ASDA UCSF Committees

Eddie joined ASDA at UCSF since his first year of dental school. Last year, as part of the lunch and learn committee, he helped organize lunch and learns throughout the year. Currently, he serves as chair of the communications committee and hopes to develop a user friendly website where students can get the latest information about our ASDA chapter. Eddie believes in assisting others stay informed in order to make them aware of all the issues surrounding the profession.

Jolie has been an active member of ASDA at UCSF since she began dental school. In her first year she served as a member on the community outreach committee. In this role Jolie helped the committee become more involved in the community’s dental needs by getting ASDA involved with Remote Area Medical (RAM) in Oakland, CA. At RAM, UCSF ASDA members were able to provide the community free dental restorations. Jolie now serves as a community outreach co-coordinator in which she works with her co-coordinator Iveta Makova and the community outreach committee to make a difference in the community through ASDA. Her goals in this role are to expand ASDA’s presence in the community, create sustainable programs that will leave a lasting impact on the community, and to spread awareness among UCSF students of the needs of the community.

The Community Outreach Committee serves to identify needs in the community and to organize events to meet those needs. Through our events we hope to spread awareness among UCSF dental students of the challenges that are faced by members of our community. Each quarter we participate in a minimum of 3 events to enhance all aspects of the lives of those we work with. Past events have included: diabetes walk and fundraiser, Bay Area Science Festival, dental screenings, and more.

Tiffany joined the ASDA Board during her first year in dental school as the D1 Class Representative. After attending National Lobby Day in Washington, DC, in April 2012, she was inspired to further promote advocacy at her local chapter as Legislative Liaison. She believes in the power of ADPAC (the American Dental Political Action Committee) to elect congressional candidates who care deeply about the profession and want to make a positive impact in our nation’s oral health. Tiffany is grateful for the opportunities ASDA has provided in developing her leadership, professionalism, and knowledge of the dental profession. Passionate about ASDA and the local chapter, Tiffany remains active in the Pre-dental Committee and strives to inspire other students to recognize and use their political voice. The Legislative Committee educates ASDA members, dental organizations, and legislators about issues important to dental students. In addition, we support ADPAC (the American Dental Political Action Committee) with an annual ADPAC membership drive and Lunch ‘n Learn. To keep dental students up-to-date with current dental legislation, we write articles for ASDA newsletters and invite students to attend National Dental Student Lobby Day in Washington, DC. Staying informed and getting involved in the political process are crucial aspects of our dental education and future lives as dentists.

William has been involved with ASDA since he began dental school and is currently working as the Chair of Licensure Committee and Ethics committee for 2012-2013. In past year, he has worked as a part of Licensure Committee to organize National Lobby Day where we let the dental students’ voice be heard in the lawmaking process regarding dentistry as whole. As this year’s Licensure and Ethics Committee Chair, William hopes to keep UCSF well informed regarding volatile licensure examination and policy changes to give our students the upper edge in obtaining their licenses. He also aspires to promote ethical clinical practice and atmosphere in UCSF by holding ethics discussions throughout the year. Licensure committee will be focusing on maintaining and updating the knowledge base of ASDA, local, state, and national licensure policies and disperse this information to the chapter members. The committee will also be corresponding with CDA and WREB/NERB related personnel to provide the newest update regarding those topics. Ethics committee will be corresponding with SPEA (Student Professionalism and Ethics Association) to bring forth ethical atmosphere within the UCSF dental community.

I joined ASDA at the beginning of my first year of dental school. I became a member of the Lunch and Learn Committee where I helped advertise, coordinate and pass out food at Lunch and Learn events. In my first year we held over sixteen Lunch and Learn. I also represented UCSF at National Dental Student Lobby Day in Washington D.C. with the ASDA Legislative Committee. I had the chance to visit with congressmen and educated them on bills that impact the dental community. This year, as Lunch and Learn coordinator, my committee and I will be responsible for managing and planning ASDA Lunch and Learn events. Our goal is to bring together students of all years to expand our education and participate in organized dentistry.

Karina has been an active member of the UCSF ASDA Chapter since her first quarter at UCSF. During her first year, she served as the Conference Coordinator. Working with Jonathan Collins, the Immediate Past President of UCSF ASDA, she publicized the Western Regional Meeting 2011 and the ASDA Annual Session 2012 to the school and arranged selected students to attend the conferences. She also played a major role in organizing the End-of-Year Appreciation Dinner for faculty and students. Karina enjoys working with the ASDA board and feels extremely excited to continue being a part of this actively evolving chapter. She is currently serving as the Membership Chair. Her visions are to promote ASDA membership among dental students, and to create and communicate membership benefits to members. Karina looks forward to bringing more membership benefits to UCSF ASDA this year!

Devin Bernhardt is in his second year at UCSF. He grew up in Santa Cruz and completed his undergraduate education at UC San Diego. He enjoys travel and has participated in volunteer humanitarian missions throughout Central and South America as well as the South Pacific and Philippines.

Michael began his involvement with ASDA during the fall of 2011. He served on both the Pre-dental and Legislative Committee while holding the position of California Local Dental Societies Representative. As the liaison between the local dental societies and UCSF dental student body, he assisted students in understanding dental advocacy and staying up-to-date with local dental climate. However, it was his involvement with the Pre-dental Committee that evoked his true passion. As a second year dental student, he is currently serving as the Pre-dental Committee Chair with the goal of extending a helping hand to every pre-dental student in need. The committee is currently managing a California-wide Pre-dental Mentorship Program with an emphasis on admissions advising. In the fall, Pre-dental Committee will hold its second annual “IDP Pre-dental Conference,” the first of its kind tailored to assisting international dentists. During the winter, the committee is working hard to organize an “Admit Day” for the incoming students. Lastly in the spring, the committee is looking to expand its 3rd annual “Life as a Dental Student- Pre-dental Conference.”

DK is our D1 representative for this academic year.