Month in Review - March 2018

We are excited to announce a new monthly newsletter initiative called ASDA: Month in Review. Today, we focus on all the exciting events that happened at UAB SOD during the month of March. The beginning of March started out with a bang as our Executive Board members traveled to Anaheim, California to attend ASDA Annual Session. They participated in several leadership building and networking events that helped them to grow as leaders of our school. They also elected the new national ASDA Executive Officers and voted on issues that will be reflected in national ASDA policies and lobbied for on state and national levels such as licensure and student loans. On top of this, our very own Kai Huang was elected as District 5 Trustee, the first ever UAB ASDA member to be elected to this position. If you want to learn a little more about Kai, take a look at his feature in a Member Monday post.

​March was also full of plentiful volunteer activities. Our fabulous Community Outreach Committee planned a very successful Project Homeless Connect where UAB students and faculty saw 170 patients, distributed 300 hygiene bags, and identified 20 potentially cancerous lesions. Several of our members took part in the CMMA Dental Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic. The students that went spent their entire spring break serving the people of the DR, performing extractions and cleanings. They saw nearly 160 patients over the course of 4 days in clinic. Each day, they traveled to a different village and set up a mobile dental clinic in a church provided by the village. “It was a challenge the first day,” according to Morgan Quarles, a D1 who went on the trip. “None of us knew where to put anything and we were all nervous to be performing our first injections and extractions. But we got much more comfortable as the week went on and by the fourth day of clinic we knew exactly how to set everything up. It was such a great experience, I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to gain more experience and improve their skills!”

Project Homeless Connect at Boutwell Auditorium

Ishita Johal '20 seeing a patient

Kelsey Gwin '21 and Daniel Kuyk '20 serving the people of the Dominican Republic

CMMA Dental Mission Trip group over Spring Break

Danielle Ho '21 sharing a moment with a patient

The D1 class had a great time welcoming the incoming Class of 2022 at the annual ASDA Spring Preview Welcome Party. After a long day of icebreakers, the future D1s got to relax and eat some Taco Mama with the current D1 class. “It was so fun to meet the incoming class!” says Pre-Dental Chairman, Danielle Ho. “I remember how excited I was to come to my Spring Preview. I can’t believe it has already been a year since then! This new group seems so enthusiastic, I can’t wait for them to join our dental family in July.”

​The last major event of March was the annual Vendor Fair. Thanks to our Fundraising Committee, we were able to host 33 vendors and raise $20,300 to be put towards chapter events and conferences. Vendor Fair is always a fantastic opportunity for students to network with companies across the Southeast and learn about everything from dental supplies to recruitment.

Author: Kelsey Gwin, Class of 2021

Welcome to UAB, Class of 2022!

Special thanks to the New Member Outreach Committee, Danielle Ho '21 and Viviana Sepulveda '21!

ASDA's fundraising committee, Ashley Weaver '21, Rick Rampi '21, and Steven Sheibley '21 put together a great vendor fair!

Students anxiously waiting to hear the results of the vendor raffle