The
Columbia Crown Fall 2021 Edition
Celebrate Creativity Featuring artwork from the CDM community
Letter from the Editor Melissa DeGuglielmo
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Student Spotlight: 3D Printed Tooth Models Austin Talis
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Research at a Healthcare Startup Catherine Martini
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Exploring the Art of Sourdough Julian Bensadoun Building a Skoolie Harrison Kim
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From Local Infiltration to Local Education Jennifer Shahar & Carly Galitz
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Introducing the CDM Sustainability Committee Elizabeth Crowe
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Celebrate Creativity Sophia Hernandez, Jonathan Gelb, Nikta Radfar, Rachel Utomo, Chelsea Markus
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Sourdough Recipe Julian Bensadoun
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Editorial Staff Chairs: Rebecca Li & Elena Healy Committee: Jonathan Chen & Courtney Brenner Editor in Chief: Melissa DeGuglielmo
nworC aibmuloC 2021 Edition
Contents
Letter from The Editor
This year has been all about perseverance. The initial shock of the pandemic has passed, and our
community
has
been
tasked
with
returning to normalcy, or shall I say, creating a new normal. Between zoom fatigue and the ever-changing rules and regulations, the CDM student
body
has
been
challenged
with
unique ways to stay engaged and connected with one another. In the spirit of the times, this issue of the ASDA newsletter highlights some of the creative activities and events that have allowed us to continue to cultivate a sense of unity. It has been an absolute pleasure working with this year’s cabinet. I am beyond thankful for our co-editors, Elena Healy and Rebecca Li, who have been instrumental in creating this year’s issue of the newsletter. Without their hard work, the newsletter would not have come to life.
Melissa DeGuglielmo 2021-2022 Columbia ASDA Editor-in-Chief
This project has been in the works for quite some time now, and I am incredibly proud of the effort that has gone into it. We hope this year’s issue of the newsletter brings you a sense of comfort, community, and connection, as you are reminded of the ways we’ve all learned to navigate the new normal.
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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT The students at CDM have been busy this past year. When not in lab and clinic, you can find our students exploring their many talents and passions. They have found unique ways to pursue creative endeavors in art, engineering, travel, culinary arts, community service, sustainability, and more. Featured here are just a handful of their accomplishments.
3D Printed Tooth Models WRITTEN BY AUSTIN TALIS Dentistry has been an incredibly innovative field in recent years— adoption of cutting-edge technologies such as Cone-Beam CT scans, Augmented- and VirtualReality simulations, and 3D printing of models and surgical guides are all examples of dentists putting into practice technologies that have revolutionized their training and, ultimately, their patient care.
3D printers have come down dramatically in price within the past 5 years, putting them within the grasp of individuals rather than solely dental labs or large practices. Case in point, when I happened to find a great deal on a 3D printer earlier this year, I took the plunge despite having no prior experience with either the hardware or software required for 3D printing. How hard could it be? Turns out, not very.
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Admittedly, it took me somewhere just shy of 6 hours to assemble and calibrate the printer, but it was smooth sailing from there. Within hours I was able to print oversized tooth models scanned from real patients to get a better sense of their unique anatomy. I found having a larger-scale model I could keep on my desk and mark up helped me review anatomy and prepare for preclinic, so I began offering to print sets for the c/o 25 to use during their Dental Anatomy course and beyond. I even tried my hand at 3D modeling, digitally prepping and printing tooth #4 to use as a reference for an upcoming preclinical exercise. And though my dental 3D printing applications are certainly constrained compared to those of a practicing dentist, I’ve gained an immense appreciation for the possibilities that arise when a highly-technical, precision-based field is coupled with on-demand, customized manufacturing. Printed dentures, occlusal guards, and permanent crowns are only some of the applications in use today in the nascent world of dental 3D printing, and those applications will only accelerate going forward.
Research at a Healthcare Startup WRITTEN BY CATHERINE MARTINI
This summer I worked with Praava Health as a Medical Research Intern. Since Praava was founded in 2018, they have continuously strived to deliver convenient, affordable, and high-quality healthcare to the people of Bangladesh. Private sector services, such as Praava, have become vital to healthcare ecosystems across the globe. One of the primary projects I led was a collaboration between Praava Health and the Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF). In March 2020, Bangladesh detected its first case of SARS-CoV-2. Although cases subsided in the summer and fall of 2020, a surge in March 2021 conveyed the mutability and changing infectivity of this virus. During the most recent surge in Bangladesh, the Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF) became the first to sequence SARS-CoV-2 in Bangladesh. In collaboration with Praava Health, CHRF has been able to collect and sequence COVID-19 samples from across the divisions of Bangladesh. Key variants, their genomic nature, and novel public health implications have been identified from this patient data. The goal of this collaboration is to expand knowledge surrounding the strains of COVID-19 within Bangladesh in hopes of improving prevention processes.
Exploring the Art of Sourdough WRITTEN BY JULIAN BENSADOUN I have a very long cooking history rooted in French cuisine that I have practiced since I was young. Some of my favorite dishes to cook on special occasions include a lovely medium-rare duck a l'orange, whipped creamy mashed potatoes, or a croque madame. Healthy? Not so much. Delicious? Yes. What I am best known for among my peers is, of course, my sourdough bread. Equally rooted in French tradition, bread is a staple food that I grew up with being served with almost every meal. In fact, when I lived in France at a younger age, I would ride my skateboard to the local boulangerie on Saturdays to grab a sourdough baguette for my family's breakfast and lunch. Baking sourdough is something that I used to do in college and picked back up during the quarantine. Each loaf takes about 48 hours to complete fermentation, which gives it that characteristic tangy taste. To date, I've been able to share over 130 loaves with members of CDM, and I plan to continue so long as I am here! Feel free to reach out if you would like to try one! See pg. 15 for recipe
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Building a Skoolie
INTERVIEW WITH HARRISON KIM
What inspired you to do this? I was first introduced to the idea of converting a school bus into a living space on YouTube, and I learned that these converted vehicles are called ‘Skoolies’. The biggest appeal in converting this type of vehicle for most people is the ability to customize the conversion with a low overhead cost. At the time of this discovery, I was [low on money] and had already been craving to embark on a personal project that involved working with my hands. After spending countless late nights binging van conversion videos, I decided to take a semester off of school to work on my Skoolie conversion. What has been the most unexpected challenge about this endeavor? The conversion process itself was pretty easy; although I had a lot to learn about hand tools, electrical systems, carpentry, upholstery, plumbing, etc., these were learnable skills that required time and effort to learn. The most unexpected challenges arose when covid-19 hit and I was unable to retrieve my bus. When I was more or less finished with the physical conversion, I left my notyet-insured bus with a family friend in New Brunswick, Canada (my hometown) and I had left back for school in Montreal/Toronto. The plan all along was to go back to New Brunswick after school, get the vehicle insured, and drive it back to Toronto, which was where my family had recently moved. But, I was unable to do so due to interprovincial border closures in the advent of covid. In the end, I had to get the vehicle towed on a flatbed from New Brunswick B to Toronto (a 16-hour drive), from which point I could get the bus registered and insured. What has been your favorite part? When I started this project, my desire to travel/live off the grid was secondary to my desire to build something. But, I have to say, going to national parks, camping, and hitting the slopes on the bus with my family and friends has been my favorite part of it all. Did anything surprise you? Being able to find parking in NY. I was unaware that street parking in NY was free. 2021 Edition | 6
You just have to stay in your vehicle once a week during street cleaning hours. How has this impacted the way that you think about living spaces etc? I've always been a minimalist. Having my Skoolie made me realize that I could live minimally long term without having to pay rent. I enjoy the ability to travel freely in my bus with access to running water, an equipped kitchen, electricity (from solar panels), and a nice bed, but I also enjoy being able to take long hot showers and having a toilet that has a proper plumbing system. How has this affected your transition to dental school and moving to NYC (if applicable)? It has made the move from Toronto easy as the drive to NY is only 8 hours. When I moved I was able to bring all my stuff with me on the bus. So far, I've been able to visit home several times throughout the semester without having to worry about booking flights. What was the process like (how long did it take you to make it, did you have to get special permits, etc)? The conversion took me around 6 months to complete. I found the bus on Kijiji (Canada's craigslist) for only $2,000 - it was a decommissioned school bus from a private elementary school in Ontario. At the time, I was still living in New Brunswick so I couldn’t go to look at the bus to check if it was in good shape. But, because it was inexpensive I bought it over the phone and flew over to Ontario to pick up the bus and drove it back to New Brunswick (~16 hours). I did not need a special permit to drive the bus because it wasn’t being used as a passenger vehicle to transport several people. What advice would you give to someone that wants to start a similar project? For anyone who is contemplating embarking on a passion project, or anything in life outside of school or work, I'd say don’t be afraid and go for it. And if you need help setting up a solar panel system, I got you.
From Local Infiltration to Local Education WRITTEN BY JENNIFER SHAHAR & CARLY GALITZ
Being in dental school during the COVID-19 pandemic has been bittersweet. It took time away from being with our classmates and learning in person, meanwhile adding an aspect of fear, anxiety, and instability to our daily lives. However, it did reshape the way we view our role as oral health care providers, expanding our reach to society like never before. We returned to clinic in July 2020 feeling excited, yet scared. There were huge challenges ahead of us in completely uncharted territory. One major hurdle was engaging with others on a personal level through all the PPE we had to wear. Everyone was in so much gear that it was hard to tell our faculty and classmates apart. It also created even more anxiety for our patients. With this
obstacle in mind, we decided to create buttons with pictures of us on them that we could pin to our PPE gowns, bringing personal connections and smiles back into the clinic. This was only just the beginning of our desire to help combat the consequences of this pandemic. When the vaccine became available, we immediately jumped at the possibility to volunteer on the frontline as vaccinators. We were thrilled Columbia paved the way for offering this opportunity for dental and medical students. It was incredible to be a part of the immense efforts New York Presbyterian Hospital and the Fort Washington Armory put forth to help vaccinate our local community. Everything ran seamlessly, and in one eighthour shift our team was able to administer over 1,000 vaccines.
Despite having thousands of patients lining up in anticipation for the vaccine, we still faced many who were skeptical. We realized that while we understood why getting vaccinated was imperative, many did not. Speaking with our own families, we saw firsthand the confusion they had when hearing words such as “mRNA”, “antibodies”, and many others. This fueled their skepticism to get vaccinated.
As dentists, we talk to our patients about tobacco cessation, diabetes, and hypertension, so why were we not talking to them about the COVID19 vaccine too? 7 | 2021 Edition
We explained the virus and vaccine to them using clear and concise terminology so that they could understand and make an informed decision on getting vaccinated. Jennifer’s dad then enthusiastically replied, “Well, why wouldn’t I get vaccinated? We all should!” This made us recognize that the knowledge we have as health care providers gives us the opportunity to make a difference. As dentists, we talk to our patients about tobacco cessation, diabetes, and hypertension, so why were we not talking to them about the COVID-19 vaccine too?
On July 7, 2021, we had the most incredible opportunity to walk in the Hometown Heroes Ticker Tape Parade. We were flooded with emotion to be alongside hundreds of health care workers, volunteers, and other essential workers that took part in the Covid relief efforts in New York City. Together we felt a part of something so much bigger.
Our education may be focused on the oral cavity, but our potential is unparalleled. It was an extremely humbling experience that we will never forget. We could feel the pride NYC shared to be overcoming the hurdle of such a dangerous wave of the pandemic. On that day, NYC began a new chapter of hope and recovery.
Above Jennifer Shahar and Carly Galitz volunteering as vaccinators at the Fort Washington Armory vaccination site.
We decided to change this. With the help of some of our colleagues and our Dean Roykh, we created educational videos on the COVID-19 vaccine in both English and Spanish. We made sure to include topics such as what are antibodies, importance of herd immunity, and why everyone should do their part and get vaccinated. We created this video for our colleagues to use as a tool when having those tough conversations with skeptical patients. If we could convince one person to get vaccinated, or at least start the conversation, we considered that a success.
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We have learned that the knowledge and tools we have obtained throughout our educational experience at Columbia is extremely valuable.
Above Jennifer Shahar administering the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to her father in January 2021
There are countless ways to apply what we know to serve our community better and create a positive change. Our education may be focused on the oral cavity, but our potential is unparalleled.
Above Jennifer Shahar and Carly Galitz volunteering as vaccinators at the Fort Washington Armory mass vaccination site.
Introducing the CDM Sustainability Committee WRITTEN BY ELIZABETH CROWE The Sustainability Committee is a new student organization at CDM that aims to promote sustainability both here at Columbia and within the dental profession as a whole. The club was founded by myself, Elizabeth Crowe, and my fellow D3 classmate, Alisha Sahu. We are under faculty mentorship by clinical faculty member, Dr. Jeffrey Cloidt, and Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs, Dr. Biana Roykh.
However, in the New Year, we will be joining Sustainable Columbia as a student group, in the hopes that the additional support by the University will better enable us to address areas such as clinical supply ordering, waste management protocols, and reduction of water and energy consumption.
The mission of our club is to reduce waste and energy expenditure of the dental school through measurable changes in the preclinical and clinical spaces, while educating and equipping fellow students with the tools to address these challenges both here at CDM and beyond. Club members will serve as agents of positive change by raising awareness about the relationship between environmental health, oral health, and overall health, and taking direct action through various activities and initiatives. Through our discussions with our faculty leaders and a forum called the Sustainable Leaders Network, we soon learned that seemingly minor clinical or pre-clinical changes might present unforeseen challenges. For example, changes in clinical protocols or supply ordering may raise concerns over infection control or budgeting, while changes such as energy usage and waste management may fall under the jurisdiction of NYP rather than CDM.
Research shows that the best method of achieving sustainability goals in oral health care is raising professional awareness through education and, we hope to promote and educate our student body about simple steps we can all take to meaningfully reduce our environmental impact. For example, by taking only what we need when setting up the clinical armamentarium, we can significantly reduce waste in clinic. Often, students grab many more gauze pads, cotton rolls, plastic cups, suction tips, and/or 9 | 2021 Edition
instruments than they end up using. Preclinically, we can be mindful of the amount of gloves, paper towels, plastic bowls, and water we use. We hope to inspire students to do their part to reduce unnecessary waste and material usage, re-use and recycle when possible, and maintain this momentum as they embark on their future careers. Sustainability steps for those planning to go into future clinical practice include replacing single-use devices with reusable materials, such as sterilizable impression trays, sterilizable air and water syringes, reusable autoclave pouches, and rubber alginate bowls. Additionally, dentists can order from affordable and eco-friendly suppliers such as EcoBee, who maximize conservation of resources by developing items such as gloves, masks, dams, and plastic disposables using recycled materials.
While plastic-free practices are not yet possible, plasticreduced ones are! While plastic-free practices are not yet possible, plastic-reduced ones are! At a higher level, dental practices can incorporate water and energy-efficient appliances, recycling and waste control programs, and working in LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings. LEED certification and other green building practices such as solar panels have the added benefit of cost-saving, in terms of waste, energy, and maintenance costs over time. Finally, in any branch of healthcare, infection control, and patient safety must always remain the utmost priority, even in the absence of a pandemic. No sustainability practices should compromise the ability to deliver safe and effective patient care. In fact, delivering quality patient care is one of the best ways to reduce the environmental impact of the profession. 2021 Edition | 10
Above Elizabeth Crowe and Alisha Sahu CDM Sustainability Club Founders
Specifically, the delivery of quality, patientcentered and prevention-oriented dental care leads to better clinical outcomes, fewer appointments, and overall reduced material usage and waste.
We invite you to stay tuned for future club initiatives that promote and incorporate additional sustainability tips! We’d also like to express our sincere gratitude for all the support we have received from CDM faculty, staff, and administrators. With everyone coming together over this shared goal, we are confident in our ability to impart positive change both here at CDM, and within our broader local and global community. Additionally, we believe that the CDM Sustainability Committee will serve as an example for other institutions in the effort to reduce the environmental impact of the dental profession on the health of our patients and the planet.
celebrate CREATIVITY
Students at CDM are talented in more ways than one. When they are not working on perfecting the art of dentistry, they have taken their skills to a different canvas. Here's to celebrating the creative talents of our community. 11 | 2021 Edition
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FEATURED ART
Class of 2025
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FEATURED ART
Class of 2024 13 | 2021 Edition
Class of 2023
Class of 2024
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Class of 2024
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WRITTEN BY JULIAN BENSADOUN INSTRUCTIONS: INGREDIENTS: Levain: 20g mature sourdough starter 30g whole wheat flour 30g all-purpose flour 60g room temperature water
Dough: 350g good bread flour 150g whole wheat flour 350g water at 90°F (70% hydration) 10g fine sea salt 20g finely chopped fresh rosemary 15 black and green mixed olives, pitted
Method: In a small bowl, stir together the levain ingredients. Consistency should be that of brownie batter. Pour into a 16oz mason jar (or similar glass jar), and rest in a warm area (80°F) for 5 hours until doubled in size. One hour before the levain is done combine all dough ingredients in a large bowl (autolyse). Dough will seem very dry, but just keep mixing. After letting the flour sit and absorb the water for 1 hour, the dough will be smooth and shiny. Add all the levain to the dough. Levain will have a runny pancake batter consistentcy. Using your hands, stretch the dough over the levain until it is encapsulated by dough. Turn out dough onto a clean dry work surface. Slap and fold dough for 3-5 minutes until the dough has darkened and the levain is thoroughly encorporated (see Josh Wiessman's video on sourdough for more details on this step). Add back to large bowl, cover with a wet kitchen towel and let the dough rest 20 minutes (ver important step). Turn out again onto work surface, and continue to slap and fold for 5 minuites or until your dough is smooth and begins to catch some air and is smooth and shiny once again. Let the dough rest 30 minutes. Perform 4 sets of stretch and folds spaced out by 30 minutes. Let the dough rest in an oven with the light turned on during each rest. After performing the last stretch and fold, gently turn out bowl onto clean dry work surface. Section the dough into 2 even pieces. Shape each piece into a light boule using a bench scraper or your hands by dragging the dough against the work surface in a circular motion. Pull the dough towards you at the end of the motion to increase surface tension (again, this method is best visualized in Josh Wiessman's video)
Let the dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes on the work surface. Handling the dough carefully as not to degas, invert the dough into your hand using a bench scraper and place into cloth lined bannetons dusted with either rice flour or all-purpose flour - the seam side that was contacting your benchtop should be facing up in your banneton. Place back in off oven with light on for additional 1.5-2 hours. Cover in a wet kitchen refrigerate overnight.
towel
and
Preheat dutch oven/cast-iron pot to 500°F for 30 minutes. Cut a piece of parchment paper and lay it on the seam-side up dough in your banneton. Invert the banneton gently, onto the parchment paper supported by your hand. Gently lay the parchment paper supporting the dough onto the bench top and remoe the banneton lid. The result of this step should be the dough ontop of the parchement paper, sitting on your work bench. Brush off excess dusting flour, and score in a single sweeping motion using a sharp knife/razor at a 30° angle to the surface (visualized in Josh Weissman's video) Place into pre-heated pot, spritz with cold water (optional), and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pot using a spatula to get underneath it, and place on a wired baking sheet (as to not burn the bottom during the second half of the baking process). Lower the oven temperature to 450°F bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until the loaf is a deep brown color (don't be afraid to make the loaf dark). Remove the bread and cool on a wire rack until room temperature (30-45 minutes, DO NOT cut the loaf open before fully cooled, it will cause the steam to release and the dough will have a gummy texture). Repeat with the other loaf and give the prettier looking one to a friend. Slice perpendicular to the ear of the score. 15 | 2021 Edition