ASDA NYUFALL 2011

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Mariel Petruk (‘14) and Vincent Scaringi (‘14)

AT A GLANCEPreps, Fills, and Rock & Roll: An Interview with Dean Palatta

Pass/Fail Boards & Your Future: What the NBDE Change May Mean For You

With All These Injuries, I May Need Insurance: Making the Most of Your Membership Benefits

In an effort to raise oral health awareness and access to healthcare in NYC, we visited an elderly home in Chinatown in November. Once there, we worked with many individuals by performing general oral screenings, giving referrals for further treatment, and providing basic oral health education.

Due to the location of the elderly home, the patients were predominantly Asian immigrants. In anticipa-tion of potential language barrier, we collaborated with the Chinese Student Dental Association (CSDA) at NYUCD and brought numerous volunteers who were fluent in different Asian dialects. As a result, we were able to perform oral screenings and effectively address any patient concerns, communicate what further treatment was necessary, and provide oral health education. We were also able to refer many of the patients to NYU for follow-up treatment.

-Josh Lin (‘14) and Kathryn Fabella (‘14), Outreach Co-Chairs

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ASDA in Action Chinatown Outreach

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District 2 HighlightsWhat you missed at the conference

With All These Injuries, I May Need InsuranceA message from ASDA NYU President Jade Gan

Vlogging the Dental ExperienceMember spotlight with Linh Phan by Laura Moon

Students in State LeadershipAn excerpt from a talk given by NYSDA President-elect Dr.

Deborah Weisfuse

Policy Making in ASDAA how-to guide from Legislative Liaison Rob Hochberg

Preps, Fills, and Rock & RollAn interview with Dean Palatta by Vice-President Andrew

Ramone, er...Ramirez

The School That Never SleepsA day in the life of D1 Jay Aphale

Pass/Fail Boards and Your FutureInformation on the 2012 NBDE by Paul Kang and Laura Moon

Last Look

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Kathryn Fabella (‘14) dancing with the patients

Josh Lin (‘14) and Mostafa Madani (‘13)

Andrew Ramirez (‘14) and Johnny Hung (‘12)

Derek Liu (‘13), Stanley Lin (‘14), and Karan Kamboj (‘14)

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Save the DateDec. 9th at 5 PMNYU Chapter meeting in Saklad

Dec. 10th at midnightNational Meeting applications due, contact Jade Gan (jwg279@nyu.edu)

Dec. 12th 11 AM-12 PM Harlem Senior Center Outreach, meet outside Saklad at 10 AM, contact Kathryn Fabella (kfa-bella@gmail.com) or Josh Lin (joshlin33@gmail.com) for more details

Feb. 29th-March 3rdNational Meeting in Minneapolis

April 16th-17thNational Lobby Day

NEW DISCOUNT: Medical Protective announced that it is now offering a discount to ASDA members of 25% off during the first year of purchasing malpractice insurance. This is in ad-

dition to the discount that all dental students get of 75% off for the first year.

2011 Conference Highlights

PRIZES: Larry Zhang (’14) won $40 in gift cards to Subway and Starbucks playing a trivia game with Med Pro

IDEA SWAP: Presidents of each school attending presented on their chapters’ strengths to exchange ideas. Columbia’s chapter has been successful in fundraising through happy

hours by making arrangements with bars to get a small percentage of drink sales. Our very own President Jade Gan (‘13) gave a stellar presentation on how NYU has leveraged its strength in numbers to delegate many roles among its members and accomplish more

in the process.

ADA LEADERSHIP: ADA Trustees (and NYU alumni!) Drs. Maxine Feinberg (‘77) and Steven Gounardes (‘84) answered questions from delegates on topics like orga-nized dentistry, the ADA’s role in the issue of mid-level providers, and what they

hope to accomplish as District Trustees.

From left to right: Laura Moon (‘14), Andrew Ramirez (‘14), Larry Zhang (‘14), ASDA District 2 Trustee Tim Calnon, ADA Trustees Dr. Maxine Feinberg (‘77) and Dr. Steven Gounardes (‘84), Jade Gan (‘13), Bruna DaSilva (‘12), Dharti Shyani (‘14), Panks Dhingra (‘12), Mariel Petruk (‘14)

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Meet Your District Trustee: Tim CalnonHello! My name is Tim Calnon and I am third-year dental student at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine. I have the distinct privilege to serve as ASDA District 2 Trustee. I sit on the Board of Trustees and represent the students of NYU, Columbia, Stony Brook, UMDNJ, and Buffalo.

I have a distinct vision for our District. It is very simple, but will require a buy-in from each chapter in order to be successfully implemented. I have the goal to initiate an ASDA culture among our five chapters. The knowledge and drive that our members display is absolutely remarkable! Our greatest strength comes from our ability to work in a collaborative fashion. Only then, will we have a single, unified voice that pro-motes incredible progress.

I sincerely look forward to working with you over the coming year! I encourage every member to get involved as early and often as possible. ASDA is an incredible asso-ciation, and one that I am proud to be a part of. If there is anything I can ever do to assist you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at t.calnon@gmail.com.

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Call me a “klutz,” but I’m sure we’ve all had a similar experience in dental school: I was sitting in lab for probably the tenth day in a row, having just taken a practical, and was back at the bench trying to achieve the perfect prep so as not to fail the next of Dr. Bucklan’s eleven practicals. As I reached for my high speed handpiece, I felt an alarming twitch flash through my hand. It was a painful tightening in my hand muscles, crescendoing to pure agony to even hold the handpiece. I temporarily tried to ignore the problem and push through, but could barely last twenty minutes. All attempts at productivity were wasted. In dismay, I packed up my things and called it a night, feeling panicked and anxious.

It wasn’t like I hadn’t sustained a number of injuries and close calls before. There was the time I stabbed myself with the diamond bur in my handpiece; cut my finger while trying to trim an interim with a Moore’s disc; lit a paper towel on fire that then almost set me on fire; and many other incidents. None of these had prevented me from doing any work, however, like this pain in my hand. I tried to work through the pain, but it was unbearable.

The whole experience worried me because if I don’t have the use of my hands, I don’t have a dental career. Unlike today, ASDA only provided free life insurance through the ADA, not disability insurance, at that time. Because I had no other options, I considered finding that coverage elsewhere after attending an ASDA Lunch ‘n Learn in March of 2010 with a disability insurance company.

I sat down with an insurance representative to find out my options. We went through a series of questions for eligibility purposes. The whole process turned out to be much more complicated than I expected. When I mentioned that I was looking into physical therapy for some back pain, the agent’s face twisted. He explained that insurance companies rely heavily on risk calculation when determining who they should cover, and any negative mark on a medical record and any potential red flags could be an impediment to getting coverage. He advised me to wait and seek care for my back so I could be approved for coverage.

The rest of the conversation continued in a similar manner, with more potential “red flags” coming up in my intake that he made further suggestions to work around. Additionally, the eligibility process would require a paramedical exam covering everything, including the dreaded peeing-in-a-cup lab tests. How embarrassing! My application eventually did get submitted, but I was looking at a student rate between $80-100 a month, at best. Do

With All These Injuries, I May Need Insuranceby Jade Gan (‘13), ASDA NYU President

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Do the math, and that’s $960-1200 a year, and $3840-4800 over the course of four years for insurance that I may never make a claim on.

the math, and that’s $960-1200 a year, and $3840-4800 over the course of four years for insurance that I may never make a claim on.

Beyond the hand and back pain, I’m young and healthy. Shouldn’t this be easier?

And after all that trouble, the agent contacted me a month later to inform me that because insurance rules were “tightening and changing,” his company would no longer cover first year students. So even if I had decided to pay the exorbitant fees, it wouldn’t have mattered.

Since then, ASDA has worked hard to attain free disability insurance through the ADA. Disability insurance is a concern for dental students nationwide so ASDA was quick to respond to this need. After the exhausting experience of applying for disability insurance elsewhere, I jumped at the chance to sign up for the ADA coverage. It’s free and includes $2000 a month in student disability coverage, plus up to $150,000 in student loan repayment benefits. My first year of dental school taught me that that additional security is really important.

As ASDA President, I aim to keep all students informed of their membership benefits, but I also stress the importance of disability insurance because I don’t want any other student to feel the same anxiety I went through. I encourage all students to sign up for the free insurance offered by ASDA to protect their health and earning potentials. There’s lots of benefits to the insurance, many of which I’ve summarized below. Best of all, it doesn’t involve a medical exam and peeing in a cup. What a relief!

But wait, there’s MORE

• The insurance is fully subsidized through dental school and residency/specialty training. It’s FREE as a benefit of your ASDA membership

• As long as you’re under 40 years old, you don’t need to have a medical exam to get covered. You sign up and you’re good!

• You can use your insurance as collateral for large loans when you buy a practice.

• An early start on coverage protects your insurability and your ability to practice: Lowest rates and most favorable terms are given to healthiest applicants. Once you have insurance, it can’t be taken away.

• Debts are not yours alone. Insurance helps protect those that you love from potential burdens because debts aren’t always forgiven at death or disability

• Having insurance can demonstrate to creditors that you’re financially responsible so they’re more likely to approve the loan.

You probably didn’t even realize your ADA insurance is so multi-talented.

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Sign up for ADA insurance at https://insurance.ada.org/dental-student.aspx

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When Linh Phan (‘13) sat down in September of 2009 in front of her webcam to leave a mes-sage on YouTube, she had no particular objective. She had moved away from her native San Diego and just wanted to keep in contact with friends and family without spending hours on the phone. “Hiiii!” she grinned and waved, “I miss everyone so bad!” She proceeded to show off her new student ID and scrubs, exclaiming, “Oh my gawd, I’m a student!” It was nothing fancy. The sound came out muffled and the image was gauzy, but the message was not meant to go viral.

Today, that video remains as the first entry on the YouTube channel LinhPhanDDS, which has far more viewers than Linh originally intended to have. Most of the channel’s registered fol-lowers and visitors are people Linh has never met. A lot of them discovered her vlog through StudentDoctor.net and Facebook. Collectively, they have made over 78,000 views of her vid-eos.

The entries are still unscripted and casual, but Linh has diversified her content to cater to her growing audience. She created multiple tutorials for lab practicals, teaching skills like tooth preparations and restorations. She also vlogs in response to questions that she receives from pre-dental students who are wondering about dental admissions and what NYUCD is like.

All of this information is helpful because dental school resources are difficult to find. Linh’s posts give a visual tour of her daily life to outsiders, providing a view of what dental school is really like. Viewers around the world have followed Linh to lectures in Nagle, the bench lab for practice, school social events, and even to Grenada where she recently traveled for a global outreach. Linh’s dedication to her viewers does not go unnoticed. The channel is regularly peppered with personal messages and wall posts containing more questions and thanking Linh for her videos. “You’ve made me so excited for NYU’s dental school. I want to move to NY after I graduate,” a message from YouTube user AznKiku reads.

Other followers have written that Linh’s information made it easier to prepare for applications and transition into dental school. Some even chose NYU after seeing the videos. One viewer was invited to interview at NYUCD contacted Linh to ask if she could meet her “YouTube idol.” Her wish was granted the night before her interview over dinner with Linh and some friends. (cont on next page)

by Laura Moon (‘14), NYU ASDA Newsletter Editor

the dental experience

vlogging

www.youtube.com/user/linhphandds

450 subscribers18,443 channel views78,583 total up-load views

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Keeping a vlog is no easy feat, however. While a quick message can be record-ed and uploaded within ten minutes, posts on events involve interviews that can take as long as fifteen hours to splice. For tutorials, Linh sets her camera on a tripod and talks herself through a full procedure. This requires several hours to capture and then five to ten more hours to edit with captions.

With school already exhausting enough, why does Linh even keep her vlog? “I believe in having a life outside of dental school,” she explained, “doing things I enjoy, like making my vlogs, helps balance my life and allows me to work that much harder in school.”

Vlogging isn’t her only interest outside of academia. She also manages an Etsy online shop called LinhLovesYou for her jewelry creations and a nail art blog that serves as an outlet for her fascination with polish color and design. For something new, she started learning guitar.

Linh is passionate about whatever she pursues, and perhaps that’s why fol-lowers of the LinhPhanDDS channel are fascinated by her. There’s a candor and barefaced openness to Linh that would be lost in written text. Her videos resultantly come together to track the personal journey of a dental student: The transformation of a naïve, young D1 in her second week of school to the more confident Student Dr. Phan—a little worn down, but eager to master her new role as a clinician.

She is just as sincere in her videos today as she was two years ago. Only now, instead of connecting with family and friends in San Diego, she is conversing with an entire Internet community, sharing her experiences as she continues to grow. “Having vlogs and pictures from dental school has helped me re-member how lucky I am to be [here],” Linh said of her channel. “And above all, keeping my vlogs helps me keep me positive and motivated about my life.”

tips from the pro

• Just dive in and start writing or talking. Don’t start out aiming for tons and tons of hits—do it because it’s something you enjoy.• Keep up with it, post as often as possible and keep it real. Before you know it, you’ll have people asking you questions about your experiences.• As miserable as dental school can get, don’t be overly negative—nobody needs that!

Feeling inspired? Direct from Linh, here’s a little advice on starting your own blog or vlog:

“doing things I enjoy, like mak-ing my vlogs, helps balance my life...”

-linh phan (‘13)

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Linh’s lab tutorials cover most skills tested in practicals

Linh’s most recent video on the student club fair in-cludes interviews with representatives from each club`

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STuDENTS IN STATE LEADERSHIP

Dr. Deborah Weisfuse is President-elect of the New York State Dental Association.

During Dr. Weisfuse’s tenure she will be focusing on getting fresh faces active in the organization. It’s a prime time to network, set yourself apart as a student delegate, and take a leadership role in the next generation of the dental profession.

As President-elect of NYSDA, I have taken on the role of improving the interface between the State Association and our dental students. I have spent time with student leadership like all of you, around the state, to create programming that more specifi-cally suits your needs as developing professionals.

This year we have already introduced state supported student participation at our House of Delegates meeting. It will be held next June in Manhattan, and each of you is invited to attend as a guest observer and experience some of our young new dentist programming.

We are planning a Leadership and Legislative Day for you in Albany this spring, scheduled for May 14th and I hope that many of you will be able to attend. We are fortunate to have as one of our guest speakers, Dr. Bill Calnon, the current President of the ADA. It’s going to be a great opportunity to learn more about what your state association does for you, its members. Actually, regarding advocacy, the most is done for our profession at the state level and we are crafting the day to give you a real understanding of how things actually happen in Albany and what you can do to be of influence yourself in the future.

In addition, work is underway developing a free webinar on a topic that will be impacting all your health careers— Electronic Health Records and the future of our interface with all health professionals. When completed, students from all over the state will be able to participate in this current and informative presentation.

The fourth event of the year, currently in its funding stage is a contest! ASDA stu-dents will be asked to write a short essay describing what they envision organized dentistry will be able to do for them in the first, second, and third decades of their practicing years. Currently the prize is under discussion, but my idea is that it should consist of a trip to Chicago, with a tour of the ADA facility, some fun taking in the architecture of Chicago, and a great meal or two.

This programming doesn’t even take into account the many social events that that we host and co-sponsor with local component societies and dental schools for dental students to help with networking, finding that first job, or good mentor

Active participation in NYSDA will help you on your path and bring you in contact with a group who sees the importance of a bigger picture. Mentors will answer your questions, help you over hurdles, and hopefully guide you toward a job opportunity!

You are an unusually gifted and talented group to have come as far as you have. Do not deny yourself support that will enhance your progress as you go forward in your chosen direction. Begin your participation today!

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now is the time to get involved

The following is an excerpt from an address given at the ASDA District 2 Conference.

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Check out www.nysdental.org and “like” NYSDA’s Facebook page for more information. If you want to integrate NYSDA into your next ASDA project, contact President Jade Gan at jwg279@nyu.edu.

ASDA is an organization that follows many protocols in order to pass items into legislation, not unlike our governmen-tal model. These are important to us all because they govern what we ultimately choose to do with our organization. Policy making is personally important to me as our chapter’s Leg-islative Liaison since it’s part of the administrative process of introducing new legislation into the ASDA framework. New items of policy are voted on in the ASDA House of Delegates (HoD) meeting at Annual Session every spring.

The HoD is our governing body of that votes upon positions, directives (actions that will be taken), and policies of ASDA. To submit any of these for voting, one has to submit a reso-lution, as found on www.asdanet.org. Basically, a member will provide a summary about his or her resolution, policy, or position, state what it will cost to implement, which facts are important to the issue and making a decision, and the resolu-tion itself. Lastly, the resolution is to be worded as, “Therefore be it resolved that ________ .”

For example, ‘Therefore be it resolved that all ASDA presi-dents will wear a pirate hat during meetings.’ I might submit that one. The number of cosponsors is key to passing the resolution. Get people you know on board to cosponsor your resolution. That greatly increases your resolution’s chances of passing in the House of Delegates. The resolution title should be clear and concisely written (tip from the pros: sometimes the title’s the only thing that gets read). Once submitted, your resolution will be reviewed at the Annual Session or Caucus meeting. The reference committee in each will make a rec-ommendation to vote – or to amend your resolution. Then, the resolution will be voted on in the HoD.

Get those resolutions passed! This is one way for us to organize and voice our opinions at a national level. It’s worth mention-ing that any changes in what the Federal Government does will affect the way we do business as dentists. In the case of government sponsored healthcare, there’s talk in the news of reforming Medicaid and medicare, possibly to include dental treatment in Medicare and possibly to exclude dental care from Medicaid.

If this becomes the case, completing clinic requirements for graduation will become even more challenging for all stu-dents. Many of our patients are on Medicaid, so I urge you to advocate keeping dental care as part of the plan. You can do this by writing to your congressman or woman, simply by inputting your ZIP code on the official www.house.gov web-site. There, you can write to him or her personally. I assure you that your words will be read. Political advocacy is always of great importance because, believe it or not, these changes affect both us and our patients. Keeping up-to-date on the news regarding health care issues is what’s expected of ev-ery health professional, and it will certainly give you a good chance to educate your patients who may or may not be on the receiving end of new legislation as well.

Interested in ASDA initia-tives and public policy? Watch your email inbox for Rob’s announcements of upcoming opportunities to get involved!

Policy Making in ASDA

by Rob Hochberg (‘14)ASDA NYU Legislative Liaison

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I don’t know if you all got the memo, but it’s a little known fact that dentists are the rock stars of the health care industry. I mean, think about it, we’re our own bosses and we get to help peo-ple by doing what we love. Also, there’s the idea of not having to worry about money, which is nice. Either that, or we just keep telling ourselves that our loans will disappear. Don’t worry, delusions are all part of being a rock star. And even though there’s a lot more to life than being “really, really, ridicu-lously good looking,” it doesn’t hurt that we’re so damn good looking (pause for Blue Steel).

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing our Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Anthony Palatta, who is definitely a rock star in his own right. I’ve shared on the next page some insights from my recent conversation with him in which we discussed music, dentistry, food, education, and life in the city.

I hope all of you get a chance to speak with Dr. Palatta during your time here at NYUCD. He is one of the best resources students have because he has over twenty years of experience in the dental field, spanning from general prac-tice residencies to private practice, academics, and administration. Also, he understands stress and has plenty of good advice on how to manage life in dental school.

So if you ever have any questions regarding school—maybe you feel like you’re not rocking as hard as you could be; perhaps you’re stuck at ten, need-ing “that extra push over the cliff” to make it to eleven—make an appointment with Dean Palatta and follow the Stairway to Heaven (or just take the elevator

to the 10th floor).

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PREPS,FILLS,ROCK&AND ROLL

an interview with dean palatta

by andrew ramone (‘14) ASDA NYU vice presi-dent

[dean palatta] is one of the best resources stu-dents have be-cause he has over twenty years of experience in the dental field, spanning from general practice residencies to private practice, academics, and administration.

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“mix in some-thing you can do by yourself. when you hang out with den-tal students you never get out of the dental bub-ble.”-dr. palatta

Dr. Anthony Palatta was born in the city but moved to Long Island at the age of four. He eventually returned to the city when he

attended undergrad at NYU. His original interest in entering the profession of dentistry stemmed from his positive experiences as a kid with his orthodontist, so he entered NYUCD with the intent of

following suit.

Eventually, Dr. Palatta was accepted into the orthodontics post-graduate program at NYU, but declined the offer. As he explained

to me, he had worked too hard to learn the aspects of general dentistry to not use them. This shocked me very much to hear, but hey, when you’re a rock star I suppose you walk to your own beat.

BIO OF A

ROCK STAR

What’s your favorite food? Pizza

Where’s the best pizza spot in the city? If you want a slice, Stromboli on A and St Marks. If you want a pie, Luzzo’s 1st and 13th

Favorite band? Led Zeppelin and the Clash

Favorite leisure activity? Photography or listening to music

If you had not ever gotten involved in dentistry or academia, what would you want to be? I would probably be involved in social justice, philosophy, or be a rock star

In your opinion, what’s the best thing about the field of dentistry? The diversity aspect of career choices

What do you love about NYUCD? The students, I enjoy the family vibe.

What made you want to get involved in education? In junior high I wanted to be a teacher. I always considered myself to be smart and I liked teaching others in school. Also, I like institutions because you can exchange cultures and ideas.

What’s one thing that you suggest all students experience in NYC? I think all students should try and see the vastness of the city. Go on top of the Empire State Building, or Rockefeller, or even over a bridge and just take in the city sights.

What’s your advice for handling the stress of dental school? I suggest meditating or doing something to actively bring down your stress level. Also mix in something you can do by YOURSELF. When you hang out with dental students you never get out of the dental bubble so every now and then take an hour to be by yourself just to get some perspective, maybe listen to some music or go for a walk.

(Preps, Fills, and Rock and Roll continued...)

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The School that Never Sleeps

What a difference two weeks can make. If I had written this during the first few weeks of my D1 year, I wouldn’t really have had much to say. Sure, there was the occasional five-question anatomy quiz that I had plenty of time to study for, but other than that, my biggest concern was coming up with a clever name for my skull (Yorick, by the way).

Fast forward to today, just a few days after the first combined Anatomy and Biochem exam. After spending the last week memorizing hundreds of struc-tures and locations for anatomy, hundreds of pathways and proteins for biochem, watching and re-watching hours of lectures (desperately hoping the video feed wouldn’t cut off for some unexplained reason) and using what few moments I had left to prepare for the dental anatomy quiz on the same day, I can safely say I survived the first big exam of my dental school career.

But the sense of relief was short-lived, as I find myself behind in every class. Just when I thought I was safe, hundreds of new anatomical and biochemi-cal elements are waiting to be memorized. GDS lab is a far cry from its early Health Promotion days when we learned how to brush teeth and watched dinosaur cartoons. Instead, I’m meticulously and painstakingly carving out the exact tooth features that I had never heard of before last week. I have to do this with incredible precision, refining every detail to the last millimeter, although most of the time I just mess it up even more. There’s also an Epidemiology exam coming up which wouldn’t sound too bad except for the fact that I haven’t acknowledged the course’s existence since the first week of school. And to top it all off, this week introduces two additional courses in Cellular Organelles and Health Promotion.

Indeed, it’s been an overwhelming few weeks. With all the exhaustion and fa-tigue, the heavy school workload complements the busy atmosphere of the city, giving new meaning to NYC’s title of “The City That Never Sleeps.” Everything seems to happen at a much faster pace here, and I find myself working just as fast in order to step up to the challenge.

On the other hand, NYUCD exhibits a certain humility that the city oftentimes lacks. The hyper-competitive atmosphere of undergrad has seemingly disap-peared and everyone is friendly, helpful, and easy to talk to. It is incredibly refreshing to see such an eager display of solidarity. This is by no means an affront to our individual excellence. If anything, the demeanor from our deans, professors, and faculty makes it obvious that they expect great things from us. Based on what I’ve seen, we can all achieve that together.

I would love to talk more about how amazing and special we are, but I really need to get some sleep…before I start studying again.

Remember Dudley the Dinosaur and #19 wax-ups? Jay Aphale (‘15) took a study break back in October to reflect on those early experiences of cramming for comprehensive exams, adjusting to the city, and the essence of what it means to be a D1 at NYUCD.

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Your Future

Pass/Fail Boards

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by Paul Kang (‘14) and Laura Moon (‘14)

with contributions from Karan Kam-boj (‘14) and Sarah Prehn (‘14)

As of January 2012, scores for the NBDE parts I and II will be reported as pass/fail only. This is a major change not only to the NBDE system, but to dental education, as well. For ex-ample, Advance Placement students applying to NYUCD in 2012 will no longer submit NBDE scores as they have for years. Instead, they will send in DAT scores. We decided to find out more on these changes and get through some of the myths and mysteries that surround the transition to a pass/fail exam. News of this has been around since 2008, so it is not like this is a surprise. However, many people are still unaware of the reason for the change. As dental students, we’re used to test and grade points determining our futures: the SAT to get into college the DAT to get into dental school, and, naturally, the NBDE to get into a residency… right?

Not anymore. The Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE), the institution behind the NBDE, was designed to help maintain a standard of education for dental practitioners. As tests go, the NBDE appears to serve that particular function well. According to Dean Andrew Spielman in the July issue of “News from the Chair,” “The examinations exist to provide state boards with information regarding whether a candidate has acquired the minimum theoreti-cal knowledge and problem solving skills to practice safely…there is no evidence that there is a significant difference between candidates who receive scores of 89, 90 or 91. The use of National Board scores for any purpose other than as part of the licensure process has not been validated.”

This confirms what many students have long suspected: that the difference of one point on the NBDE, while raising you in competitiveness for residency applications (dental students every-where know of the “make or break” 90+), has little or no actual significance, and is just a number that allows for one more arbitrary measure of competitiveness.

Since the goal is to realign the NBDE with its value as a pass/fail exam, the JCNDE has confirmed that despite all the rumors, there will be no secret numerical score reported to unscrupulous residencies that inquire about you, i.e. there will be no unofficial score report. A failing score will include a numerical value and any score above that will simply be a P.

“But wait,” you say, “How will I compete for residency positions, now that I have no way to show that I am the top 1%?” Will there be new requirements for post-graduate admissions? Does this mean the GPA is more crucial? Will there be another exam to replace the NBDE score? To find the answers, we interviewed the post-graduate program directors of oral surgery, orthodontics, and pediatrics here at NYU and got some concrete details.

“The use of National Board scores for any purpose other than as part of the licensure process has not been validated.”

-Dean Andrew Spielman

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Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

As expected (and perhaps feared), with the NBDE numerical score gone, there will be an increased emphasis in OMFS post-graduate admissions on the importance of the GPA. However, the faculty in the department of oral surgery understands concerns regarding the pass/fail NBDE and recognizes that individual dental education programs differ from one another. So while there will be grades will be weighted more heavily, other mea-sures to ensure fair assessment of candidates from all schools are under consideration.

One of these is an entrance exam specific to the oral surgery program. The exam being considered for this purpose is currently in the testing phases. It is being administered to first-year oral surgery residents to determine if there is a positive correlation between scores and performance. This is not a dental exam; it is a “USMLE-like” test with basic science content taken by medical students as part of preparation for their own boards.

In general, the purpose of a standardized exam is to provide a control for inherent discrepancies between dental schools. Will a department-specific exam do better than the NBDE in fulfilling this role? Dr. Vasiliki Karlis, director of the OMFS post-graduate program, seemed positive that an entrance exam for oral surgery, although challenging, is fair. She anticipates that it will be an accurate assessment of candidates’ basic sci-ence knowledge. On the other hand, the program chair Dr. Robert S. Glickman expressed reservations that the exam will not be dentally focused or regulated by dental institu-tions. Both professors concurred, however, that the exam is under consideration, even if it is not a perfect solution. As Dr. Karlis pointed out, a department exam may be the only standardized predictor administrators will have to evaluate students from different undergraduate programs.

In addition to another exam, there will likely be an increased emphasis on the work port-folio component of the application. Dr. Andrea Schreiber, also of the Oral Surgery faculty, explained that the portfolio will “include all of your experiences, research, externships, presentations, outreach, evidence of leadership, community service,” as well as honors courses, such as the honors program in oral surgery offered to interested D4 students.

It seems that the impending changes to the NBDE will add a bit of complexity to the lives of prospective oral surgery candidates. They will likely have to face off with a new stan-dardized test – one that will hopefully be calibrated to show a positive correlation with performance in oral surgery residency. So while the NBDE going to pass/fail means another test may be in your future, that test may prove to be a far better predictor and more useful evaluative tool than the NBDE ever was. For now, if you’re planning to be an oral surgeon someday, you should at least aim to keep your grades high and gather as much oral surgery experience as possible to ensure a well-stocked portfolio.

Pediatrics

Admissions into pediatrics was never much of a numbers game. With the advent of the pass/fail NBDE, it will be even less so. In fact, Dr. Nancy J. Dougherty, director of NYU post-graduate pediatrics, described a general sense of bewilderment and feeling “up in arms” over the upcoming changes. For pediatrics, the NBDE score was one of the last universal tools she had for measuring candidates on paper, before meeting them. She finds the GPA is too variable across schools to be compared in fine detail; so applicants selected for interview this year were on average a little above a 3.0 GPA. If a student with a GPA below 3.0 were to be considered for interview, he or she would have to com-pensate in another way on the application. But overall, GPA does not seem to serve as a major marker.

In regards to other parts of the application, class rank and clinical experience are too variable across schools for a fair comparison. Recommendation letters are considered

(Pass/Fail Boards & Your Future continued)

While there will be an increased emphasis in [oral surgery] on the importance of the GPA, other measures to ensure fair assessment of candidates from all schools are under con-sideration

“Do something interest-ing outside of dental school, it gives you some-thing to talk about during the interview.”

-Dr. Nancy Dougherty, director of the pediatric post-graduate program

(continued on the next page...)

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unreliable and NYU pediatrics does not place a higher value on letters based on the letter writer. The likelihood of a specific pediatric dentistry exam is very low because it would be too expensive and prolonged to create.

So what will be left for pediatric dentistry hopefuls to set themselves apart by? Dr. Dougherty seemed unsure of this herself. Rather than using a points system or strict guidelines for comparing candidates, NYU pediatrics has a more holistic approach to the applications it receives. The admissions committee reads the essay and looks at the collective traits that the candidate presents on paper. If Dr. Dougherty has further questions about someone, she simply calls the student’s school. This is a bit easier with NYUCD applicants because she knows the faculty here personally.

For this year’s cycle, the program received 140 applications and selected 55 to in-terview for the coveted ten slots. “The interview portion of admissions is absolutely critical,” Dr. Dougherty explained. The interviewee must go through multiple meetings with eight different faculty members, including director Dr. Dougherty, Prof Jill Fer-nandez. and Drs Peter Catapano, Linda Rosenberg, Neal Herman, and Amy Truesdale. Rather than testing a candidate’s knowledge of pediatrics, the committee asks more universal questions that deal with interpersonal skills, dedication, and sense of matu-rity and ethics. This is the main way the committee judges a candidate’s potential.

So if you’re hoping to apply for pediatrics in a few years, be sure to close the laptop ev-ery now and then and develop yourself as a person. “Do something interesting outside of dental school,” Dr. Dougherty advised, “It gives you something to talk about during the interview.”

Orthodontics

Orthodontics, like oral surgery, has been notorious for accepting top scorers on the NBDE into the post-graduate program. Without that numerical score, NYU ortho-dontics will most likely be shifting to using GRE scores as a standardized measure of academic performance. There will be no addition of a case portfolio to the applica-tion. According to director of post-graduate orthodontics, Dr. Olivier Nicolay, this will mainly be a shift from one graded exam to another. Besides that, most other aspects of the admissions process will remain the same.

Currently, the orthodontics program evaluates applicants mainly by GPA, residency, re-search experience, clinical and teaching experience, service, accomplishments, and let-ters of recommendation. This is, of course, in addition to the NBDE score. The ortho-dontics program faces the same issue with GPAs, in that academic systems are often inconsistent across schools and even countries, since the program takes international students as well. Thus, GPA is significant but not the last word in the decision-making. Research has always been important to the orthodontics program, with long-term, consistent involvement in one project being seen more favorably than simply dabbling in a little research here or there.

One shift in the way factors are weighted will be seen in letters of recommendation, which Dr. Nicolay mentioned are “even more important.” He recommended that appli-cants obtain “good, quality letters that really speak to your character and accomplish-ments.” Who writes the letters is also a major factor. For example, here at NYUCD, you should try to get a letter from a dean or GPD. Considering that this year, the program received more than 200 applications for only eight spots, it seems that every last detail counts.

Thus, potential candidates for orthodontics that will be taking the pass/fail boards can continue business as usual, with the exception of an additional standardized exam. And while you should still study hard for your boards, perhaps you will use that extra time you would have spent perfecting your boards score to achieve the perfect GRE score.

Every program and school is a little different in how it manages its admissions process, so if you’re interested in another residency you should research that specific one. Do you have more questions about the boards that you want us to address in our next issue? Send us your questions or concerns and we’ll get the inside word for you! You can email Editor Laura Moon at lm1843@nyu.edu.

Special thanks to Dr. Robert S Glickman, Dr. Vasiliki Karlis and Dr. Andrea Schreiber of Oral Surgery; Dr. Nancy J Dougherty of Pediatrics; and Dr. Olivier Nicolay of Orthodontics for providing the information specific to their pro-grams.

Research has always been important to the orthodontics program, with long-term, con-sistent involvement in one project being seen more favorably...

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Questions? Comments? Interested in writ-ing for the spring Post & Core? Email the ASDA NYU Newsletter Editor Laura Moon at lm1843@nyu.edu.

Executive Board

President Jade GanVice-President Andrew RamirezSecretary Cho-Yi WongTreasurer Ellen NguyenExecutive Board Advisor Charlotte MilchChief Strategist Morgan Lewis-SmithChapter Consultant Jason Pang

Committee Chairs

Dental Outreach Co-ChairsKaren Mak, Josh Lin, and Kathryn Fabella

Fundraising ChairSakina Jaffer

Ideal ASDADharti Shyani

Philanthropy Co-ChairsSvetlana Musheyev and Julia Niyazova

Lunch’n Learn Co-chairsMariel Petruk and Heeyeon Lee

Ethics/Professionalism ChairVincent Scaringi

Social ChairTina Gulati

Pre-dental Co-ChairsKaren Mak, Armen Akopian, and David Kim

Newsletter EditorLaura Moon

Legislative LiaisonsRob Hochberg and Matt Edwards

Licensure RepresentativeAmanda Budiman

Vendor Day CoordinatorsKenny Cheung and Daphne Lee

Webmaster Eric Budiman

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ASDA Regionals Conference in Buffalo representa-tives from NYU

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cent

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(‘14

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BQ

Jade Gan (‘13) and September Member of the Month Tina Gulati (‘14)

Rob Hochberg (‘14) on burger duty at the sum-mer BBQ

photos cour-tesy of Jade Gan (‘13) and Dharti Shyani (‘14)