Alumni and Friends

Mark Ortega ’05, D.D.S. ’15, M.S.D., a dedicated pediatric dentist based in Long Beach, Calif., has earned the UCLA School of Dentistry’s 2024 Alumnus of the Year Award.

The honor was presented Friday, May 17, in Anaheim, Calif., during the School’s annual alumni celebration held in conjunction with CDA Presents the Art and Science of Dentistry.

In addition to fillings, extractions, and bridges, there’s been plenty of romance fluttering through the halls of CHS over the past 60 years!

In advance of Valentine's Day, we put out the call to Bruin alums and students, asking for your UCLA School of Dentistry love stories. From Class of 1977 alums approaching their golden anniversary to a couple who found each other on the first day of D1 orientation last September, thanks for sharing your heartwarming tales of matches made in heaven … and scrubs.

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, the annual UCLA School of Dentistry Board of Counselors' Leadership Institute (BOCLI) welcomes its 2024 student cohort.

At each UCLA School of Dentistry commencement ceremony, graduates recite the Dentist’s Oath, which in part reads: I further commit myself to the betterment of my community for the benefit of all society.

The UCLA School of Dentistry is honored to announce Anh Le, D.D.S. ’92, Ph.D./O.M.F.S. ‘98 as its 2023 Alumnus of the Year.

***This interview appears in the UCLA School of Dentistry's Spring 2023 Magazine***


The current and past chairs of the UCLA School of Dentistry’s Board of Counselors – Joan Otomo-Corgel, D.D.S. ’76, M.P.H. ’80, and Naomi Ellison, D.D.S. ’81 – discuss how the seeds of service were planted in them from a young age and share advice for new alums looking to get involved beyond patient care.

Business leader, dentist, and UCLA alumna Naomi Ellison, D.D.S., ’81, will deliver the UCLA School of Dentistry’s 2023 commencement address on Sunday, June 4, at 10 a.m. in Royce Hall.

Alan Felsenfeld, M.S., D.D.S. ’74, professor emeritus of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the UCLA School of Dentistry, was reappointed to the Dental Board of California by Governor Gavin Newsom on Feb. 6, with a term running until Jan.

Wednesday, May 10, marked the culmination of the School of Dentistry’s annual Board of Counselors’ Leadership Institute (BOCLI); however, the personal growth, goal-setting, and mentorship for its 12 student participants will continue well beyond this four-month program.