Dental Medicine Graduate Devotes Life to Giving Back

Roxene Gascoigne, DDS, completed her residency in Endodontics at Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine (NSU-Dental) and currently practices in New York. Not only does Gascoigne devote her life to health care and educating people on oral health’s vital role in overall wellness, but she also hones a passion for philanthropy.

Gascoigne grew up in Jamaica and was immersed in an environment of educators and philanthropists. Her grandparents were prominent principals in Jamaica. Her grandfather founded a credit union to provide educators with an opportunity to establish their livelihoods by assisting them in purchasing homes and building their careers. Gascoigne’s father, Rae Gascoigne, has been an exemplar in raising resources for their native Jamaica. Rae founded scholarships for educators in honor of his father, the distinguished Desmond Charles (“DC”) Gascoigne Award for Excellence, administered by the Jamaica Teachers’ Association Credit Union. Gascoigne’s compassion and strong work ethic can be attributed to her strong bond with her father, who continues to serve as her mentor. Since graduating from  NSU-Dental, Gascoigne is committed to following in her father’s philanthropic footsteps, providing a Changing Life Scholarship to NSU dental students seeking to pursue a career in dental medicine. She has named her scholarship in honor of her father, from whom she learned philanthropy. Gascoigne also volunteers her time at one of the largest hospital groups in New York, Northwell Health, working with recent dental graduates and serving as an attending at their GPR Program. Despite her hectic schedule, giving back to the community is a priority for Gascoigne. She finds it rewarding to work with the next generation of graduates and inspires them to reach their goals.

During her time at NSU-Dental, Gascoigne immersed herself in the curriculum and established herself as a hard worker amongst her peers. Her fondest memory is grand rounds, a monthly conference during which students from different specialties presented clinical cases. Partaking in grand rounds allowed her to collaborate with classmates and articulate on pressing matters within different specialties. When asked what advice she would give students, Gascoigne said, “Medicine is a very demanding field. Put passion into your work and love what you’re doing, then everything else will follow.”

To learn more about creating a Changing Lives Scholarship, contact Shari Meehan, Director of Development, smeehan@nova.edu.

Posted 02/13/22