Sparky Award Winners Named; Nominate a Colleague
Several members of the College community were named Sparky D. Dragon UIC College of Dentistry Customer Service Award recipients over the last few months. They are Mickey Martinez, Dental Assistant III, Urgent Care Clinic Coordinator and Screening Clinic Coordinator; Milica (Mina) Golubovich, student; and DeVonna Purnell, student.
DeVonna Purnell with colleagues.
The award is presented to a person who shows excellence in care, concern, and support for patients, students, faculty, and Milica (Mina) Golubovich, with Dean alumni; a high Clark Stanford. degree of professional conduct; exceeds expectations; promotes the missions of the College; supports diversity; and treats people with great respect. To nominate a Mickey Martinez, with Dr. Danny Hanna. member of the College community for the Sparky Award, log on to https:// dentistry.uic.edu/sparky-award, or contact Janette Guzman at jguzma32@uic.edu. November 2018
Ambassadors Program Helps Patients, Pre-Dents
Patients are finding it a little easier to get around the College of Dentistry building thanks to members of the PreDental Club Ambassadors Program (PCAP). Ambassadors are undergraduate UIC Pre-Dental Club members who assist patients and visitors as they navigate the College of Dentistry building. They are able to answer questions and will escort them to the proper location for their oral healthcare, if needed. “Once the HVAC project started up again, there was a concern that patients would get lost or frustrated because of clinic relocations,” explained Dr. Darryl Pendleton, Associate Dean for Student and Diversity Affairs. “We wanted to answer patients’ questions as soon as they came into the building to create a customer-friendly atmosphere, given all the changes going on.” Dean Clark Stanford recalled the University of Iowa College of Dentistry having greeters during a construction phase; Dr. Pendleton’s office sponsors and runs the UIC Pre-Dental Club of undergraduates interested in dental school. So the College having Pre-Dental Club members serve as greeters was the result. “We’ve always had inquiries from pre-dental students wanting to spend time in the building, so we thought this would be an opportunity,” Dr. Pendleton said. Sabrina Ramahi of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Neuroscience program is one of the Ambassadors. She said, “It’s nice that we get to become more familiar with the College itself, where things are, and what kind of services the College provides for actual patients.” The students are awarded points for participating in the Ambassadors program, and those earning the highest point totals at the end of the year are recognized by the club. Members apply for Ambassador posts, and they are vetted by Robin Waner, Director of Clinics. The program has “been fantastic,” Dr. Pendleton said. “The patients have an additional person to assist them. They don’t have to wait in a long line to get information on the first floor; if it’s a simple question, they can get their answer and get on their way.” Mejdee Younis of the College of Applied Health Sciences Kinesiology program noted that being an Ambassador gives students like him “a way to see what the life of a dental student is like.” “In this role, we’ve met a few dental students who have told us about their experiences here, so they showed me what to expect,” Ramahi said. The Ambassadors “see there are some very grateful patients and there are some frustrated patients,” Dr. Pendleton said. “In the winter, they learned that the first floor is cold and they started wearing thicker and thicker clothes.” For clothing, the College recommended UIC College of Dentistry polo shirts and khaki pants, and while at first the students expressed some reluctance, “by the end of the semester they were dressing with military precision
Word of Mouth
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