. Hall. He explains:
“They need to be aware of and find the
dental deserts out there—places with
not many dental offices, low-income
areas where people don’t seek care,
and pockets where dentists don’t take
insurance or Medicaid.”
In April, Dr. Hall traveled with
five TCDM students to a dental
desert in Hudson Falls, New York,
where they participated in a mobile
medical clinic in a high school gym,
organized by nonprofit Remote Area
Medical (RAM). He and his team set
up individual tents—complete with
dental chairs and portable plumbing—
and performed dozens of extractions,
cleanings, and fillings. “Our hands
were numb,” he says, after working
for eight hours straight on two
consecutive days, “but we didn’t feel
it until we were done because the
patients appreciated us so much;
they are so deprived of dental care.”
In addition to the invaluable
services they provide to the
community, TCDM students
become more “socially adjusted”
with every outreach effort they
make, says Dr. Hall. “They are
learning to talk to people who are
not from their culture and help
those individuals feel comfortable
in their care. This is so important—
they are the future of our
profession.”
ALUMNI
SPOTLIGHT
Lana
Hashim
Class of 2020
What is your specialty?
General dentistry, but I also perform
other services from cosmetic
improvements to jaw pain to sleep
apnea issues.
Where are you practicing?
In Poughkeepsie with my father at
his full-service practice. I am also the
New Dentist committee chair for the
Ninth District Dental Association
in Hawthorne. I make new dentists
aware of all the American Dental
Association has to offer regarding
wellness, career choices, and finances.
I act as a voice for new dentists
and coordinate fun, interactive
and informative events. I’m also a
New York State Dental Association
delegate. I lobby legislators in Albany
to ensure politicians know the
concerns of dentists—from helping to
keep their insurance rates reasonable
to improving access to care.
What have you done between
graduation and now?
I completed my residency at
Montefiore Medical Center.
Favorite part about attending
TCDM?
The newest techniques and
technology in dentistry were all there
for us. I remember how tough our oral
pathology class was, but because of
what I learned from that professor,
I’ve become very good at spotting oral
cancers that another dentist might
miss. I’ve helped to save patients’ lives.
It doesn’t get better than that.
What advice would you give first-
year TCDM students?
Get involved. I’ve always been involved
in advocacy and activism. While I
was at TCDM, the college became
an official member of the American
Student Dental Association, and I
became president. Our chapter raised
money to send students to national
conferences, created a mentorship
program, and a “Spa Day” for fellow
dental students in desperate need of
balance in their busy academic lives.
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