Featured Testimonial About Creighton University
The ability to take X-rays in real-time—thanks to Dr. Bongers’ gift—allows us to make definitive diagnoses and enables our students to practice at the same level they do in Omaha.
Nearly five decades ago, in the sweltering heat of a remote village in the Dominican Republic, James Bongers, then a second-year dental student, squinted through the summer sunlight in a makeshift clinic as he examined his patient’s painful teeth during his first visit to the DR. With minimal tools, his decisions relied entirely on judgment.
Despite the patient’s complaint of persistent pain, Bongers saw nothing visibly wrong and hesitated to remove what appeared to be healthy teeth. He sent her away.
Bongers recalls that thirty minutes later, his Creighton faculty mentor (now Associate Professor Emeritus of Removable Prosthodontics) Ralph Herrman, DDS’54, took the patient in and made the decision to extract the teeth. When Bongers asked why, he remembers Herrman’s reply, “She says they hurt. She’s probably not making that up.”
After the extraction, the teeth revealed large abscesses that had been causing the pain. The patient later returned to the clinic, visibly relieved, thanking and hugging Bongers and Herrman. The experience taught Bongers a powerful lesson.
“She hugged me, squeezed the stuffing out of me, thanking me for what I did,” Bongers recalls. “We didn’t have X-rays, so we couldn’t know. But there’s the humanity—you trust this person and you take care of them to the best of your God given ability.”
For more than 50 years, Creighton University has partnered with the Centro de Educación para la Salud Integral (CESI or Misión ILAC) in the Dominican Republic to provide global service-learning opportunities. This program brings students across dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, law, and rehabilitation sciences together for hands-on learning while serving communities in need.
--Support the great work of our students, staff and Dominican Republic partners by making a gift to ILAC today!--
The dental component has been a part of the program since its earliest days, with students and faculty providing care under challenging conditions. The ILAC dental program continues to send teams to rural campos each summer. The group includes two dental students, a volunteer dentist, and often a faculty member.
As time and technologies have evolved, so has the program. With generators, compressors, dental chairs, and other equipment, Creighton dental students now provide an array of services to Dominican children and families, including extractions, fillings, sealants, and cleanings. However, a persistent challenge has been the lack of diagnostic equipment.
Now, thanks to the recent gift from Bongers, for the first time this summer, the School of Dentistry will equip its team with a portable X-ray machine to enhance accuracy and a fuller range of patient care.
"The ability to take X-rays in real-time—thanks to Dr. Bongers’ gift—allows us to make definitive diagnoses and enables our students to practice at the same level they do in Omaha,” says Jill Wallen, dean of the School of Dentistry. “This is incredibly important for their confidence and the quality of care they provide. I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Bongers’ early experiences with the ILAC program during the summers of 1978 and 1979 left a lasting impression on him. Despite his previous work at the Douglas County Jail dental clinic, addressing dental needs on tribal reservations, and volunteering at Creighton’s after-hours, student-run clinic—now called Cura Clinic—he wasn’t prepared for the conditions he saw in the Dominican Republic.
“They had nothing,” he says. “I went down there, and we didn’t even have dental chairs. All we did was extractions by direct sunlight in a straight-back chair. That was the best we could do for our patients.”
Bongers and his team worked alongside Creighton physicians, nurses, dentists, and local providers, learning from one another in ways he never expected.
"It was a great experience in humanity, let’s put it that way," Bongers reflects. "We had such a wonderful time with the people. They treated us so well. And we used our gifts—medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy—to give back to the locals for what they gave us. It was so inspiring.”
After establishing his dental practice in Junction City, Kansas, Bongers remained dedicated to Creighton’s mission. Over the years, he has generously supported Creighton’s School of Dentistry and ILAC, funding capital initiatives to ensure the school keeps pace with advancing technology and evolving equipment needs. His contributions help provide future students with the same high-quality education he and his classmates experienced.
“It’s important to maintain a standard of care and to restore patients back to what God originally gave 'em,” he says. “And it’s not just about
dentistry. It’s about connection. Many times, a hand on the shoulder or a reassuring touch on the forearm was just as important as the treatment we could provide.
“You can't do the humanity part of dentistry when you have a chair collapse on you.”
Along with his wife, Linda, Bongers has also included Creighton in his estate plans. A School of Dentistry Alumni Advisory Board member and 2022 Alumni Merit Award honoree, Bongers continues to inspire. His most recent gift strengthens Creighton’s mission and partnership in the Dominican Republic, where over 5,000 students have served.
“God has given most of us a tremendous amount of gifts, and we need to share those gifts with others—whether it’s our talents, our time, or our financial support. We should use what we have to help others.”
Support the great work of our students, staff and Dominican Republic partners by making a gift to ILAC today!
