Ann Layvey: outreach underpins academic fulfillment
Source: www.dental.upenn.edu/ Author: staff Ann Layvey was raised to ‘give back,’ so it seems natural that her academic career at Penn Dental Medicine has been underpinned by community service. “My mom always helped me to see the importance of outreach,” says Ann, who, from an early age, was involved in helping her community in New York by serving those in need. During her undergraduate experience, she volunteered at the New York University Hospital, and has consistently supported community service at Penn Dental Medicine, where it is also an integral part of the School’s curriculum. “By dealing with what concerns others, we define our own humanity,” she says. Tapping into that ingrained altruism, Ann teamed with fellow students to help organize a new outreach program for the School that complimented their studies. In spring 2009, she co-coordinated Penn Dental Medicine’s first Oral Cancer Walk, garnering attention to oral cancer and over $16,000 in donations for the Oral Cancer Foundation. “We modeled this walk on the ones done in New York, Michigan, and Washington, D.C., and were thrilled beyond expectations for our first year,” she says. Nearly 300 participated in the walk, and 75 people came out for oral cancer screenings, effectively raising the community service profile of Penn Dental Medicine and building public awareness about how oral cancer screenings save lives. “This was our first year for this walk, and our goal is to keep it going,” she says. In addition to helping the community in Philadelphia, Ann also put her [...]