GSDM Volunteers at Yankee Dental Congress HIV Education Booth
Over the course of the three-day Yankee Dental Congress at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, 18 students from the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) volunteered at the HIV Dental Work Group Booth. The students staffed the booth from January 25-27, 2018, alongside staff from the Boston Public Health Commission, as well as students from Harvard School of Dental Medicine and the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. This volunteer effort was organized by the GSDM Office of Global and Population Health in collaboration with the GSDM chapter of the American Association of Public Health Dentistry (AAPHD).
GSDM volunteers had a variety of responsibilities at the HIV Dental Work Group Booth. They handed out packets of information, talked to people who stopped by the booth about proper oral health for those affected by HIV, and assisted in collecting consumables donated each year for use in programs for persons with HIV in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The HIV Dental Work Group is part of the Boston Public Health Commission AIDS / HIV Ombudsperson Program, and facilitates access to oral health care for persons with HIV. This was the HIV Work Group’s 19th year of providing an educational exhibit on HIV oral health issues and infection control at the Yankee Dental Congress. The goal of the HIV Dental Work Group is to get accurate info to dental professionals and give dental students an opportunity to also learn more about these issues.
The GSDM volunteers at the HIV Education Booth were:
Michael Abboud DMD AS 19; Christine Chiao DMD 19; Safina-Aliya Dhanji DMD 19; Melissa Ferguson DMD 20; Marti Gabriella DMD 19; Palak Gupta (preceptorship); Saad Joulakh DMD AS 19; Ellen Kim DMD 19; Courtney Lang (predental); Shahad Al Mashta (preceptorship); Leslie Naritoku DMD 21; Avani Patel DMD AS 19; Kinjal Patel DMD AS 19; Erika Ramos DMD 20; Banu Sakina (preceptorship); Neda Shahrabi DMD 19; Rujuta Shukla DMD AS 19; Elaine Wu DMD 19.