| NEW FACES IN
COMMUNITY HEALTH
The School of Dentistry’s
community health programs are experiencing an influx of new
full-time faculty in key leadership positions. While some are
new to the School of Dentistry, others come from the ranks of
the part-time and volunteer faculties.
Two faculty members now share
the responsibility of directing the USC School of Dentistry
clinic at Union Rescue Mission. Director Armando Lopez
graduated from the School of Dentistry in 1954 and has served
intermittently as a member of the part-time faculty since the
early 1970’s. He has been a part-time faculty member at
Union Rescue Mission since its inception in 2000.
Assistant director Cathy
Elizondo completed her dental training at UCLA prior to
completing the USC School of Dentistry general practice
residency at LAC + USC Medical Center. Elizondo’s commitment
to community work is evident throughout her academic career.
She has received community service awards from the Peace
Corps, the Veteran’s Administration Hospital, the UCLA
Department of Public Health and Community Dentistry, and the
entire town of Chacarita, Ecuador.
Veronica Greene will serve as
the director of clinical dentistry training for the School of
Dentistry’s affiliation with the Pacific Aids Education and
Training Center. Greene joins the USC faculty after several
years as the general practice residency program director at
Martin Luther King Hospital and the Drew Medical Center. A
Trojan during her undergraduate days, Greene received her
doctoral dental degree from Howard University, her general
practice residency certificate from Rancho Los Amigos Medical
Center, and her Masters in Public Health from the University
of California-San Diego.
New assistant director of
special patients Jennifer Jones comes to USC with a wealth of
community dentistry experience. Jones was a staff dentist at
the Los Angeles Free Clinic—a non-profit company with
several clinics that provide medical and dental services to
low-income Angelenos—before coming to the School of
Dentistry. She has prior experience in an interesting array of
locales including a U.S. military base in Germany, the Twin
Towers Correctional Facility, and the Los Angeles Unified
School District. Prior to becoming a dentist, Jones was a
teacher of visually handicapped children.
Taking the helm of the school’s
Mobile Clinic program is Jonar Bonifacio. A member of the DDS
Class of 2000, he served on the mobile clinic staff during his
predoctoral dental days. Following graduation, Bonifacio
completed a three-year commitment to the U.S. Navy, serving as
a dental officer aboard the U.S.S. Stennis aircraft carrier.
Since accepting his new position in August, he has already
taken the mobile clinic to Glendale, Bakersfield and Taft.
USC/QueensCare Mobile Clinic
has also welcomed a new director. Juana Cavinder came to the
School of Dentistry in 2002 as a volunteer at Union Rescue
Mission. She has worked in community dentistry for over three
decades and practiced her craft on three continents. From 1980
to 1985, Cavinder was the head of dental services for the
Sultanate of Oman.
Gardener Beale, director of the
Children’s Dental Center in Inglewood, has accepted a
full-time appointment to the USCSD faculty. Beale completed
his doctoral dental training at USC in 1972 and obtained his
pediatric dentistry certificate from Drew Medical Center. He
first served on the part-time faculty from 1982-1990,
returning in 1997 when the School of Dentistry began its
affiliation with the Children’s Dental Center. In addition
to his professional endeavors, Beale is an active civic
volunteer with organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters,
YMCA and Los Angeles Parks and Recreation.
“This is really an exciting
time for us. We’ve got some wonderful and energetic new
faces that bring a wealth of experience to our programs,”
says Roseann Mulligan, associate dean for community health
programs. “The future of our community health programs has
never looked better.” |
