Spencer N. Frankl Scholarship

Dr. Spencer N. Frankl, GSDM’s second dean, was known for his innovation, determination, and personal connections within the GSDM community. After 31 years of service, he became the longest serving dean of any dental school in the United States. In that time, Frankl was a mentor and inspiration to countless students and residents. Since 2007, the scholarship created in his name has been awarded annually to students from the DMD and DMD Advanced Standing programs who demonstrate academic and clinical excellence.

In 2018, when PAULA ASPINWALL-REZENDE DMD AS 23 moved to the U.S. from Brazil – where she had completed an initial dental degree as well as specialized training in orthodontics – she initially struggled with the language barrier. She was not fluent in English, and worried that would hinder her academic progress. But with the support of professors and peers, who never denied her help with translations, Aspinwell-Rezende began to excel and build confidence in herself.

Even so, it came as a shock and when Aspinwall-Rezende learned she had been named a Frankl scholar.

“I was not expecting it at all because in my country, you have to fight so much for everything, for education, and everything in our lives,” Aspinwall-Rezende said. “Here, when you put in hard work, they appreciate it.”

The Frankl scholars are announced at the school’s White Coat Ceremony each year – and while MARY MORCOS CAS 20 DMD 24 knew going into the ceremony that she was receiving the scholarship, she kept it a surprise for her family. Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from Egypt and made many sacrifices in support of Morcos and her brother’s educations. When Morcos’ name was announced, it led to a joyous celebration with her family.

Morcos said Frankl’s work has inspired her to be true to herself. Her goal as a future dentist is to be a motivational leader, not only to her dental peers, but in her personal life as well.

“I am truly honored to be seen as spirited as former Dean Spencer Frankl,” Morcos said. “This perspective inspires me further to be the creator, innovator, and leader, that Dean Frankl once was, now as a dental student, in the future as a dentist and a team leader, and in the meantime, in my own personal life as a young woman of today’s society.”

When STEPHEN CARPINITO CAS 18 CAMED 19 DMD 24 learned that he had been named a Frankl scholar, he said it was a “full circle” moment to receive an award connecting him to the dean who had mentored his father and uncle – Pasquale Carpinito DMD 87 and Renato Carpinito DMD 89 – when they were GSDM dental students.

“My dad always said Dean Frankl was the type of individual that really got to know you and really made a point to make you feel welcome in belonging at the school,” Carpinito said. “To be told that I embodied those same values … it really meant a lot to me.”

As a child, Carpinito saw how his father and uncle developed relationships with their longtime patients, and he looks forward to following in their footsteps, using his own extroverted, compassionate personality as a guide.

“[Receiving the Frankl scholarship] told me that I was on the right track as a student, as a scholar, as a future clinician, and as an individual,” he said.

Humbling – that is the first word PARSA SHAHIDI ENG 19 DMD 24 thought of when asked how it feels to be connected to Frankl’s legacy. He said he strives to uphold Frankl’s values of respect, compassion, and integrity when he is treating patients in the clinic.

Shahidi has an engineering background and said there are many similarities between engineering and dentistry: teamwork, technology, and innovation. Looking to the future, Shahidi is inspired by Frankl’s philosophies to innovate within the field of dental medicine – and reminded that he needs to keep working hard and persistently to make that dream a reality.

“Dr. Spencer Frankl was a visionary whose legacy, leadership, and impact will live forever in the field of dentistry,” Shahidi said.