GSDM Volunteers with Healing Our Community Collaborative
On Monday, January 11, 2016, 15 members of the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) community volunteered at the Old South Church on Boylston Street in Boston at the Women, Oral Health, HIV Connection event. The event is one of the monthly programs/luncheons sponsored by Healing Our Community Collaborative, Inc. (HOCC), Programs for Women, by Women, about Women.
HOCC is a non-profit organization for women infected with, affected by, or at risk for HIV/AIDS. Through ongoing HIV health education and prevention programming, HOCC strives to help eliminate health disparities among women without access to optimal health care.
HOCC offers a different health-related program each month. These are held at the Old South Church on Boylston Street in Boston. January is the month in which a program advocating oral health takes place.
The GSDM volunteers were organized by GSDM’s Office of Global and Population Health (GPH) in collaboration with GSDM’s Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA). This is the second year in a row that GSDM volunteers have participated in the event. GSDM volunteers also participate in the monthly health fair in May, which covers overall health.
The volunteers engaged with those in attendance by participating in a talk about HIV and Oral Health and performing dental screenings. The event drew more than 80 at-risk women from the community.
A hot lunch was served, January birthdays were recognized, and everyone—even the GSDM volunteers—were given a card with an inspirational quote or message. Each person had the opportunity to stand, state their name, and read their quote or message to the group.
“The HOCC event provided a great opportunity for students at GSDM to serve their community in a valuable way, while also learning about many of the issues faced by women affected by HIV/AIDS and/or domestic violence,” said Clinical Instructor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research and Oral Health Promotion Director Ms. Kathy Lituri.
Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter remarked, “Our students, residents, faculty, and staff certainly have a strong track record of lending a helping hand to the surrounding community.” He continued, “I would like to thank the GSDM volunteers who provided dental screenings and education at the Healing Our Community Collaborative event.”
GSDM faculty volunteers
Clinical Instructor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research and Oral Health Promotion Director Kathy Lituri; Director of Community-Based Education, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry, and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research Ana Zea.
Student volunteers
Babbar Vibha AS 17; Christina Bui DMD 19; Ana De Feria DMD 18; Rebekah Gould DMD 17; Carly Greene DMD 17; Rinku Jakhar AS 17; Ana Keohane AS 16; Naomi La DMD 16; Valerie LaScala DMD 18; Pooja Palaksha AS 17; Maedeh Sedaghati AS 17; Chandini Shaikh DMD 19; and Malvika Singh AS 17.
Photos of the Healing Our Community Collaborative event are available on Facebook and Flickr.