© Jeff Comber

“I think its important for those of us in North America to have some exposure to other parts of the world, to see how oral health care needs are different”

— Vivian An

In the midst of a global pandemic, a team of passionate University of Toronto faculty of dentistry students: Matt Preston, Vivian An, Maddie Jong, and Jacob Thomas joined hands and created the Noma Action Group (NAG). Maddie Jong first learned about noma from professor Dr. Rosenbloom who treated the disease in Mozambique. The goal of NAG is to raise public awareness, educate dental students across Canada about the disease, and advocate for its inclusion in the WHO Neglected Tropical Diseases list.