A dearly remembered professor emeritus of the MUSC James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine, the late David Mishkin, D.M.D., helped generations of students, residents and colleagues feel at home at MUSC.
That legacy now continues through the Dr. David J. Mishkin Memorial Scholarship established by his daughters Devon Shealy and Erin Mishkin.
“When I talk about my dad to people who didn't know him, one of the first things I say is what an amazing teacher he was,” Erin said. “We heard often from his former students.”
“My dad was always a champion of the underdog,” Devon added. “He would look for those students that maybe needed mentoring or someone to be their cheerleader.”
The scholarship is designed to provide sustained support throughout all four years of dental school for a student who has overcome personal hardship, whether that be a financial, physical or educational struggle. Knowing that their father experienced his own mental health struggles, the sisters established the scholarship to continue doing what their dad loved: supporting dental students and making MUSC feel like home for them.
An eagerness to share knowledge
A skilled lecturer who spoke in easy terms, Mishkin also had a wealth of firsthand clinical experience to share with students, residents and colleagues. During his 26 years of service at the college, he led periodontics courses, seminars and clinical education for the D.M.D. and postdoctoral programs. He also volunteered as the adviser to the MUSC chapter of the Student National Dental Association.
“He liked to teach – classroom and clinical teaching. He wasn’t interested in administration. He just liked to teach,” recalled Robert Gellin, D.M.D., a professor at the College of Dental Medicine of 41 years who is also Mishkin’s second cousin.
Humor helps it feel like home
The sisters say they still cherish many life lessons learned from their father, including the importance of treating everyone equally, preparing and showing up for others, and his deep-seated belief that learning should be fun.
Gellin shared another memory that illustrates how Mishkin’s exuberant personality helped to put co-workers and students alike at ease and bring more fun into the learning environment.
“He used to roller-skate up and down the hallway, all decked out in his hockey attire, out of the blue,” he remembered. “It’s just something that you don’t usually see – from anyone, especially a faculty member!”
His personality provided a wonderful reminder not to take things too seriously despite the stress that can come with academic rigor – and to focus on making others smile.“MUSC was a second home to Dad,” Erin said.The daughters hope that the scholarship in his memory will help an aspiring dentist, or maybe even a future dental professor, feel at home here, too.
Pay it forward
The dental college launched its first-ever alumni scholarship campaign, Pay It Forward, in 2019 with a $10 million goal to provide larger scholarships and additional endowed scholarships for dental students. We are grateful for the donations to date of more than $6.8 million!For more information about how you can endow a scholarship, contact director of development Stephanie Oberempt at 843-345-8579 or oberempt@musc.edu.
