More CLINIC + MORE CARE = MORE SMILES
Venice Clinic Getting Makeover, New Pediatric Dentistry Wing
Longtime Donors Bob Wilson and Peggy Bloomfield Continue Their Commitment to the Community
Thanks to the generosity of longtime UCLA School of Dentistry friends and donors, the Wilson and Bloomfield families, the Wilson-Jennings-Bloomfield UCLA Venice Dental Center is undergoing a dramatic transformation. On February 21, 2007, Bob Wilson and Peggy Bloomfield, under the auspices of the Wilson Family Foundation, Inc., broke ground on a clinic expansion and renovation project. Designed by local architecture firm M)Arch., specialists in branded design, and built by Robert Kasper Construction, the renovated building will provide space for seven new operatories in an expanded pediatric dentistry practice that will serve as the home base for the School’s new community-based pediatric dentistry residency program. The new clinic will make it possible for the UCLA School of Dentistry to do even more to fulfill its mission to improve the oral health of the people of California. For years to come, many thousands of area residents, from infants to the elderly, will turn to UCLA in Venice for comprehensive dental health care.
<See the Renovation in Progress>
EXTERNAL GRANTS POWER RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH
The UCLA School of Dentistry has established a reputation as a major center of research, and its standing at the forefront of dental medicine only gets stronger every day. Credit is due to the innovative faculty who apply for, and keep receiving, prestigious grants that further their work. Please extend your congratulations to the following individuals and groups:
Dr. James Crall is the director of two awards, together in excess of $1.4 million, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration for the purpose of advancing pediatric dentistry residency training.
Dr. Yan Shan Dai was awarded a Clinical Fellowship from the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Fellowship Program. This is a one-year, $85,000 award for Dr. Dai to carry out his research on the role of p12(CDK2-AP1) on Oct-4 regulation in embryonic stem cell differentiation.
Dr. Melanie Gironda received $54,000 from the Archstone Foundation.
Dr. Reuben Kim received more than $570,000 from the NIDCR/NIH to further his investigation of the possible synergistic effects of human papillomavirus (HPV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in developing malignancies in the human oral epithelium.
Dr. Perry Klokkevold received $121,607 from Luitpold Pharma Inc.
Drs. Marvin Marcus and Carl Maida are the only dental school recipients of a Howard Hughes Medica Institute 2007 Biomedical Research Institutions Grant. The award, which grants a total of $748,337 over five years, will enable the school to implement an extensive pre-college science education program to introduce gifted high school juniors and seniors from disadvantaged backgrounds to careers in oral health and scientific research. <Read the HHMI Grant Press Release>. Dr. Marcus also directs two new grants from the California Endowment and a new grant from LA Care this year.
Viswanathan Palanisamy received an NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) from NIH/NIDCR for the next five years for his research on “Regulation of mRNA stability in human saliva.” The amount of the award is $930,000. This is a proud moment for UCLA School of Dentistry as this is the second K/R award made to the entire UC system and the first to be earned by a researcher at UCLA.
Dr. Vivek Shetty is among the first researchers to receive a grant from the NIH's new Genetics, Environment and Health Initiative. Dr. Shetty was awarded more than $1.8 million to advance the School of Dentistry's work in the field of salivary diagnostics. The grant will facilitate comprehensive care for facial trauma victims. <Read the GEI Grant Press Release>
Dr. Igor Spigelman's $1.566 million NIH R01 grant investigates the mechanisms of GABBA receptor function.
Dr. Cun-Yu Wang, new to the School, has transferred four grants to UCLA and is in the process of transferring three more. The seven grants include an NIH R37 grant in excess of $1.2 million and an R01 grant that exceeds $1.9 million.
Dr. Jen-Kuei Wang received a $4,000 research grant from the AAE Foundation to study the molecular characterization of the microbial flora residing in necrotic infected root canals of human teeth. Dr. Wang’s mentor is Dr. Wenyuan Shi.
Dr. Ting Ting Wu received a $423,500 R21 grant from the NIDCR.
Dr. David Wong received $5,000 from Brian Hill, founder of the Oral Cancer Foundation, to advance work on saliva diagnostics.
NEW FACES
Noted Scientist Cun-Yu Wang Joins UCLA School of Dentistry
On July 1, 2007, the UCLA School of Dentistry officially welcomed Cun-Yu Wang, D.D.S., Ph.D. as a member of the faculty and chair of the Division of Oral Biology and Medicine. Dr. Wang is a world-renowned scientist credited with the discovery of the mechanism for apoptosis, a significant breakthrough in the understanding of cell death and a major step forward in cancer research. He is heavily funded by the National Institutes of Health, and has an extensive record of publications in highly reputable journals including Science, Nature and Cell. Dr. Wang recently transferred his scientific investigations in the areas of cancer and stem cell research to a renovated, state-of-the-art laboratory.
Board of Counselors Welcomes New Members
The UCLA School of Dentistry recently welcomed four new members to its Board of Counselors, the non-governing body of advisors that provides invaluable counsel to the dean and service to the dental school in the form of philanthropic leadership. While these individuals may be new to the Board, they are by no means new to the School. Three of them are alumni with a long history of School service. Dr. Elizabeth G. McNabb ’75, is a past president of the UCLA Orthodontic Alumni Association; Dr. Thomas J. Rauth ’73 is currently the co-chair of the Apollonian Society; and Dr. Elliot P. Schlang ’74 previously served as the UCLA Dental Alumni Association president in two separate terms. The fourth new member of the Board is Don Waters, CEO and president of Brasseler USA, a dental instrumentation company and a corporate benefactor of the Apollonian Society. Dean Park looks forward to working closely with Don Waters and Drs. McNabb, Rauth and Schlang. On behalf of the UCLA School of Dentistry community, Dean Park wishes to thank former Board members Dr. Thomas Bales, Mrs. Robin Kim and Dr. Berge Roubinian for their many years of dedicated service.
Dean's Message
Dear students, faculty, alumni, staff, and friends,
The UCLA School of Dentistry faced significant challenges in the fall of 2007, yet there was also much that happened in our clinics, our classrooms, our labs, and our community that demonstrated our strength. I would like to thank all of you for always remaining focused on our mission to improve oral health through education, research, patient care and public service. This edition of the newsletter is testament to your hard work.
I would like to draw particular attention to our commitment to greater Los Angeles. A map of our local area shows the many sites at which our students, residents and faculty provide services to meet a diverse community's oral health needs.
As we bring 2007 to a close, I hope you share my pride in our collective, consistent excellence, and the difference it makes.
Sincerely,
Dean No-Hee Park, D.M.D, Ph.D.
WELCOME, CLASS OF 2011
88 New Students Receive White Coat, Take Pledge
Hundreds of proud relatives and friends gathered Tuesday morning, September 18, 2007 to witness the 88 new members of the Class of 2011 don their white coats and recite the dental student’s pledge. The annual White Coat Ceremony is made possible by the Apollonian Society, a special membership arm of the UCLA Dental Alumni Association that supports current dental students. No-Hee Park, dean of the School of Dentistry, Dr. Thomas Rauth '73, co-chair of the UCLA Apollonian Society, and Dr. Robert Lindemann, associate dean of academic programs and personnel, took the podium to address the new class of dental students. Following the ceremony, the celebration moved to the central patio at the Center for the Health Sciences for a buffet lunch. Current second-, third- and fourth-year students led tours of the School for our new students’ interested family members and friends.
<Check Out the Class of 2011 At-a-Glance>
WHEN STUDENTS AND STAFF MEMBERS BECOME PATIENTS
Where do UCLA School of Dentistry employees and students turn for their oral health care? Right here, of course. And we wouldn't have it any other way.
Are you thinking about getting the braces you never got as a teenager? Then perhaps you will benefit from a "virtual" Q&A with UCLA D.D.S. alumnus and orthodontics resident Dr. Enoch Kim and three of his patients--two current dental students and a member of the Student Affairs staff.
Do you have a child who is ready for his first visit to the dentist? Maybe you need to make an appointment for yourself? Read what a member of the administration has to say about her family's experiences at the Faculty Group Dental Practice.
STAFF DEVELOPMENT SPOTLIGHT: MICHELLE FELIX
You may have heard of the university's Staff Enrichment Program (SEP) for full-time career employees, but have you ever met one of the participants? Dentistry is proud that Michelle Felix is a graduate. Employees in the SEP participate in individualized career path assessments, skills training, networking, and special projects designed to enhance their awareness of the operations of other departments.
Michelle was an employee of UCLA Dining Services for seven years before she joined Dentistry. Formerly a staff member in the financial services office of the School, she is now an administrative assistant in the Faculty Group Dental Practice, and she credits the SEP program for playing a large part in her career advancement. "When I applied to SEP, I was looking for a change and to develop some new skills," Michelle explains. "Through SEP, I learned PowerPoint, made new connections around campus, and became a better public speaker." Michelle also learned to look at her resume more crictically and assembled a portfolio of her past work as part of the year-long course.
Michelle had such a good SEP experience, in fact, that she hopes to complete the university's Professional Development Program at some point in the future.Candidates for SEP should demonstrate motivation for advancement and have reasonable goals that are attainable at UCLA. For more information about the Staff Enrichment program, visit this webpage.
<View the Staff Development Slide Show>
PEOPLE MAKING NEWS
In the halls of Dentistry, newsmakers abound. Dean Park took a trip to Seoul National University to be honored as alumnus of the year, Dr. Goldstein and students participated in Clinic Pride Day, and our newest PPID students came to us from around the world. Find out who was recently elected vice president of a major dental research organization, learn the names that go with some of the new faces you are seeing in the halls, and meet some of the members of the UCLA School of Dentistry family who are new to this world.
<Read About Recent Awards, Honors and Activities>
<View Photos of Faculty and Staff Who Received New Appointments or Promotions >
<View Photos of the Babies of Dentistry>