GSDM shines bright at 2022 Yankee Dental Congress
Even an impending blizzard couldn’t stop members of Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine’s (GSDM) community from shining bright during this year’s Yankee Dental Congress, which was held in person from January 27-29 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, GSDM did not host an alumni reception, instead choosing to set up an alumni lounge on the exhibit hall floor where members of the community could stop by, mingle with classmates and take snacks to-go. All attendees were required to remain masked during the event and show their vaccination card upon arrival. Classrooms were arranged to provide space between attendees, and courses were capped at 60-70 percent to allow for social distancing.
A Saturday snowstorm that blanketed the Greater Boston area with almost two feet of snow meant that this year’s event also ended a day early. Saturday’s events, including the 13th Annual American Student Dental Association (ASDA) District 1 debate, and the Massachusetts Dental Society’s (MDS) “Ten under 10” award ceremony.
Over the course of three days, GSDM students, faculty, staff, residents, and alumni received awards, were recognized for their accomplishments and caught up at the alumni lounge. Below are some of the highlights from this year’s events.
Catching up on the Exhibit Floor
Throughout this year’s event, the alumni lounge welcomed members of the GSDM community, offering attendees the opportunity to catch up with friends and learn more about the latest GSDM news. Coffee and snacks were available to alumni, faculty, staff, residents and students.
“It was so nice to see so many familiar faces at this year’s Yankee Dental Congress,” Stacey McNamee, director of Alumni Relations & Annual Giving, said. “Even though we had to end the event early because of the snow, many members of our community stopped by the alumni event to say hi.”
GSDM alumni recognized
Three alumni— Peixi Liao PROS 18, clinical assistant professor of Restorative Sciences & Biomaterials, Dhara Shah DMD 13 and Divya Upadhyay DMD 15 —were honored with the MDS “Ten under 10” award, which recognizes dentists who have been in the profession for 10 years or less and have made a significant contribution to the profession, their community, and/or organized dentistry. The award ceremony was postponed due to snow—awardees will be honored at an event sometime in the spring.
Additionally, Abol Tehrani DMD PROS 80 DMD 82 was recognized for his long service record on the Massachusetts Dental Society Board of Directors during the MDS House of Delegates’ 158th Annual Session.
DMD students receive scholarships
Two members of the DMD Class of 2022 received scholarships during this year’s Yankee Dental Congress.
Grace Kapov DMD 22 received the American College of Dentists (ACD) Senior Student Award, while Manavi Nagai DMD 22 received the Matthew Boylan Scholarship, which is presented by the MDS and Eastern Dentists Insurance Company (EDIC) and is granted to a student or students who have provided distinguished service to organized dentistry and the community.
To see photos from this year’s event, click here.