Dental students represent UNE at National Lobby Day in Washington, D.C.

Fourth from left, L-R: Britney Bell, Sarah Georgeson, Ava O'Neill, and Nate O'Neill
Fourth from left, L-R: Britney Bell, Sarah Georgeson, Ava O'Neill, and Nate O'Neill.

For the first time, the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) and American Dental Association (ADA) have collaborated to host ADA Dentist and Student Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. UNE dental students and ASDA members Ava O’Neill (’17), Nathan O'Neill (’17), Sarah Georgeson (’19) and Brittney Bell (’19) attended the event, advocating for the interests of dental students and the profession of dentistry.

The three-day event included presentations by ADA and ASDA leadership, as well as networking and organizational sessions prior to meeting members of Congress. On the final day of the convention, roughly 1,000 students and dentists gathered on Capitol Hill to meet with their respective state leaders in Congress. UNE dental students spoke with Senator King as well as staff members for Representatives Pingree and Poliquin.

During the meetings on Capitol Hill, the UNE students discussed medicaid reform that would preserve benefits for pediatric patients, H.R. 372: the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act, and student loan programs under the Higher Education Act.

“We saw this as a great opportunity to represent our profession alongside members of our state dental society,” said Nathan O’Neill. “Our message was well-received and an event of this scale lets Congress know how important these issues are to our patients and this profession.”

 

To learn more about the College of Dental Medicine, visit www.une.edu/dentalmedicine

To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions 

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.