Reflections of MOM-n-PA 2021
PDA Executive Director Ward Blackwell and MOM-n-PA General Chair ( and PDA President ) Dr . Gary Davis .
Fast forward to the morning of September 23 , 2021 . As I drive down Broad Street I am thinking about how many people will be lining this street , this morning , this year . As I come upon the school , in the dark , I can see activity outside the dental school . People are in line from the front door and extending around the corner and back to Park Avenue . I pull into the parking lot across the street , and I am seeing other volunteers coming to help on Friday morning . My mind fills with the memories of 2013 and all the other years that I have been part of this amazing group of volunteers .
As I walk into the school I am greeted by friends , colleagues and so many students . During the planning of this event , Dean Ismail decided that we would operate in a paperless environment , something that MOM-n-PA had not done before . New software was written by the Information Technology department at the dental school . As a result , we needed all of the D3 and D4 students to access the workstations to help input all data and manage all images .
Yes , we had some early glitches , but patience and problem-solving led to a very successful first day . We set a goal of treating between 300 and 400 patients that day . We ended the day having seen more than 450 patients . Dean Ismail could be found helping and problem-solving all day , both days . Others , like Dean of Clinic , Dr . Leona Sperrazza , and Dean of Students , Ms . Joann Nyquist , were also managing issues . Department chairs were managing their departments and keeping patients moving .
From the very early morning until the end of the first day I was in awe of the cheerfulness and helpfulness shown by every volunteer . Many staff members of the dental school were also participating and the mood was upbeat and full of enthusiasm for all the goodwill .
24 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL