GSDM Welcomes Three New Alumni Association Board Members
In the fall of 2015, Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) welcomed three new members to its Alumni Association Board: Dr. Gigi Meinecke, Dr. Loubna Chehab Pla, and Dr. Sepideh Novid.
“Dr. Meinecke, Dr. Pla, and Dr. Novid are all stellar examples of the high-caliber of dental professionals that GSDM is proud to have in its alumni community,” said Dr. Bing Liu, President of the GSDM Alumni Association and Board and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry. “I am certainly excited to welcome the three alumni to the Board and I look forward to working with them.”
Dean Hutter remarked, “Thank you Dr. Meinecke, Dr. Chehab Pla, and Dr. Novid, for choosing to strengthen your commitment to the GSDM alumni community by joining the GSDM Alumni Association Board. I am confident that your contributions to the Board will prove beneficial to the entire GSDM community.”
Dr. Gigi Meinecke received her DMD from GSDM in 1988. Since then, she has been working in private practice in Maryland, where she specializes in cosmetic dentistry and facial esthetics. Her work has helped her become a leading figure in cosmetic and facial esthetic procedures in the state of Maryland and the country.
While she has been working in private practice since 1988, Dr. Meinecke has kept very active in the dental profession. She worked as a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Oral Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry from 2004 to 2010, where she supervised pre-doctoral and post-doctoral students in diagnosing and treating patients with oral pathoses.
She also currently holds the positions of Spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), Legislative Chair for the Maryland AGD, Council Member on the AGD Legislative and Governmental Affairs Council, and Chair of the AGD/American Student Dental Association Task Force.
She has previously served as a Council Member on the AGD Public Relations Council, as Faculty with the American Academy of Facial Esthetics, and President of the Maryland AGD. In 2005 she was a Fellow with the Academy of General Dentistry, and in 2014 she was honored as a Fellow with the International College of Dentistry.
Dr. Meinecke has made several appearances in media outlets including “Let’s Talk Live,” a show on the ABC-affiliated television station WJLA in Washington D.C.
Dr. Loubna Chehab Pla received her CAGS and MSD in Endodontics from GSDM in 2008. Prior to this, Dr. Pla received a BDS from Lebanese University in Beirut, Lebanon, and a Diploma of High Studies in Endodontics from Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon. While at St. Joseph University, she was also a consultant attaché to undergraduate dental students.
Directly after receiving her GAGS and MSD in 2008, she worked in a private Endodontic practice in Tacoma, Washington. Since 2010, Dr. Pla has maintained two private practices under the name “Pla Endodontics” in Puyallup and Tacoma, Washington.
Before coming to GSDM in 2005 for her GAGS and MSD, Dr. Pla worked as a general dentist with a concentration in endodontics from 1997 to 2004. She moved to the United States with her husband Philippe, whom she met in Tampa, Florida, at the Annual Session of the America Association of Endodontists.
Dr. Pla is a member of several committees and associations including the American Dental Association, the American Association of Endodontists, and the Washington State Association of Endodontists. She is a past member of the Pierce County Dental Society’s Board of Trustees, serving from 2011 to 2015.
She has been published several times in journals and has presented at numerous conferences. In addition to her professional skills, Dr. Pla also is fluent in French and Arabic. She is currently raising three young boys: Ian, Alex, and Lance.
Dr. Sepideh Novid received her DMD and AEGD from GSDM in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Before coming to GSDM, Dr. Novid received a BA in Midwifery from Tabriz University in Tabriz, Iran, and a BS in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
After receiving her AEGD from GSDM in 2005, Dr. Novid accepted a position as an Associate Dentist at EZ Dental in North Andover, Massachusetts. In 2006, she transitioned to a similar position at Hudson Dental Care in Hudson, Massachusetts.
In 2007, while maintaining her position at Hudson Dental Care, Dr. Novid came back to GSDM to the position of Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry, a position she holds to this day.
Dr. Novid also currently works as a Staff Dentist at the Greater Roslindale Medical and Dental Center in Roslindale, Massachusetts. She maintains active staff hospital privileges at Boston Medical Center.
Dr. Novid is a member of the American Dental Association and the Massachusetts Dental Association.