Lasting Impressions | Fall 2017

28 © NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY NSU COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE © 29 Faculty Impressions Will the real Robert Seltzer, D.M.D., please stand up? Because, to tell the truth, this NSU College of Dental Medicine clinical professor and director of predoctoral endodontics has a surprising background. He once ran for state office, test drove jet skis for a watercraft magazine, had a summer job as a customs inspector at John F. Kennedy International Airport, has a passion for underwater metal detecting, fervently loves his dogs, and owns a 60-pound tortoise. It might not be quite what you’d expect from a man who has been teaching about and performing root canals and endodontics for more than 40 years. Before coming to NSU’s CDM, his esteemed career included establishing a successful endodontics practice in New Jersey and teaching at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. “I’ve done a lot,” Seltzer humbly admitted. To this day, he is proud that he was the first endodontist in the country to run for state office. The position was assemblyman in the New Jersey State General Assembly in 1999. “Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on who you ask, I did not win. It would’ve been a big salary cut.” And maybe, if he’d won that race, he wouldn’t have ended up at the CDM, where he is admired by his colleagues and students. Through- out the past 14 years, he has become known—and respected—for his unique style of teaching, combining demanding expectations with a quirky sense of humor. It’s a winning approach, evidenced by his numerous teaching awards and honors, including his second Golden Apple award from the graduating class of 2017 and a 2016 Professor of the Year award. He received his first Golden Apple—an award voted on by the students—in 2007. He also received the Educator of the Year Award from the Florida Dental Association in 2010. “Those awards say it all, especially the Golden Apple,” said Carmen Bonilla, D.D.S., assistant professor in endodontics, who has worked closely with Seltzer for the past seven years. “He developed a special connection with this last class. He is very passionate about what he does. I admire him. He is here early, stays late, and is always available when anyone needs him.” Whether it’s his devotion to endodontics or his latest advent- urous hobby, Seltzer said his love for challenge is a motivating factor. “That’s why I like what I do,” he said. “In practice, there was the challenge of calming a fearful patient and treating a sometimes very difficult root canal in order to save a tooth. In teaching, it is motivating the student to think and learn the technique while doing our best to ensure that our patients receive the best possible care. In reality, in clinical teaching, every day is a challenge.” Perhaps that’s why he didn’t back away from the challenge of accepting a full-time position at the CDM in 2004. Relocating meant leaving be- hind his practice and longtime teach- ing positions. It also meant having to practically start over and go through the licensing process in Florida. “I showed up at the age of 60, and to get licensed in Florida was not easy,” Seltzer said. “I had to take part two of the national boards again, because the last time I took them I was 26. And I had to take the clinical exam as well. I passed.” But the decision to come to NSU was not difficult, he said, because the CDM “felt like home,” with many faculty members who had also come from the University of Pennsylvania. He knew the late Seymour Oliet, D.D.S., founding dean of the CDM, as well as several associate deans, some of whom had been his students at the University of Pennsylvania. His wife, Miriam, was also on board for the move. “Let’s face it, I’m a water person, and I always wanted to live in Florida,” he added. Seltzer practiced for a short while after he came to Florida, but soon decided to devote his time and energy to teaching at the CDM. Currently, his predoctoral endodontics team includes Bonilla and Vivian Professor Is Motivated by Challenges BY ELLEN WOLFSON VALLADARES Robert Seltzer has been rewarded with numerous teaching awards and honors during his 14 years at the CDM. Third-year dental student Daniel Jefferies becomes the patient as fourth-year dental student Rikul Patel, left, receives instruc- tion from dentists Carmen Bonilla, Vivian Manjarres, and Robert Seltzer.