Welcome Message

Good Evening,

 

My dear friends, colleagues, and invited guests. I would like to welcome and thank all of you for joining us here in person tonight. I would also like to extend a special warm welcome to Dean Giannobile.

 

Let me begin by thanking Dr German Gallucci for his amazing leadership during these challenging times. Germán – you have raised the bar and kept the members of our society engaged by featuring outstanding speakers, including tonight’s speaker Dr Wael Att, and by hosting a one-of-a-kind, highly attended in person meeting at the Longwood cricket club.

 

Thank you to my Executive Board members, Dr. Constant Crohin Dr. Zameera Fida for all the hard work behind the scenes, and a big thank you to the the Nominating Committee – Dr Herbert Birnbaum, Jim Nager, Dr Hiroe Ohyama and

Dr Lapidus, who is not with us today as he is having a terrible time in Antigua.

 

 Fellow members of the Harvard Odonatological Society, I am honored that you are placing your confidence in me to serve as the 143rd President of this prestigious assembly. Over nearly a century and a half ago, in 1878, the Harvard Odontological Society was established, only 11 years after the foundation of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Birnbaum one of our past presidents eloquently described the unique relationships of HOS/HSDM as: and I quote …

 

      ” an opportunity to work alongside talented colleagues in training – those exceptional students who help define our profession’s future…..

 

Ours is a shared legacy that we inherit and commit to preserve for the benefit of the next generation of leaders….  

 

Education is unquestionably central to the mission of HSDM, but the true magic of the institution emerges from the Harvard Odonatological Society, where faculty, alumni and students become friends, sharing interests within – and far beyond – the realm of dentistry.”

 

On that note, I am so pleased to see so many of you here. Hopefully you have come tonight with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and engagement, turning a page beyond the past 2 years of lost privilege, to gather and collaborate, outside the usual confines of your common work spaces, and begin the fulfillment of our mission, with tribute to the foresight of the those who founded this Society. 

 

There is much to be accomplished and more that we can do to realize the potential of the very first dental society in this country. We are sons, daughters and descendants of immigrants. Our families have gathered collectively from across the globe, searching for a future that was better than their present. The contemporary plight of refugees – those on our doorsteps and those praying to escape from harm’s way – is hard to ignore. Our families have escaped oppression and the devastations of war. They have been both, the beneficiaries and benefactor’s of charity,

 

These are historic times and we need not be bystanders. I truly believe we have an opportunity to make great contributions. An initiative is beginning to take shape, and I have spoken to some of you about exploring new ways in which we, as a Society, can work together with HSDM to support those who are working on ensuring that the dental needs of refugees are met.  If you are interested, please contact me, or one of the members of the board.

 

I am optimistic that 2022 will see the world emerge from the pandemic and current conflicts. Working with my board and hopefully the Harvard Alumni Association I look forward to sharing a memorable year of programs with you all that defines the spirit of Boston. Please join me throughout the year in rediscovering our city’s culture together, with trips through Boston’s prominent past, present, and future. In the coming months we will be finalizing the dates and venues for the next meetings and sending out save the dates. I look forward to seeing you all there.

 

Thank you

Fiza Singh DDS MMSc FRCD(c)

Diplomate, American Board of Endodontics.

President, Harvard Odontological Society

Partner – Brookline and North Shore Endodontics.

Trustee – AAE Foundation For Endodontics.

Adjunct Faculty – Harvard School of Dental Medicine.