School
On Campus: Highlights Dr. Raul Garcia
GSDM first U.S. dental school to offer facial injectables course Making history is always exciting—but for Gigi Meinecke DMD 88, doing it at her alma mater is even better. “I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would have an opportunity to teach the facial injectables course at my alma mater,” she said. “I can’t express the depth of excitement and pride that I feel.”
Dr. Raul Garcia first dentist appointed to federal Advisory Committee on Minority Health Dr. Raul Garcia, professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research and director of the Northeast Center for Research to Evaluate and Eliminate Dental Disparities (CREEDD) at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM), was appointed to the federal Advisory Committee on Minority Health (ACMH) in April 2019. He is the first dentist ever on the committee, which focuses on improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities. Garcia said his appointment reflects an increasing recognition that oral health is an important component of overall health. “Sadly, communities that are of racial and ethnic minority backgrounds tend to have worse oral health and worse disparities in their oral health outcomes and access to care,” Garcia said. Garcia received his BA, DMD, CAGS (periodontology), and MMSc from Harvard University, and joined the GSDM faculty in September 1996. His research focuses on better understanding the risk factors for oral disease and identifying ways to reduce disease, improve health, and eliminate disparities among traditionally under-served populations.
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IMPRESSIONS FALL 2019
In May 2019, Meinecke taught a four-day facial injectables course at GSDM—the first of its kind for predoctoral dental students in the United States. Meinecke used both lectures and hands-on practice to instruct third-year DMD and second-year DMD Advanced Standing students in facial injectables. Facial injectables are minimally invasive, non-surgical treatments used to correct and/or harmonize facial asymmetries and deformities as well as the flaws and irregularities associated with aging. The University approved the course at the end of 2018, and it was held for the first time in the Spring 2019 semester. The course will be held annually going forward. Meinecke said that she hoped to instill a sense of excitement in the students regarding facial injectables with the course. “I hope they were able to see my enthusiasm for this,” Meinecke said. “I hope they continue to move down the path of facial injectables if they have the excitement that I have for this realm in our field.”
Gigi Meinecke DMD 88