NSU CDM Impressions Fall/Winter 2019

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY | 15 Dominican Republic in April, Jamaica in June, and Costa Rica in July. The club was formed in 2012, but outreach stretches back to 2001. Batres estimates that, of the 120 students in her graduating class, 60 percent have gone on mission club-sponsored trips. Through the years, CDM students also have traveled to Nicaragua, Bolivia, and India. Some members also participate in the Florida Dental Association Missions of Mercy at home. The June trip to Jamaica was the first for third-year student Nekki Soltanian. “Some patients were in so much pain,” she said. “It was a good feeling to get them out of pain. Anything we can do makes such a difference to them.” The trips are a major commit- ment for students, who pay all their own travel expenses and organize fundraisers to pay for equipment and supplies. “You commit your- self for 10 days,” Soltanian said. On returning, Batres said, “At first, you’re just really exhausted and happy to be able to take a hot shower and sleep in your own bed. But once you get some rest, you start to reflect on this meaningful experience that you just returned from. You meet all these incredible people who live very differently than you. It really makes you think about your life.” Baha Abuaita, a fourth-year student, went on the Costa Rica trip with Batres. “People came in with swelling and in such pain. And when we could fix things, take away their pain, they were so happy, giving us hugs,” Abuaita said. “Many came to us for the first cleaning in their lives, even some in their 50s. There were patients of all ages.” MISSION CLUB MENTOR Batres gave much credit for the success of the trips to faculty adviser Diane Ede-Nichols, CDM professor and chair of community and public health sciences. “Dr. Nichols is an amazing mentor,” Batres said. “She has an immense fountain of knowledge that she loves sharing with her students. I feel extremely lucky to be able to learn from her.” Does that mean there are more trips in Batres’s future? She gave a big “Yes!” and added, “I want to continue doing outreach trips throughout my career.” Batres said she feels “a sense of contentment and longing” when she returns. “One day, I hope to be able to be on the other side as a teacher and help future students have the same wonderful experiences.” Perhaps it’s moments like this she’d like to share. “We had a patient with Down syndrome who needed extractions, and she was really anxious,” Batres said. “We worked together to make her feel comfortable, and we were able to do the extractions. “For me, this experience was the epitome of an outreach trip— working as a team in a commu- nity that has limited access to care. It was just an incredible moment I will cherish forever.” u Outreach trips teach CDM students the importance of giving back through dentistry and how to work as a team to help patients.