Student Groups Get Off to an Impressive Start

The third floor of Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine (BUGSDM) was buzzing August 25 as both the Boston University Vietnamese Student Dental Association (BUVSDA) and Boston University Hispanic Student Dental Association (BUSHDA) held their first meetings for the 2008-2009 academic year.

At the BUVSDA meeting, President Nam Phan told new and returning members that the group’s focus is on community health, both for the large Vietnamese population in Greater Boston and the general population in the School’s South End neighborhood.

BUVSDA plans to again provide oral health education at the Chinatown YMCA’s Christmas festival and Boston’s Vietnamese New Year/Tet Festival, which attracts around 10 thousand people, in February. The group is also planning rafting and camping trips and practice management seminars to teach students the business aspects of private practice.

For students looking for help communicating with their Vietnamese patients, BUVSDA offers a Vietnamese/English dictionary.

Down the hall, BUHSDA held its first official meeting of the year for all interested DMD students. This year, the group is planning to host Spanish language workshops and participate in the BU Outreach Van Project and Blackstone Elementary School sealant program, organized by the Division of Community Health Programs.

BUHSDA offers a Spanish English/terminology booklet free with membership.

If you are interested in joining or receiving more information about either group, email Nam Phan (BUVSDA) or hsda@bu.edu.

Garrison Dental sponsored BUVSDA’s first event of the year, a dinner and learn, August 11. Group members learned about the company and new dental supplies available.