Lasting Impressions | Fall 2017

NSU COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE © 5 4 © NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY Waxhaw, North Carolina, outside of Charlotte, has gained a reputation for his skills as a general dentist and national recognition as an entrepre- neur and business coach. “My confidence building started at the CDM,” said Phelps, who added that being encouraged to take on lead- ership roles and network within the dental community was an indispens- able part of his learning experience. Phelps founded Call Tracker ROI— a marketing tracking service that helps dentists grow their practices. His book, How to Grow Your Dental Membership Plan: Secrets Behind My $1.4 Million of Growth , is featured on Amazon and audio version is on Audible.com . Phelps, who frequently is invited to discuss his revenue generating ideas on various podcasts, is currently working on his own dental podcast. “The ideas instilled in me at the CDM are what gave me confidence to do many of the things I’ve done and con- tinue to do—and feel comfortable,” he said. Alumna Kelly Cundy, D.M.D., said the school has taught her the impor- tance of being a pillar in the commu- nity. “I’ve learned in my years at the CDM that there’s more to dentistry than drill and fill. One of NSU’s core values is community, and the CDM does a lot to give back to the commu- nity,” she said. “The college’s dean, Linda C. Niessen [D.M.D., M.P.H., M.P.P.] and the faculty members strongly promote that during your time at the CDM and make sure leaders are recognized. That helps to get others motivated to do the same thing.” This year, Cundy, a second-year resident in pediatric dentistry at the CDM, was elected to the national committee of the American Dental Association Foundation’s Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) program—a national oral health access-to-care program for underserved children. She helped orchestrate the CDM’s GKAS pro- gram in 2016 as cocoordinator. “It was the largest GKAS event we had ever presented,” said Cundy. “It was through the opportunities I had as part of GKAS at the CDM that I am now in a position where I get to help the program excel on a national level,” she added. A NETWORK OF PROFESSIONALS Jared Young, D.M.D., and Catherine Young, D.M.D., met while both were dental students at the CDM. He grad- uated in 2009, while she completed her degree in 2010. Now married with a two-year-old son, Mason, they are co-owners of Bright Young Smiles Pediatric and Adult Dental Care in Lighthouse Point, Florida. This year, Jared Young is presi- ent of the Broward County Dental Association. “Even in the first few months of dental school, I was encouraged to become involved in organized dentistry,” he said. He remembers annual trips to Washington, D.C., and Tallahassee for the Florida Dental Association’s (FDA) Dentist Day on the Hill. “I was supported to travel to these events, rather than having professors look down on the activities as interfering with school.” BUILD LASTING RELATIONSHIPS For Catherine Young, NSU’s CDM was the place for her to build lasting relationships, including meeting her husband. Professionally and person- ally, the couple said that CDM alumni “stick together.” A case in point, according to Catherine Young, was when they added a new piece of dental equipment to their office and were able to connect with alumni to get advice. “This is the sense of commu- nity that is everywhere at the college,” she said. “It is a very approachable environment, and I always felt that it was one of the aspects of a CDM edu- cation that stood out.” CDM alumni are part of a selective group, but while the school wants the brightest in the program, the college also looks for another skill set that’s equally important. Peter Keller, D.D.S., executive associate dean at the CDM, has been with the college since it admitted its initial class of 75 students in August 1997. He said that while a certain academic standard is required, other criteria for acceptance go be- yond a grade point average. While highly competitive—the CDM regularly attracts 2,800 appli- cations for a coveted 125 first-year places—a CDM candidate must stand out from the crowd in other ways. “It all starts with the interview. We want smart people, of course, but we want people who will be student lead- ers, and who we know will leave here and become leaders in their commu- nities,” Keller said. “We teach our stu- dents that part of being a dentist is also being involved on a leadership level where you work, where you have your business.” The CDM’s emphasis on leadership and community impressed Michael Wiernicki, a second-year postgrad- uate chief orthodontic resident, who started in the Dual Admission Program when he was an undergradu- ate. “NSU has been my educational ‘home’ as long as I can remember. The orthodontic residency at the CDM has been amazing. I am grateful for the diversity that the program possesses. We learn different bracket systems, perform numerous case workups daily, and I even treat my own patients, full time, in the orthodontics clinic,” he said. “The education I received at the CDM will help me advance my career. It has provided me with the training to confidently provide a diagnosis and treatment plan to create a beautiful smile for any patient who walks through my door.” Hal Lippman, D.D.S., executive associate dean of admissions, student services, and clinical services at the CDM, said acceptance to the school also is contingent on if an applicant “aligns with our core values, not only of the dental school, but with the uni- versity as a whole.” Lippman said the CDM’s philosophy of taking a “human- istic approach” to vetting its applicants has yielded a successful formula for attracting leaders into the program. “Rather than strictly evaluating academic achievements, it’s import- ant in the interview to peel back the onion and focus on who the person is,” he explained. “We want to see the applicant’s character and assess the person’s ability to be successful at the next level.” Niessen said it is a value that is at the very heart of the college. “Train- ing good clinicians—that’s necessary, but not sufficient enough. They need to leave here with the knowledge of being leaders in the profession, and with a willingness to change the pro- fession for the better.” ADD VALUE Mark A. Limosani, D.M.D., M.Sc. , who completed his postgraduate stud- ies in endodontics at the CDM in 2011, was honored by the FDA with its 2017 New Dental Leader Award in June. Limosani is the owner of Weston Endodontic Care and immediate past president of the South Florida District Dental Association. “Leadership is my passion,” said Limosani about receiving the award last summer at the FDA’s annual lun- cheon. “It allows me to encourage those around me to learn and grow while constantly pushing me to expand my horizons,” he posted on Weston Endodontic Care’s Facebook page. Limosani believes that alumni who are leaders in the community add value to a degree for past, present, and future alumni. “When graduates impact society in a positive way, it becomes a reflection of the school,” he said. u “My confidence building started at the CDM,” said Christopher Phelps. Mark A. Limosani believes that CDM alumni who are community leaders impact all alumni.