Alumni, Faculty and Staff in the Spotlight
Summer was a productive time for our faculty as well as our alumni, many of whom won awards and other honors. Also in this issue, we bid goodbye to three staff retirees—and wave hello to eleven new staff members. Scroll down for all the latest alumni, faculty and staff news.
Alumni and Faculty Awards, Honors, and Accomplishments Abound
Dr. Kathryn Atchison has been appointed vice provost for intellectual property and industry relations. She has been a part of UCLA’s faculty since 1987 and has served as interim vice provost since January 2005.
Dr. Paulo Camargo recently received the "Award for Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring in Periodontics" presented by the American Academy of Periodontology.
Dr. Nadia Chugal was appointed to the American Association of Endodontists Research and Scientific Affairs Committee for a one-year term. AAE leaders are charged with strategic planning, problem solving and the generation of creative ideas for the advancement of the specialty and the Association. In her new role within the AAE, Dr. Chugal will provide advice and expertise for those activities related to research and scientific advances and affairs.
Dr. Neal Garrett has completed his service on the Academic Senate’s Committee on Continuing and Community Education.
Dr. Harold Hargis has been selected to receive the prestigious Daniel M. Laskin Award for Outstanding Predoctoral Education in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He will be honored during the Opening Ceremonies of the 88th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons to be held in San Diego in October 2006.
Dr. Gary Herman has been elected as a delegate to the American Dental Association's House of Delegates for 2006. The House of Delegates, as the legislative and governing body, is the supreme authority in the American Dental Association. As such, it speaks for the 153,000 members of the Association and for the dental profession in the United States. Additionally, Dr. Herman currently serves on the California Dental Association Policy Development Council.
Dr. Wyatt R. (Rory) Hume, a former dean of the UCLA School of Dentistry, was appointed the University of California’s Vice President for Academic and Health Affairs in September 2005 and Provost and Senior Vice President - Academic Affairs in June 2006.
Faculty from the UCLA School of Dentistry's section of Periodontics and Elsevier, a leading scientific, technical and medical publisher, announced the publication of the landmark 10th edition of Carranza's Clinical Periodontology. It is authored by Michael G. Newman, DDS, Henry H. Takei, DDS, MS, Perry R. Klokkevold, DDS, MS and Editor Emeritus, Fermin A. Carranza, DR ODONT.
"The Section of Periodontics here at UCLA is proud to be associated with this publication. It underscores our commitment to our students, residents and to the cutting edge research done here," said Dr. Barrie Kenney, chair of the School of Dentistry's section of periodotics, in a press release issued by the book’s publisher on August 28, 2006.
The Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice, edited by Dr. Michael G. Newman, has been integrated into the curriculum of students at New York University College of Dentistry.
Dr. Takahiro Ogawa has been appointed Secretary and Treasurer of the IADR’s Prosthodontics Research Group. In the next three years he will be organizing the symposia, lunch & learn sessions and other activities of the group. He proposed a symposium entitled “Molecular and Nano-Design of Dental Implants” for the 2007 New Orleans Meeting. He also established a new research competition for young researchers in the group entitled the “Pre-Prosthetic Regenerative Science Award.”
Dr. No-Hee Park has helmed the UCLA School of Dentistry since 1998. This summer, he successfully completed his second customary five-year administrative review, agreed to continue his service as dean, and was reappointed to that position by Norman Abrams, Acting Chancellor of UCLA.
“I am confident that under his leadership and the dedicated efforts of the Dentistry faculty, the School will continue to earn the high regard that it has already established across the country. Please join me in extending appreciation and congratulations to our colleague, No-Hee Park,” wrote Chancellor Abrams in a recent letter to campus deans and vice chancellors.
Dr. Park plans to schedule a “town hall” meeting this fall during which he will outline his vision for his third term as Dean. Be on the lookout for an email invitation.
Dr. Morris N. Poole, D.D.S., a 1978 graduate of the UCLA orthodontic residency program, has been elected by the Rocky Mountain Society of Orthodontists (RMSO) to serve as its representative on the American Association of Orthodontists' (AAO) Board of Trustees. The RMSO serves AAO members practicing in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana and a portion of Idaho, and is one of the eight constituent societies that comprise the AAO. The AAO is the oldest and largest dental specialty organization in the world. The announcement was made recently during the AAO's 106th Annual Session in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Newly minted UCLA PhD Dr. Marcela Romero Reyes and her mentor from the Universidal Nacional Autónoma de México, Dr. Fernando Angeles Medina, have published Dolor Orofacial, a first-of-its-kind textbook in Spanish on the subject of orofacial pain and disorders of the temporomandibular joint.
“We wanted to write a book affordable for the students and general dentists explaining in a clear and practical way OFP and TMD disorders...I hope with this book we can seed this new field in my country,” explained Dr. Romero Reyes.
Dr. Shahrzad “Sherry” Sami is the third recipient of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Foundation’s Samuel D. Harris Policy and Management Fellowship. Through this fellowship, the AAPD and AAPD Foundation hope to: familiarize AAPD members with the specialty of pediatric dentistry, its governance and issues facing it in the 21st century; expose new members to the administrative and membership functions of a dental specialty; inform members of organizational strategies, advocacy and interprofessional relationships not commonly available to pediatric dentists in practice or academics; better prepare members to assume leadership roles in dental specialty governance, particularly within the AAPD governance structure; and enable fellowship recipients to complete a relevant project in pediatric dentistry.
Dr. Bruce Sanders was recognized for his service efforts when the National Dental Association Foundation (NDAF), in collaboration with the Colgate-Palmolive Company, sponsored the 10th Annual Faculty Recognition Awards Luncheon and Minority Faculty & Administrators' Forum at the 93rd Annual National Dental Association Convention on July 21, 2006 in Nashville, Tennessee.
The NDA Foundation/Colgate-Palmolive Faculty Awards Program honors dental faculty who have demonstrated excellence in professional development and a willingness to support and help others in their quest for knowledge and advancement. The ADEA Center for Equity and Diversity participates in the nomination and selection process for the NDA Faculty Awards. These awards, presented annually, recognize full-time dental faculty whose actions produce a balance between dental educators and dental practitioners through joint efforts of the National Dental Association and the American Dental Education Association.
This year's awards were presented in Teaching and Service, two of the three award categories. Dr. Marsha Butler, Vice President of Global Professional Relations and Marketing at the Colgate-Palmolive Company, presented Dr. Sanders with the Service Award.
Dr. Vivek Shetty has begun his tenure as chair of UCLA's Academic Senate for 2006-2007. The Academic Senate is a major governing body of the university and represents faculty from UCLA's College of Letters and Science, seven general campus professional schools, and the health professional schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and public health. Under the University of California's distinctive system of shared governance, the Academic Senate determines academic policy and the granting of degrees and advises University administrators on budgets and faculty appointment and promotions. In the 73-year history of UCLA's Academic Senate, Dr. Shetty is the first faculty member from the dental school to assume this important campus-wide leadership role.
Dr. Henry Takei will be honored this fall with the Master Clinician Award presented by the American Academy of Periodontology. The Master Clinician award is given to a practitioner who has practiced and demonstrated consistent clinical excellence in periodontics and who has willingly and unselfishly shared that clinical experience with members of the profession. The recipient is also held in the highest esteem by the periodontal community and is recognized as a master clinician in periodontics. The award is not presented on an annual basis, but is given when an outstanding candidate is nominated.
Dr. Kang Ting, D.M.D., D.Med.Sc., associate professor and Thomas R. Bales Endowed Chair of the section of orthodontics at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry, has been named a Fellow in one of the nation’s premiere leadership development programs in health professions education. This distinctive yearlong program, the Leadership Institute of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), selects promising faculty members at academic dental institutions and guides them through intensive development in leadership and organization theory, higher education management, team and network building, and other aspects of personal and professional growth.
Three Longtime Staff Members Retire
It was with mixed feelings of well wishes and sadness that we bid farewell to three long-time staff members at a party in June. Beverly Cressey joined the School of Dentistry as a dental assistant in 1975. Her enviable retirement plan includes riding her new horse on the trails of Los Padres National Forest. Patricia DeVito’s original date of employment dates back to 1970. Patricia divided her time with us between patient accounts and the orthodontics clinic and looks forward to sleeping in and spending time with her twin grandchildren now that she no longer has to fight the traffic. Elizabeth Kronauge spent 16 years at the School of Dentistry, ascending to CFO from the position of supervisor of clinic finance. She has returned to her native Germany and looks forward to marrying an old boyfriend there. We wish all three women long and enjoyable retirements.
Who Joined the Staff?
Ten new staff members joined Dentistry during the summer. You may already find yourself working with:
Andranik (Andy) Bogikyan, Hospital Sterilization Assistant, General Clinic
Nanci Collantes, Group Practice Administrator, General Clinic
Monica Villalvazo, Dental Assistant, Venice Clinic
Hui Zhou, Statistician, Dental Research Institute
Kristine Etchison, Administrative Assistant, Periodontics
Rosa Hernandez, Administrative Specialist Supervisor, AEGD
Vanessa Bernal, Clinic Assistant, Orthodontics
Anet Haratunian, Custodian of Records Assistant, General Clinic
Rick Valdivia, Assistant Dean of Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Melinda Isenberger, Administrative Assistant, Restorative Dentistry
Miguel Gomez, Administrative Assistant, Third- and Fourth-Floor Labs
We wish all our new colleagues the best of luck in their positions.
