Dental student honors retired professor battling cancer during Empire State Ride

When Hurricane Ida hit Mamaroneck, N.Y., in 2021 and flooded her family’s vehicles, Emily Genovesi, a recent college graduate, still needed to get to her waitressing job. So, she hopped on her mom’s vintage road bike and never looked back.

That industrious decision bloomed into a passion for the now third-year UB dental student. Since enrolling in the School of Dental Medicine in 2022, Genovesi has relied on a used Bianchi Volpe bike she purchased for $150 as her main source of transportation. She also founded the Crown Cyclists group specifically for UB dental students, introduced myriad newbies to the joys of cycling and organized an annual ice biking event at the Canalside skating rink.

Through these efforts, Genovesi gained the strength and stamina to participate in last summer’s Ride for Roswell and the Empire State Ride, both fundraisers supporting research and clinical trials at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and across the globe.

Genovesi completed the latter, a weeklong, 560-mile ride from Staten Island to Niagara Falls, with a specific purpose: to honor David Brown, clinical assistant professor emeritus of restorative dentistry and director of admissions for the dental school, who is fighting a long battle with head and neck cancer.

“Dr. Brown had already retired when I came to UB,” Genovesi says, “but I knew he was someone I needed to meet.”

An accomplished cyclist who has completed the Empire State Ride multiple times and raised more than $300,000 for Roswell, Brown says he found a passion for fundraising while teaching in the dental school. He was named Educator of the Year by dental school students and received the Alan. J. Gross Excellence in Teaching Award six times.

“When I reached out to Dr. Brown, we had a two-hour phone conversation,” Genovesi says. “He talked about his journey into dentistry and his passion for teaching. He also shared memories of teaching students to perform thorough head and neck examinations during routine oral cancer screenings.

“As a cancer survivor, Dr. Brown made it his mission to show people how to do proper examinations in the clinic and possibly save lives.”

The two joined up for a ride around Grand Island, and Brown encouraged Genovesi to train for the Empire State Ride. She followed his advice and took part in last summer’s 10th anniversary ride, for which almost 300 people showed up.

“I went in not knowing anybody but Dr. Brown,” she says. “I did two training rides, and then I chose the longest route for Ride for Roswell in June —100 miles — to prepare.”

Still, it was a little daunting, she says, considering the statewide ride covers 60 to 100 miles every day.

“I was shaking in my shoes,” Genovesi says.

However, she quickly discovered the camaraderie, sense of accomplishment and ability to see much of the New York countryside made all the training worthwhile.

“The Empire State Ride was the most incredible week I have ever experienced,” she says. “I definitely intend on participating next summer.”

While Brown wasn’t able to participate in last summer’s ride, he did attend a special event mid-week in Weedsport dedicated to alumni of the event.

“They had a session where participants submitted photos of people who inspired their ride,” Genovesi says. “It was an emotional night for everyone.”

To participate in the Empire State Ride, cyclists must pay a $200 registration fee and raise at least $3,500. Genovesi approached several businesses related to dentistry, including Q-optics, Ivoclar and KaVo Dental, as well as local small businesses, for donations totaling more than $4,500. Overall, Empire State Ride participants raised a record $2.2 million.

Genovesi continues to organize smaller rides around Buffalo to promote mental and physical health, and attract dental students to cycling.

“The scheduling can be tricky because we’re all so busy,” she says. “I’m grateful every time I get a group together. We’ve enjoyed several rides with rentals and guidance from Buffalo Bike Tours at Canalside. In August, we explored Buffalo’s industrial history by bike and even took a short bike ferry from the Outer Harbor to the Inner Harbor. It was my ideal study break.”

She estimates she has introduced 45 dental students to local cycling.

In addition, Genovesi, an aspiring prosthodontist, holds leadership positions within the dental school, serving as president of the Dental Student Research Group and event coordinator for the UB Prosthodontics Society. For the past two years, she’s participated in UB’s Summer Dental Research Program, focusing on using 3D printing to develop presurgical prosthetics for people born with cleft lips and palates. She is also a member of the New York State Area Health Education Center Scholars, a two-year program that provides community learning opportunities in underserved and medically disadvantaged areas.

Genovesi says her favorite pastime has definitely informed her approach to dentistry.

“The focus I use during long rides translates into balancing coursework and patient care,” she says. “Plus, the teamwork required in cycling has made me better at communicating with both my colleagues and patients.”