Let’s Discuss
Rebecca Gollub (GD’22) missed talking about “hot topics” in her field, so she started the Penn Pediatric Study Club.
After finishing her specialty training in pediatric dentistry at Penn Dental Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Rebecca Gollub (GD’22) returned to Boston, where she had earned her DMD at Boston University. Now a pediatric dentist in a multi-specialty private practice in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, Gollub is happy to once again be in striking distance of her favorite New England towns, and to be back with her close network of friends.
That said, she misses Penn fiercely. “As chief resident, I was very involved in many aspects of the residency program,” says Gollub, “and I was sad to graduate because I loved being in that environment where you’re constantly learning. We had patients coming from all over the world to be seen at CHOP. It was truly an incredible place to train.” She also misses her mentors, particularly Division Chief of Pediatric Dentistry Dr. Betty Hajishengallis. The two had often talked about starting a study club focused on pediatric dentistry as a way to re-engage alumni. “It’s something she’s always wanted to do,” says Gollub, “but she has so much on her plate, so I told her, ‘When I graduate, I’ll start this study club, and that way it will be like I never left!’”
Spurred on by encouraging conversations with alumni, co-residents, and faculty, and with support from Penn Dental Medicine’s Office of Institutional Advancement, Gollub got the program up and running within a few months of finishing her residency, and the first Penn Pediatric Study Club session took place in the fall of 2022.
The club meets quarterly on Zoom, and while the format always includes a presenter speaking on a particular subject in pediatric dentistry, participants send in questions beforehand and almost half the session is saved for collaborative discussion. The club is free to all Penn pediatrics alumni and participants receive continuing dental education (CDE) credit for attending the sessions.
“It’s always a very stimulating conversation because everyone wants to talk about topics that are top of mind right now,” says Gollub. “In residency, you’re learning about all of the new innovative techniques and materials alongside the foundational research and literature, and then once you graduate, you’re not necessarily in that academic environment anymore. We’re trying to cover hot topics in pediatric dentistry most relevant to what alumni want to learn about.”
Since the first meeting, which focused on restorative materials, other topics have included the use of CO2 lasers in pediatric dentistry for procedures such as tongue-tie release (frenectomy), removal of potential pathology, and gingivectomy; the use of CAD CAM in pediatric dentistry; and endodontic treatment of traumatized immature permanent teeth.
The club has also discussed techniques in minimally invasive dentistry designed to stop the progression of caries or avoid the removal of tooth structure. Most recently, the club focused on intraosseous delivery of local anesthesia. This is a “cutting-edge topic,” says Gollub, “because kids often come to the dentist and are worried about numbing, and now there’s a new technology that can deliver the anesthesia in a different way that’s essentially painless.”
Making a visit to the dentist not just painless but actually enjoyable for children is something that has motivated Gollub since she decided to go into dentistry. She was fortunate to have an “amazing experience” with her pediatric dentist, who later became a mentor. “She is so warm and kind and all the patients truly looked forward to going to see her,” she says, “and that’s what I’m trying to do, make this a fun experience for the kids.”
Drawing on her artistic side—a neuroscience major at Dartmouth College, she also took many studio art classes—Gollub began weaving glittery “tooth fairy” tinsel into the hair of children who had a tooth removed. “Kids love it. It’s really motivating for them” she says. “So, for me, even if they need a filling or an extraction or some more involved procedure, finding a way to make it more fun is always the goal. I want them to leave smiling and excited to come back, and tinsel hair certainly helps with that!”
Response to the study club has been overwhelmingly positive in its first two years, with around 50 participants attending each session, representing a full spectrum of faculty, current residents, and recent alumni, as well as retired alumni who are still interested in learning.
“Everyone is so eager to learn from these expert speakers we bring in and to go back for a moment to residency days when you were able to ask your questions and be surrounded by like-minded people.” says Gollub. “For me, it’s been really special to be able to stay connected to Penn and to Dr. Betty through this study club. It’s also fantastic to see everyone else so excited by it.”
Alumni interested in participating in the study club can contact alumni@dental.upenn.edu or 215-898-8951 and view/earn CDE credits of many of the study club past presentations via the Penn Dental Medicine CDE portal – www.dental.upenn.edu/cde_portal.