Lasting Impressions | Fall 2014

NSU COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE © 35 The first recipient of the endowment, which requires a two-year commitment, is Taner Cem Sayin, D.D.S., Ph.D., an associate professor of end- odontics who has been teaching for seven years at the CDM. “He wants to make a career in academics and research,” said Namerow. “Now, hopefully, he’ll be able to make a career of it. All indications are that he will.” Sayin is “honored to be the first recipient” of the professorship. “This [endowment] will allow me to devote more time and energy into teach- ing and future research that will benefit our spe- cialty and the College of Dental Medicine,” said Sayin, who is also associate direc- tor of postgraduate endodontics. “My work will be the way to show my gratitude to the generosity of the donors, the selection commit- tee, and the students who will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this prestigious award.” Sayin especially is grateful to Namerow who he called a great professor, clinician, and leader. “The Department of Endodontics is one of the most organized, suc- cessful, and innovative depart- ments in the College of Dental Medicine and Dr. Namerow is the main supporter for our accom- plishments,” Sayin added. The associate professor already is planning on how he will utilize his endowment. “My plans are to bring in more external funding for our research projects, create courses with inno- vative teaching methods for board preparation for our postgraduate residents, and also dedicate more time to continuing education as an educator,” said Sayin. Namerow personally raised most of the money for the endowment, making calls to alumni and residents. “Making a donation is their way to say thank you,” Namerow pointed out. “Without educa- tors, you wouldn’t have a specialty. I spoke with them personally. They all gave, and they all con- tinue to give.” In fact, the campaign exceeded its goal. The American Association of Endodontists Foundation provided the final $100,000 to reach the initial goal. But pledges are still being fulfilled so the total will continue to climb. Each member of the class of 2014 has financially committed to the endowment. Career path Namerow chose endodontics after graduating from Fairleigh Dickinson University’s dental school because he preferred to save teeth rather than pulling them. “Basically, endodontics is being able to take an infected tooth and instead of extract- ing it, eliminating the infection while being able to retain the tooth,” said Namerow, who did his postdoctorate training at Colum- bia University. At the time Namerow joined the CDM, dental schools were closing because of “an oversup- ply of dentists.” By opening a new school, he said, NSU set the trend for the resurgence in den- tistry that’s taken place during the past 15 years. “For a young school, the CDM has made a lot of progress,” he said. Namerow is especially proud of the endodontics pro- gram. “Our postgraduate end- odontic program is recognized as one of the finest in the United States. We offer our students the latest advances in technology in the endodontics field and valuable opportunities in education,” he said. Those opportunities include the chance for each student to participate in a sur- gical rotation at one of NSU’s partner universities in Tlaxcala, Mexico; Universidad Santa Tomas, Bucaramanga, Colombia; Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru; or Universitat Internacional de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. Although he’s 72 now, that RV will have to wait. Namerow plans to keep teaching and raising money for the dental school, possibly helping to develop additional endowed chairs. “My wife thinks I’m never going to stop,” Namerow said. “I will stop when I feel I’ve done enough. It doesn’t look like there’s an RV in the immediate future. Besides, gas prices are too high.” u