Scholarship Spotlight: A Student Leader on and Off the Ice

Tom Viccaro, left, of RSDM Bitewings, with a member of the NJMS Medwings.

Tom Viccaro can score goals and fix broken teeth if a stray hockey puck inflicts damage. A fourth-year student – and class president – he is a member of the RSDM Bitewings, who will face off this year against the New Jersey Medical School (NJMS)  Medwings in their annual benefit hockey game. This year, proceeds from the event, held April 5 at the RWJ Barnabas Health Hockey House at Newark’s Prudential Center, will go toward Robert Wood Johnson’s Child Health Institute. The institute focuses on treatment and research related to childhood diseases. “It’s satisfying to see the camaraderie between the dental school and med school while coming together for a good cause,’’ says Viccaro.

This year’s recipient of the LoMonaco Leadership Scholarship, Viccaro was able to attend the American Dental Association (ADA) annual meeting in Hawaii, which wouldn’t have been possible without support, he says. The scholarship was created by RSDM faculty member Dr. Carmine LoMonaco, who wanted to find a way to give back to the school on his 40th wedding anniversary.

At the meeting, Viccaro learned about the latest in organized dentistry and developed a peer relationship with future colleagues, an important part of life after dental school, he says. “The field is small, so that’s very necessary – the feeling that you’re evolving past being a student,’’ he said. “You’re supposed to feel like you’re part of a community and not a fledgling. I feel more like part of the community now.’’

For Viccaro, the most rewarding aspect of dentistry is that results can often be quickly achieved but have a huge impact. “It’s gratifying when you can directly help patients. If a patient is in pain, you can take them out of pain,'' he says.

Although he’s excited about his dental career, Viccaro is also an author who has self-published a work of historical fiction, called "Hello, My Name Is," and completed a podcast called “Caught Red-Handed" about two roommates who suddenly become enmeshed in a cold-way spy adventure.

"I love writing because everyone has stories, both finished and ongoing, and I think, through storytelling and writing, we can all learn from each other's lives to improve our ongoing life story,'' Viccaro explains.