(l-r) Lemma Salem Pre-dental, Sara Elashaal DMD 17, Tetyana Shreyer AS 16, Olga Spivak AS 16, and Mina Abdalla AS 16
Every month, students from Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) join together at Rosie’s Place, a women’s shelter in the South End, to volunteer their time by providing oral health screenings for women in need through a program called Women to Women. Their efforts are the fruit of a collaboration between the GSDM chapter of the American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD), the Division of Community Health Programs, and the Wellness Clinic at Rosie’s Place.
Volunteers spend the second Friday of every month at the shelter talking with women and answering oral health related questions, as well as offering oral health advice, oral screenings, referrals, and personal oral health products.
In addition to serving at-risk women in the South End, the Women to Women program contributes to the holistic education of the GSDM student volunteers. It gives them the opportunity to better understand the plight of women in their community, and it enables the students to work alongside other healthcare professionals in an interdisciplinary environment.
“The Women to Women Program at Rosie’s Place offers an incredible opportunity for our students to gain a broad view of issues faced by women who are in need of the services at Rosie’s Place,” said Oral Health Promotion Director Kathy Lituri.
Located in the South End, a few blocks from GSDM, Rosie’s Place describes itself as a sanctuary for women in need of a little extra care and support. It was founded in 1974 with a mission to “provide a safe and nurturing environment that helps poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity, and find security in their lives.” It was the first women’s shelter in the United States.
“I am so pleased to see our students participate in this important event every month,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “Giving back to the community is an important part of our mission and it is truly gratifying to know that our students are regularly engaged in our community.”
October 10, 2014, volunteers were: Palwasha Durrani (Pre-dental), Anna Komnatnaya DMD 16, Jina Lee DMD 16, Ms. Kathy Lituri, Carolina Perdono (Pre-dental), Ayman Suliman (Pre-dental), Ian Teng DMD 16, Ryan Vaughn DMD 16, and Amanda Yip DMD 16.
November 7, 2014, volunteers were: Laila Bamashmous (Post-doctoral DPH resident), Palwasha Durrani (Pre-dental), Ms. Kathy Lituri, Mary McClintock DMD 16, Carol Patel DMD 16, Snehal Pingle AS 15, Sai Ramani Krishna Kumar AS 15, Ayman Sulimany (Post-doctoral DPH resident), and Vanessa Thai DMD 16
December 5, 2014, volunteers were: Mina Abdalla AS 16, Debbie Desravines DMD 17, Sara Elashaal DMD 17, Courtney Knapik DMD 15, Sandip Ladani AS 16, Ms. Kathy Lituri, Vrushali Mirajkar AS 16, Nikkita Muwanguzi DMD 17, Lemma Salem (Pre-dental), Tetyana Shreyer AS 16, and Olga Spivak AS 16.
January 9, 2015, volunteers were: Jing Guo DMD 17, Courtney Knapik DMD 16, Ms. Kathy Lituri, Nora Nakshabendi DMD 16, Ayman Suliman (Pre-dental), and Amanda Yip DMD 15.
If you are interested in participating in an upcoming Women to Women event at Rosie’s Place, please contact Kathy Lituri at lituri@bu.edu. You do not have to be an AAWD member or a woman to participate.