M Dentistry - Fall 2024 by M Dentistry

For the University of Michigan School of Dentistry Community | Fall 2024

Transformative Generosity

Major gift from Henry Schein honors former Dean Laurie McCauley

Dea n ’ s Message

Dear Alumni and Friends,

As I reflect about 2024, there is so much to be thankful for! The state of our school is strong because of the contributions each member of our community has made toward fulfilling our mission of educating, providing patient care and generating new knowledge. You will read about many of the highlights in this issue.

Moving forward, 2025 is going to be an especially important year in the school’s history because we will be celebrating the school’s sesquicentennial. It is with an immense sense of pride and responsibility that we commemorate the 150 years of excellence since the school’s founding in 1875. Anniversaries, particularly such a notable one as this, provide us an invaluable opportunity to stop and consider where we’ve been, how far we’ve come and where we want to go in the future. Please consider this my personal invitation to our alumni, donors and friends to join us for a series of events as we celebrate the 150th anniversary.

At the same time we are thinking historically, we will also look far ahead as we kick off a new capital campaign, called Look to Michigan, in conjunction with the overall university campaign announced in October. Fundraising has always been an essential pillar supporting the success of our school, dating to its earliest days. To maintain our well-deserved place of excellence and leadership in dentistry and dental education over the last century and a half, we must always be moving forward and anticipating the future. Our campaign will invite the support of alumni, friends and the entire School of Dentistry community. While we focus on continuing to enhance student scholarships and faculty initiatives, the renovation of our research tower also is a critical component of our fundraising efforts. Since opening in 1971, the research tower has housed researchers such as Bob Craig, Kamal Asgar and Walter Loesche who transformed the practice of dentistry. However, the research tower was not renovated during Blue Renew and is no longer suitable for 21st century science.

Our cover story shares more on the importance of our Look to Michigan campaign, followed by compelling examples of generous gifts the school has received recently from alumni, the Henry Schein Cares foundation, an estate and the son of a 1938 alumnus.

As we celebrate our history and the start of the new capital campaign, we encourage our community to engage with us so that we may all pull in the same direction. Our north star will always be to lead dentistry and dental education. We hope you will join us and make 2025 one of our best years yet!

Sincerely,

Jacques Nör, Dean

Donald A. Kerr Collegiate Professor of Dentistry

Fall 2024

Volume 40, Number 2

M Dentistry is published twice a year for alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends of the School of Dentistry. See the school website at www.dent.umich.edu for more news and features.

Dean Jacques Nör

Director of Marketing & Communications Raymond Aldrich

Writer/Editor Lynn Monson

Graphic Designer Ken Rieger

Photographers Lon Horwedel, Leisa Thompson, Lynn Monson, Mary Lewandowski, Ken Rieger

University of Michigan School of Dentistry

Alumni Society Board of Governors:

Terms Expire Fall 2024:

Immediate Past Chair: Michael Behnan, MS ’79, Rochester Hills, Mich.

Theresa Hull, BSDH ’11, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Sara Kellogg, DDS ’07, Saline, Mich.

Amin Jaffer, DDS ’97, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Mona Riaz, BSDH ’12, MS ‘20, Farmington Hills, Mich.

Riley Schaff, DDS ’17, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Terms Expire Fall 2025:

Janice Pilon, DDS ’93, Hanover, N.H.

Chair-elect: Debra Lisull, DH Cert ’74, BSDH '79, DDS '83, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Julie Thomas, DDS ’89, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Chair: Allan Padbury, Jr, DDS ’99, MS '02 MS, Jackson, Mich.

Jennifer Cullen, BSDH ’12, Ypsilanti, Mich.

Brittany Forga, BSDH ’10, Van Buren Township, Mich.

Terms Expire Fall 2026:

Jake DeSnyder, DDS ’67, Plattsburgh, N.Y.

William Mason, DDS ’81, MS ’84, Saginaw, Mich.

Michael Palaszek, DDS ’82, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Scott Szotko, DDS ’99, La Jolla, Calif.

Elizabeth Milewski, ’15 BSDH, Ionia, Mich.

Christine Farrell, ’81 BSDH, Lansing, Mich.

Ex Officio Members:

Jacques Nör, Dean

Carrie Towns, Chief Development Officer, Alumni Relations and Development

The Regents of the University:

Jordan A. Acker, Michael J. Behm, Mark J. Bernstein, Paul W. Brown, Sarah Hubbard, Denise Ilitch, Ron Weiser, Katherine E. White, Santa J. Ono (ex officio)

Send comments and updates to: dentistry.communications@umich.edu or Communications, School of Dentistry, 1011 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078

The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University of Michigan is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office (ECRT), 2072 Administrative Services Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1432, 734-763-0235, TTY 734-647-1388.

FEATURES

SCHOOL

DENTAL HYGIENE

2 11 22 25 28 16 19

FACULTY RESEARCH

On the Cover: University of Michigan Provost Laurie McCauley, former dean of the dental school, is congratulated by Dean Jacques Nör (left) and Stanley Bergman, CEO of Henry Schein, during a clinic-naming ceremony in her honor at the school on Oct. 24. See related story on Page 4.

Look to Michigan

Third-year DDS students Bryce Coleman and Madeline Shank with adjunct faculty member Dr. Dan Edwards.

A Campaign for Leadership and Innovation in Dentistry

The upcoming year marks an extraordinary chapter for the School of Dentistry, as we will celebrate our 150th anniversary – a milestone rich with pride and purpose. Alongside this historic celebration, we are thrilled to launch our piece of the larger university-wide Look to Michigan capital campaign. This is more than a fundraising endeavor; it’s an invitation to our alumni, faculty, students, friends and supporters to come together to champion the innovation, collaboration and impact that define the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. We want the world to “Look to Michigan for the future of oral health.”

Building on a foundation of excellence, the campaign will seek resources that will allow the school to continue to solve the biggest challenges in oral health, to shape the future of the profession, and to ensure healthier lives for patients around the world. Through extensive collaboration and generous contributions, the School of Dentistry will cement its position as a top-ranked university, providing worldclass education and care in modernized facilities, fostering interdisciplinary research that drives innovative solutions in state-of-the-art scientific environments, and ensuring that graduates entering the profession from the U-M School of Dentistry are the leaders for its future.

This campaign honors the School’s 150-year history and sets the stage for the next 150 years and beyond. Dean Jacques Nör said the entire dental school community – administrators, faculty, students, staff, alumni and corporate friends – can be immensely proud of the school’s history and its well-earned global reputation for excellence in dental education, clinical care and trailblazing research. However, an all-important responsibility of today’s leaders must be to look more often at the future than at the past.

Beginning in 1875, we have taught the world dentistry. We’ve always pushed boundaries and led with innovative thought for the profession. But we can’t rest on our laurels and just maintain the status quo.

The campaign structure is focused on four areas that will catalyze conversations between alumni, faculty and the larger healthcare community as we work together to champion the future of the school and the dental practice:

• Aesthetic Environments in which to work and seek care.

• Innovation and Research to pioneer oral health breakthroughs.

• Community of Belonging that elevates diverse voices and reaches underserved populations.

• Empowered Next Generation of practitioners with the tools, guidance, and opportunities to thrive.

“Our school has always been amazing,” Nör said. “Beginning in 1875, we have taught the world dentistry. We’ve always pushed boundaries and led with innovative thought for the profession. But we can’t rest on our laurels and just maintain the status quo. We have to keep moving and thinking ahead.”

This new campaign will involve an extensive array of alumni, current and former faculty, corporate partners, and friends of the school, united in their commitment to support our school, our students and our legacy. We are grateful to the donors who have enthusiastically and generously supported the school for generations, and look to strengthen and create meaningful relationships that allow us to achieve our goals.

As a public, nonprofit institution, U-M relies on philanthropic gifts to deliver world-class education and research that would not be attainable relying solely on government funding and tuition. State funding, in particular, has declined significantly over the last three decades. Financial gifts allow the school to attract qualified students from all backgrounds, recruit outstanding faculty, fund innovative research, improve teaching methods, add creative programming, modernize facilities and maintain the cutting-edge equipment required to keep up with technological and educational advances in the profession.

The School of Dentistry benefits from many types of gifts – individuals contributing regularly, foundations dedicated to public betterment, and corporate partners ready to bolster our ability to innovate in the field. Carrie Towns, Chief Development Officer and a leader of the campaign strategy, says the campaign, like previous ones (Victors for Michigan ran from 2013-2018), serves to keep the dental school community focused on the vital task of anticipating and preparing for the future. “Just like in our own personal financial health, we have to be diverse in how we plan for the future,” she said.

As our campaign ramps up in 2025, be on the lookout for ways to get more involved with the university and support its future. Our team is busy planning events, activities and opportunities to engage with you! Donors can specify how their gifts are used, including for:

• Scholarships that bring dreams within reach for aspiring dental students.

• Endowed chairs and professorships that attract and retain topranked faculty.

• Research funding that supports innovation and the practical application of cutting-edge science.

• Capital investments for the modernization of facilities and creation of state-of-the-art clinical spaces.

• Outreach programs that extend care to those most in need, teaching the importance of oral health, and making a direct impact on community well-being, both locally and internationally.

“With ‘Look to Michigan,’ we are laying the foundation for a new era in dentistry – in addition to being an opportunity to build the legacy of the school together,” Towns said. “Every gift, every partnership and every idea brings us closer to a transformative impact in dentistry, closer to breakthroughs that will redefine what’s possible for generations to come.”

■

The School of Dentistry receives many types of financial and in-kind gifts from individuals, estates, foundations and corporate partners. Here are five recent gifts that are helping transform various programs and initiatives at the school.

Major Henry Schein Gift Honors Former Dean Laurie McCauley

The main predoctoral clinic used by dental students at the School of Dentistry has been named in honor of U-M Provost Laurie McCauley, the former dean of the dental school.

The naming was announced Oct. 24 by school leaders in recognition of a major equipment donation to the school by Henry Schein Cares, the corporate citizenship program of Henry Schein. The company is the world’s largest provider of healthcare solutions to office-based

dental and medical practitioners, with operations in 33 countries and territories.

The series of first-floor clinics where patients are treated by dental students and faculty will now be named the “Henry Schein Cares Clinic in Honor of Laurie K. McCauley, DDS, MS, PhD.” About 50 invited guests gathered for the ceremonial unveiling of the name displayed on a wall in the clinic.

Before being appointed Provost of the university in 2022, McCauley served as dean of the dental school for nine years. She joined U-M as an assistant professor of dentistry in 1992, becoming an associate professor in 1996 and professor in 2001. From 2002-12, she chaired the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine. For more than 25 years, McCauley has led an active research program in hormonal controls of bone remodeling, parathyroid hormone anabolic actions in bone and prostate cancer skeletal metastasis.

Dean Jacques Nör said it is fitting the main clinic for students earning their DDS degrees should be named for McCauley, who has had a major impact on the school over the last three decades.

“Laurie’s leadership and vision have been remarkable throughout her career – as both our Dean and previously as a faculty member and department chair,” Nör said. “She has literally transformed our school through the recent renovations, known to many as Blue Renew, which created state-of-the-art laboratories and clinics where we teach and train our students, and provide quality care for patients from all backgrounds. Laurie, your contributions continue to leave an enduring legacy on our school and it is truly fitting to add your name to our predoctoral clinics.”

Nör also thanked Henry Schein, which was represented at the naming ceremony by its Chief Executive Officer Stanley Bergman and several other members of its leadership team. “Your dedication to expanding healthcare access and promoting a holistic approach to care aligns perfectly with our school’s mission of advancing health through education, service, research and discovery,” Nör said.

As part of the agreement, Henry Schein is providing equipment, products and supplies in each of the next five years. As the School of Dentistry expands its work using digital technology, the donation includes digital dentistry equipment to support education and patient care, to be used in programs like Community-based Collaborative Care in Michigan and in Global Initiatives in Oral and Craniofacial Health. Bergman said the collaboration links the dental school’s internationally recognized record of educational and research excellence with Henry Schein’s commitment to improving oral health worldwide.

“For decades, Henry Schein has been dedicated to expanding access to health care in underserved communities,” Bergman said. “We believe that health care is a human right, and have long supported efforts globally to advance that cause. Henry Schein also has been at the forefront of highlighting holistic approaches to care, including the strong connection between overall health and oral health, and we are pleased to join with U-M in support of this important effort.”

Naming the clinic for McCauley recognizes her longstanding body of work in research, administration and leadership related to oral health and education, Bergman said. “We all know that Dr. McCauley is a leading voice internationally in support of oral health as an integral part of overall health, as well as a highly regarded academic administrator recognized for her integrity and commitment to research,” he said.

“While the students and profession will benefit from this partnership, most importantly this clinic is a valuable resource for the underserved communities of Michigan, especially in rural areas that lack access to oral healthcare,” Bergman said.

In her remarks acknowledging the naming as an “amazing honor,” McCauley thanked Henry Schein and its leaders who attended, the dental school and Dean Jacques Nör, and numerous colleagues whom she said supported her while she was a professor and dean of the school.

McCauley noted the school’s long history with Henry Schein and its support of dentists worldwide for decades. She applauded its valuesbased culture that prioritizes delivering care to underserved communities, a hallmark of the company under the leadership of Bergman, who has been CEO since 1989. She also thanked Steven Kess, Consultant, Global Strategic Partnerships, for his wisdom and support of the school when he served on her Advisory Committee while she was dean. Early on during the Covid-19 pandemic, she recalled the company and in particular Chief Corporate Affairs Officer David Kochman reaching out frequently to offer support during an extremely challenging time to provide healthcare.

“(Henry Schein) is a model corporate citizen, an incredible partner in catalyzing healthcare access in particular, education and delivering care to underserved communities,” McCauley said. ■

Left: Laurie McCauley addresses the audience during the clinicnaming ceremony. At right is dental school Dean Jacques Nör. To the left of McCauley is Henry Schein CEO Stanley Bergman. At far left is Steven Kess, Consultant for Global Strategic Partnerships for Henry Schein.

Stanley Bergman, CEO of Henry Schein, delivers remarks as the audience listens among the dental cubicles in the newly named clinic.

Michel Daccache (DDS 2006): Repaying the Dental School With a Gift for the Ida Gray Fund

The distance between where he came from and where he is today is so great, both literally and figuratively, that Dr. Michel Daccache can’t help but be grateful for those who helped him along the way.

From his vantage point as a successful oral and maxillofacial surgeon operating at two major medical centers in Las Vegas, Nevada, Daccache looks back on his time at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry as nothing short of life-changing.

Daccache finds it amazing to be where he is today given that his family immigrated from Lebanon in 1989 when he was in the fifth grade. Seeking to escape the Lebanese civil war, one of his grandfathers had previously immigrated and established a shoe repair business in Las Vegas, then he sent for the rest of his family. The large extended family – Daccache’s mother, his two siblings, aunts and uncles – all lived in the same residence at first. Over time, the hotels and casinos in Las Vegas provided steady and long-term employment for the family members. Daccache’s father, who had been delayed by a glitch in his immigration status, also eventually arrived, supporting his family as an accountant and cab driver.

As Daccache approached college age and the need to decide on a career, it would have been easy to make a life by working on the Las Vegas Strip and the vast network of jobs that support it. But there was this family story that had been oft-repeated since he was a child in Lebanon. One of his grandmothers there was missing all of her teeth. One day, young Michel, probably 7 or 8 years old, told his grandmother that someday he would become a dentist and make dentures for her. It was a cute moment that could have faded from memory, but family members embraced the story and kept it alive over the years, often reminding Daccache of his “promise” to his grandmother.

So that’s the path Daccache took as he obtained his undergraduate degree at the University of Nevada-Reno. He was a good student, but coming from a blue-collar family with no dentists or other professionals to act as mentors, Daccache knew he needed help. He learned about a summer enrichment program at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry called Profile For Success (PFS). Designed to encourage students from disadvantaged backgrounds, historically underrepresented minorities and first-generation college graduates, PFS tutors students to prepare them for the Dental Admission Test (DAT) and to provide insight into the profession of dentistry. He was invited into the PFS program the summer between his junior and senior years at Nevada-Reno.

“I came out to Michigan for the PFS program and that’s where my life changed right there,” Daccache said. “Those people took care of me. I got prepared for the DAT test and I did really well on it. That allowed me to get accepted not just by U-M but by multiple dental schools. My story all goes through PFS. It truly gave me my shot at success.”

Daccache’s gratitude for the U-M dental school deepened even more after he decided to return for his DDS. The support he received from faculty – especially faculty members Drs. Todd Ester, Kenneth May

and George Taylor – seemed like family. He notes that going through such a challenging educational program is difficult for young people in their early 20’s who are prone to mistakes and need some early-life guidance.

“Dr. Ester felt like a father figure,” Daccache remembers. “He always would try his best to protect you and look out for your best interests, knowing where you were coming from and making sure you had the proper guidance and resources to succeed at Michigan.”

After graduating with his DDS in 2006, Daccache spent the next four years at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania to complete a rigorous residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. In 2010, he returned to Las Vegas to begin his OMS private practice. Early on he also taught at the UNLV dental school, but today he is focused on his private practice and work as a Level 1 trauma surgeon at the University Medical Center and at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.

Michel Daccache

Performing complex orthognathic surgery and repairing facial trauma is especially rewarding, Daccache said. “People are so appreciative for what you do, and that’s very fulfilling. You have somebody who has been in a car accident with severe facial fractures and you are able to use your training to help them and reconstruct their face and get their life back in order.”

Daccache never got the chance to make the dentures for his grandmother; she died in Lebanon while he was in college before entering dental school. Yet that family story inspired his career in dentistry, then oral and maxillofacial surgery, and ultimately his ability to help thousands of patients over the years of his career.

“I treat every day as having the privilege of treating patients,” he says. “Especially from where I came from, I value and cherish the education I received. I think it’s a gift to be able to do what I do for a living. I treat it like that.”

Julie

Daccache’s gratitude for the dental school led him to recently make a foundational gift of $50,000 to establish the Ida Gray Legacy Student Fund, named for the first African American woman to graduate from a U.S. dental school when she earned her DDS at U-M in 1890. The fund will support the PFS program that meant so much to Daccache’s introduction to dentistry.

“Now as I look back and I think about how fortunate I am in life, given the situation I’m in right now and where I’ve come from – from a war-torn country, that my grandpa got us all to America, that we lived four families to a house with my grandpa, that my family held me up to the promise of my grandma’s teeth. To know where I came from, it is pretty amazing. Sometimes it’s good to sit back and talk about it. I don’t get a chance to do that much, to appreciate it, because we are so busy working. So to be able to talk about it and say, wow! That is pretty cool.” ■

Thomas (DDS 1989): an Adjunct Endows a Scholarship

to Help Students Become

‘Leaders and Best’

Julie Thomas was moving steadily around the Sim Lab at the School of Dentistry on a Friday afternoon in September in her new role as an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics.

With each first-year student who needed help, she would spend a few minutes giving pointers on how to hold and position instruments or examining the student’s progress on a procedure on the typodont in front of them. Once the question was answered or the problem solved, the student would thank her and she would move on to the next student who appeared puzzled by something.

A 1989 alumna, Thomas has come full circle back to the school by teaching two afternoons a week. “It’s a lot of fun, it’s a nice class,” she said, explaining that the immediate task at hand that day was preparing the students for their first cavity prep and restoration that would be due soon. “I have to say I’ve only been doing it a few weeks, but every day I love it more and more. It’s just been so much fun to interact with these kids.”

Teaching isn’t her only contribution in her return to the school. For the last three years, she has served on the Alumni Board of Governors, where she was impressed to learn much about the workings of the school, including the needs addressed in the major Blue Renew renovation.

Of particular significance is the financial gift of $100,000 she made last year to establish the Dr. Julie K. Thomas Student Scholarship Fund. It is designated for students who have demonstrated financial need as well as compassionate and empathetic leadership in their communities.

“Over the past few years I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve on the Alumni Board of Governors,” she said. “It has opened my eyes to many exciting and positive changes that have happened over the years

Dr. Julie Thomas in the Sim Lab where she teaches students as an adjunct faculty member.

Look to Michigan (Continued)

since my graduation in 1989. Young, aspiring dentists face many challenges academically and financially. To me, ‘giving back’ means finding ways to support young people in becoming the leaders and best. That is why I established an endowed scholarship and why I am currently enjoying my work with students as an adjunct professor.”

Thomas began her career at a practice in Brighton, Michigan, for eight years, then volunteered her skills for a couple of years before leaving the profession to raise her two children. She had hoped to return to dentistry but other aspects of her life took priority, including the health needs of her elderly parents and time spent living abroad for the auto industry career of her husband, Bill Pumphrey.

A few years ago, Thomas decided the time was right to re-engage with the dental school. Although she and her husband now consider their home in Leland, Michigan, as their main residence, they also maintain a home in Ann Arbor, close to the dental school.

Thomas said she plans to stay involved with the school and in particular support students. “I have always enjoyed working with kids and young people. I think it is amazing that this dental school is always rated the best, and I think it is important to keep it that way. We need to make sure we get the best young people and we train them to be the best professionals they can be, and to represent the university the best they can.”

“It’s a really exciting place to come back to,” Thomas said. “It’s a pretty amazing place.” ■

The Gift of Art: A Fitting Tribute From a Son to a Father (Class of 1938)

One of the more non-traditional gifts to the School of Dentistry in recent years is coming from Harvey P. Sackett, an attorney in Napa, California. In honor of his father, Sidney A. Sackett, who graduated from the dental school in 1938, Sackett is making a bequest of an art collection that includes prints by American artists Roy Lichtenstein, Wayne Thiebaud, Andy Warhol and Albert Hirschfeld, among others.

After giving considerable thought to the future home of his art collection, Harvey decided the School of Dentistry would be the most fitting recipient. His father, who practiced dentistry in New York City for 47 years, never lost his love for the University of Michigan. Sidney was on campus for five years, taking undergraduate classes and earning his dental degree. He often referred to his time in Ann Arbor as “the best five years of my life.”

the mumps as a child, Sidney also had to deal with hearing loss that required hearing aids. He overcame that challenge in high school well enough to be offered an English scholarship to Yale University. However, someone suggested that teaching English would be difficult for a person with hearing loss; a better profession would be one where he would work physically close to people, like, for example, a dentist. That led him to enroll at the dental school at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

As Harvey was growing up in New York, his father told many stories about attending U-M. “I heard about Michigan from a very, very, very early age,” he says. Michigan sports heroes from Sidney’s college days and the ensuing decades were household names. Sidney’s love of U-M led to Harvey’s love of U-M, which continues to this day. “I knew how to sing ‘The Victors’ before I knew how to sing the National Anthem,” he says. In recent years, he has made annual trips to Ann Arbor, the university, the dental school and football games. Harvey treats U-M as his alma mater, even though he earned his undergraduate and law degrees elsewhere.

Before his father died in 2004, Harvey created a student scholarship in his father’s name. And now he is establishing this second gift – the artwork bequest – to further honor the memory and life story of his father.

Sidney A. Sackett grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Russian immigrants. The family had a meager existence, made worse by the death of Sidney’s mother before he was a teenager. After contracting

At the end of his first year, Sidney returned home because he couldn’t afford the tuition or other basic necessities as the Great Depression deepened. He spent a year working at the gas station of his brotherin-law. A relative attending U-M suggested the university as an option for Sidney because it was an excellent school and relatively affordable. Sidney acted on the advice and made his way to Ann Arbor where, despite the Depression, he accomplished his educational goal. To earn money for his expenses, he sold his football tickets and worked for the campus department that maintained buildings. His campus work spawned a story that survived over the decades. Sidney was washing the exterior of windows at iconic Angell Hall on a frigid winter day when a professor approached him and asked if he was a student. Sidney said he was and assumed he must be doing something wrong. But the professor asked to be taken to Sidney’s boss. The professor asked the boss, “Do you have children?” “Yes,” the boss answered. “Would you want your child out here in the bitter cold washing windows?” the professor asked. “No,” answered the boss. “Well, this student shouldn’t be doing that, either,” the professor declared.

Harvey thinks of the story every time he is on campus. “Being emotional at heart, when I go by Angell Hall it just tugs at my heart, knowing what my dad went through,” he says.

Dr. Julie Thomas gives a pointer to first-year student Adam Paga.

After a stint in the U.S. Army, Sidney returned to New York to practice, first as an associate, then buying his own practice. His patients were not up-scale New Yorkers; they lived in the Bronx, Jackson Heights and Jamaica in Queens. Regardless of his patients’ socioeconomic status, Dr. Sackett was dedicated to providing excellent, if not lucrative, dental care for them. That in turn provided a good, if modest, life for his family.

Harvey chose a different career path, earning his law degree in California and specializing in Social Security disability law there for the last 45 years. His successful career allowed him to begin collecting art early on, mostly

from what the art world labels the Post-War and Contemporary Art Market. The 18 prints he plans to bequeath to the School of Dentistry are appraised at $336,000. Beyond his father’s connection to U-M, Harvey sees the close ties between art and dentistry as another fitting reason to present the artwork to the dental school. Like Harvey, Sidney had an eye for art, and he understood that a significant part of his dentistry was artistic in nature. Harvey remembers that his father was a perfectionist with beautiful hands – “the kind of hands that Michelangelo would have wanted to draw,” he says. Sidney used those hands not only to craft beautiful dental care for his

patients, but he was literally an artist who used gold from his practice to design and fabricate charms for the charm bracelets of his wife, daughter and sister for many years. And in retirement, he took up painting.

Ultimately, the gift of art will provide a visual link between Sidney A. Sackett and the educational institution that meant so much to him and his family. “I thought that, above and beyond any monetary contribution I could make to the dental school, this would be a lasting presence after I’m gone, in honor of my dad,” Harvey said. “That’s why I decided to do it. This would be a lasting testament to my dad.” ■

Major Estate Gift Supports the Many Growing Needs of the School's Integrated Special Care Clinic

The School of Dentistry occasionally receives major gifts from donors who don’t wish to be identified publicly. Such was the case when the school recently received a $1 million estate gift to be used for special needs patients who cannot afford dental care.

The gift is a significant contribution to the dental school’s initiative in recent years to enhance both the treatment of patients with

special needs and the education of dental students in this area of patient care.

Toward those ends, school leaders included an Integrated Special Care Clinic (ISCC) when they designed the major Blue Renew renovation of the school that was completed in 2022. The second-floor clinic, supported with an inaugural $2 million gift from Delta Dental, has a unique design and

accommodations to support the wide range of treatment options necessary for special needs patients.

The clinic serves patients with many physical and mental limitations and conditions. Those include cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, dementia, traumatic brain injury, progressive neurologic disorders, and disabilities that limit

Harvey Sackett and his wife Patti Connery stand in front of the DDS Class of 1938 graduation photo displayed in a dental school hallway. The photo of Harvey’s father Sidney is between them, in the bottom row, second from the right.

Look to Michigan (Continued)

mobility, vision or hearing. Patients can present a variety of treatment challenges depending on their ability to communicate, interact with the dentist or sit in the dental chair for the duration of a 30-minute appointment. Patients may need a stimulation-free environment such as a private treatment room to ease their anxiety of going to the dentist. They may fear the sound of a dental drill or have a sensitivity to bright lights, both of which can be eased with thoughtful treatment and accommodations built into the physical space.

Patients who use a wheelchair need a larger room and cubicle in which to maneuver, compared to common private practice spaces. For patients who may not be able to transfer to a dental chair, the ISCC has a mechanical device that allows the patient to remain seated in the wheelchair while it is tilted back, allowing the dentist better access during the exam and treatment.

These are the sorts of challenges that Dr. Bryan Tervo, director of the ISCC, sees every day as he and students treat patients in the clinic. The school’s seemingly alreadyfull curriculum schedule was revised to add one week of ISCC rotation for both thirdand fourth-year students.

Tervo said students report that even the relatively short experience has given them important new insights into the need to be able to treat all patients, no matter their personal health needs. That understanding is as important to treating special needs patients as is the innovative physical space. By students gaining this experience now, Tervo said, they are likely to be more willing to treat special needs patients in their future private practice or other settings in which they choose to work.

Treating special needs patients is often a challenge for general practice dentists unaccustomed to their needs. As a result, dentists often refer those patients to clinics like the ISCC or hospital dentistry programs.

“That’s a frequently heard comment from parents and caregivers,” Tervo said. “They will tell us that they’ve called a number of places and they say they can’t accommodate the disability or the wheelchair or whatever their special needs. And so they try multiple offices and invariably they end up here.”

“I tell students we may not be able to treat them, either, but we’re going to try. We’re

going to show effort, give it an attempt. I think it surprises the students how frequently they succeed. And they find that if you do give a little bit of effort and think outside the box, and try different ways, you can be successful. And I am very happy to see them think that way. That’s exactly what I’m going for.”

The demand at the ISCC is growing. Tervo’s latest annual report to school administrators last spring recorded 280 referrals and 170 exams. Appointments for cleanings are growing, about 300 per year, as patients became familiar with the new clinic and return more regularly. In general, scheduled visits quadrupled over the last year.

Tervo said many of the patients come from far western Michigan and other distant communities, which makes pre-appointment intake screening especially important. The clinic asks families and caregivers to fill out basic information in writing in advance, then students follow-up by phone to make sure the clinic understands and is prepared for the patient’s specific needs. In return, the family

is informed of what treatment to expect during the appointment.

“People drive so far to get here, maybe a four-hour round trip or longer,” Tervo said. “I don’t want to waste their time, especially when they need special transportation like an ambulance or a van for a wheelchair. I want to make sure everyone is on the same page – that we are prepared as we can be, that they know what is going to happen, so it really helps minimize disappointments and other problems.”

The idea is to make the ISCC, its faculty and students a steady, welcoming and problem-solving presence for its patients. That improves oral and overall health and encourages repeat visits for a patient population that is often reluctant to go to the dentist because of previously unsuccessful or sometimes traumatic experiences. “I believe that a lot of dental anxiety and fear can be overcome by developing trust with the patient,” Tervo said. ■

Dr. Bryan Tervo, director of the ISCC, and dental assistant Lisa Davis demonstrate a wheelchair tilt in the clinic.

SCHOOL Faculty Member Margherita Fontana Appointed Chair of CRSE Depa r tment

Faculty member Dr. Margherita Fontana has been appointed chair of the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics (CRSE), effective January 1, 2025.

Dean Jacques Nör announced the appointment after an extensive search by a committee of faculty, staff, residents and alumni. Nör was the department’s previous chair prior to starting as Dean in August 2023.

Fontana is the Clifford Nelson Endowed Professor of Dentistry in the CRSE department. She joined the school in 2009 as an associate professor, with tenure, and was promoted to professor in 2014.

Fontana is recognized internationally as a leading scientist in the field of cariology and has an extensive clinical research background in childhood caries management. More specifically, she has published research and lectured extensively on the design and assessment of

strategies for reducing disparities in how dental caries are recognized and treated in children in underserved regions. She currently president of the Organization for Caries Research (ORCA), an international scientific organization based in Europe that publishes epidemiological, clinical and laboratory studies about dental caries, fluorosis, erosion, and related dental diseases in its journal Caries Research.

She is the principal investigator (PI) on two National Institutes of Health grants totaling $18.3 million, and is the PI or co-PI on nine corporate grants. She has authored more than 147 peer-reviewed publications and 11 book chapters, and has been invited to speak at more than 260 national and international conferences. She also has served as a member of key state advisory committees on fluoridation, sealants and oral health.

Fontana is the recipient of numerous awards for her research and mentoring.

The CRSE department has been led on an interim basis by faculty member Dr. Ron Heys in the last year after Nör was named dean.

School Readies for Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2025

In 2025, the U-M School of Dentistry will celebrate its sesquicentennial, marking 150 years of excellence in dental education, research and patient care. Established in 1875, the school has grown into a world-renowned institution, continually innovating and influencing the field of oral health.

This significant milestone will be celebrated throughout 2025 with a series of special events and programs designed to honor the school’s rich history and contributions to dentistry. Some of the planned activities will engage the internal audience of the school’s faculty, students and staff; others will be tailored for alumni, donors and friends of the school and the broader Ann Arbor and surrounding communities.

Plans include a research symposium in June to commemorate 150 years of groundbreaking research at the school. The event will look back as well as offer insights into the latest advancements in oral health and the future of dentistry. Exhibitions showcasing historical memorabilia, including photographs, documents,

and artifacts, will be displayed to reflect upon the school’s history and its evolution over the decades. Here’s a brief summary of events:

• Spring 2025 – Sindecuse Museum exhibit: Inside the Dental Practice, 1860-2000

• April 4 – Look to Dentistry campaign kick-off

• April 4 – Donors & Scholars event

• May 9 – School of Dentistry Commencement

• June 12-13 – Research Symposium

• Summer 2025 – Summer Reception

• September 13 – 150th Football Tailgate events

• Fall 2025 – Reunion Weekend events

More details and schedules will be posted on the school website – https://dent.umich.edu/ – after the first of the year. Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas on the school’s 150th birthday by sending an email to dentalschool150@umich.edu.

Dr. Margherita Fontana

Profile For Success Program Hosts Symposium to Celebrate 30 Years of Success Focusing on Diversity in Dentistry

The school celebrated the 30th anniversary of its Profile For Success (PFS) program with a two-day symposium on June 27-28. Alumni of the program from around the country returned to join faculty, students and PFS staff for sessions focused on the impact of diversity in dentistry and the contributions and history of this U-M dental school initiative, now in its 30th year. Other events were student-alumni networking, continuing education courses, dental school and campus tours, and social events with a concluding dinner and gala.

PFS has been a national leader in meeting the need to diversify the dental profession by encouraging and supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds, historically underrepresented minorities (HURMs) and those who are first-generation college graduates. Each summer, Dr. Todd Ester, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the DEI team welcome undergraduates from around the country for an intensive six-week exposure to the challenges and rewards of dental education.

Launched in 1994 with a federal Health Careers Opportunity Program Grant, PFS prepares students from disadvantaged backgrounds for the Dental Admission Test (DAT) through robust tutoring. The program demystifies the profession through hands-on dental school experiences, such as observing patient treatments in clinics and taking impressions of teeth in order to make mouthguards. Students are also mentored by faculty, dental

Left: Drs. Diana Maldonado (left) and Priscilla Johnson greet each other with a hug during the PFS 30th anniversary gala. The two were classmates in the 2008 PFS class. At right is Amira May Woodruff, who was in the 2006 PFS class. All three went on to earn their DDS degrees at U-M.

students and practicing dentists who volunteer their time, insight and encouragement.

“This moment in PFS history owes its origins to many people who had the vision, the foresight and the perseverance to build a unique and sustaining program that focuses on exposing and sharing the profession of dentistry with under-represented populations,” Ester said in introducing the 30th anniversary event. “The PFS program provides the opportunity for young, predental students to envision themselves as what they aspire to become. Once the pathway to the profession is illuminated and the steps are clearly identified, they have the confidence and tools they need to attain their dream.”

The dental school’s longstanding strategic initiative dovetails with the growing national movements for DEI championed by the American Dental Association, the American Dental Education Association, and the Michigan Dental Association, among others.

Left: Dr. Carlos Smith, a featured speaker during the PFS 30th anniversary symposium, listens to a student during the closing gala.

In the program booklet, organizers said the PFS initiative at U-M symbolizes an ongoing commitment to DEI. “It fosters a more representative dental workforce, enriches the profession, improves oral healthcare, and ensures that future generations of Americans of all backgrounds have access to comprehensive dental services. These efforts coalesce into a powerful force, aligning with the longstanding goal that excellence in oral healthcare should be available to all.”

Dr. Carlos Smith, who attended PFS in 2001 and earned his DDS at U-M in 2007, was the keynote speaker on the second day of the event. He is Associate Dean of Inclusive Excellence, Ethics and Community Engagement and an associate professor in the Department of Dental Public Health and Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

His presentation – “Diversity in Dentistry: A Review of Both Education and Practice” – centered upon distinguishing the principles

Master of Ceremonies Dr. Todd Ester presents an award thanking one of several people honored for their roles in creating and sustaining the PFS program over its 30-year history.

of equity, diversity, inclusion and professionalism as well as how they overlap and dovetail with one another. He also discussed

the ethical duty of clinicians in dental and dental hygiene practice as advocates for inclusive excellence.

Now a frequent speaker around the country on such issues, Smith said it was an honor to return to his alma mater to celebrate the 30th anniversary. “PFS was my very first introduction to dentistry and dental education 23 years ago,” he said. “To engage with current dental students, faculty and staff, as well as alumni and pre-dental students in delivering the keynote lecture Friday morning, was a joy.” ■

2024 Profile for Success Class

The 2024 Profile for Success students pose for a class photo at the School of Dentistry in May. Also included are their student facilitators from the dental school and program directors. The aspiring dentists are undergraduates at universities across the country, which are noted after their names.

Front row, from left: Jada Small, Dillard University; Taspiya Begum, University of Detroit Mercy; Darian Bogie, Morehouse College; Cindy Mazariegos Barrios, University of Michigan; Gabrielle Murad, Florida International University; Derrick Pouncy, Lincoln University.

Second row, from left: Dinella Crosby, DEI Office Student Affairs Program Specialist; Jalen Wilson, Morehouse College; Christian Davis, Xavier University of Louisiana; Eric Franklin, Howard University; Jaeda Turner, Spelman College; Leen Dakhilalla, Michigan State University; Shawn Messer, University of Detroit Mercy; Geraldine Market, PFS academic coach.

Third row, from left: Dr. Todd Ester, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Royce Izundu, Mercer University; Darius Sammons, Wayne State University; PFS alumna and Student Facilitator Dr. Oluwatobi Dauda (DDS 2024); PFS alumnus and Student Facilitator Jeremy Russ (DDS Class of 2028); faculty member Dr. Marita Inglehart.

School’s New Digital Center Under Construction

Construction on the school’s new Digital Dentistry Center began in August. The center will feature state-of-the-art technologies, including various digital design and computer-aided machining systems, 3D printers, sintering ovens and more.

Managed by a full-time technician, the center will provide substantial benefits to predoctoral and graduate students, as well as faculty, in an innovative environment. It will function as a centralized, core facility that offers shared services, shared equipment, shared resources and expertise.

“The Digital Dental Center marks a significant advancement in integrating advanced digital technologies within our educational, clinical, and research missions,” said faculty member Dr. Gisele Neiva, Director of Predoctoral Digital Dental Technologies. “It will position our school as a leader in the rapidly evolving field of digital dentistry.”

The facility encompasses two existing spaces on a ground-floor hallway. It is expected to open in the first quarter of 2025.

Neiva, along with Chief Information Officer Cassandra Callaghan and Building Manager Michael Folk, traveled to other dental schools and attended a national digital dentistry conference to research best practices for schools that are expanding their digital capabilities. During a presentation to faculty earlier this year, they reported that only about six or seven dental schools have made significant advances in this area, so U-M will be at the forefront with this new facility.

Faculty Member Sarah Tomaka is New Director of Dental School’s CBCE External Rotation Program

School of Dentistry faculty member Dr. Sarah Tomaka has been named Assistant Dean for the Community-Based Collaborative Care and Education (CBCE) program, which is the school’s expansive external rotation program for dental students.

Dean Jacques Nör announced the appointment, effective Sept. 1.

In her new role, Dr. Tomaka will support the work of predoctoral students in their rotations at about 15 clinics around Michigan. CBCE is a year-round program that is a graded course in the dental school curriculum, sending fourth-year students to clinics around the state for 12 weeks, usually for two weeks at a time. Third-year students also participate in CBCE, with fewer rotations for shorter periods of time. Most sites are Federally-Qualified Health Care (FQHC) clinics providing dental care to underserved patients. Some are Dental Service Organization (DSO) clinics, and some have more narrow patient populations, for

children or military veterans. Regardless of the type of patients, all of the clinics enhance the broad diversity of patients and dental treatments beyond the normal patient pool scheduled by students at the dental school.

Tomaka will lead the recruitment of new CBCE sites and maintain strong relationships with current sites, working with governmental and nongovernmental agencies in support of the program to ensure its sustainability. She will implement continuous assessment and improvement protocols as well as oversee the further development and implementation of a curriculum of interprofessional experiential education.

Tomaka takes over leadership of the program from Dr. Mark Fitzgerald, who is stepping down from his role of Associate Dean of CBCE while continuing to serve the school as Senior Associate Dean. Tomaka has been part of the CBCE program since 2023, serving as Associate Director under Fitzgerald.

Sindecuse Spotlight

Artifacts from the extensive collection at the dental school’s Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry

Taggart Cast Inlay Machine

Circa: 1907 and after

Inventor: William H. Taggart, a Chicago dentist

Purpose: A cast inlay machine to fabricate dental prostheses such as crowns, fillings and other dental inlays. History: Taggart’s design was a groundbreaking improvement on the centuries-old practice of lost-wax casting. Dentists around the country embraced it immediately. It forced molten gold into a mold to create a more accurate gold casting. The mold was on a base and a gas flame supplied by the lower tube melted the metal in the casting ring at the base of the vertical plunger. The ring was lowered onto the mold with the wooden handle and compressed gas from the upper tube forced the metal into the mold. Before Taggart's invention, gold leaf was typically used for dental restorations, using a crude soldering technique, often with poor results. Thanks to Taggart, dentists were able to cast precise gold crowns and inlays, a huge step forward in the history of dentistry.

Epilogue: Taggart wasn’t prepared for his invention’s popularity. He obtained several patents and formed a company to manufacture the machines. However, he was slow in starting and several other companies came out with their own inlay machines. That prompted years of legal actions where Taggart attempted to collect payments from dentists who were using his inlay process but not his machine. At least one lawsuit he filed was successful, but most were not after the dental profession rose up in unison in defense of their right to use similar methods. Instead of becoming a wealthy icon held in high esteem by the profession, he was seen as a controversial figure who tried to monopolize the method he perfected. Even so, author M.D.K Bremner, who wrote the comprehensive book “The Story of Dentistry” in 1939 and successive editions, called Taggart’s invention “the greatest single contribution to dental progress that had been made by one man.”

Provenance: No record exists of the machine being donated to the Sindecuse, so it is likely that the dental school used this machine at some point and then it was saved for posterity.

More reading: The Journal of the American Dental Association, June 1959, pp. 162-73.

Facul t y Pro f ile

Joshua Emrick: A neuroscientist and his team work on the mysteries of the oral cavity

Amid the complexity and challenge of scientific discovery, Joshua Emrick embraces another aspect of his research at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. That is the human and personal element.

He manages a research team of 14 members, each in various stages of career development. Those relationships and the satisfaction Emrick derives from them are a pillar of his professional character, a product of his own training, where he learned the value of both hard work and empathy.

“Thinking deeply with another human, another scientist, that’s some of the best work that I get to do,” he said during an interview in his sixth floor office across from his lab in the Research Tower of the dental school.

Emrick is an assistant professor in the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics. He earned his DDS and PhD in oral and craniofacial biology from the University of CaliforniaSan Francisco School of Dentistry. Prior to joining Michigan in 2021, Emrick conducted his postdoctoral studies as a Dental Clinical Research Fellow at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) in Bethesda, Md.

Emrick describes himself as a neuroscientist who also happens to have clinical training in dentistry. He has a particular interest in the molecular, cellular and anatomical basis of how neurons detect and deliver information from the head and oral cavity to our brain.

He once summed up the pragmatic goal of his research this way: “Our rich oral sensory experience includes exquisite tactile ability as well as debilitating TMJ pain or toothaches. With a better understanding of these mechanisms, we hope to alleviate the nastier experiences for human patients.”

Emrick’s team uses mouse models and a suite of state-of-the-art techniques to visualize microscopic neural endings and deduce what information they are sensing and sending to the brain. The goal is to produce an anatomical and functional map of the sensory architecture of a range of oral tissues in mice and humans including the teeth, salivary glands, and the jaw joint. That will allow researchers to determine how the nerves contribute to healthy tissue function and also what may cause pain.

Along with the potential public good of his research, Emrick takes deep pleasure in communicating with, motivating and supporting his team. “The bedrock is that we can communicate,” Emrick said. “Once I make the decision to include someone on the team I really try to be in full support. That could mean, ‘Hey, I’m thinking about this experiment.’ Or, ‘Hey, I can’t be in because my car broke down.’ I try to be as reasonable as possible, because when people feel like they have an advocate, they flourish.”

The lab team consists of a post-doc fellow and a research investigator, both of whom aspire to lead research programs; a dental student; two technicians, one of which is responsible for day-to-day lab operations; and three graduate students (two PhD students in neuroscience and one DDS/PhD trainee in the oral health sciences program).

Along with equipment and technology that radiate advanced science, Emrick’s lab abounds with personal touches. An “It’s A Wonderful Life” sign adorns an outside posting wall. After hearing the costs of repainting the lab, Emrick instead urged team members to put up fun indicators of trips they’ve taken or other personal items. It’s all part of the creative current and evolution of the team.

“When the lab first started,” Emrick said. “I was the genesis of a lot of the techniques we needed to learn. Yet I understood it would benefit everyone if I wasn’t totally steering it. Even if I do enjoy being at the bench.”

Emrick has a ready answer when asked for one word to describe his work in lay terms, which is also his vehicle license plate: SENSE. “What I like to do is to try to make some sense,” he said. “After all, we are also a sensory biology lab. Sense – we need more of it in the world. We in the lab try to make sense of it. We study sensation.”

Then there’s the grand sense of discovery itself, what Emrick terms “chipping away at this monolith of the unknown.”

That means examining tooth pain, a question that has both scientific and everyday, clinical relevance. “I’ve experienced tooth pain,” Emrick said. “Through our work, we can not only contribute to our understanding, but we do have relevance to a real human problem.”

Like many Dental School professors, Emrick maintains a clinical practice, where he of course often treats pain. “I take a lot of teeth out,” he said. “A lot of the disease is catastrophic and ends up in infection and extractions. I’m happy I can resolve pain acutely like that, but long term through this research I hope to alleviate pain. Without even taking a tooth out, that would be great.”

Emrick graduated from U-M in 2009. He majored in neuroscience, earning highest honors and completing the prerequisites to enter health professional school. Knowing he liked to help people, he aspired to be some sort of a practitioner. Such a focus helped organize his college and resume-building activities, including landing a spot during his sophomore year in the U-M anesthesiology lab of Gina Poe, a renowned researcher and mentor now at UCLA.

Emrick also volunteered at a local dental clinic where he began to consider the idea of combining dental practice with research. It would offer patient interaction, deep relationships and performing microsurgeries on teeth. “The more I weighed that option, I thought this could be a really good opportunity,” he said.

Emrick, who grew up in the Flint area, knew he’d likely have to move away to find the right program. He applied to five dual programs and decided on the University of California at San Francisco, which had excellent curriculum combining DDS and PhD studies.

His work in the renowned lab of Nobel Prize recipient Dr. David Julius was challenging and highly instructive. “That was a very, very strong lab,” Emrick said. “Ultimately, I learned a lot about myself and how to work hard and stay focused. The training experience was very humbling. I learned how to be a scientist.”

Emrick’s next step, postdoctoral work in the lab of Dr. Nicholas Ryba at NIDCR, proved enjoyable and formative. “Nick’s one of the best scientists and people I’ve met in my life,” Emrick said. “He definitely influenced how I try to run my lab – the messaging and how we conceptualize our efforts – knowing what we can achieve with our lives and with science simultaneously and have some fun in the process.”

Emrick adores Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, a love sparked by his fulfilling undergraduate days. He left Ann Arbor for San Francisco with the goal of returning to the place where he has long rooted for the U-M sports teams. He understood that the scholarly world doesn’t automatically grant such wishes, but his dream came true.

The U-M dental school wanted a neuroscientist with his background in molecular sensory biology and cell physiology and circuitry, a match made in Emrick’s version of academic heaven. “Michigan and Ann Arbor became part of my identity,” Emrick said of his college days. “It was core to me. I wanted to come back home to live here with my wife and kids. It really is a special thing to be able to match my interests and the school’s needs.”

Faculty Notes

Dr. Berna Saglik was named the Director of the Graduate Prosthodontic Program, effective May 1. The appointment was announced by Dr. Jan Hu, chair of the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics. Dr. Saglik had served as the interim Assistant Director of the Graduate Prosthodontic Program since July 1, 2021. Hu noted that Saglik worked with Dr. Fei Liu, who served as interim director of the program, to transition the graduate clinic into its newly renovated facility after the school’s major Blue Renew project. They revamped the graduate curriculum to incorporate digital dentistry training, improved the Prosthodontic clinical operations and established collaborations with other specialties and industry partners to bring resources to enhance the residents’ educational experience. Saglik received her DDS degree from the University of Marmara in Istanbul, Turkey, and then completed her master’s degree in Prosthodontics at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. She joined the BMS&P department in August 2007 as clinical assistant professor and rose to the rank of clinical associate professor in 2015. Saglik is a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and the American Board of Prosthodontics. In making the announcement, Hu thanked Dr. Liu for his dedication to the Graduate Prosthodontic Program.

Dr. James P. Simmer, professor of dentistry in the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics, retired effective, Sept. 30, 2024. Simmer received his bachelor’s degree in zoology in 1976 and his DDS in 1980, both from U-M, and his PhD in biochemistry from Wayne State University in 1990. His postdoctoral training was at the University of Southern California’s Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology from 1991-93. He was an assistant professor in pediatric dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio from 1993-99 and was promoted to associate professor in 1999. He joined U-M’s School of Dentistry as an associate professor in 2002 and was promoted to professor in 2006. His academic journey was marked by his commitment to education, innovative research and decades of continuous National Institutes of Health funding pioneering the field of dental genetics. Simmer is internationally recognized for his research on genetic regulations of tooth development and biomineralization. A 2023 bibliometric analysis described him as the most influential scholar in the field of tooth development.

Faculty Member Livia Tenuta to Lead International Caries-focused Journal

School of Dentistry faculty member Dr. Livia Tenuta has been named editor-in-chief of the international journal Caries Research. The journal is a publication of the Organization for Caries Research, or ORCA, an international scientific organization based in Europe. The journal publishes epidemiological, clinical and laboratory studies in dental caries, fluorosis, erosion, and related dental diseases. It is published six times a year, with most readers accessing it online, but it is also available in print.

Dr. Tenuta is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics at the dental school. She has longstanding connections with Caries Research, which has published 28 of her 96 peer-reviewed research papers. Her research, which has been published in more than 30 other journals as well, examines different methods of fluoride use in caries prevention and the impact of dietary sugars on the dental biofilm cariogenicity.

Tenuta has also served Caries Research and ORCA in other capacities. She has been a peer reviewer of manuscripts submitted to the journal since 2007, and served on ORCA’s Advisory Council from 2013-20 and as Membership Secretary and Webmaster from 2015-20.

Tenuta’s wider experience with academic publishing includes currently serving her third three-year term on the editorial board of the Journal of Dental Research, a publication of the International Association for Dental Research and the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research. For the last year she was Associate Editor of the International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry.

In her new role, Tenuta will lead a team of about a dozen Associate Editors from universities around the world, including the U.S., the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Switzerland, Brazil, Chile and Japan. The editors review 250-300 manuscripts submitted annually by international researchers to consider whether they present new, innovative and advanced caries research with scientifically rigorous methods. Editors, assisted by reviewers with expertise on the topic of the research, either accept or reject the manuscript, almost always asking for varying degrees of revision even for those that are published. The editor-in-chief makes the final decision about whether the paper is published. The process can take several months, a time frame Tenuta said she hopes to reduce during her tenure as editor.

Tenuta is the second U-M School of Dentistry faculty member holding a prominent role with ORCA. Dr. Margherita Fontana is currently president of the organization.

Dr. Berna Saglik

Dr. Livia Tenuta

Dr. James P. Simmer

School Celebrates 30 Years of Training Research Scientists in its PhD Program

The importance of scientific inquiry related to oral health was celebrated at the School of Dentistry Oct. 4 as the school marked the 30th anniversary of the founding of its PhD program.

In the three decades since the program’s inception in 1993, the school has conferred 54 PhD degrees in Oral Health Sciences to students from around the country and the world. Most of the graduates have gone on to become faculty and researchers in academia or to lead research programs in various health-related fields.

About 20 alumni of the program returned to the school to join with current and former faculty and administrators, and trainees now in the program, for the series of presentations and panel discussions during the day-long seminar. They discussed the history of the program and oral health research in general; the importance of maintaining and funding strong scientific research programs at the university and federal levels; and how effective faculty mentoring is crucial to the success of PhD trainees, the faculty themselves and scientific research.

A program of the U-M Rackham School of Graduate Studies, the PhD program in the School of Dentistry was designed to strengthen basic, translational and clinical research training by building on the school’s longstanding reputation as an international leader in dental, oral and craniofacial research.

Dr. Yuji Mishina, director of the program, presented a summary showing the diversity of students who have passed through the program in 30 years. Slightly more than half have been female students, with students coming to Ann Arbor from 13 countries beyond the United States, including China, Brazil, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, India, Germany and Peru. The majority have gone on to faculty or post-doc positions after graduation; others became clinicians or work for health-related companies.

U-M Provost Laurie McCauley, the former dean of the dental school, was one of numerous speakers during the day who thanked and praised Dr. Charlotte Mistretta,

Charlotte

discusses her role in working with a team of people to start the PhD program and then as its first director from 1994 to 2010.

Above: The PhD 30th anniversary symposium drew a mix of alumni; current and former faculty; administrators and staff who helped create and maintain the program; and current PhD students.

the faculty member who designed the program from its inception and served as its first director for 17 years from 1993 through 2010. “She built this program with care and attention, and was incredibly methodical in her approaches,” recalled McCauley, who was an assistant professor and researcher in the dental school at that time. “This program would not be in existence without your dedication in launching it.”

Over the last 30 years, Mistretta was followed as director by faculty members Jan Hu, Vesa Kaartinen and Yuji Mishina, the current director.

In his introduction of Mistretta, Kaartinen, now Associate Dean for Research, credited her with setting up a structure to the PhD program that ensured its success through the present day. He presented awards of appreciation to Mistretta and Patricia Schultz, business manager of the Research Office, who helped implement the program in its early days and solved countless problems as they arose in the early years. Mistretta, who is the William R. Mann Professor Emerita of Dentistry in the

Mistretta

Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics, spoke to the history of the program, including the importance of academic advisors and faculty mentors who worked closely with each PhD student; the generous support of school administrators and faculty as the program was created and grew in its early years; the creation of a Seminar Series and a Journal Club so that students could meet leading researchers and become more familiar with publishing research; and many other aspects. She noted several facets of the mission of the program that continue today:

• To train outstanding students to become advanced research scientists in their field of specific interest within the oral health sciences.

• Provide students with an understanding of the functional, structural and molecular properties of the oral region.

• Lead research in developmental craniofacial biology, mineralized tissue biology and musculoskeletal disorders, oral and pharyngeal cancer, oral infectious and immunologic diseases, oral sensory systems and central circuits, and tissue engineering and regeneration.

• Prepare dental scientists who will be strong candidates for faculty positions in dental schools at major research universities.

The first students were an international mix. In 1994, the first four students were Hongjiao Ouyang from China; Brazil native Jacques Nör, who had just completed his master’s degree in pediatric dentistry at the dental school; Esam Tashkandi from Saudi Arabia who joined the program after earning his master’s degree in prosthodontics at the school; and Somjin Ratanasathien from Thailand. By 2000, the number of students had grown to 17, approximately the same number in the program today.

Mistretta said an integral part of setting up the program and getting off to a strong start was the hire of Patricia Schultz as Research Office business manager. “She had to build an office, along with ties to Rackham, peer programs across campus and nationally, and ties with the university’s Office of Vice President for Research. But she also had to build trust with

Vesa Kartinen, Associate Dean for Research, presents an award of thanks to Patricia Schultz, who helped start and maintain the PhD program as business manager for the Research Office.

our students, and along the way make sure we had funding. Most importantly, Pat set a tone for that office. The tone was never, ‘We couldn’t do that.’ The tone was ‘What are we going to do? How do you do it? And, do it.’ That was Pat and that was our office.”

As the program grew, it eventually added dual degrees for students who wanted to earn their DDS degree or master’s degree in one of the dental specialties at the same time they were earning their PhD.

For both the start of the PhD program and during its evolution over the 30 years, Mistretta said it has always been about the contributions of many talented people dedicated to the success of the students, the program and the dental school. “To have some backing, have some support, to have people who want to think it through, and people who really are acting on principles and excellence – that’s what we had and still have,” Mistretta said. “And every time one of the students is excellent, we can find satisfaction in that.”

Program alumni, from left, Zhao Lin (PhD 2020), Eric Madsen (PhD 2023) and Ke’Ale Louie (PhD 2021) listen to a speaker.

“In the end, it’s about our trainees,” she said. “That’s the deal – taking them to excellence and maintaining them and always being there with them.”

In his closing remarks, Dean Jacques Nör said many people deserve thanks for the success of the PhD program, especially Mistretta. “Charlotte had the vision and the drive with a blank canvas in front of her to develop what we have today,” he said. “In the beginning, there was no template for this. Charlotte embraced the challenge and she had the courage to take this forward, bringing students from all over the world.

As we see these presentations today, and see who is in the audience today, the program transformed so many lives.”

Nör urged attendees to continue to advocate for scientific research and federal funding related to oral health research, and for PhD training programs to ensure an adequate supply of research faculty around the country.

“We have a tremendous responsibility for all the dental schools that are research intensive to continue to develop talent and continue to train scientists, to continue to train dentists who care about evidence, to continue to strengthen our PhD programs,” Nör said. “Our commitment here in this school is a very strong commitment to the PhD program, a commitment to work together with the PhD leadership to make this program ever stronger, to continue this legacy that Charlotte started and now we have this responsibility to continue.” ■

Program alumnae Julie Marchesan (PhD 2013) at left and Elizabeth Van Tubergen (PhD 2012) respond to a speaker during the morning session.

New Expedited Program for Dental Hygiene Degrees Enrolls First Coho r t

This fall students in the first cohort of a new Dental Hygiene educational program began their streamlined pathway to a master’s degree that can provide a broader array of career options.

The new Accelerated Online AS-MS in Dental Hygiene Program is an innovative program that reduces by a year the time it takes for a hygienist with an associate’s degree in DH to earn a bachelor’s and then a master’s.

Working with U-M’s Rackham Graduate School over the last two years, Dental Hygiene Director Jennifer Cullen and other DH faculty developed an online curriculum and schedule that retains the rigor of earning a DH master’s degree from the school but condenses the time commitment. Previously, it would take two years for a hygienist with an associate’s degree to earn a bachelor’s degree, then another two years for a master’s. Under the new program, both degrees can be earned in three years instead of four. The time savings is due, in large part, to courses that can be applied to both undergraduate and graduate requirements.

Since most of the students are either practicing hygienists or working in related fields, reducing the time commitment is an important factor, as is reducing tuition costs by a year. Yet another plus of the program for those students with jobs is that the program is designed to be mostly asynchronous, meaning students can complete the curriculum online on weekends, evenings or other times convenient for their work and family lives.

Faculty member Stefanie VanDuine, who is director of the DH Degree Completion Program, said the new

option is a more attractive, streamlined pathway for hygienists wanting to advance their education. “It opens the door to various career options for the dental hygienist – research, public health, education, advocacy for the public’s oral health, and more,” she said.

VanDuine is one of 11 faculty members who teach courses for the program. The core areas include:

• Educational, where students get experience in lecture-based, didactic, clinical and online teaching.

• Leadership, where students learn how to use their strengths to become leaders in, for example, public health and research.

• Public health and community, where students study about at-risk communities and develop a community project in the field to address health disparities in a community.

• Research, which includes how to design and navigate research projects, beyond their own thesis.

Seven students comprise the first cohort: three live on the west side of Michigan, two are from the Detroit area, with one in Indiana and one in New Jersey. They represent a wide range of about 25 years in terms of educational and career experience, from early-career to mid-career.

Sarah Mueller, who lives in suburban Detroit, is a prime example of how the new program appeals to a wide variety of non-traditional students who would be unable to come to campus for a traditional master’s degree path. Mueller earned her AS in DH from Ferris

Stefanie VanDuine

State University and started a career as a dental hygienist, but a neck injury in a car accident made her work difficult. She said she loved dentistry and wanted to stay in the profession, so she transitioned into several related positions in recent years. She served in management and leadership roles in a large Dental Service Organization, mentoring hygienists and helping dentists identify inefficiencies in their practices. She branched into orthodontics, teaching digital scanning and clear aligners for several years.

Mueller uses that wide-ranging variety of experience in her current position as Vice President of Dental Decision Support for a salivary diagnostics company, Swish Bio. She leads a team of clinicians who work with general dentists to develop periodontal treatment programs through precision medicine. They assist clinicians with interpreting test results and discuss treatment considerations backed by peerreviewed, evidence-based research.

“I had always wanted to go back to school and earn an advanced degree, however, none of the other programs I found made sense,” Mueller said. “I needed a program that is online, as I have a full-time job and family to take care of. I wanted something that focused on research, leadership development, and teaching clinicians. I also wanted something that wasn't going to take too many years, but that would take me from an AS to an MS quickly.”

Mueller said she plans to continue her career journey with Swish Bio. She believes her course of study for the master’s degree will have benefits for helping the company grow, and will help her move up the ranks of its leadership.

VanDuine said Mueller’s story is an example of the dental school adapting to changing educational trends. “It is very attractive for people in mid-career who want more education,” she said. “They can work on the coursework on their own time so they can hold their normal job while they are completing the program. That draws more students, which means we are increasing the number of graduates who are qualified to lead in various areas of oral healthcare.”

'Consumer Reports' Quotes DH Faculty Member

School of Dentistry

faculty are frequently quoted in national publications on a variety of topics relating to their clinical and research expertise. In late September, Martha McComas, clinical associate professor in the Dental Hygiene division, was featured on the website of Consumer Reports (CR), the high-profile nonprofit organization dedicated to independent product testing, consumer-oriented research and public education. CR has 6 million members across all 50 states.

The article discussed which of the two main types of electric toothbrushes is best – a rotating/oscillating model with a round head that rotates back and forth, or a sonic toothbrush with a rectangular head that moves side to side at high speed.

“It is really heavily dependent on the user,” McComas advises in the article. “You can have the greatest $200 toothbrush that you want, and if you’re not using it properly, it’s not going to do any better job than someone who’s using a manual toothbrush effectively.”

She points out that electric toothbrushes need to be used differently than the back-and-forth brushing motions of a manual toothbrush. The brushes of the electric toothbrush should be held at a 45-degree angle from the tooth surface. Each tooth should be cleaned for a few seconds on the front, back and biting surface. She recommends users take their time and make multiple passes over the same areas, much like you might overlap when mowing a lawn, the author writes.

The article ends by sharing CR’s model recommendations of both types of electric toothbrushes, based on its testing, and ultimately concludes that both types do a respectable job if they are used properly, just as McComas pointed out.

Members of the new AS-MS cohort this year are (from left) Rachel Miller, Sarah Dinkel, Hannah Dinnell, Taruna Vachani, Leanne Cross, Tiffany Mason, and Sarah Mueller

Martha McComas

DH Faculty Member, Students Lead Educational Initiative on Little-known Gastroparesis Condition

A Dental Hygiene faculty member, with help from students in the division, is on a quest to raise awareness about the links between oral health and gastroparesis, a rare chronic condition affecting the digestion of food.

Valerie Nieto, a clinical lecturer in DH, had worked in healthcare for 20 years and had never heard of gastroparesis. That changed in 2019 when her daughter Karrigan was diagnosed with the condition at age 19. It was life-changing for not only Karrigan, but also the rest of her family, and Nieto began learning as much as she could about the condition.

Gastroparesis is a debilitating disorder where stomach muscles do not properly contract to push food through to the intestines. Food stays in the stomach, often leading to nausea, vomiting, acid reflux and abdominal discomfort. The intestines are where nutrients are absorbed, so the lack of nutrition can lead to drastic weight loss and malnutrition complications. The cause is not clearly understood. There is no known cure and few treatment options beyond careful monitoring of the amount and type of food intake. Even then, quality of life and mortality rates are adversely affected; some patients are so seriously affected by symptoms that they are unable to work or enjoy an active life.

Nieto was surprised by how little research has been conducted to find treatments or medications that can help. As her knowledge base expanded, she was curious about any connections between oral health and the disease, since the human digestive process starts with chewing and saliva in the oral cavity. Acid reflux can damage teeth, but might there also be other connections that dental hygienists and dentists should be aware of?

Nieto decided to take action in a couple of significant ways. She began sharing information about gastroparesis with her students as case studies in the classroom. When her students learned Nieto’s daughter struggles with the lightly researched condition, they

organized a 5K run in 2022 that raised about $4,000 for gastroparesis oral health research. Earlier this year, DH students helped publicize a week-long Gastroparesis Wellness Challenge, which was an online series of educational activities that focused on well-being for everyone beyond just healthcare providers and those who suffer from gastroparesis.

As Nieto delved further into the condition, she made connections with several gastroenterology organization stakeholders. She began a Facebook group for people with the condition, the majority of whom are young women. She completed a research project that she shared at a national gastroenterology conference. This spring that research was published in the International Journal of Dental Hygiene

The study surveyed 434 people with gastroparesis to explore the frequency of their symptoms, oral health status, dental care utilization, oral health education they’ve received after their diagnosis, and whether a relationship exists between gastroparesis symptom frequency and oral health status of the patient.

Although more research is needed – and Nieto is already working on a follow-up study – the first study concluded that gastroparesis negatively affects oral health. “Study participants reported a need for extensive dental treatments and high levels of untreated dental concerns,” the report concluded.

“Results strongly support that preventive oral healthcare and education must be provided for individuals with a (gastroparesis) diagnosis. As leading oral disease prevention specialists, dental hygienists must be aware of the effects of (gastroparesis) on the oral cavity to help provide person-centered, evidence-based care, improve digestive processes, and increase quality of life.”

Nieto says it has been fulfilling to work on gastroparesis education, not only because it can help her daughter but also many other people around the world. She said she has been impressed with the way her students have embraced learning about and advocating for gastroparesis patients.

“I’m training all of our students, so they are very well-versed in gastroparesis by the time they walk out the door,” Nieto said. “Since the DH division has started bringing this to light, it’s amazing how many patients that we identify with this during appointment health screenings. They are so shocked that anybody even knows what it is, sometimes to the point of tears.”

Nieto is working with DH students on her next study, of gastroenterology nurses about their understanding of gastroparesis and oral health. A survey will ask about what patient education the nurses provide, any type of oral assessment, and if they are interested in interprofessional collaboration with dental providers to help these patients. Continuing education courses could be another next step.

“I have very motivated students who want to help do this and take charge,” Nieto said. “Our students are loving it, they are activists, and that is really rewarding.”

Valerie Nieto (left) and her daughter Karrigan

STUDENTS DDS Class of 2028 Arrives

Members of the School of Dentistry’s Class of 2028 arrived in June from around the country to start their 4-year journey to a DDS degree.

The 109 members of the class were admitted from a pool of 1,716 applicants.

The class statistical snapshot:

• The 62 women and 47 men continue a trend in recent years that has seen a surge in interest in dentistry from women.

• 65 are Michigan residents, 44 from out-of-state.

• Four class members have master’s degrees.

• Average age: 22.

Class members graduated from 11 Michigan colleges and universities: 27 from the University of Michigan (24 from the main campus in Ann Arbor and 3 from U-M Dearborn); 15 from Michigan State University; 4 from both Wayne State and Oakland universities; 3 from Grand Valley State; 2 from both Detroit Mercy and Saginaw Valley State; and 1 each from Aquinas College, Calvin University and Hope College. Beyond Michigan, members of the new class earned their undergraduate degrees at 37 higher education institutions across the land. They range from small colleges such as Muhlenberg, Rollins and Saint Norbert

to major universities from coast to coast – from Washington in the Pacific Northwest to Maryland and North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the East, with Utah, Texas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida State in-between, among others.

Dental school administrators, faculty and staff welcomed the first-year dental students, known as D1s, to campus with a series of orientation sessions this week. Dean Jacques Nör and Dr. Reneé Duff, Associate Dean for Students, discussed the school’s educational mission, resources, and history, as well as the rewards of the profession of dentistry. Duff encouraged students to consider themselves as members of a large team who can rely on each other and an extensive network of resources designed to help students not just survive or navigate the challenges of the professional program, but

Left: Second-year dental student Maya Aoude (standing) offers assistance to Madeline Gertsen (front) and Zeena Garada during the Sim Lab orientation.

Below: Second-year dental student Delasi Denoo points the way for Samuel Nahass as the new class signs into the school’s computer system in the Simulation Lab on the second day of orientation. Several second-year dental students used their year of experience to help the new students navigate computer programs and the check-in of dental instruments and equipment.

to thrive over the course of their time at the dental school.

Nör said the school’s curriculum and faculty intend for each graduate to leave the school as “a highly skilled competent clinician with a deep understanding of the scientific foundation of dentistry and the compassion to serve those in need.”

“The journey is what makes this special,” Nör said. “It is such a wonderful opportunity that each one of you has now to undergo a life-changing training. You are going to be different when you leave here. You are going to have a profession that gives you an opportunity to do really meaningful and very significant things for your patients.”

A White Coat Start

https://myumi.ch/r8NkM

The next wave of DDS students starting their education at the School of Dentistry received a mix of inspiration, advice and their personalized clinic coat during the school’s annual White Coat Ceremony at Hill Auditorium in July.

1. Hands from another student behind first-year student Shannon Richardson help her into her clinic coat.

2. First-year student Kamaldeen Akorede poses for a post-ceremony family photo with his sister Nafisat (center) and mother Modinat, with his niece Najat (at bottom) making sure she is included in the photo. The family came to the ceremony from their home in Chicago.

3. Dr. Todd Christy, President of the Michigan Dental Association, delivers the keynote. Other speakers listening are (front row, from left) Dr. Sarah Tomaka, Dr. Stephen Sulfaro, Dr. Lisa Bowerman and Dean Jacques Nör.

Student Notes

Shawn Hallett, a dual DDS and Oral Health Sciences PhD student, has received the 2024 Dr. Dominic Dziewiatkowski Award, also known as the Dr. Jay Award. It is given annually by the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences & Prosthodontics to an outstanding student researcher. Hallett’s current research, under the mentorship of Prof. Renny T. Franceschi, focuses on elucidating the molecular regulation of skeletal stem and progenitor cells during physiologic development and disease using genetic mouse models. During the Dr. Jay Award presentation in July,

Third-year DDS student Brhan Eskinder was elected President-elect of the Student National Dental Association (SNDA) for the 2024-25 academic year, which means she will move into the role of President of the national organization in 2025-26. She had already been elected president of the U-M chapter of SNDA earlier this year, so now she has two leadership roles with the organization. SNDA and its university chapters promote and support the academic and social environment of historically underrepresented students in dental schools while advocating for diversity in the dentistry profession. SNDA, which is affiliated with the National Dental Association (NDA), establishes opportunities for members to develop a sense of community, to explore leadership opportunities and to serve disadvantaged communities. The national organization has about 600 active members, including 75 in the U-M chapter. Eskinder has served in multiple capacities on the local and national level of

4. New class members, including Lillian DiPanni (front) next to Nicholas Doman, recite The Oath of Aspiring Dentists surrounded by the architectural grandeur of Hill Auditorium.

5. Dean Jacques Nör leads class members in a “Go, Blue!” cheer at the conclusion of the class photo taken after the ceremony on the front steps to Hill Auditorium.

Hallett’s presentation was titled, “Elucidating the molecular regulation of PTHrP+ and Fgfr3+ chondrocytes in diverse endochondral tissues.” Ultimately, he hopes that his work will lead to the identification of novel pharmacologically targetable pathways to prevent congenital craniofacial and skeletal diseases in humans. Hallett's leadership and mentoring include several officer positions in the AADOCR National Student Research Group, the ASBMR Early-Stage Investigator Committee and Future of Research Executive Board; he also oversees several students as part of the U-M Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. The annual award was established in 1989 in memory of Dziewiatkowski, who chaired the Department of Oral Biology and directed the Dental Research Institute from 1967-1972.

SNDA since her first year at the dental school, including Fundraising Chair for the U-M chapter and National Corresponding Secretary for the 2023-24 school year. In addition to Eskinder, five other current U-M dental students were also elected to national positions with SNDA during the national convention in July. They are:

• Aysiah Kirk (third-year DDS student) –2024-25 Corporate Roundtable

• Jordan DeVoe (third-year DDS student) –Representative to the NDA House of Delegates

• James Bennett (third-year DDS student) –Representative to the NDA Board of Trustees

• Gregory Crump (third-year DDS student) –National Recording Secretary

• Cheyenne Love (second-year DDS student) –Director of Regional Communications

Shawn Hallett

Brhan Eskinder

Reunion Weekend Draws Large Turnout of Alumni Who Return to Demonstrate Their Maize and Blue Pride!

Fifty years of dental excellence is an immense achievement, and deserves to be celebrated across the U-M community. Our Class of 1974 spent Reunion Weekend (Thursday, September 26, through Saturday, September 28) reminiscing with their colleagues in a series of events that convened 50-plus years of School of Dentistry alumni. Reunion Weekend is more than just an event; it’s a cherished tradition where we invite alumni to return to Michigan to celebrate milestones, revisit familiar places, and deepen connections.

The weekend opened with dentists, dental hygienists and master’s degree recipients in the dental specialties who graduated in 1974 being celebrated during a program on Thursday. The 50-year graduates were presented with a personalized School of Dentistry emeritus medallion and a University of Michigan pin signifying they have joined the university’s emeritus alumni status.

The emeritus presentation was followed by the school’s annual Awards Luncheon, attended by about 110 people, including alumni, award recipients, family and guests who celebrated the school’s Hall of Honor recipient, Distinguished Service Award and the Outstanding Dental Hygiene Alumni award.

In his welcoming remarks, Dean Jacques Nör said Reunion Weekend and the annual awards presentations acknowledge the many significant ways alumni have contributed to the school during its 149-year history, both during their time at the school and after they graduated and entered the profession of dentistry. Alumni have “helped define excellence” that has marked the school from its beginning, he said.

The program was followed by tours of the school to see the results of the major Blue Renew renovation completed two years ago. Groups of alumni toured with faculty and staff guides to see the new state-of-the-art clinics, labs and other facilities.

Friday's events kicked off with an optional Continuing Education (CE) course focusing on safe and harm-free oral healthcare. Dean Nör delivered opening remarks at the CE

Dental Hygiene graduates Paula (Kirk) Labadie (left) and Lois (Newald) Havermans enjoy finding their graduation photos in the Class of 1974 class composite in a dental school hallway.

The DDS Class of 2014 had a great turnout to mark the 10 years since their graduation.

course, and Dr. Marie Fluent (DDS 1989) was one of several speakers. Topics included various risks and safety initiatives to protect patients, dental teams and the public.

Friday evening brought alumni together from the past 55 years, with graduates from the classes of 1964 to 2019, all reveling in the night’s festivities. We made memories and shared stories during a night to remember!

The weekend’s events concluded on Saturday with many of the alumni and their guests attending the Michigan football game vs. Minnesota at Michigan Stadium. Go Blue! The spirit and camaraderie of being among fellow Wolverines filled the air, making it a memorable and joyous celebration of Maize and Blue pride.

Hall of Honor Award:

The Hall of Honor Award is presented posthumously by the school’s Alumni Society Board of Governors to recognize and honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the profession of dentistry. Since the Hall of Honor was created in 2003, 55 people have been honored with a plaque on the ground floor of the Kellogg Building at the school. This year’s recipient is the late Dr. Lee Jones, a faculty member who was also a 1961 alumnus. Jones is remembered as a dedicated leader who worked tirelessly

to make diversity, equity and inclusion a fundamental value for the School of Dentistry. After graduating from the dental school, Jones served in the U.S. Air Force for two years before returning to Ann Arbor to become the city’s first Black dentist. After several years, while still maintaining his practice, Jones joined the dental school to become an instructor and, in 1973, was named director of what was then called the Office of Minority Affairs. Under his leadership over the next 20-plus years, the school developed programs that established the school as a leader in increasing diversity in dentistry. The school has previously honored Lee Jones’ leadership and service with the Lee Jones Dentistry Diversity Program and the Lee W. Jones Scholarship Fund, which provides need-based financial aid for students. In 2014, Dr. Jones received the dental school’s Distinguished Service Award, and in 2008, he received the Civil Rights Award from the National Dental Association. A new conference room, part of the recent Blue Renew renovation project, is also named for Dr. Jones.

Distinguished Service Award:

The award was created to give appropriate recognition and honor to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the profession of dentistry. Nominees must be graduates of the school’s DDS, Dental Hygiene, Master’s or PhD programs; a faculty member; or a research staff member. The 2024 recipient is Dr. Marilyn Woolfolk (DDS 1978), Professor Emerita of Dentistry and Assistant Dean Emerita of Student Services. Her career is a success story of resiliency and determination as she navigated a path from microbiology researcher to dental student to professor to administrator. She helped advance numerous important initiatives. They included strengthening community outreach by students; continually reassessing admissions and student support; advocating for increased diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the school and the profession; and using her scholarship and teaching to emphasize the importance of public health and reducing oral health disparities in underserved populations. Woolfolk earned two “firsts” during her time at the dental school – the first Black female full professor and the first Black female assistant dean.

Dr. Karen-Lee Jones Stewart (DDS 1994) holds the Hall of Honor plaque honoring her father, Dr. Lee Jones. At right is Dr. Tom Belford, Jr. (DDS 1975), a retired dentist from Flint, whose introduction recalled Dr. Jones’ caring attitude in helping students, including Belford, with any problem they encountered.

Distinguished Service Award recipient Dr. Marilyn Woolfolk is congratulated by University of Michigan Provost Laurie McCauley and Dean Jacques Nör.

Ellen Fivenson, recipient of the Oustanding Dental Hygiene Alumni Award, shares a laugh with Dean Jacques Nör.

Outstanding Dental Hygiene Alumni Award:

This award was created to give appropriate recognition and honor to a graduate of the U-M Dental Hygiene program who has contributed outstanding service to the profession of dental hygiene. This year’s recipient is Ellen Fivenson, who earned her BSDH at the dental school in 1969. She helped thousands of patients improve their oral health and overall health while practicing as a clinical Registered Dental Hygienist for

47 years at dental offices in Traverse City, Michigan. Her dedication to the profession started in the practice of U-M alumnus Dr. Richard Graham (DDS 1952) for 17 years and finished in the office of two other U-M alumni, Drs. Wes Schulz (DDS 1972) and his daughter Brooke Chapman (DDS 2007), also a tenure of 17 years. She was a founding member of the Grand Traverse Area Dental Hygiene Society and participated in many hygiene educational programs in schools, malls and other locations over the years. She has been a member of Sigma Phi Alpha,

1. Members of the Dental Hygiene Emeritus Class of 1974 who returned for Reunion Weekend.

2. Members of the DDS Emeritus Class of 1974 who returned for Reunion Weekend.

3. Dr. Daniel Leske (DDS 1974) gets a laugh from a group of current students.

4. Dr. David Massignan (DDS 1972, MS orthodontics 1974) receives his emeritus medallion from Dr. Carlos Gonzales, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

5. Members of the Class of 2004 DDS posing for a selfie are (from left) Damian Lee, Aditi Bagchi, Grace Jeon and Theresa Pham. In the background Dean Jacques Nör talks with first-year dental student Aiden Hannapel.

6. Members of the DDS Class of 1994 in front of the School of Dentistry backdrop. 1 2 3 4 5 6

the honorary hygiene organization since she graduated in 1969. Fivenson also compiled an extensive and impressive resume of tireless community service over her many decades of living in Traverse City. Schulz described his former employee as “a double-diamond, platinum, super-duper community volunteer. With her professional demeanor and community connections, she has been atypical in her constant cadence of volunteerism.”

ADA Honors Dr. Joe Samona With Early-Career Award

Dr. Joe Samona (DDS 2020) received a prominent honor from the American Dental Association earlier this year when he was named to the ADA’s “10 Under 10 Award” list.

Developed by the ADA New Dentist Committee in 2017, the award recognizes 10 outstanding dentists who graduated from a dental school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation less than 10 years ago. The ADA award was created to celebrate “dentists who demonstrate excellence and inspire others in science, research and education, practice excellence, philanthropy, leadership and advocacy.”

Samona received the award during the Changemakers Celebration during the ADA’s annual SmileCon national conference in New Orleans in October

Samona was born with profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. He grew up

lip-reading, which meant he paid a lot of attention to people’s mouths. He noticed that some people were shy about showing their smiles, while others smiled easily and often. He realized those reluctant to smile often lacked confidence in their appearance. He decided he wanted to help those people improve their smiles and build their selfesteem, so he chose to pursue dentistry as a career. It has been a lifelong journey that took a special determination and focus.

During his time at the U-M dental school, the university’s Office of Services for Students with Disabilities provided Samona with access to sign language interpreters who accompanied him to both class lectures and his clinical work. He also used a service that gave him word-for-word transcriptions of class lectures.

When Samona reached the point in the curriculum when students begin treating patients in clinics, he realized there weren’t signs in American Sign Language for many of the dental terms, treatments and instruments. He collaborated with his interpreters to create signs so that they could communicate better with each other and with patients. The specially designed surgical masks that

Samona and his interpreters wore in clinic had clear plastic over the mouth area so they could read each other’s lips.

After graduation, Samona went on to a one-year AEGD residency at UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry and currently practices in the metro Detroit area. As one of the few deaf dentists in the country, he created a series of videos about oral health education in American Sign Language and co-founded the non-profit organization Michigan Deaf Health. He has given numerous presentations to a variety of organizations to provide an inclusive environment for the deaf and hard of hearing patients. He is committed to increasing accessibility to oral health care in the deaf and hard-of hearing community. He served on the Michigan Dental Association’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and participated in the MDA LEAD program for emerging leaders.

An article with more about Samona and the “10 Under 10” award can be found on News section of the ADA website – https:// adanews.ada.org/ – and typing “Samona” into the search box.

CALLING ALL ARTISTS!

Alumni, students, faculty and staff at the School of Dentistry are invited to submit artwork for the second installment of the Artistry/Dentistry exhibit sponsored by the Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry. The deadline for submission is Jan. 31, 2025.

As part of its mission to document the history of dentistry, the Sindecuse is encouraging artists to feature tools of trade, either contemporary or historic, through drawings, photography or other two-dimensional artworks. Submissions that are selected will be framed and installed throughout the dental school next year, as part of the school’s celebration of the 150th anniversary of its founding. Participants will receive their

framed piece back after the exhibit ends in 2027.

In 2022, the museum welcomed submissions and installed artwork in school hallways for its inaugural Artistry/ Dentistry exhibit as a way to explore and display the creative side of people who work in the field of dentistry. Many professionals working in dentistry maintain creative interests and art outlets outside of their careers.

More details about Artistry/Dentistry and how to submit artwork is available on the Sindecuse website at https://www. sindecusemuseum.org/exhibits.

Dr. Joe Samona

A brother and sister story

These siblings went through the U-M dental school one year apart but never knew about each other until 30 years later

Imagine being in your mid-50s and finding out you have a sister or brother you never knew about. You learn that you share very similar family details, chose the same profession, and are nearly the same age.

But here’s the really amazing thing: You discover that 30 years ago, for three of the four years you were earning your dental degree at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, your sibling was walking the halls with you.

This is the unusual family history story for Danielle (Wheatley) Gehlert, who graduated in 1991, and David Grife, who graduated in 1992.

After dental school, they both stayed in Michigan to build their careers – she practices in St. Clair Shores and he in Coldwater – and to raise their families. Advances over the last 30 years in genetic testing and computerenhanced methods of tracing genealogy led to their family connection as half-sister and half-brother.

Dating back to his second year of dental school, Grife had made extensive efforts to learn his biological family history because he was adopted. His adoptive parents married

in the 1950s and struggled to have children after their first child was born. They adopted David in 1965, when he was a few months old. They decided that transparency was crucial, so David knew from age five that he’d had other parents.

Grife grew up and attended high school in Hartland, Michigan, and then went to U-M for his bachelor’s degree. He had a loving, normal life with his adoptive parents, but he had always wondered about his biological parents. “Things were good,” Grife said, “but you always have that kind of question –it doesn’t go away as far as who those people are.”

In 1989, as a second-year dental student at U-M, he contacted the adoption agency, noting in his query, “Hey, it’s my 25th birthday, can you help me?” In an unlikely coincidence, he spoke to the same person who handled his adoption case 24 years earlier. She remembered the parents of his biological mother, who became pregnant in high school, as “a nice family.”

It was a closed adoption, with only so many details that could be shared. But the case worker was able to provide papers that offered some details, such as the ages of his

birth mother and father, their siblings ages at that time, eye and hair color, and interests. “There was no information regarding the identity of my birth mother and father, but it was more than I’d ever had before, so I was pretty happy about it,” Grife said.

Grife finished dental school and began practicing. He tried a number of times to get some health history, but made little progress. Then, in 2014, a dental hygienist he’d been working with for 20 years offered a suggestion. Her son had worked with a company called 23andMe, a genetics and biotechnology company that helps people track ancestry through DNA testing. Grife signed up, but initially could only find relatives at a very distant level.

In 2021, in one of Grife’s periodic 23andMe updates, the name Scott Grace showed up. The percentage of DNA match with Grace was 6 percent – higher than anything Grife had seen before. Grife contacted Grace, who lives in Colorado, and shared details from the adoption paperwork he had obtained in 1989.

Not only was Grace interested, he is also a genealogist, which is yet another fascinating and beneficial quirk of the story. Grace began reviewing the possible family connection.

Having the birth father’s age and his siblings’ ages from the adoption papers was the key to lining up the match. Grace already had a cousin in Michigan who was a dentist – Danielle Gehlert – but now there was another Michigan dentist who seemed to be a biological family member. On March 5, 2021, Grace shared the newfound information with Danielle’s younger sister Nicolle, who texted Danielle late that night to share Grife’s name and hometown.

Gehlert sent Grife an email the next day, sharing her academic path and noting that she was Danielle Wheatley back in dental school. Trying another channel to connect, Gehlert found that Grife had no social media presence, but his wife, Shana, had a Facebook account. So Gehlert contacted Shana with the question: “Was your husband by any chance adopted?” The answer: “Yes.”

From those brief initial contacts, Gehlert and Grife began corresponding and sorting through how a family connection was possible. The foundational fact was that they had the same father. Gehlert distills the research down to these basic facts of life: Their father had two girlfriends while in high school, one a year younger than the other. One of the girlfriends, Grife’s biological mother, became pregnant and gave him up for adoption. Then, a year later, Gehlert’s mother became pregnant and married Gehlert’s father.

Thirty-two years from when he first started pursuing his biological history, Grife had arrived at an answer about his biological parents, thanks in part to his newfound cousin Scott Grace. “If not for the 1989 information, he would not have picked up on this,” Grife said. One unfortunate aspect of the story is that Grife would not be able to meet his father, who died about 15 years ago.

Brother and sister met for the first time later in 2021, at the Gandy Dancer restaurant in Ann Arbor. As they exchanged stories, delicious similarities piled up: Both put themselves through U-M, first as undergraduates and then as dental students. They were married the same year. They graduated high school the same year, he in Hartland and she

in East Detroit. Each had three kids, two of whom had already graduated from U-M. They even both had a black and white dog. Most astonishing, they had been in the U-M Dental School at the same time, with Grife both arriving and graduating a year after Gehlert.

“When I first came to U-M, I thought, ‘This is a big place. I wonder if I’m related to anybody,’” Grife said. “We must have walked past each other. When I started delving into my family history in 1989, she was right there in the same building at the dental school.”

Gehlert said the regimented dynamics of the dental school’s classroom and clinical schedule keeps students interacting mostly with their same-year classmates. “You really are glued to your class of 100 students.” explained Gehlert. “I didn’t know anybody in the class below me.”

But they know each other now, and the resemblance is clear. She just turned 59 in November and he hits 60 in late December. The two share a tan, athletic glow and have fabulous smiles befitting a dentist. With so much family history to sort out and share, they don’t talk much about their common profession. Grife is a partner in his practice in Coldwater, while Gehlert, who lives in Grosse Pointe Shores, has been an associate for 30 years and with the same practice in St. Clair Shores for the last 16.

And now that they’ve had a couple of years to let it sink in, how do they feel about the family expansion?

“Blessed – that’s how I feel. I can’t believe it,” Gehlert said. “He’s the kindest, sweetest, and most generous man I’ve ever met.” Not counting her husband, Guy, she adds.

Grife said having a new half-sister is meaningful on so many levels that is hard to put into words. “I adore her to pieces,” he said. “I’m so proud of the woman she’s become, and is. Having her in my life kind of gave me a reassuring affirmation of what I chose to do.”

Their children are delighted as well, relishing the fact they have some new cousins of the same age. Danielle says Dave is a lot like her husband, which has made it easy for the siblings and their spouses to socialize. The crew gets together for family activities every few months, including sharing a love for anything on the water. They also share U-M football fandom, and enjoy meeting in the ideal midpoint of Ann Arbor.

Grife is a fan of the legendary rock group The Who, and Gehlert loves the group Counting Crows, which gave rise to what she terms “about the best birthday present in my whole life.” Grife arranged for a personalized celebrity video on the website “Cameo.” “Dave made it happen that the lead singer from Counting Crows sang to me personally and wished me a happy birthday,” she said. “I literally had tears in my eyes.”

The latest family flourish came this September, when Gehlert’s oldest daughter was married in Charlevoix. Grife attended the wedding, sat at the family table and savored the time meeting his newly expanded network of relatives and their families. Among those he met was Danielle’s 78-year-old mother.

“I was a little nervous, but her mom is adorable,” Grife said. “She said we should exchange phone numbers so we can do text messages.” Gehlert said of her mother’s reaction: “She thinks the world of him.”

Brother and sister agree. “You don’t often get wonderful people to come into your life at this stage,” Gehlert says. “I just think it’s fabulous.”

“It’s been really special,” Grife said, summing it up in one word: “Serendipity.”

“Ironically, that’s my favorite movie,” Gehlert says of the 2001 film with that title, “and the thing that happened in my life.” ■

Left: Danielle (Wheatley) Gehlert and David Grife sit in front of their respective 1991 and 1992 class composite photos in a dental school hallway.

Danielle Gehlert and David Grife in front of the Tooth Fairy sculpture in the dental school courtyard.

Hail to the Class of ‘59

The DDS Class of 1959 held its 65th reunion on Aug. 1 at the Pretzel Bell restaurant in Ann Arbor. Eight of the 29 surviving members attended. Seated in front (from left): William Priest, Tom Johnson, Roger Beauchamp. Standing in back (from left): Richard Jones, Norman Hine, John Petruska, Herbert Gardner, Joseph Schneider (organizer). A summary of the evening’s events noted: “Name tags were provided which were punched just as their procedures were punched by ‘beloved instructors' way back when.” The group also could review their original Class of 1959 composite photo, the summary noted in jest, “with a magnifying glass for easier viewing.” Class member Dick Baldridge phoned in during the event to extend his greetings, and the group topped off the evening by singing the Alma Mater and a “rousing rendition” of “The Victors.”

Alumni Notes

Dr. Kevin Cooper (DDS 1983) has been named to the Lake Superior State University (LSSU) Board of Trustees. The eight-year appointment, made by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer with the consent of the Michigan Senate, began in May and expires on January 27, 2032. Cooper practices in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, about a mile from the LSSU campus. He is a lifelong resident of the Sault area and earned his bachelor’s degree from what was then Lake Superior State College in 1979. Cooper is a dedicated LSSU alumnus, previously serving as chair of both the Lake Superior State University Foundation Board of Directors and the Lake Superior State University Alumni Foundation. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Old Mission Bank, and serves the Chippewa

County Health Department as part of his dental practice. “Lake Superior has played a significant role in my life and the Cooper family for three generations, from the Soo Tech branch of Michigan Technical University to present day,” Cooper said. “I look forward to working with the administration, fellow board members, faculty, staff and local residents to make Lake Superior State University the best university it can be.” The board is granted the power of control and direction of all expenditures from the university's funds.

Dr. Steven Blanchard (DDS 1980) received the 2023 Outstanding Periodontal Educator Award from the American Academy of Periodontology. This award recognizes

an exemplary periodontal faculty member whose career demonstrates excellence in teaching and is an inspiration to students. The award was presented during the AAP 109th annual meeting in November 2023 in Austin, Texas. Dr. Blanchard served in the U.S. Air Force for 22 years before joining the faculty at Indiana University School of Dentistry in 2002. He was Professor and Director of Graduate Periodontics at IUSD for 21 years before his retirement in July 2023.

Dr. Kevin Cooper

Dr. Steven Blanchard

The Rewards of Competing in the Paris Paralympics

For 2024 U-M dentistry grad Leo Merle, competing on the world stage in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, France, was rewarding and inspiring in many ways. He crossed the finish line of the 1,500meter run in sixth place, three seconds behind the bronze medal winner, so there was no medal for his effort. Yet he wore a broad smile as he looked up at his parents in the massive, cheering crowd at Stade de France. He couldn’t help but be thrilled with the journey that brought him to Paris to compete against some of the best athletes from around the world.

“When I finished, my immediate thought was, ‘That was just incredible.’ It was the most incredible feeling I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Merle said. “It would be really fantastic to win a medal. Absolutely. But for me, it was a more wholistic experience. I was so happy with how my training had gone. I was happy with where we were at coming into the games and what I was able to do on the track that night.”

Becoming a member of the U.S. Paralympics Track and Field Team for the 2024 Paralympics was the culmination of several years of competing in national and international para athletics events. Training to be a world-class runner is strenuous enough on its own, but Merle was doing it over the last four years while attending the dental school. He

In Memoriam

Myra (Townsend) Breakey (DH certificate 1948), Aug. 26, 2024, Clark Lake, Michigan.

Jacques Ciepielewski (MS Operative Dentistry, 1960), Oct. 17, 2024, Paris, France.

Benjamin F. Clawson (MS Orthodontics, 1978), September 17, 2024, Detroit, Michigan.

Dan W. Collins (DDS 1976), July 6, 2024, Negaunee, Michigan.

John R. Downs (DDS 1962), June 19, 2024, Christmas, Michigan.

Mark Eggleton (DDS 1976), April 12, 2024, Tempe, Arizona.

graduated with his DDS degree in May but paused his search for a dentistry job because of his commitment to competing in Paris.

Merle qualifies for para athletic competitions because he was born with a form of cerebral palsy that affects flexibility in his right foot and leg. A lifelong track athlete, he learned only a few years ago that he might

qualify for the international para athletic movement. He was accepted and that was the start of a series of national and international para track competitons in the T-38 class, which is for athletes whose movement and coordination is affected to a low degree in their lower trunk and legs, either down one side or the whole body.

Merle finished the Paralympics race in 4:16.43, less than four seconds behind the gold medal winner, from Tunisia, who finished in 4:12.91. Merle’s time was 10 seconds behind his personal best of 4:06.30, which was the U.S. para record for part of the last year before another runner eclipsed it.

“I am very aware of how lucky I am and how unique this opportunity absolutely was,” he said. “For me, the satisfaction is knowing that I was able to do the dentistry, I was able to do the running, I was able to do the weight-lifting, the eating, the sleeping, the managing of all my time. And the fact that I was able to perform as well as I did was satisfying for me. Being able to do all of those things in conjunction is what makes it all fantastic.”

Merle will be staying in Ann Arbor and at the U-M School of Dentistry for three more years after being accepted into the Endodontics Graduate Program, beginning in July 2025.

Scott F. Ellard (DDS 1981), Sept. 2, 2024, Portage, Michigan.

Stuart Falk (DDS 1957), Sept. 20, 2024, Novi, Michigan.

William R. Gillette (DDS 1967), Oct. 1, 2024, Gould City, Michigan.

Sandra (McAdam) Morasky (BSDH 1962), July 3, 2024, Lacey, Washington.

Charles Morton (DDS 1969), May 24, 2024, of Chelsea, Mich., formerly of Union City, Mich.

Nicole Obregon (DDS 1973), Oct. 25, 2024, Centennial, Colorado.

Joseph Rafferty (DDS 1976), Aug. 13, 2024, Muskegon, Michigan.

Michael Ryan II (DDS 1964), June 7, 2024, Media, Pennsylvania.

Robert Sena (DDS 1951), Sept. 6, 2024, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Thomas F. Smith (DDS 1950), June 10, 2024, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Wallace L. Van Alstine, Jr. (DDS 1967), June 6, 2024, Ann Arbor.

Carol (Carr) Whitcomb (BSDH 1983), July 20, 2024, Petoskey, Michigan.

Leo Merle and Abdelkrim Krai of Algeria fly by during the 1,500-meter run at the Paralympics in Paris in September. (Photo by Joe Kusumoto/U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee)

Suppor ting t he School of

Dentistr y in Many Ways

Alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the School of Dentistry gathered for this group photo on Oct. 24 after the program celebrating the naming of the pre-doctoral clinic for Laurie McCauley, the former Dean of the dental school who is now Provost of the University of Michigan. The naming was announced by school leaders in recognition of a major equipment donation to the school by Henry Schein Cares,

the corporate citizenship program of Henry Schein. Provost McCauley is in the front row (with the maize and blue scarf). At far left in the front row is Stanley Bergman, CEO of Henry Schein, next to dental school Dean Jacques Nör. The event drew people from around the country, an illustration of how the school benefits from – and depends on – a wide variety of friends and supporters. See related story on Page 4.

Thank You, Donors

Stacy Vo

DDS Class of 2027

Hometown: Port Huron, Michigan

Undergraduate degree: Human Biology, Michigan State University

“I’ve wanted to be a dentist since I was a little girl in the fourth grade who depended on a dentist, an oral surgeon and an orthodontist to give me the confident smile I have today. Attending this leading dental school is already a dream for me, but receiving a scholarship has encouraged me even more to give back to those who most need proper oral healthcare. I am beyond grateful for the donors’ generosity.”

M Dentistry - Fall 2024

Transformative Generosity

Dea n ’ s Message

FEATURES

SCHOOL

DENTAL HYGIENE

FACULTY RESEARCH

Look to Michigan

A Campaign for Leadership and Innovation in Dentistry

Major Henry Schein Gift Honors Former Dean Laurie McCauley

Michel Daccache (DDS 2006): Repaying the Dental School With a Gift for the Ida Gray Fund

Julie

Thomas (DDS 1989): an Adjunct Endows a Scholarship

to Help Students Become

‘Leaders and Best’

The Gift of Art: A Fitting Tribute From a Son to a Father (Class of 1938)

Major Estate Gift Supports the Many Growing Needs of the School's Integrated Special Care Clinic

SCHOOL Faculty Member Margherita Fontana Appointed Chair of CRSE Depa r tment

School Readies for Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2025

Profile For Success Program Hosts Symposium to Celebrate 30 Years of Success Focusing on Diversity in Dentistry

2024 Profile for Success Class

School’s New Digital Center Under Construction

Faculty Member Sarah Tomaka is New Director of Dental School’s CBCE External Rotation Program

Sindecuse Spotlight

Taggart Cast Inlay Machine

Facul t y Pro f ile

Joshua Emrick: A neuroscientist and his team work on the mysteries of the oral cavity

Faculty Notes

Faculty Member Livia Tenuta to Lead International Caries-focused Journal

School Celebrates 30 Years of Training Research Scientists in its PhD Program

SPONSORED RESEARCH AWARDS

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH AND OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES

FOUNDATIONS, INDUSTRY and OTHER AWARDS

New Expedited Program for Dental Hygiene Degrees Enrolls First Coho r t

'Consumer Reports' Quotes DH Faculty Member

DH Faculty Member, Students Lead Educational Initiative on Little-known Gastroparesis Condition

STUDENTS DDS Class of 2028 Arrives

A White Coat Start

Student Notes

Reunion Weekend Draws Large Turnout of Alumni Who Return to Demonstrate Their Maize and Blue Pride!

Hall of Honor Award:

Distinguished Service Award:

Outstanding Dental Hygiene Alumni Award:

ADA Honors Dr. Joe Samona With Early-Career Award

CALLING ALL ARTISTS!

A brother and sister story

Hail to the Class of ‘59

Alumni Notes

The Rewards of Competing in the Paris Paralympics

In Memoriam

Suppor ting t he School of

Dentistr y in Many Ways

Thank You, Donors

Stacy Vo

DDS Class of 2027

Articles inside

Major Estate Gift Supports the Many Growing Needs of the School's Integrated Special Care Clinic

The Gift of Art: A Fitting Tribute From a Son to a Father (Class of 1938)

Julie Thomas (DDS 1989): an Adjunct Endows a Scholarship to Help Students Become ‘Leaders and Best’

Michel Daccache (DDS 2006): Repaying the Dental School With a Gift for the Ida Gray FundM Dentistry - Fall 2024

Major Henry Schein Gift Honors Former Dean Laurie McCauley

Dean's Message

A brother and sister story

Reunion Weekend Draws Large Turnout of Alumni Who Return to Demonstrate Their Maize and Blue Pride!

DDS Class of 2028 Arrives

New Expedited Program for Dental Hygiene Degrees Enrolls First Cohort

School Celebrates 30 Years of Training Research Scientists in its PhD Program

Faculty Profile: Joshua Emrick

Sindecuse Spotlight- Artifacts from the extensive collection at the dental school’s Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry

Profile For Success Program Hosts Symposium to Celebrate 30 Years of Success Focusing on Diversity in Dentistry

Faculty and Staff Notes

Five recents gifts that are helping transform various programs and initiatives at the school

Look to Michigan