Goodwill Ambassador

Hi all!
This is just going to be a short post, but I wanted to share some good news. On Friday, the board of trustees for the Iowa Dental Association unanimously voted to name me the official “Goodwill Ambassador” to the Iowa Dental Association and the Iowa Dental Foundation (the charitable organization run by the IDA that puts on events like the Iowa Mission of Mercy). I am so honored and excited to do what I can to promote the Iowa Dental Association throughout our state and to continue to support children’s dental health through my platform “Making Smiles Happen”.



Additionally, I am proud to announce that the Davidson family now has another doctor! My sister-in-law Beth passed her thesis defense on Friday. For the last four years, Beth has been researching the connection between cleft lip/palate and breast cancer. It was fascinating to hear about what she has been working on (although my non-scientific mind stopped processing information after about the first 15 minutes of the public discussion!). While she will not officially receive her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology until she completes the MSTP program next May (meaning that she will receive both a PhD and an MD), I am not going to waste any time calling her Dr. Davidson. Congratulations, Beth!


With Beth and my brother Michael before the public discussion of Beth's research.

My information is up on the Miss Iowa website. Check me out! http://www.missiowa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=586:miss-pearl-city-2011&catid=89:local-winner-2011&Itemid=313

Finally, next Friday, I will be traveling home to West Des Moines to present my platform to two of my former elementary school classrooms. On Saturday, I will watch the crowning of a new Miss Greater Des Moines. Can’t wait to give you the details. Until then!

Elizabeth

Peru

Greetings! It has been a long time since I last posted an entry, but I decided to take a couple weeks to concentrate on school as I went through my midterm exams.

I am currently writing from Lima, Peru, where I am on vacation. When I was nine years old, my dad met Liset while on a missionary trip to Tumbes, Peru and she came to live with us on a student exchange. Eleven years later, we were finally able to come and visit her. It was such a joy to see her, her husband (Karlo), and her two young children (Caleb, 5, and Lucas, six months). Below is a picture of Liset, Caleb, Lucas, my mom, and me at dinner one night.



For a couple of days, my dad and I traveled to Cusco and Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and for good reason. I’m not sure if I have ever seen something more amazing. The Incas began constructing this town around 1400 and it was the official site of the Inca rulers until the Spanish Conquest, but the ruins were not discovered until 1911. What I find so fascinating about Machu Picchu, and the other Inca ruins that we visited, is that no one knows how these buildings were constructed. The stones are all irregular shapes, but they fit together so well that not even a piece of paper can fit between the stones (or at least on what they considered to be important buildings). The fit is so perfect that they didn’t even need to use mortar. Below are just a couple of pictures that we took at Machu Picchu.




Overlooking Machu Picchu. Such an amazing site!

On our trip, we also traveled about 45 minutes south of Lima to Lurin, the town where Liset’s family lives. Liset told us that Lurin is home to many poor families, so my parents and I brought along three suitcases full of toothbrushes, toothpaste, and beanie babies that we handed out to the children we met (thank you Crest!). We personally met about 50 children and left the remainder of the gifts at Liset’s church. As we were getting ready to leave, one little boy named Abdias ran up to me as I left and gave me a huge hug and kiss. When the other kids saw this, they all ran over and gave hugs, too. Their joy and excitement was so touching. There is no better feeling than being able to help those in need. And, for me, this was even more special because I was able to combine my two causes – children’s dental health and cultural advocacy. I could never contain myself to one passion. I’ve included a couple of the photos that we took that day because, after all, a picture is worth a thousand words.


With some new friends. This neighborhood is one of the poorest areas of Lurin.


The kids looking through the goodies that we brought.


Showing two young boys how to use the toothbrush properly.


The kids holding up their new toothbrushes and toothpaste.


We were surprised with a welcome sign at Guayabo. Here I am pictured with my parents and all of the children and teachers that we met. This was one of two locations where we handed out gifts.


This has been a wonderful vacation and it’ll be sad to leave and go back to real life. But, I have many exciting appearances scheduled over the next couple of months and I can’t wait to let you know about them. Until then!

Elizabeth

Commonwealth Fund Report

Congratulations, Iowa! Iowa ranks at the top of the nation in health care for children, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund. “Early screening for childhood diseases, preventive services, and health care access for kids from lower-income families are just a few examples of how Iowa leads the nation,” notes Thomas Scholz, MD. “The Commonwealth Fund report cites Iowa’s policies and public-private partnerships as models for other states to follow”. One such program is the Iowa Mission of Mercy of which I had the honor to be a part of this past November. Through the introduction of this program over the past two years, more than 1,000 volunteers have worked to provide 1,500 people with a total of $950,000 in free dental care. That’s a lot of numbers and a lot of smiles! And, as you know, I love to make smiles happen. The date has just been announced for next year, so set your calendar for November 18-19 to join this wonderful program in Sioux City so you can make smiles happen as well.

Check out the website!
http://www.iowadental.org/events_calendar/iowa_mission_of_mercy.cfm


With some young patients at the Iowa Mission of Mercy last year.