The complexities of treating patients from the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community are many, but thanks to a dynamic presentation from Dr. Amy Szarkowski, PhD members of the AADMD (American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry) Club are now armed with an abundance of knowledge and a few signs to help future patients succeed.
Over 30 members of the AADMD club attended an interactive presentation by Dr. Szarkowski on Tuesday, January 24th 2017 where she reflected on her experience at Gallaudet University, shared her knowledge of deaf culture and explored the role of health care providers in serving the Deaf and hard of hearing communities appropriately. Dr. Szarkowski is a psychologist with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program and Cochlear Implant Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and an Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
Students learned to sign greetings, dental terminology (“pain,” “open,” “dentist,” “medication”) and basic questions to engage patients that use ASL to communicate. Throughout the night they participated in a lively exchange of questions and comments about Deaf culture that will no doubt inform their future practice and patient care for the better.
Thank you Dr. Szarkowski and AADMD members for participating!
– Holly Fadie (D18)-
