As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Rogers sits on the Health Care Subcommittee that deals with issues affecting the dental and medical professions.

His message to about seventy dental and dental hygiene students was straightforward – “Get involved and stay involved. It’s your government.”

Saying decisions that he and other congressional members will be making in the future “will be incredibly important,” Rogers said he “often relies on the knowledge and opinions of people I trust in making decisions on various legislative issues.”

The need for professionals to be involved in making their voices heard is important, he said.

Citing doctors in New Jersey who went on strike for one week in February 2003 to protest the rising cost of medical malpractice and liability insurance, Rogers said their actions demonstrated the impact professionals can have when acting collectively.

“What happened in New Jersey clearly demonstrates that this issue is absolutely broken and is costing millions of dollars a year,” Rogers said. “We’ve got to fix this problem, but will need the help of people like you to do that.”

Third-year dental student Brent Accurso and others told Rogers about the options they have after earning their dental degree, but often decisions are affected by crushing levels of educational debt they face, often exceeding $100,000.

Erin Kloostra, the school’s representative to the American Student Dental Association, said, “I’m glad we were able to give him a student’s perspective about a number of important issues. I think his commitment to organized dentistry generated a lot of excitement and enthusiasm among the students who attended.”

Other governmental leaders may be invited to speak to dental students in the future.