Four Columbia Dental School Students Chosen For National Health Service Corps Scholarship Awards

New York, NY – October 2002 – Columbia University dental students Long Nguyen (’03), Ryan Lee (’04), Raj Lotwala (’04), and Veronika Vazquez (’04) have been selected to receive scholarships from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ prestigious and highly competitive National Health Service Corps (NHSC) program. NHSC will fully underwrite all of their education-related expenses for a year; in return, the students will agree to serve for a period of time in the poorest and most needy communities upon graduation. “I am thrilled—but not surprised—to hear of our students’ acceptance to the National Health Service Corps,” said Dr. Ira Lamster, dean of the School of Dental and Oral Surgery (SDOS) at Columbia. “Because of our strong partnerships with the Mailman School of Public Health and with northern Manhattan community-based organizations, outreach is one of our school’s core strengths. Many of our applicants are attracted to us because of our dynamic public service programs, and—once they are here—realize the importance of working in the communities where they are needed the most. This is both a great credit to our institution and a testament to the kind of student we admit.” “I am delighted not just for Long, Ryan, Raj, and Veronica, but for the School of Dental and Oral Surgery as well,” said Dr. Martin J. Davis, clinical professor of pediatric dentistry and associate dean of student and alumni affairs at SDOS. “NHSC receives thousands of applications from dental and medical students for their scholarship program; only 14 percent are accepted. The fact that four of our students have been selected to participate is quite an honor—reflecting not just the quality of our students and their education, but also the emphasis our school places on compassionate, equitable health care for all.” Mr. Nguyen, a Vietnamese immigrant and 1998 graduate of Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Biochemistry, has worked as a tutor with the Middletown Traverse Study Hall program, an educational initiative designed for children residing in low-income project housing. Mr. Lee, who received a B.S. in psychobiology from the University of California at Los Angeles four years ago, has volunteered at the L.A. Free Clinic, which provides free health care for high-risk youth and the homeless. Mr. Lotwala, a 1998 graduate of the University of California at Berkeley (with a B.A. in integrative biology), previously worked with two east Los Angeles charities: a community health foundation and an aquatics program for children with spina bifida. Ms. Vazquez, a native of Quito, Ecuador, and a 2000 graduate of the University of Nevada at Reno with a B.S. in biology, has served as an outreach specialist for the Sierra Nevada Girl Scout Council, focusing on high-risk and low-income populations. To qualify for an NHSC scholarship, students must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a fully accredited U.S. medical school, family nurse practitioner program, nurse-midwifery program, physician assistant program, or participating dental school. Medical school recipients must complete a residency in family medicine, general pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, or psychiatry; dental scholars may choose from residency programs in general practice or pediatric dentistry. Scholarship winners also must agree to practice their chosen specialties in a federally designated health professional shortage area for a minimum of two years (or a period of time equal to the years of support received) after graduation. In turn, NHSC provides them with comprehensive financial assistance, issuing monthly stipends and paying all tuition costs, university fees, and associated educational expenses (such as books, equipment and supplies) for up to four years of professional training. “Although I am certain that the NHSC experience will be incredibly beneficial and rewarding for our students, the big winners here are the people in these underserved areas,” said Dr. Davis. “They will receive excellent oral health care from talented, well-trained dental professionals who are passionate about—and dedicated to—serving them and their communities. It is an understatement to say they will be in good hands.”

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§ Since its inception in 1852 and its incorporation into Columbia University in 1917, the School of Dental and Oral Surgery (SDOS) has vigorously pursued its commitments to education, research, patient care, and community outreach. Recognizing the value to the public, SDOS established the first formal specialty education program in orthodontics in the 1920s. SDOS went on to establish programs in periodontics, endodontics, oral/maxillofacial surgery, prosthodontics, and pediatric dentistry. SDOS provides general dentistry, oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, and other clinical services to members of the Northern Manhattan community through its faculty practices, postgraduate and specialty practices, and pre-doctoral clinic. Since 1970, the National Health Service Corps has been dedicated to improving the health and health care of the nation’s most underserved populations, connecting communities in need with caring health professionals and supporting their efforts to establish better health care systems. In addition to a wide variety of community development activities, NHSC recruits, cultivates, and prepares health sciences students and established practitioners to assume positions in critically disadvantaged areas of the country. Today, nearly 2,500 NHSC-affiliated clinicians deliver primary and preventive health care services to more than 3.5 million people in rural and urban communities across the United States.

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Los Angeles, NHSC, SDOS, Wesleyan University