ALUMNI IN ACTION
Alumnus with a
mission
Christy K. Robinson
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| Christy K. Robinson, LLU CAS’80, was editorial coordinator for the School of Dentistry, and managing editor of Dentistry at the time of this publication. She contributes to publications, and edits books for several professors of Loma Linda University and Medical Center. She recently was appointed public relations director of La Sierra University in Riverside, California. |
Their
dental clinic opens when they show up for a few weeks, twice a year. And
working there is “like a vacation,” says one volunteer. But
don’t make the mistake of thinking these clinicians are slackers!
The dental clinic is part of the Adventist Theological Seminary in Zaoksky,
Russia, about ninety minutes’ drive south of Moscow.
The students at the seminary are from 20
to 30 different provinces or countries in the former Soviet Union, enrolled
in business, secretarial, music, English, and agriculture programs. The
main emphasis, however, is theology. The seminary was established in 1987.
John Kershner, DDS, a 1970 alumnus of the
Loma Linda University School of Dentistry, has practiced dentistry in
Knoxville, Maryland, for more than 25 years.
In 1989, Dr. Kershner was approached by a
patient, Harold Otis, who was a liaison between the General Conference
of Seventh-day Adventists and the Eurasian Division. He suggested that
the Kershners visit Russia to assess the dental needs. This they did and
travelled to Zaoksky to find out what could be done to provide for the
seminary students’ dental needs. Dr. Kershner met the Russian surgeon
general and Professor Valery Leontiev, the chief dental officer of the
USSR Ministry of Health, who gave permission to visit and assess the needs.
“He was very interested in using ideas we had to help modernize Russian
dentistry,” says Dr. Kershner.
“Cheryl and I started this clinic on
our own,” he continues. “We supplied the funds to buy the chairs
and equipment. The average patient is about 23 years of age. It’s
not unusual to do 20 fillings in each person. At least half of their teeth
need restorative dentistry along with extractions, root canal therapy,
crowns, and partial dentures.”
His wife, Cheryl Kershner, RN, also an LLU
graduate, says, “We treat the students, faculty and their families.
Many of the 200-250 students are married, so we see a lot of children.”
Dentistry, as many things in Russia, is done on a crisis basis, according
to Dr. Kershner. They go to a dentist only when they have a problem, when
the decay has reached the pulp, and it’s painful, so they need a
pulpotomy, root canal, or extraction.
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| Zaoksky Adventist Theological Seminary is located in Zaoksky, Russia, in the Tula district, south of Moscow. For more information, visit: http://www.adventist.org.ru/ |
Another problem is the cost of treatment.
The students can barely afford one to two dollars for dental treatment;
how can someone making ninety to one hundred twenty dollars a month possibly
buy modern dental care?
“Our goal for these young people, many
of whom are ministers, is to get their mouths into topnotch shape so they
can go out and do their ministry without dental problems to worry about.
About one out of ten Russians has a toothache.”
Dr. and Mrs. Kershner have been to Russia
22 times since 1989. They’ve taken their dental assistants with them,
as well as dental colleagues. They usually fly into Moscow or St. Petersburg,
and spend two to three weeks on each trip.
Arni Asgeirsson, SD’64, (see next article)
says, “I got to know John Kershner through NASDAD (National Association
of Seventh-day Adventist Dentists). He has a burden for Russia. It was
a neat thing to start a practice at the new Adventist seminary. John buys
Russian souvenirs and crafts, and sells them here to help fund scholarships
for the Russian students. John gets a big bang out of going over there.
Even though he works hard, it’s like a vacation.”
“Every time before we go over there,
we solicit funds from friends and other dentists,” says Cheryl. “We
try to to help students with their tuition. We’re sponsoring seven
right now. It’s about $1,300 per student per year, for tuition. Our
goal every time we go, is to bring with us about $10,000, which would
sponsor about eight students. One of the students we are sponsoring was
an Olympic skier in the 1998 Nagano, Japan, Olympics, Katya Atonyuk. She
is now the seminary’s athletic director while she studies theology.”
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| A Russian dentist in training observes as Dr. John Kershner and assistant Jennifer Kravitz treat a seminary student. |
Another sponsored student was Lena Novossad, 19 years old, one of Dr. Kershner’s patients. Lena came to the United States for cancer treatment, and lived with the Kershners for about a year. She’s now studying at Atlantic Union College, and living with Polly Sprague, SD’96, MA’98, in South Lancaster, Massachusetts.
Cheryl Kershner organizes the clinic, and keeps the instruments coming. “We trained an assistant, and she worked with us for about five years,” she says. “But we usually take dental assistants and hygienists with us. Sometimes other dentists will also come with us.”
Some of the volunteer dentists and hygienists who have gone to Russia to provide compassionate dental care are:
Ned (SD‘67) and Joanne Foss; Marvin
and Marjorie Drew; Bob (SD‘63) and Betty Knipple; Kwang Chung (SD‘82);
Delvin Hansen (SD‘78); Paul (SD‘71) and Ethel Conner; Jim (SD‘73)
and Sandra Vollmerthe; Arni Asgiersson (SD’64); Vitali Bondar (‘97IDP);
Suzanne Nelson (DH’68); Ron (SD‘71) and Bev Kehney; and Beverly
Gottfried, (DH’69).
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| The Kershners join three music students. From left, John Kershner, SD’70, Tanya Ratushnik, Oksana Kazachkova, Cheryl Kershner, SN’68, and Tanya Malashikina. |
In addition to the “vacation-like” hard work, the dental team often tours Moscow or St. Petersburg, seeing a beautiful and ancient culture very inexpensively, according to Dr. Kershner. “Special thanks to all the Loma Linda University graduates who have helped me. Anybody interested should contact me. I can make all the arrangements and the total with airfare and two weeks is only about $750. We can always use hygienists. There’s a lot of cleaning and teaching to do there.”
The Kershners report that the team members
have been “very, very impressed,” and many would come back and
talk to their Rotary Clubs and other groups, and would say how impressed
they were with the clinic and the seminary. They really enjoy the experience,
says Dr. Kershner.
To volunteer your services or donate to Dr. Kershner’s scholarship
fund, please contact him at (301) 662-0223; or Kershner7@aol.com.
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All rights reserved. Revised February 14, 2001
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