New scholarship honors vice dean Tariq Javed, D.M.D.

By Alyssa Glazener

Supporting future dental students and working parents

Thanks to the generosity of Family Dental Health, the James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine is pleased to announce the newest scholarship created to support future dental students.

The Family Dental Health Scholarship Fund will provide an annual scholarship for dental students who are in good academic standing.

Rob Safrit, D.M.D. Class of 2005, who owns Family Dental Health, chose to honor his former professor, Dr. Tariq Javed, vice dean and associate vice dean for Academic & Student Affairs, Class of 1983, who he now describes as a mentor and friend. The annual scholarship recipient will be made aware that the scholarship is in honor of Javed.

"Dr. Javed was a mentor to me throughout my dental school experience. He was very influential in my decision to attend MUSC as an out-of-state student. Going back to school as a second career was challenging, particularly with young children. Dr. Javed was always there to offer support and encouragement,” said Safrit. “He helped me to balance my studies with my family life, and he never gave up on me. I am grateful for his support, and I want to create a scholarship in his honor to help other MUSC dental students who are facing similar challenges."

“I know how difficult it can be to balance studies with family obligations, and I want to help make it possible for other students to achieve their dreams."
Rob Safrit, D.M.D. Class of 2005

Pay It Forward

The college launched the Pay It Forward scholarship campaign in 2019 with a $10 million goal. After many years of partnering with alumni and friends to construct and renovate state-of-the-art facilities, our focus moving forward is student scholarships. We are grateful for the donations to date of more than $3.2 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.