MARQUETTE MATTERS
On a mission: providing dental care in Tanzania’s refugee camps For Dr. Toni Roucka, assistant professor and pre-doctoral program director of general dentistry in the School of Dentistry, teaching the building blocks of dental care is more than a job — it’s a mission. Beginning in 2003, Roucka has taken her passion around the world by examining access to dental care. One of Roucka’s largest projects on dental access involves long-term refugee camps in Tanzania, which Roucka first traveled to in 2007. In these camps, funded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the main objectives are providing a safe environment, housing, fresh water, food and basic medical care to refugees. “The medical care in these camps is very basic, and dental care is not funded,” Roucka says. “These people are displaced and have fled their homelands due to extreme violence and fear for their lives. It makes sense that dental needs take a back seat to everything else going on in their lives.” During her first visit to Tanzania, Roucka learned the refugee camps were staffed with health care providers whose only medical training had been provided within the camps. “We taught refugee health care providers the basics of emergency care and health promotion through a two-week training course of lectures and clinical training,” says Roucka. By the time she left, those same individuals were equipped with the means and skills to provide emergency dental services, such as tooth extractions and treatment of active infections. For nearly two years, Roucka collected data from patient logbooks from two refugee camps in Tanzania, finding that the programs she had implemented were self-sustaining and provided access to dental care that had not existed previously. Her studies were published in the International Dental Journal in 2011. Thanks to Roucka’s work, the two Tanzanian refugee camps she visited serve a combined 1,900 dental patients each year. Additional patients now benefit from her services through Compassionate Dental Care International,
Photo courtesy of Dr. Toni Roucka
By Lexi Lozinak
Dr. Toni Roucka and her nonprofit organization, Compassionate Dental Care International, provide dental care to underserved populations worldwide, including this patient in a Tanzanian refugee camp.
Roucka’s nonprofit organization that provides similar dental services to underserved populations around the world. Roucka plans to travel with her nonprofit to the Dominican Republic during spring break to provide dental care to the local population. While tackling the issue of access to dental care in refugee camps may seem daunting to most people, Roucka’s studies have proven
that even basic programs can make a significant difference in the lives of the most vulnerable populations. “My favorite part of working abroad is meeting the people my dental care programs affect and seeing how grateful they are,” Roucka says. “I thought that a project like this would be the epitome of what mission work is all about. And it really is.”
M A R Q U ET T E H AP P E NINGS Freedom Project forum to feature experts on U.S. intelligence
GROW with Marquette offering session on how to avoid micromanaging
Experts in the field will participate in a discussion forum titled, “Challenging Freedom: The FBI, U.S. Intelligence Services and Individual Freedoms in Modern America,” Thursday, March 21, at 4:30 p.m. in Raynor Memorial Libraries’ Beaumier Suites. The event is sponsored by the Department of History and the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences Mellon Fund. It is part of the ongoing Freedom Project, Marquette’s celebration of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, which is exploring the many meanings of emancipation and freedom.
GROW with Marquette will sponsor “How to Avoid Micromanaging Your Direct Reports,” presented by Dr. Kerry Egdorf, ombudsman, Tuesday, April 9, from 10 a.m. to noon. Register for the session by emailing growwithmu@marquette. edu. For details on other GROW with Marquette classes that will be held this spring, including sessions on reducing stress and workplace worry, making the most of performance appraisals and honing communication skills, visit marquette.edu/hr. All GROW with Marquette classes are free for Marquette employees, and are intended to foster job-related professional growth and development.
Marquette Theatre performing Urinetown April 18–28 Marquette Theatre will present Urinetown, a satirical musical, April 18–28 at the Helfaer Theatre. The musical follows the story of the residents of Urinetown, who come together to defend their right to answer nature’s call after being told they will need to pay to go to the bathroom. The musical was honored with three Tony Awards in 2002 for its unexpected and witty storyline, which encompasses love and freedom. Tickets are $16 for faculty and staff, and can be purchased at the Helfaer Theatre Box Office or online at marquette.edu/boxoffice.
Some hours of operation change for spring break, March 10–17 Many departments and services have special hours of operation for spring break, March 10–17. The AMU, Campus Ministry, Help Desk, Raynor Memorial Libraries, Rec Center, Rec Plex, Spirit Shop and the Union Sports Annex will have limited hours during spring break. A complete list of spring break hours can be found at marquette.edu/spring-break-hours/.