LAST WORD

I fell in love with periodontology when I was a predoctoral dental student. And when it came time to decide where to apply for my periodontics residency, I knew that I couldn’t do better than Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine – after all, Dr. Goldman was one of the founding fathers of periodontology!

But like any student, I was worried about tuition and the cost of living in Boston, which – while an undeniably amazing city in which to live, study, and work – is very expensive. It was a scary and stressful time for me: I knew that GSDM was the best option, but I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to afford it.

Then, I learned about the Zanni Scholarship, a scholarship named for the late Dr. Oreste “Russ” Zanni, a 1976 graduate of GSDM’s periodontics program who went on to become the beloved clinical director of the school’s periodontology department until his death in 2013. In 2015, the School announced that it had received a bequest of more than $3 million from Zanni’s estate that was designated, in part, to establish an endowed full scholarship in Zanni’s name for a periodontics resident.

For me, the Zanni Scholarship was the missing piece that made a GDSM education more accessible. I was incredibly grateful to be named the school’s first Zanni Scholar in 2018 and continue to be grateful to this day. In particular, I appreciate how welcomed I felt by the program and clinical directors – Drs. Serge Dibart and Gail McCausland respectively; they truly made me feel like this was the right program for me.

Receiving that scholarship significantly reduced the student loan burden that I need to take on to pursue my dream of becoming a periodontist. Now, as a practicing periodontist in Denver, Colorado, I take every opportunity that I can to give back, whether it’s by supporting other new dentists through my work with the Colorado Dentist Association’s New Dentist Committee or by organizing volunteer events to support underserved communities or by participating in international mission trips.

I will be forever grateful for the outstanding education that I received at GSDM and for the scholarship that made that education possible. Scholarships such as the Zanni Scholarship help expand access to a GSDM education – and all the opportunities that come with it. There are a wide range of scholarships at GSDM, and supporting these scholarships is one of the very best ways to support the next generation of outstanding oral healthcare professionals.

Dr. Maria Petroche PERIO 21