Lasting Impressions | Fall 2015

NSU COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE © 3 Dentistry Public’s Health and the Before entering NSU’s College of Dental Medicine, Ashleigh Weyh worked in radiation oncology with cancer patients in Detroit. “I saw the difference in outcomes between those who were rich and those who were poor, those who had insurance, and those who were uninsured,” she said. She’ll receive her D.M.D., but will also have the designation of M.P.H. (Master of Public Health), when she graduates in May 2016. “Getting the M.P.H. opens doors and creates a difference in how you view dentistry. As a dental student, you learn to treat the patient in your chair. In public health, you’re given a broader view. You learn to treat all patients—in your community, in your state—and it makes you contemplate how the decisions you make as a professional can affect everyone,” Weyh said. NSU’s College of Dental Medicine was founded based on the need for oral health care in various populations in South Florida. Since it opened in 1997, there has been a commitment to provide opportunities for dental students to work with underserved and special needs populations. While the medical profession has focused on public health historically, dentistry BY MICHELLE F. SOLOMON