The Touro College of Dental Medicine (TCDM) held a groundbreaking ceremony on February 19 to celebrate the start of construction of its 3,000-square-foot pediatric facility, which the school expects to open this summer.
The event also celebrated its pediatric dental leadership, with the appointments of Carla Tornatore, DDS, as director of pediatric dentistry and Shiri Greenberg, DMD, as clinical practice leader of pediatric dentistry.
The new pediatric practice and clinical training facility will feature six new dental chairs and state of the art technology in a child-friendly atmosphere that includes private family rooms specially designed to accommodate children with special needs, the school reports.
“We will have a new facility where we can treat children of all background and needs in an accommodating, warm environment,” said vice dean Edward F. Farkas, DDS, MA, among a gathering of supporters including many state and local elected officials.
“We are blessed with incredible leadership, students, and patients who have come together to grow the Touro College of Dental Medicine at a record pace and make it the student-centric special place it is,” Farkas said.
The TCDM Dean’s Council raised $500,000 to fund the recent expansion.
“We are also blessed with friends, donors, staff, and parents who gave generously of their time, money, and expertise to help fund, design, and construct this new outstanding pediatric dental facility,” said Farkas.
“It’s a great day for children in Westchester County and the Lower Hudson Valley. We will soon have a pediatric dental practice devoted to dental education in a facility specially designed for the needs of children,” said dean Ronnie Myers, DDS. “And it’s a great opportunity for students to receive an educational background in caring for pediatric patients.”
Tornatore has been a member of the faculty for the past year and a half, serving as co-interim director of pediatric dentistry for the past five months. She also has strengthened the overall pediatric academic and clinical program and led TCDM’s school-based community outreach efforts, TCDM says.
Greenberg also has been a member of the faculty for the past year and a half and co-interim director of pediatric dentistry for the past five months, working alongside Tornatore to improve the pediatric academic and clinical program with admirable commitment and enthusiasm, TCDM says.
“I was one of many Americans who feared going to the dentist,” said Westchester County Executive George Latimer. “Touro Dental Health’s specialty in pediatric dentistry, the training of its dentists, and its spectacular new facility will make it more likely that children will not make the mistakes that I made and will enjoy better dental health.”
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