Quarterly I am a MUSC Recognized Innovator Award | Muscat

The MUSC Office of Innovation is proud to announce Fabio Rizzante, DDS, Ph.D., as this quarter’s recipient of the I am an MUSC Innovator Award. Sponsored by the Office of Innovation, the I’m an MUSC Innovator campaign is designed to raise awareness of the many forms innovation can take in an effort to inspire others and publicly recognize individuals or teams who are making an impact.

Rizzante, an associate professor and director of research in the College of Dentistry, was nominated for his work creating two digital dentistry courses, including an elective that bridges the gap between students’ knowledge of dentistry and the resources already available in a clinic.

“Talking to students and other colleagues right in the department, one of the common things that came out of those conversations was that we could probably get more out of all that technology and all the equipment that we have available,” Rizzante said. “What I heard from faculty members was that these students don’t have any instruction on how to use those machines. So when they come to the clinic, a lot of times, they just don’t know.”

Knowing his pain point, Rizzante sought an innovative solution and quickly created a course that could ultimately further integrate digital dentistry into the College of Dental Medicine’s curriculum. Today, the course has grown to accommodate 30 students in the second semester alone and has started a process where students taking the course will organize some additional sessions to teach their peers who are finishing their third or fourth year, on a voluntary basis. .

Each quarter, the I’m an MUSC Innovator campaign showcases educators, researchers, care team members and service team members across the enterprise who are nominated for the impact they’ve made in the field of innovation.

Nominations are solicited and submitted to the chief innovation officer and are evaluated based on the merits of the innovation, including potential impact and unique factors that contributed to the innovation. Nominations are requested on a quarterly basis, but may be submitted for consideration at any time.

Do you know a person or a team that should be recognized? Complete and submit this nomination form.

Award criteria

To qualify for the I’m an MUSC Innovator campaign, the individual or team must be:
•Employed at MUSC or attends MUSC as a student.
•Recognized within the organization for creating an idea, product or process that can solve a problem or create a new opportunity.
•Known as collaborative, respectful, adaptable to change and committed to quality care.