Lasting Impressions | Fall 2015

22 © NSU LASTING IMPRESSIONS continuity,” Kilinc said. “The patients are not going through many changes, and they know who we (team leaders) are.” Students see advantages to the team system—they have bonded with each other and enjoy working together. “We genuinely like each other,” said fourth-year student Sana Abdel-Jabbar, a statement that was echoed by recent 2015 graduate Erinne Kennedy, D.M.D., M.P.H. Students also derive satisfaction from helping one another, as when a fourth-year stu- dent serves as an instructor, pro- viding some advanced concepts to a less experienced student; or when a student assists another during a dental procedure. “It’s a rising tide that lifts all boats,” said Lara. All teams are organ- ized to be diverse, providing other per- spectives and experi- ences, including that of international students and faculty members who had exposure to dentistry in other dental schools. This diversity is ref lected in Team 4. Recent graduate Khoi Le was born in Vietnam and came with his parents to Orlando when he was six. Fourth-year Litza Lefebre was born in Cuba, com- ing to the United States at age eight when her father won a visa lottery. Abdel-Jabbar, whose parents are from Palestine, was born in the United States, but iden- tifies as Palestinian. Fourth- year Abelardo Daya Attie is of Syrian descent and was born in Venezuela, where he earned a dental degree. Lara, an assistant professor in the Department of Prosthodontics, and Kilinc, an associate pro- fessor in the Department of Cariology and Restorative Dentistry, add to the mix. Lara is Venezuelan, earning her dental degree there and a Certificate in Prosthodontics from NSU. Kilinc is from Turkey, where she earned her dental degree, as well as her Ph.D. in Prosthodontics. She will soon earn an M.P.H. from NSU. Another positive is having two team leaders who are consistent and also care and respect each other’s input. Both are approachable, said the students, and have an open-door policy. “There are times I text at 9:00 p.m., and they are more than happy to answer my questions,” said Le, now pursuing a one-year residency in Fayetteville, Arkansas. “They go above and beyond in helping us out.” Aaron Goodwin, a 2015 dual-degree D.O./D.M.D graduate, expressed how his team leaders facilitated getting back to the clinic after his medical rotations, allowing him to stay on track with his patients. “I think it is beneficial working with two team leaders” said Casey Lynn, D.M.D., also a 2015 graduate, who is now pursuing a pediatric residency at the University of Florida—Naples. “They bring different perspectives. It is very good to get the two perspectives,” added fourth-year student William Zenga. The students see ways the system could be improved. Many agreed that the number of students in each team could be reduced so each can have greater access to the team leaders. Some want a better distribution of patients so that each student gets to tackle a wider range of dental cha l lenge s . They acknowledge these issues are relatively minor compared to the complaints they hear from students at other dental colleges. Lynn has heard about short- comings at other dental schools such as an inadequate number of patient dental chairs and severe limits on how many patients students are permitted to treat each year. Such prob- lems, he said, do not exist at NSU’s CDM. “When you hear that, you say NSU is killing it,” Lynn said. Lara and Kilinc are open to additional changes, however they are convinced that the team system has improved dental education. “We believe in the system,” Lara said. “We believe it works,” added Kilinc. u THE EIGHT CDM TEAMS ARE EACH OVERSEEN BY TWO FACULTY TEAM LEADERS. TEAM ONE Mauricio Guerrero, D.D.S./Ariela Notzer, D.M.D., M.S. TEAM TWO Antonio Godoy, D.D.S./Rick Vogel, D.D.S. TEAM THREE Virginia Noce, D.D.S./Rashondia Gaines, D.D.S., AEGD TEAM FOUR Elaine Lara, D.D.S./Evren Kilinc, D.D.S., Ph.D. TEAM FIVE Martha Gutierrez, D.D.S./Panayotis Papatizimas, D.D.S. TEAM SIX Tulia Gonzalez, D.M.D./Michael Patten, D.D.S. TEAM SEVEN Steven Milhauser, D.D.S./Thomas Leonard, D.M.D. TEAM EIGHT Randy Lichtman, D.D.S./Vic Rampertaap, D.D.S.