NYU Dental Students Show They Have a Lot to Teach About Giving Back

The Oral Cancer Foundation recently honored the two student co-chairs of Oral Cancer Walk 2008, an awareness-building and fund-raising event coordinated by the New York University Dental School’s chapter of SNDA (Student National Dental Association).  The two honorees are fourth-year student Marcus Johnson and third-year student Dmitry Baron.

Marcus and Dmitry both worked on the 2006 and 2007 events and, despite extremely busy schedules, enthusiastically embraced the challenge of running this year’s event. Oral Cancer Walk 2008 took place the morning of Saturday, April 19 in Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park, drew over 900 walkers, and raised over $30,000 to support the cause of the early detection of oral cancer. Funds raised through the event sponsor the work of The Oral Cancer Foundation. The event also featured free oral cancer, blood pressure, and cholesterol screenings in conjunction with the Harlem Hospital, speeches from oral cancer survivors, and musical entertainment both before and after the walk. Dr. Jocelyn Jeffries, the chair of Oral Cancer Walk 2007, attended the event and lent her moral support to the new event leadership.

“For Marcus and Dmitry to find the time to coordinate such a significant event while tending to their dental school studies represents a tremendous sacrifice,” said Brian Hill, Founder and Executive Director of the Oral Cancer Foundation, which again was both one of the event’s sponsors, and benefactors.  “Their exceptional leadership, passion and altruism have generated not only badly-needed funding, but badly-needed awareness for our cause. To present them with the foundation’s 2008 Award for Excellence in Public Service was a privilege”.

While Marcus Johnson and Dmitry Baron share many extraordinary traits, they come from very different backgrounds and have very different career plans. Marcus, a Denver native, will begin a one-year residency in Brooklyn following his mid-May dental school graduation.  He then plans to attend the University of Michigan to pursue a Master’s degree in Dental Public Health Administration.  Not content to merely become a practicing dentist, he also hopes to teach in dental school and to be involved in community dental health.

Dmitry and his identical twin brother Alek, who is also an NYU dental student who has been actively involved with all three Oral Cancer Walks, were born in the Ukraine and moved to New Jersey with their family as young children.  Following their graduation from dental school in 2009, Dmitry and Alek will each fulfill a 3-year Army obligation and then a 5-year Reserve commitment.

Both Marcus and Dmitry expressed their gratitude to Dr. Ross Kerr, NYU Associate Professor of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology, Radiology & Medicine and faculty advisor to the SNDA, for his counsel and inspiration.  They also were emphatic that walk could not have succeeded without the hard work and talents of the other student-members of the Oral Cancer Committee or the cooperation of the NYU College of Dentistry’s administration.  And they acknowledged Philadelphia-area dentist, Dr. Jerold Wilck, who is also an oral cancer survivor, as the walk’s single-largest fund-raiser.

It is clear that Marcus and Dmitry are two very appreciative young men.  “I understand that I am fortunate to have received a great deal of support over the years from my family and so many others,” said Marcus, “and I want to give back.”  Said Dmitry, “I’ve been blessed in my life, and I felt a calling to do whatever I could to support this very special cause.”

Despite everything these busy students have going on in their own worlds, they are also able to look beyond their immediate environment.  Marcus is determined to help Harlem and similar communities embrace the cause of early detection, but he knows it won’t be easy.  “These communities’ health concerns have focused on intervention, and what we’re trying to do is to help them start focusing on prevention as well.”  In Dmitry’s case, his focus is on other dental schools.  “Our hope is that other schools will hear about our results and start similar programs in their communities,” said Dmitry.  “We are anxious to share our ideas and experiences with them, and to do anything else we can to help them create awareness of the need for earlier detection of oral cancer.”  Other schools cannot only raise awareness in their own local communities, but through the fund raising aspect of financially helping the Oral Cancer Foundation, they can have an impact in other distant communities via the foundation’s work, most of it in communities where disparities in healthcare exist.

While Marcus Johnson and Dmitry Baron will soon be two very special dentists, they are already—quite clearly—two very special young men.