Dr. Gerald [DMD/66, LLD (Hon)/02] and Reesa Niznick have made an incredible gift of $5 million in support of a new dental clinic, which will be housed in the new Dr. Gerald and Reesa Niznick Centre on the University of Manitoba's (UM) Bannatyne campus.
The state-of-the-art, 33,770 square foot dental clinic will be equipped with cutting-edge technology and training spaces, which will help the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry set a new standard in dental education and oral healthcare for the community.
"Reesa and I are pleased to support the construction of this beautiful five-storey building. It will provide medical students with lecture facilities for an enhanced learning environment and dental students with state-of-the-art clinics for training on the full scope of patient care, utilizing the latest technologies," said Dr. Niznick.
Ranked 4th in Canada for dentistry and oral sciences, UM is now positioned to climb even higher, empowering students to enhance public health through education, disease prevention and therapeutic care.
"Throughout Dr. Gerald Niznick's years of pioneering work in dental research and patient care, he has always demonstrated his belief that the future of health care depends on well-educated, well-rounded, and highly skilled professionals, which, as an alum, he knows UM provides," says Dr. Michael Benarroch, UM President and Vice Chancellor. "We are incredibly thankful to Dr. Gerald and Reesa Niznick for this generous gift in support of a new dental clinic, which will create the learning and training space that our students need."
The work of dental experts extends beyond the dental chair, and the delivery of oral healthcare has become increasingly patient-centered and personalized. The new clinic will help UM continue to graduate highly skilled, compassionate, inclusive, and effective oral health professionals.
"We are grateful to the Niznicks for their long history of support that has enabled us to innovate, adapt, and optimize our operations to better meet the evolving needs of our community," says Dr. Anastasia Kelekis-Cholakis, Dean of UM's Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry.
The Dr. Gerald and Reesa Niznick Centre will have far-reaching benefits to multiple colleges within the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences as well as to the broader community. In addition to the new clinic for the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, also included in this five-storey building will be Ongomiizwin - Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, new classrooms and laboratory space for UM's medical school and a childcare centre.
