Dr. Jonathan Shenkin receives prestigious Fulbright Award to improve oral health in Belarus

The United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board recently announced that Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry Jonathan Shenkin has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar Grant. The purpose of this grant is to develop curriculum and to teach and train pediatricians in Belarus about the oral health of young children ages 6 months to 3 years of age at the Belarusian State Medical University during the 2014-2015 academic year.ADDITIONAL READING |Boston University to become first seamlessly integrated Digital Dental School in the nation Dr. Shenkin will spend 14 days at the University engaged in a variety of activities, including the development and delivering of a curriculum to help enhance the ability of physicians to improve the oral health literacy of parents and caregivers in Belarus. The ultimate goal of the programl is to reduce disease levels through enhanced prevention. “On behalf of the entire GSDM community, I congratulate Dr. Shenkin on becoming a Fulbright Scholar,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. He continued, “The outstanding quality of the faculty at GSDM has always been a hallmark of the education provided to our students, and this honor raises the profile of our faculty even further. I am very proud that Dr. Shenkin continues to serve on our faculty while also serving patients in Maine and, now, colleagues and patients in Belarus.” Dr. Shenkin is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in 2014-2015. "It's a tremendous honor to be given the opportunity to work with my colleagues in Belarus in improving oral health for children through enhanced prevention,” said Shenkin, “Everyone has been incredibly hospitable throughout the process of developing this collaboration.” Dr. Shenkin serves as first vice president of the American Dental Association and is well-known as an ADA spokesperson for pediatric dentistry topics. He regularly comments on public policy issues related to tobacco, unhealthy beverages, and a broad range of dental topics. He is a past president of the Maine Dental Association and served as chair of the Maine Dental Political Action Committee. He maintains private practices in pediatric dentistry in Augusta and Waterville, Maine. He is a member of the of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Association of Public Health Dentistry, American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists, and the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Shenkin earned a DDS from Columbia University in New York. He also received an MPH and Certificate in Health Care Finance and Management from Johns Hopkins University and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Iowa. He completed a dental public health residency at the National Institutes of Health. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars, a division of the Institute of International Education. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. The Program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.