Endodontics Resident Receives Prestigious Freedom Scholarship

Chloe Beninati, DDS/MPH '22, a second-year resident in Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine's Advanced Dental Education Program in Endodontics, has been awarded the prestigious Foundation for Endodontics and Dentsply Sirona Freedom Scholarship.

Beginning this year, the $50,000 scholarship will be given annually to three second- or third-year endodontics residents at programs accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), helping to offset the cost of their tuition. Awardees were chosen based on their academic performance in dental school and their residency, a personal statement about their career aspirations, letters of recommendation and expenses associated with their endodontic residency training program.

"It means so much to me," said Beninati, who will be presented the award at the American Association of Endodontists annual APICES conference in Austin, Texas, on August 16. "With all the other things happening in my life and the timing of it coming at the pinnacle of my academic career, it's so incredible. So many people, especially my husband, have supported me and seen me through this whole journey, and I attribute this incredible honor to them."

"Dr. Beninati is the kind of resident that every program director hopes for," said Thomas Manders, BS '87, DDS '91, director of the Advanced Dental Education Program in Endodontics at Stony Brook. "She is intelligent, caring with her patients, easygoing and collaborative with her co-residents, and respectful as well as affable with the endo faculty. I simply could not ask for a better resident to represent our program."

The Freedom Scholarship is part of Dentsply Sirona's five-year commitment to contributing $150,000 annually to the Foundation for Endodontics.

"We are thrilled to partner with Dentsply Sirona to create the Foundation for Endodontics and Dentsply Sirona Freedom Scholarship," said Margot Kusienski, president of Foundation for Endodontics, in a press release about the program. "By providing substantial financial support, we aim to empower talented endodontic residents to pursue their passion without the overwhelming burden of student debt."

Originally from Paoli, Pennsylvania, Beninati earned her Bachelor of Science in psychology at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. As a poverty studies minor interested in public policy, she was drawn to Stony Brook for dental school by its Doctor of Dental Surgery/Master of Public Health dual degree program. That its small class sizes and collegial atmosphere mirrored that of her undergraduate experience only confirmed her school of choice.

She graduated with her DDS/MPH in 2022 before going on to complete a one-year general practice residency in New York City. To pursue her passion for endodontics, she chose to "return home" as an endodontic resident.

After graduating from residency, Beninati - and her newest family addition, a girl, due in October - expect to begin her career as an endodontist in private practice in Connecticut. Additionally, she stated that she would like to teach future endodontists, at least part-time, in an academic setting, praising the experience she had at her alma mater.

"Stony Brook has always been so important to me, and I gained an even bigger appreciation for it after leaving for my GPR training," Beninati said. "GPR really showed me how much I learned here, and made me excited to come back. The endodontics program and the school as a whole are such a community and tight-knit family. It's a supportive environment that has been a great place to learn. I feel really lucky to have been able to return for specialty training."

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