Lasting Impressions | Fall 2017

22 © NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY NSU COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE © 23 Faculty Impressions God gave me, and I’m going to handle it.’ At Columbia, when people are good at what they’re doing, they tend to give them more, so she was doing cases and giving lec- tures and recitations. She handled everything with grace and dignity.” Former student Adel Khatib, D.D.S., reveres Ede-Nichols as a mentor and role model after his career hit an early snag. “I would never be the person I am now if I hadn’t met her,” said Khatib, a 2016 CDM graduate. He arrived at the CDM after getting his dental degree at the University of Jordan. He became interested in community dentistry while participating in Operation Smile events in the Middle East. Khatib started his CDM rotation on the wrong foot, and his supervisor had serious concerns because Khatib was acting irresponsibly and challenging orders. “It’s kind of like, well, I was just young,” said Khatib. “When some- one challenged me, I wouldn’t just sit there, I would fight back. There were a couple times when I didn’t like the treatment being prescribed by a supervisor, so I went to another supervisor.” Ede-Nichols observed Khatib work his shift and then took him aside. “I’ve listened to a lot of complaints, but I saw you working, and that’s not what I saw,” Ede-Nichols told Khatib. “She began guiding me, telling me what I was doing wrong,” he said. Even at this most awkward moment of his fledgling professional life, “I had the feeling she was there to help me.” After Khatib finished his advanced education in general dentistry residency, Ede-Nichols hired him as a faculty member at the North Miami Beach clinic. One of his responsibilities involves supervising students. “Sometimes, they don’t like what I say,” he said. “When they go to her, she knows I’m not just being picky.” Khatib also admires his boss’s ability to solve problems. “She’s the decision maker,” he said. “As chair of the depart- ment, she has to deal with faculty and residents. A lot of times, I used to think there was no solution, and she would solve it in a couple of words and defuse the situation. She wins the hearts of the entire faculty.” Additionally, Khatib has worked with Ede-Nichols on medical outreach trips to Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Nicaragua. Ede-Nichols organizes similar trips in the United States through the Florida Dental Association’s Missions of Mercy, most recently in Pensacola, Jacksonville, and Tampa. “I wish I could have her personal- ity, how calm she can be,” said Khatib. “She handles hundreds of things, programs, medical outreach trips, her family, and national dental society work.” Doing all that, Ede-Nichols never loses the personal touch, said Khatib. “The daughter of one of the residents had surgery, and she went to the hospital to visit her in the middle of the day, with flowers and chocolates,” he recalled. Michalowicz and Ede-Nichols have stayed friends through the years. He has visited the CDM to give lectures about patients with special needs to Ede-Nichols’ residents. “It’s rewarding to see how her residents and other attending staff admire her,” Michalowicz said. “It’s a nice mixture of respect and liking her. She fought very hard for her staff to be able to treat people with disabilities.” Michalowicz added, “It takes time to get patients comfortable with being touched or sitting still, for example. Diane is a super person who brings out the best in everyone she works with. I can recall sitting in her office, and there were nonstop phone calls. She handled everything.” Ronnie Myers, D.D.S., another Columbia colleague, has continued to be a fan of Ede-Nichols. “I was fortunate enough to see Diane grow as an outstanding clinician, with difficult patients,” said Myers, now dean of Touro College of Dental Medicine in New York. “She has an enormous amount of compassion and capability. In my 12 years, she was the best resident I ever had. She never answered no— she just performed at an incredibly high level. She definitely made her mark, particularly in dental education. I was very proud of what she did.” Myers also saw how her son’s illness formed Ede-Nichols. “Jonathan made her much more sensitive to the issues that other people have,” he said. “It enhanced her abilities. She works from the heart, as if it was her own child or parent.” u NSU’s College of Dental Medicine’s Lasting Impressions magazine was awarded Honorable Mention for Outstanding Cover for the Summer 2016 edition in the Dental Journalism Awards sponsored by the International College of Dentists (ICD), USA Section. Lasting Impressions was entered in the Division 2 category. The award was presented during the meeting of the American Association for Dental Editors and Journalists (AADEJ) held in October in Atlanta, Georgia. The award presentations were held the day before the annual conference of the American Dental Association (ADA). The Dental Journalism Awards is one of the ICD’s longest ongoing projects and is in its 45th year of competition. The awards are open to any English language dental publication throughout the world. u LASTING IMPRESSIONS HONORED WITH AWARD CDM Impressions NSU SUMMER 2016 INSIDE: GIVE KIDS A SMILE • SMOKING CESSATION • CHRISTOPHER MARIANI • ROBERT UCHIN Impressions lasting COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE NSU’S RENOVATED SIMULATION LAB WORKS AT INNOVATION Opposite page: Diane Ede-Nichols works closely with her colleagues Robert Block, D.M.D., left; Steven Ellen, D.D.S.; and Frank Slavichak, D.D.S., right, at the CDM Special Needs Clinic in North Miami Beach.