College of Dental Medicine Launches Scholarship Program

The Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine (the CDM) is the largest dental school in Florida and will soon become the second-largest dental school in the nation.

While dentistry is usually thought of as a professional practice, it is also a science that depends on researchers to develop new and better technologies. Dental researchers have discovered links between such systemic diseases as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, arthritis, and periodontitis. Moreover, we have seen the growth of dental disease specific to underrepresented ethnic groups, such as diabetes-associated periodontitis among Hispanics and Native Americans.

Under the leadership of renowned researcher Toshihisa Kawai, DDS, Ph.D., working in concert with Richard Singer, DDS, Ph.D., the CDM is launching a new scholarship program that will provide master’s degrees and mentorship for predoctoral dental students from underrepresented ethnic and socioeconomic groups to meet the need for dental researchers who will discover new treatments and therapies for patients everywhere.

Since 1993, Dr. Kawai has served as a volunteer mentor and teacher for students from diversity backgrounds, preparing them for successful careers in biomedical science. His laboratory is dedicated to discovering new drug targets and developing novel therapeutics for periodontitis and other bone lytic diseases, including osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and bone cancer metastasis.

The CDM seeks to raise $10,000 for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) scholarships.”