Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine Receives $125,000 Donation from Great Expressions Dental Centers

From left to right: Dr. Robert Brody, head of the Great Expressions Dental Centers (GEDC) National Doctor Panel; Richard Beckman, CEO of GEDC; Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson, Ph.D., vice president for advancement and community relations at Nova Southeastern University (NSU); Kevin Carbonell, NSU dental student and GEDC scholarship recipient; Linda Niessen, D.M.D., M.P.H., M.P.P., dean of the NSU College of Dental Medicine; and Geoffrey Morris; NSU dental student and GEDC scholarship recipient

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla.- Nova Southeastern University’s College of Dental Medicine (NSU-CDM) recently announced that it has received a $125,000 endowed scholarship from Great Expressions Dental Centers (GEDC), one of the largest privately owned dental service organizations in the United States.

“We are very grateful to Great Expressions Dental Health Centers for its commitment to helping ensure that the next generation of dentists receive the financial support they need to pursue their careers,” said Linda Niessen, D.M.D., M.P.H., M.P.P., dean of the NSU-CDM. “It is thanks to corporate partners like Great Expressions that NSU is able to continue to provide the highest level of education and train future leaders in dentistry.”

Following the donation and an application process, NSU awarded $2,500 each to two CDM students who are interested in pursuing careers in community dentistry and helping underserved populations, Kevin Carbonell and Geoffrey Morris.

Carbonell of Boca Raton, Fla., is a third year NSU dental student who graduated from St. Andrews School in Boca Raton and earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and classical history from the University of Florida. Carbonell was selected due to his interest in educating and empowering his patients to ensure they are proactively focusing on their oral health. He plans to pursue general dentistry.

Morris of Coral Springs, Fla., is a third year NSU dental student who graduated from Coral Springs Charter School and earned his bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in psychology at NSU and his master’s degree in biomedical science from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Morris is president of NSU’s American Dental Education Association chapter and the Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery Club. He and a fellow student created a DVD that discussed and illustrated the anatomical structures of the brain and neuroanatomy. They sold copies to first-year students in the NSU Heath Professions Division to assist them in their studies and donated the $7,500 in revenues to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital to help fund dental implants for children whose families are unable to afford treatment. He plans to pursue dental surgery.

“At Great Expressions Dental Centers we are dedicated to promoting dental education and helping to make that education more affordable,” said Dr. Robert Brody, head of the GEDC National Doctor Panel. “We take pride in assisting those pursuing a career in dentistry and we want to congratulate the recipients of the Great Expressions Dental Centers Scholarship. We look forward to seeing what these future doctors will accomplish.”

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About Great Expressions

For nearly 40 years, Great Expressions Dental Centers (GEDC) has been a leader in preventative dental care, orthodontics and specialty care with local offices in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Virginia. One of the largest privately owned dental service organizations in the United States, GEDC is consistently recognized for contributions to improving oral health through quality and safety initiatives, affordable dental care services, patient convenience, research and more. For more information, go to http://www.greatexpressions.com/

About NSU College of Dental Medicine

Students of the college benefit from state-of-the-art educational and clinical facilities, which feature the latest in computer and video technology, and from our distinguished professors, recruited from throughout the United States. The college’s facilities, faculty, and dynamic curriculum have attracted worldwide attention. Students and professionals come from diverse backgrounds to pursue their courses of study at the college. For more information, please visit http://dental.nova.edu/

About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 314 beautiful acres in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic fully accredited research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels.  NSU is a not-for-profit independent institution with an enrollment of 27,000 students. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. NSU is classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu.

Jeremy Katzman, M.B.A. | Office of Public Affairs
954-262-5408 (office)
954-661-7000 (cell)
j.katzman@nova.edu