GEORGIA REGENTS UNIVERSITY
MOUTH WORD OF
SPRING 2014
COLLEGE of DENTAL MEDICINE
BUSY AS A BEE Dental Student’s Hobby Keeps His Schedule Buzzing
MOUTH
GEORGIA REGENTS UNIVERSITY
WORD OF
COLLEGE of DENTAL MEDICINE Word of Mouth is produced biannually by the Georgia Regents University College of Dental Medicine in collaboration with the Office of Communications and Marketing.
SPRING 2014
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Opened Wide News at a Glance................................................................. 2 An App for That................................................................... 5 Tool Teaches Panoramic Anatomy, Imaging Techniques A Lofty Vantage Point....................................................... 6 Down-to-Earth Dean Has Soaring Ambitions for College
Dean Carol A. Lefebvre, DDS, MS Provost Gretchen B. Caughman, PhD GRU Interim Senior Vice President, Office of Communications and Marketing Jack Evans College of Dental Medicine Communications Manager Donna Bellino Editor Christine Hurley Deriso
DESIGN & PRODUCTION P.J. Hayes Design
PHOTOGRAPHY Phil Jones
Opening the Floodgates.................................................. 12 Record Number of Applicants Seek Spot in Freshman Class Busy as a Bee........................................................................ 18 Dental Student’s Hobby Keeps His Schedule Buzzing Dual Venture.......................................................................... 24 Partnership Targets Oral Health and Engineering Innovations Havoc in the Mouth............................................................ 23 Study Targets Oral Problems in HIV-Positive Patients TWIST of Fate....................................................................... 29 Thyroid Medication’s Link to Craniofacial Defect Explored
WRITERS
Toni Baker Christine Hurley Deriso Kelly Jasper
Student Voice....................................................................... 30 Just Add Kids by Brian Sellers
Georgia Regents University does not discriminate on
One-on-One Difference.................................................... 31 Distinguished Alumnus, Dr. Jonathan Dubin, Values Ability of Dentistry to Change Lives
the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other
Treasure Trove...................................................................... 34 Renovation Unearths Decades Worth of Dental Memorabilia Class Notes............................................................................ 36
application statutes and university policies. ©2014 Georgia Regents University
gru.edu/dentalmedicine
from the
dean
Dr. Carol A. Lefebvre
Dear Readers, I’m not the type to draw a lot of attention to myself, so it’s a little awkward introducing a magazine that features, well, yours truly. But as the new Dean of the College of Dental Medicine, I welcome the opportunity to give you a sense of my goals, my priorities, and yes, even my personality. Personalities are what make our college exceptional. I mention in the article on page 6 that you have to believe what you teach to be effective. Nowhere is that sentiment more heartfelt or widely shared than right here. It is a privilege to work alongside such caring, dedicated faculty, staff, and students. You’ll meet several of them in this edition of Word of Mouth, including Mark Bradle, who is earning his dental degree while fulfilling his passion as a beekeeper in his spare time, and 2014 Distinguished Alumnus Jonathan Dubin, whose extensive volunteerism speaks to the altruism and integrity we seek in every student. You’ll learn more about what we look for in students as you read an article on page 12 outlining our student application and admissions process. We had a record number of applicants this year, and with so many exceptional people to choose from, we expect great things from the freshmen who join our campus next year. They expect great things from us, too, and we plan to deliver — particularly in light of the gleaming new Education Commons to complement our College of Dental Medicine clinical facility. What a great place to learn! And what great people to learn from — people who believe what they teach. That’s the heart of our college. How proud I am to steer the ship. n
News at a Glance
More than 65 local schoolchildren were hosted on Feb. 7 for annual Give Kids a Smile Day. Senior dental and dental hygiene students worked with pediatric dentistry residents and faculty to provide restorative and preventive care. Dr. Tara Schafer, Associate Professor of Pediatric Dentistry, oversaw the activities, and Dr. Andy Chandler, a community pediatric dentist, volunteered his time. Shortly thereafter, Department of Pediatric Dentistry residents also took the show on the road, accompanying Students United With America’s ToothFairy to Wilkinson Gardens Elementary School. They distributed 250 Lessons in a Lunchbox kits from the Children’s Oral Health Institute to first-, second-, and third-graders. n
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The Kappa Lambda Chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon has received the 2014 OKU Chapter Award. The chapter was lauded for activities including scholarship/award programs for GRU students; co-sponsoring a luncheon with Sigma Phi Alpha, the national dental hygiene honor society, for first-year dental and dental hygiene students; joining with other GRU organizations to establish a Phi Kappa Phi honor society chapter at GRU; and promoting OKU values to GRU students and faculty. n
Faculty rose to the challenge of several weather extremes that struck the Augusta area this winter, including a snow storm, ice storm, and earthquake. The ice storm, the most treacherous of the three, brought much of the campus to a screeching halt for a couple of days in February. But the faculty ensured that clinical and educational needs went uninterrupted, including throwing some weekend service into the mix. n
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News at a Glance Former U.S. Surgeon General and Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention David Satcher met with the Class of 2017 during a visit to campus in October, spending an hour answering their questions about oral health in the United States. n Dr. Kevin Plummer, Professor and Section Director of Removable Prosthodontics, has been named Vice Chairman of the Department of Oral Rehabilitation. Plummer, who joined the faculty in 2000, teaches both pre- and postdoctoral programs. He has chaired the Infection Control and Hazards Committee and served as Vice Chairman of the Institutional Chemical Safety Committee. He also helped plan the new building, particularly the Simulation Lab and Central Sterilization, and chaired both search committees for a new Dean. n
Karolina Grochowska, a junior dental student, received the Mark Ritz Research Scholarship at the Pierre Fauchard Academy meeting in January. At the meeting, Grochowska presented her research involving the role of cancer stem cells in the development and proliferation of head and neck cancers. She conducted her research with Dr. Babak Baban in the Department of Oral Biology. n
Dr. Bruce Riggs has joined the faculty as Assistant Professor of Pediatric Dentistry. He comes to GRU from private practice in Marietta, Ga. He earned his dental degree from the University of Kentucky and completed postgraduate training in pediatric dentistry through the University of Florida College of Dentistry at Shands Hospital. n
Several faculty and students participated in the Pierre Fauchard Academy Annual Leadership Conference and Convocation in January. Drs. Kate Ciarrocca and Scott De Rossi presented lectures on oral health and sleep apnea, and three students, Ryan Bloomquist, Karolina Grochowska, and Jess Belyeu received scholarships. Also, Dr. Alan Furness, an Instructor in the Department of Oral Rehabilitation, received the Georgia Section’s Excellence in Education Award. n Dr. James Cray, Assistant Professor of Oral Biology, has been selected to participate in the Center for Scientific Review Early Career Reviewer Program. The National Institutes of Health program matches scientific review officers with reviewers for the study sections they assemble. n Department of Endodontics Chairman Frank Tay has been selected a 2014-15 American Dental Education Association Leadership Institute Fellow. n 4
Sophomore Cherie Murray has formed a College of Dental Medicine student chapter of the American Association of Public Health Dentistry. Murray, who will serve as the inaugural President, invites her fellow students to join. Drs. Kate Ciarrocca and Ranjitha Krishna are serving as faculty advisors. n Professor of Oral Biology Mahmood Mozaffari and Assistant Professor of Oral Biology Babak Baban lectured at the European Preventive, Predictive and Personalized Medicine World Congress in Brussels, Belgium in September. Mozaffari is Chief for the organization’s Diabetes Section, editor of its advanced publication on diabetes, and former Chairman of the Dental Medicine and Diabetes sessions at the meeting. n
An App for That
Tool Teaches Panoramic Anatomy, Imaging Techniques Dental students sometimes struggle to make sense of panoramic radiographs, a common X-ray used by dentists to survey the complex anatomy of the mouth. Now, there’s an app for that. Two College of Dental Medicine faculty members have worked with GRU Educational and Collaborative Technology to develop the Dental Panoramic Radiology App – available on iPhone and iPad – to teach panoramic anatomy and imaging techniques. Dr. Sajitha Kalathingal, Director of Radiology in the Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences, and Dr. Allison K. Buchanan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences, designed the app as an interactive study tool for students and a
convenient reference guide for dental professionals. “Panoramic radiography is a tool that dentists use every day in their clinical practice. The app was developed with dental students in mind, but it’s also for dental professionals,” Kalathingal said. “Because of the complexity of the anatomy, we thought a user-friendly app would be appealing. You can carry it around in your pocket on a mobile device.” The app allows users to toggle between two-dimensional X-ray images of the skull and threedimensional images of the anatomy. “Whether you’re looking at normal or abnormal anatomy, making sense of it on a panoramic radiograph can be a little bit challenging,” Kalathingal said. “People are three-dimensional.
By KELLY JASPER
But when you flatten the anatomy out onto a panoramic image, some structures appear distorted or even duplicated. Being able to switch from a 2-D picture to a 3-D picture helps students visualize and memorize why anatomy displays the way it does in panoramic images.” The app labels and describes anatomical landmarks within the maxilla, mandible, and surrounding structures of the jaw. It also includes a description of the principles of panoramic imaging. “We built in features to help the user better understand the anatomy. You can turn the highlight feature on and off and zoom in and out,” Buchanan said. “We went out of our way to make it user-friendly. We wanted it to be a tool people would actually use.” n
Drs. Allison K. Buchanan (left) and Sajitha Kalathingal
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A Lofty
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Vantage Point Down-to-Earth Dean Has Soaring Ambitions for College By Christine Hurley Deriso
Dr. Carol A. Lefebvre’s corner office on the fifth floor of the College of Dental Medicine building offers one of the most sweeping vistas on campus, including views of the gleaming new Education Commons and Paine College’s charming Gilbert-Lambuth Memorial Chapel. It’s a fitting vantage point of the many elements that combined to create the College of Dental Medicine she now oversees. Lefebvre, who was named Dean in February after serving in the interim position for several months, covets the literal and figurative lofty perspective of the legacy she has been charged with not only perpetuating, but enhancing. continued
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Believing in What You Teach “I came to Georgia Regents University because you have to believe what you teach,” says Lefebvre, who joined the faculty in 1989 as an Assistant Professor of Prosthodontics (now Oral Rehabilitation). “People here believe in what they’re doing.” She has great plans for the future of the College of Dental Medicine, but her rarefied vantage point doesn’t obscure her down-to-earth sensibilities. She knows she is only as effective as the bonds she creates with those at every level of the college community, from incoming freshmen to seasoned faculty . . . from far-flung alumni to community partners . . . from dedicated employees to sage retirees. She learned the importance of connections early on, first from hardworking parents who never finished high school yet instilled a fierce appreciation for education in Lefebvre and her sister. “My father was orphaned young, and my mom was the oldest of 13, so she got pulled out of school to help raise her siblings,” says Lefebvre. “For them, education was everything.” The mindset was reinforced by a host of mentors who went on to smooth Lefebvre’s path. “I was studying premed and spent a summer as a dental assistant for Dr. Roy H. Roberts,” she says. “This was in a blue-collar neighborhood in Michigan, and he was very devoted to his patients. He told me, ‘You need to go to dental school.’ I guess he recognized my work ethic. So with his encouragement, I went to dental school. He paid for all of my books and trained me in every aspect of his practice.”
Making a Mark She was struck not only by his ability to nurture potential, but by the broad scope of his relatively modest practice. “He went on to make a multimillion-dollar gift to the University of Michigan,” says Lefebvre. He inspired her to make her own mark – a mark that, like his, would leave a lasting legacy. She completed her dental degree and prosthodontics training at the University of Michigan, then accepted a faculty position there. “I had fully intended to go into private practice. I think the flexibility appealed to me; you can be your own boss and run your office as you see fit.” Yet she’s eternally grateful that she stumbled into academia. “If I was in a solo private practice, I would not be as happy. I like the variety of academic dentistry – teaching, research, and patient care.” She moved on from Michigan to Northwestern University Dental School, then joined the GRU faculty. “It was a good culture shock,” she says. “My husband and I had a little apartment in Chicago that, even subsidized, cost $1,100 a month in rent, and I had to park two blocks from where I lived. The day-to-day routine of city life is not so fun.” But the real draw was GRU’s advantages, as opposed to the disadvantages of big-city living. “I knew of GRU’s excellent reputation for producing very competent, capable dentists,” she says. “And I was immediately drawn to the camaraderie of the faculty. Plus, I liked the small class size. You really get to know the students here on a one-to-one basis.” continued
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Unparalleled Camaraderie She was also exhilarated to work in a research lab mentored by Dr. George Schuster, now retired, examining the biocompatibility of dental materials, and Dr. Arthur Rahn, then-Chairman of the Department of Prosthodontics. “I had great mentoring,” Lefebvre says. Other opportunities unfolded as well, including her almost-decadelong service as Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, the oldest prosthodontic journal. “I was honored to bring the journal back to GRU, where founding Dean Judson C. Hickey had also served as Editor,” she says. In 2013, she was selected to serve on the Executive Council of the Academy of Prosthodontics, and is a Fellow of the Academy of Prosthodontics, American College of Prosthodontists, and Pierre Fauchard Academy. But teaching has been the most fulfilling aspect of her career, as evidenced by Excellence in Teaching
and Outstanding Faculty Member awards. “You get really close to the students here,” she says. “They’re just the best of the best. When they go off for their residencies or begin their careers, we always hear how welltrained and well-qualified they are.” Still, when offered the opportunity to delve deeper into administration, Lefebvre jumped at the chance, eager to serve the students and the college’s other constituents globally rather than one on one. She worked closely with another mentor, former Dean Connie Drisko, in planning and designing the new College of Dental Medicine and Education Commons buildings. Lefebvre served as Vice Dean and Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Faculty Affairs before moving into the deanship.
Staying True to Her Roots She has already mapped out both short-term and long-term goals for the 45-year-old college, the state’s
A Resounding Vote of Confidence Dean Carol Lefebvre’s colleagues consider her appointment not only a testament to her expertise, but to the college that helped hone it. “It pleased me very much that the administration accepted the Search Committee’s recommendation and named her Dean,” says Dr. Kevin Plummer, Vice Chairman of the Department of Oral Rehabilitation and Chairman of the Search Committee. “It’s nice to see that your enterprise has groomed someone in a leadership role to a point that they’re ready to assume a major office.” Dr. Carole Hanes, College of Dental Medicine Associate Dean for Students, Admissions, and Alumni, concurs. “I know she will do an outstanding job,” she says of her longtime friend and colleague. “She knows the institution well and is very organized and detail-oriented while at the same time being able to look at the big picture. She’s a good listener who’s willing to learn new things, yet she’s not afraid to make decisions.” Plummer considers her one of the best-rounded dentists he knows. “She has a background both in the educational and clinical aspects of dentistry, along with a strong background in dental research. She has the tools necessary to take the dental school to the next level in supporting the vision and strategy of the university.” n
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sole dental school. The main focus, she insists, hasn’t changed since the college graduated its inaugural classes in 1973: educating and developing capable, compassionate, and entrepreneurial dentists for Georgia; performing collaborative research that enhances evidencebased clinical care; and providing cutting-edge, skillful, and patientcentered oral health care. But other priorities have emerged or intensified over the years, including serving citizens in underserved areas of the state. She is addressing the challenge with her administrative team by building on programs that offer loan forgiveness for students who commit to practicing in those areas for a designated length of time after graduating. Lefebvre is also committed to recruiting new faculty in addition to the 17 recruited in the past two years (including “magnet” researchers, funded scientists who bring their teams with them) and extensively revising the curriculum for the first time in 10 years. “We have four short years to teach students how to practice dentistry and how to run a business,” she says. “We particularly want to incorporate more interprofessional education into the curriculum, a goal with more potential than ever thanks to the Education Commons.” The Commons, opening in the fall, will serve both dental and medical students. Other goals include: n Recruiting the highest-quality and most diverse student body possible, a mission already well underway in light of a record 881 applications for next fall’s 80 freshman spots n Identifying new sites for students’ off-campus clinical rotations (three new sites were added this year alone) n Creating new international relationships and nurturing existing relationships with schools or clinics in China, Egypt, France, Italy, Peru, and Saudi Arabia
n Increasing clinical revenue, which topped $10.5 million last year, representing a 13 percent increase in patient visits and a 22 percent increase in patient procedures n Enhancing communication, which got off to a strong start this year with several new communications vehicles, inaugural retreats for staff and administration, and the creation of a New Faculty Learning Community n Increasing the momentum of an evergrowing research infrastructure, which last year saw 52 percent
increases in grant awards and National Institutes of Health funding, with 25 of 46 proposals being funded for over $12 million n Improving facilities, already greatly enhanced by the Education Commons opening next fall and the recently renovated Department of Oral Biology n Enhancing philanthropy, surpassing last year’s $1.3 million in donations Lefebvre welcomes the feedback of the College of Dental Medicine community as she fulfills these and other goals. Contact her at clefebvr@ gru.edu or 706-721-2118. n
Family First Dean Carol Lefebvre and husband Kevin Corbin, a pharmacy manager at GRU, were high school sweethearts but delayed marriage for 12 years while they completed their educations. “We never attended the same universities,” she says. Their son, Patrick, 14, is working toward becoming an Eagle Scout, and daughter Caitlin, 12, enjoys track. Her mom led her Girl Scout troop for four years. In her spare time, Lefebvre enjoys quilting, sewing, cooking, and traveling, including visiting her now-widowed father in Blue Ridge, Ga., and her sister, Diane, in Atlanta.
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n
Opening the
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Floodgates
Record Number of Applicants Seek Spot in Freshman Class
By Christine Hurley Deriso
When the College of Dental Medicine began accepting a select group of non-Georgia residents to its dental school two years ago, the floodgates opened. “Our mission is to produce dentists for the state of Georgia, and for years, we accepted only Georgia residents as students,” says Dean Carol Lefebvre. “We opened it up nationwide a couple of years ago to increase diversity, knowing the vast majority of our class would still consist of Georgia residents. Now, we’re truly seeing the best of the best.”
Cementing a National Presence
they’ll be successful academically,” she says. “But it’s not always the 4.0 students who make the best dentists.”
The Admissions Committee had its work cut out for it, as a record 881 applications – approximately 10 applicants for each spot – poured in for next fall’s first-year class. “It’s a good problem to have,” says Lefebvre. Dr. Carole Hanes, College of Dental Medicine Associate Dean for Students, Admissions, and Alumni, cheerfully agrees. “Accepting applicants nationwide is really cementing our national presence,” she says. “We’ve always had a strong applicant pool, but now that pool is considerably bigger.” And just as dentistry is both an art and a science, Hanes cites an art and a science in selecting the best candidates. “Dental school is very demanding, so we want to know
Planting the Seed And the college doesn’t simply passively accept applications. A big part of the process is actively recruiting the best students statewide and beyond, according to Stephanie Perry, College of Dental Medicine Director of Admissions. “I visit about 30 fouryear undergraduate colleges a year, talking about what we have to offer and building relationships. I’ll also visit some high schools and twoyear colleges upon request. We’re planting the seed. Some of our students I’ve known for four or five years before they have even applied.” continued
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Applications are accepted from June through Sept. 30 each year, at which point the 30-plus-member Admissions Committee rolls up its collective sleeves and gets to work. “Our process is very in-depth,” Perry says. “We have a holistic way of looking at each applicant. Of course, grades are important, but we also look at trends. Maybe someone’s overall grade point average hasn’t been stellar, but the last two years were stellar. Or maybe an applicant doesn’t do particularly well on standardized tests yet gets better each time he takes them. And although we don’t have quotas, we’re always looking for a class that represents Georgia’s population, diversity-wise. We’re very mindful of that.”
Motivation is Key Based on these and many other factors, the Admissions Committee, which includes dental students, recommends who should be invited for interviews. Upon arriving on
level, and commitment. Says Hanes, who has been at GRU for over 28 years, “I have learned over time that if we could measure motivation, it would be easy to select the class. Motivation is key.” The Admissions Committee seeks motivation not only to dentistry as a whole – time spent shadowing dentists or comparable exposure to the discipline weighs heavily – but motivation to serve others. “We look for integrity,” Hanes says simply. “There are no entitled Generation X-ers here,” Perry says with a laugh.
Blanketing the State Lefebvre concurs, noting that the committee looks for volunteerism and other indications of reaching out to society’s neediest and most vulnerable citizens. The College of Dental Medicine – Georgia’s only dental school – is proud of its commitment to blanketing the state with service, she says. “We want well-rounded, wellqualified students who know
Stats
as a Bee,” page 18.) After selecting a freshman class, the Admissions Committee aims to inform applicants of the news by Christmas. “We don’t like giving bad news to the ones who didn’t make it, but we want them to have as much notice as possible,” Perry says. “Plus, the ones who made it can breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the holidays. We also allow those who weren’t selected to make appointments and get follow-up information. They appreciate that.” Says Dr. Hanes, “We talk to them about how they can be more competitive. Lots of people reapply, and many are successful the second time, hopefully in part because of the feedback we gave them.” The selected applicants are matched with student mentors, spending a day on campus with them the spring before their freshman year. This Open Doorway Program, now an annual rite of passage, was held April 18 this year. As next fall’s freshmen file onto campus next August, the Admissions Committee will take pride in knowing they are as wellprepared and as familiar with the campus as possible. The best measure of the Admissions Committee’s success, Hanes says, is the college’s extremely low attrition rate. “Our class size will eventually grow to 100, and we want to make sure we’re making the best selections,” she says. “We try very hard not to lose people once they get here.” “Dental school is very demanding,” says Lefebvre, adding simply, “You have to want to be here. And our students do.” n
Applicants for Class of 2018: 881 Applicants from Georgia: 337 Out-of-state applicants: 544 Spots available: 84 Approximate student/teacher ratio: 7:1 Projected class size in near future: 100 campus, the interviewees spend time with the students, who answer their questions and show them around, then sit for interviews the next day. “They meet first with me, then have two one-on-one interviews with other members of the Admissions Committee,” Hanes says. The interviewers ask questions and prompt a dialogue to determine things like communications skills, problem-solving skills, maturity
dentistry is the profession for them,” Lefebvre says. “We want to make sure the students are a good fit.” Her administration is proud that applicants reflect not only ethnic diversity, but diversity in life experience as well. For instance, Hanes notes that many applications come from those seeking second careers. “We see engineers, teachers, computer programmers, pharmacists – you name it,” she says. (See “Busy
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Take My Advice Editor’s note: Several GRU dental students were asked to share their words of wisdom with incoming freshmen. Here’s what they had to say.
“Be prepared to work harder than you ever have before.” Christen Carlon, Junior
“Enjoy life now.” Charles Major, Senior
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“Go on vacation and do what you want before school starts.” LeAnn Ballentine, Senior
“Find ways to reduce stress. Get your schoolwork out of the way and find outside activities you enjoy. For me, that’s disc golf.” Blake Upshaw, Senior
“Be ready to work very hard.” Ashley Farmer, Freshman
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“Get all the sleep and play time you can before you start. Keep the stress level down.” Doug Yoon, Junior
“Take microbiology and biochemistry classes before you start. Shadow a dentist and ask lots of questions.” Chris Haggard, Junior
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Busy as a
BEE By Christine Hurley Deriso
Student’s Hobby Keeps His Schedule Buzzing
Mark Bradle’s typical weekend attire of shorts, T-shirt, and ball cap doesn’t seem unusual – until you learn
he spends his spare time as a beekeeper. “I actually prefer to dress that way [rather than donning a protective beekeeper suit]; it keeps you honest,” says Bradle, a thirdyear College of Dental Medicine student. “It prevents you from doing things that cause bees to get upset in the first place, like dropping things. There’s no choice but to pay attention.” That kind of focus has come in unbelievably handy for Bradle, a Wisconsin native who scoured the country – as well as a handful of different career paths – before making his way to Georgia Regents University. Bradle spent his 20s managing restaurants, a vocation that suited him fine until he and his wife added two children to their family.
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Balancing Family, Career “The hours just aren’t conducive to family life,” he says. “I had the exact opposite schedule of my family.” He and his wife were living in Washington State at the time and decided to go to graduate school in a balmy climate. “We made a list of all the places we wanted to go and crossed off everything with snow,” he says with a laugh. They opted for the University of Georgia, then worked while parenting and earning their master’s degrees. Neither considered the schedule a grind. “I love being in school,” Bradle says simply. He earned his MBA, then began his doctorate. But his plans were cut short when his mentoring professor died suddenly. That, combined with a tanking economy, prompted Bradle to change course yet again. This time, he pondered medical school. “I planned on it, but lots of people recommended dentistry instead,” he says. His initial application to the College of Dental Medicine was unsuccessful, but he simply redoubled his efforts when he tried again the following year. This time, he was in. He enjoyed the dubious distinction of being the school’s oldest enrollee at age 47.
“The workload is definitely higher than anything else I’ve experienced. It’s a little different than churning through 1,000 pages of research a week, which is what I was doing in business school.” mark bradle
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Dizzying Pace He loves dental school, undaunted by the dizzying pace of commuting from Savannah, Ga., where his wife works at St. Joseph’s/ Candler while ferrying their now-teenaged children throughout their busy schedules. “I leave Fridays for home as soon as I can get out of Dodge, then drive back to Augusta Sunday nights as late as I can push it,” Bradle says. “It’s not all bad, because I can keep all my focus on dental school during the week.” Even by his uber-multitasking standards, he acknowledges that dental school is “a fistful. There’s just no other way to put it. The workload is definitely higher than anything else I’ve experienced. It’s a little different than churning through 1,000 pages of research a week, which is what I was doing in business school.” Good thing he loves it. “We have lots of clinical and practical work,” Bradle says. “I love working with my hands, and I work with my hands every day. Plus, the restaurant industry prepared me to be service-oriented, so I really enjoy interacting with patients.” It’s easy to forget as he synopsizes this demanding pace that beekeeping also factors into his schedule. Ah, yes, the bees.
Hands-On When Bradle rushes home to his family every weekend, he also rushes home to thousands of insects in his organic apiary. “I usually have around 25 to 30 hives,” he says, noting that he got his start after learning to home-brew fermented honey, or mead. He reasoned, ‘Why not make my own honey?’ “I like to be very hands-on,” he says in typical understated fashion. “I wanted to do the mead from start to finish.” A friend taught him Beekeeping 101. “That’s typically how people get started,” he says. “A beekeeper taught me the basics, plus I read everything I could get my hands on – journals, books, anything I could find on the subject. Most communities also have a local
beekeepers’ association, which is a great resource. I started with two or three hives. If you start with only one hive, you don’t have anything to compare it to.” Bradle’s innate love of nature and biology have kept him everfascinated by his new “pets,” a word he doesn’t really consider a misnomer. “Bees may have been our first domesticated animal,” he notes.
‘I Love the Little Buggers’ And as is true of cats and dogs, the bees and beekeeper definitely develop chemistry. “I just love the little buggers,” he says. “They’re genetically predisposed to be defensive, but after you’ve handled them several times, they get accustomed to you and learn to recognize you. I don’t know if it’s the sound of my voice or my smell, but they definitely know who I am.” Bradle has great respect for the
Abuzz with Honeymoon Bliss The word “honeymoon,” according to uponmyword.com, sprang from the 5th Century custom of feting couples with mead, or fermented honey, during the first month of their marriage. “Mead is well-regarded for causing merriment, and there are plenty of references to its aphrodisiac properties,” according to the website. Adds Bradle, “The British would take loads of mead to weddings, and the Norse practically used it as currency.” n
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symphonic-like precision involved in bees’ lives. “Bees need a very exact amount of space to work,” he says. His hives are simple boxes with wooden frames spaced 3/8 of an inch apart holding the honeycomb. The worker bees – all female – go out and forage, then return to the hives. The drones – all male – “do nothing,” Bradle says. “They don’t even feed themselves. Their sole purpose is mating.” The drones fly in a vortex and drift between hives, flying and eating. “When the queen wants to mate, she’ll mate with the fastest drone, the first one to catch her,” Bradle says. “Once she has eggs, she’s a prisoner; she can’t leave the hive. She’s a laying machine, attended by a cohort of bees, who feed her royal jelly. Even within the worker bees, there’s a caste structure. The young bees work as housekeepers and nurses. They tend to the brood, then graduate to become foragers.”
MARK BRADLE 21
Fit for a Queen The foragers establish reference points to their home hive, flying progressively farther from it with each outing as they orient themselves. “When they go farther than their reference points, they orient themselves based on the sun’s position in the sky,” Bradle says. “Once they graduate to become foragers, that’s all they do. They work themselves to death and will probably live only about 30 days.” As they return to the hive with the nectar they’ve collected, they contribute their haul to the honeycomb, creating about a twelfth of a teaspoon of honey per bee. As for the wantonly lazy drones, Bradle notes that they eventually pay a steep price for their sexism. “When the weather turns cold, the worker bees force the drones out of the hive,” Bradle says. “They’re just a drain on resources by then.” They generally starve to death at that point. The queen lives an average of three to five years, though commercial beekeepers generally re-queen their hives twice a year. Bradle sells his honey on weekends at the Savannah Farmer’s Market at Forsythe Park. “My honey is really unique, because the area is predominantly wild forage; there are no nearby farms,” he says. “There’s a unique combination of flowers and trees, and the property is on the edge of a marsh, so my honey is very earthy with a subtle salt flavor. I sell it for about $12 a pound, a little more expensive than most, but because of my organic certification, I can charge a bit of a premium.” He has many regular customers, as well as a steady supply of tourists.
Taking the Sting Out of Beekeeping
Developing Workarounds Bradle acknowledges that beekeeping, particularly on his scale, is more than a weekend endeavor. “If I hadn’t gotten into dental school, I was going to go into beekeeping full time,” he says. “It’s much harder work than most people realize. I have friends who help me during the week, and I’ve developed workarounds – different ways to do things when I can’t physically be there.” He plans to continue beekeeping after starting a general dentistry practice upon graduation next year – sans his family’s involvement, he adds with a laugh. “My kids were involved when they were younger, but they’ve lost interest,” he says. “They have their own activities and don’t want to hang out with the old man and his bees anymore unless I pay them. And my wife’s not involved. She’s busy being a supermom, working full time and raising two teenagers while I’m gone.” No problem. His workerbee personality ensures a steady stream of energy to devote to a passion he enjoys more with every passing year. “The more you understand biology, the better you can manage bees,” he says. “I’m getting better all the time.” n
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Mark Bradle acknowledges he’s been stung by his bees “thousands of times” but says the occasions have become exceedingly rare. “I really swelled up the first 30 or 40 times, but you develop a tolerance after a while,” he says. “Plus, you learn how to avoid getting stung. That last thing on bees’ to-do list is ‘Go sting Bradle,’ but there are hundreds of things you can do to push that to the top of their list.” He cites “conniption fits” and “the crazy dance” as prime examples – the tendency to tense up or swat bees away. “As soon as you start swatting at them, they get riled up,” Bradle says. “They can sense fear and tension.” Also on their short list of stingworthy behavior? “They hate getting caught in people’s hair,” Bradle says. “It stresses them out, so I always wear a hat.” Hot and rainy weather can also get bees “pretty peppery,” he says, “but I work with Italian bees, which are generally very gentle. They’ve been bred for countless generations to be easy to work with.” Despite his unerring instincts, Bradle insists it’s better to be safe than sorry. “I always carry an EpiPen.” n
Dual Venture Partnership Targets Oral Health/Engineering Innovations By KELLY JASPER
Georgia’s only dental school has partnered with the state’s largest program in materials science to advance engineering-related innovations in oral health. The partnership will initially fund three research projects pairing faculty and researchers from Georgia Regents University College of Dental Medicine with the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Materials Science and Engineering. continued
Dr. David Pashley, GRU Regents Professor of Oral Biology, and Dr. Seung Soon Jang, Georgia Tech Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, will develop a computer model to test the bond of solvents and adhesive monomers used in restorative dentistry.
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“This project allows students to help build new technologies at the ground level,” said GRU College of Dental Medicine Dean Carol Lefebvre. “They learn how innovations are developed in real-world offices and labs, drawing on the strengths and expertise of a uniquely qualified team of researchers. It’s all about teambuilding, which is increasingly important for funding.” Ultimately, the new GRU-Georgia Tech partnership could lead to federal research funding. “As the funding climate for biomedical research becomes more competitive, multidisciplinary collaborations among University System of Georgia institutions will become more important,” Hamrick said. “It is ultimately a great benefit to the state for us to find new ways to partner, collaborate, and innovate.” n
“No one scientist or lab has the expertise to cover all the bases. Collaborations and partnerships infuse new ideas, approaches, and methodologies into a particular research program that would not otherwise be possible,” said Dr. Mark Hamrick, GRU Senior Vice President for Research. “The long-term benefit for Georgians will be new innovations in health care that are good for everyone.” The partnership, more than a year in the making, optimizes the strengths of each school, according to Department of Periodontics Chairman Christopher Cutler. “You could see light bulbs go off in the room as we figured out how our needs and their needs aligned,” he said. “Dentistry is full of novel materials that have to survive the very wet cavity of the mouth. The range of dental materials we use is amazing. It requires novel engineering and approaches, which is why the partnership with Georgia Tech is such a great match.” The researchers rely on biweekly Skype sessions to communicate and are facilitating exchanges between GRU students in Augusta and Georgia Tech students in Atlanta.
Dr. Franklin Tay, GRU Chairman of the Department of Endodontics, and Dr. Satish Kumar, Georgia Tech Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, will examine using bioactive glass fibers to repair the effects of certain bone-wasting diseases in the mouth.
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Dr. Christopher Cutler, GRU Interim Associate Dean for Research and Chairman of the Department of Periodontics, and Dr. Kenneth Sandhage, Georgia Tech Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, will develop technology to image soft tissues in the mouth.
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Havoc in the Mouth
By TONI BAKER
Study Targets Oral Problems in HIV-Positive Patients Researchers want to help HIV-positive patients live better by understanding why their essentially dormant infection can still wreak havoc in the mouth. Tooth decay, gum disease, and infections plague many of these patients, even those with meticulous dental hygiene, said Dr. José A. Vazquez, Chief of the Section of Infectious Diseases at the Medical College of Georgia.
from the mouths of 440 HIV-positive patients. Their molecular tests on the specimens should yield a snapshot of the living organisms in the mouth as well as a T-cell count, an indicator of the activity level of the immune system. They will compare those findings with uninfected individuals.
Census of the Mouth They also are looking at whether antiretroviral therapy changes the community of oral organisms, called microbiota, by taking a census both before and after therapy and by comparing patients who have oral complications with those who don’t.
“If we can improve the oral health of these patients, we believe it will further improve their overall health,” Vazquez said. He and Dr. Scott S. De Rossi, Chairman of the College of Dental Medicine Department of Oral Health and Diagnostic Sciences, are investigators on a National Institutes of Health-funded study to better determine whether the problem is the HIV infection, the antiretroviral therapy, or both. They have joined researchers at Louisiana State University and The Ohio State University in collecting specimens
Dr. José A. Vazquez 26
They are assessing the general health of the teeth and gums as well. “Another big question is why these patients have such bad gum disease and tooth decay,” said Vazquez, a principal investigator on the new study that brings $1.5 million in NIH funding to the university. While even a healthy mouth is full of bacteria – in fact, more than 600 species play a role in keeping the mouth healthy – Vazquez and De Rossi suspect a different set of bacteria sets up shop in these patients. Vazquez’s lab also will analyze the different types of yeast recovered from study patients to determine if HIV patients have more aggressive or treatment-resistant strains.
and how it advances in HIV patients from a state of colonization to a tiny lesion, to a little wart, to maybe head and neck cancer that requires major surgery.” The researchers note that anyone whose immune system is compromised by disease or treatment, such as cancer patients receiving chemotherapy or radiation, may experience similar oral health concerns. Antiretroviral therapies, in use for about a decade, have dramatically improved survival by inhibiting replication of HIV in all cells so that levels of infection-fighting T-cells can normalize. However, the researchers suspect it does not restore normal microbiota composition in the mouths of these patients. Georgia Regents Health System follows about 1,800 HIV-positive patients and is adding approximately 15 newly diagnosed patients per month. n
Early Sign of Trouble “One of the earliest signs of HIV can be a yeast infection in the mouth,” said Vazquez. In the worst-case scenario, this fungal infection can block the esophagus, potentially causing dehydration by impeding swallowing. In fact, when De Rossi sees a patient with an oral yeast infection, he may suggest an HIV test after ruling out more common causes such as antibiotic use. Antifungal drugs are highly effective, but a few missed doses can enable the fungus to develop a protective film of sugar, called a biofilm, and become treatment-resistant. “To successfully treat a yeast infection, you need a combination of some kind of host immune response and the antifungal medication,” Vazquez noted. HPV, more commonly known as a cause of cervical cancer, was not a significant problem in HIV patients until the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy, said De Rossi, a study co-investigator. Once it has found a home, the virus can move quickly throughout the mouth and beyond as patients inadvertently bite the area. Treatment tends to work marginally and the virus often resurfaces, spreads, and can cause head and neck cancer.
Charting the Evolution “We don’t know a lot about the evolution of HPV in the mouth of anybody,” Vazquez said. “We have to characterize this HPV infection
DR. SCOTT DE ROSSI 27
DR. JAMES CRAY
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TWIST of Fate
Thyroid Medication’s Link to Craniofacial Defect Explored By CHRISTINE HURLEY DERISO
A GRU craniofacial biologist is probing the increasingly clear link between a congenital skull defect and thyroid hormone replacement drugs taken during pregnancy. Dr. James Cray, Assistant Professor of Oral Biology in the College of Dental Medicine, recently obtained a $225,000 National Institutes of Health grant to pursue his studies of craniosynostosis. Newborns with the condition are missing the joints (“soft spot”) in the head that accommodates brain growth. Without it, the skull’s fibrous articulations prematurely fuse by turning into bone. “Most people think of the skull as a single bone, but it’s actually a group of bones,” said Cray, who joined GRU in 2011 after completing his PhD and postdoctoral studies at the University of Pittsburgh. “In the case of craniosynostosis, the brain is trying to grow against a structure that won’t expand.” In studying several factors potentially linked to craniofacial birth defects, including nutrition and drug use during pregnancy, Cray and his colleagues have homed in on thyroxine (commonly known as Levothyroxine), used to supplement the function of the thyroid for those who have had the gland surgically removed or those whose thyroid underperforms. The thyroid, one of the largest endocrine glands, produces hormones that influence
almost all metabolic processes in the body. His animal studies point to a brief period relatively early in gestation when a fetus is most susceptible to the effects of its mother’s use of thyroxine. “In the 1960s, case studies first linked birth defects to Grave’s disease, which is altered thyroid production during pregnancy,” Cray said. “Then, in the 1990s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention really looked at the issue from an epidemiological standpoint. The research from that point on has shown that exogenous thyroxine certainly does cross the placental barrier.” His studies implicate the gene TWIST 1 and other genes related to the biochemical pathways of structures and cells in the skull. “Why should an area that shouldn’t have bone grow bone?” he mused. “It should be fibrous tissue that expands and contracts. Instead, it’s bone. There seems to be a very short period of time that the drug has a great effect on the [associated genes].” He stressed that thyroid treatment is vital for those who need it, including pregnant women. “There’s no case to be made for stopping treatment during pregnancy, which could harm both mother and fetus,” Cray said. But proper dosing of thyroxine is essential, he stressed, particularly during the vulnerable window of time.
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“Thyroid levels go up and down all the time in response to things like diet and activity,” he said. “And the thyroid only makes as much hormone as it needs to. If you take a supplement, it makes less.” So careful dosage control could reduce the risks of birth defects, Cray said, noting he and fellow researchers are also studying other drugs and environmental toxins that may be implicated. They recently published their findings in PLoS ONE. The ultimate goal, of course, is preventing the birth defects. “Surgery to treat craniosynostosis is very successful, but children with this birth defect are lifelong cases,” Cray said, noting that multiple surgeries are generally needed before age 5. “We should never take neurosurgery lightly.” And even those successfully treated often have misshapen skulls throughout their lives, he said, sometimes along with cognitive and developmental deficits. The birth defect affects about one in 1,800 newborns, with the risk increased two-and-a-halffold when thyroxine is used during pregnancy. About 4.6 percent of American adults have hypothyroidism, and thyroid alternations occur in about one of every 500 pregnancies, “so we’re looking at a very common condition,” Cray said. “Screening and prevention [of related birth defects] is the goal.” n
STUDENT VOICE
BRIAN SELLERS, Class of 2015
Just Add Kids When my family leaves for an adventure, we always use this checklist: cash, car, keys, clothes, and kids. Each of these checks arrived on the list after much consideration or comical tragedies. Whether it was the time we went out of town with $3.86 in our pockets and no wallet, or the four-day trip where everyone had one pair of underwear, or when cable went out and as newlyweds we got bored playing Monopoly . . . there was always a reason. So when we got ready to leave, we started checking: old beat-up truck, check; enough gas money to make it to Augusta, check; keys to said truck, check; clothes (ties for one month and two new suits), check; wife excited for the new adventure and life change, check. Now, just add kids. . . . Aaahhh, there’s the rub. Unlike the majority of my fellow students, I came to dental school with family in tow. My sons were 7 and 11 when we arrived for freshman orientation. With them came a whole bunch of extra questions and problems (opportunities) to work out: What area has the best schools? How will the kids make new friends? How will I make time to be a father amid the rigors of dental school? These were just a few things my wife and I had to consider before I even got accepted, but once we got that call, it was real! We spent hours talking and searching the Internet. I called former students and asked any question that might add clarity. I prayed ... a lot! Through all of this, we came up with our plan: acknowledge, enlighten, and include. The first thing we did was sit the boys down and let them know we understood their sacrifice and challenges of moving. We let them tell us anything they wanted about what they would miss or what scared them about the move. Then, we explained the reason for our new direction in life, noting that my new career pathway would enable us to help others and improve our family’s future. Finally, we confronted the sacrifice it would take to reach this goal. We discussed the time it would take
me away from them, how I wouldn’t be able to make it to every football game, although I would attend as many as possible. We also discussed the boys’ sacrifice as an investment in our family. We were doing this as a family, and their part was no less significant than mine or my wife’s. What amazed me was their response and immediate sense of buy-in. They did not like the idea of giving things up, or changing their comfort bubble, but instead of crying and fussing, they took the high road and embraced the challenge and commitment to “our” family. I had totally underestimated their ability to see the bigger picture. In fact, I wish they had had this talk with me instead. I could have used it! I am not sharing this story to tell you how proud I am of my kids or to say we are the greatest parents ever. Although both of those facts are undeniably true (insert wink here), I share this to recognize the many, many stories that show great sacrifice and dedication to family that I have heard throughout dental school. I have heard of reading anatomy books with an infant sleeping on one’s chest. I have heard of rushing home after labs to relieve a spouse of baby duties. Some classmates are working part-time jobs with toddlers playing at their feet. Some are embarking on parenthood for the first time amid the toughest academic journey they have experienced. Countless similar stories go unsaid and unacknowledged. As students, we are all taught to be problem solvers, time managers, and planners. As parents, we learn that most problems are solved with time and patience, though time is never abundant enough no matter what we do, and plans change every second. Dental school is a life-changing experience that we will remember forever, but when you think it is as tough as it can get. . . . Just add kids. n P.S. Feel free to borrow mine!
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ALUMNI PROFILE
One-on-One Difference
Distinguished Alumnus Values Ability of Dentistry to Change Lives By CHRISTINE HURLEY DERISO
Dr. Jonathan Dubin has always been such a multitasking overachiever that he’s one of the few people who was undaunted by the rigors of dental school. “When I was an undergraduate at the University of Georgia, I had to work every weekend at my uncle’s bakery,” he says. “When I started dental school, I thought, ‘Hey, I don’t have to do that anymore!’” Dubin, who graduated from the College of Dental Medicine in 1983, had originally set his sights on being a veterinarian, “but I worked for one for a year and it wasn’t quite what I imagined,” he says. “I didn’t think I’d be able to deal with losing patients. On the other hand, I’d always liked my dentists, so I looked into that, took the entrance exam, and did well.” Head and Shoulders Above the Rest Once at GRU, he found he enjoyed the pace – “it reminded me of my schedule in Jewish day school,” he says – and enjoyed the people even more. “I thought our faculty were head and shoulders above the rest,” he says. “If they wanted you as a student, they let you know it and treated you as a peer. [Founding Dean] Judson C. Hickey was a big part of that. He did a tremendous job creating a supportive environment. I had 62 classmates and was friends with just about everyone.” He loved the coursework, too, but 31
acknowledges he had a lot to learn. “I didn’t know a molar from an incisor when I started dental school,” he says. “I had a lot of learning to do, but I enjoyed it.” After earning his degree, he hung his shingle in Atlanta practicing general dentistry. Though he and his associate treat thousands of patients, Dubin loves the flexibility of his career. “I set my own hours,” he says. “When my sons were born, I tailored my hours to spend one day a week taking care of them, then closed the office early a couple of days a week so I could pick them up from school.”
Changing People’s Lives Yet he treasures every moment spent in the office. “I enjoy the technical work, the science, and mostly working with people,” he says. “Dentists can change people’s lives. Materials and technology have improved so much over the years and afforded us greater opportunities to serve our patients. There aren’t many other careers where you can make such a significant one-on-one difference.” He’s also active in the Georgia Dental Association, Pierre Fauchard Academy, and Dental Hinman Society, among other professional organizations, addressing issues including third-party reimbursement and access to dental care. The latter challenge is particularly close to his heart. Dubin volunteers regularly for the Ben Massell Dental Clinic and co-chaired the Georgia Mission of Mercy events in 2011 and 2013. Both initiatives enlist volunteer dentists and other oral health care professionals to serve thousands of low-income citizens. “I’ve worked with some exceptional GDA volunteers,” says Dubin, whose many contributions to dentistry were among the factors that culminated in his being named the 2014 Distinguished Alumnus for the GRU College of Dental Medicine. “I really look up to them.”
The 2013 Georgia Mission of Mercy took place June 13-16 at the North Atlanta Trade Center in Norcross, Ga. Almost 1,500 clinical and general practitioners volunteered $1.588 million worth of dental services to 1,619 patients. “The event helped many patients in dire need, and that was due to the hard work of our volunteers, Georgia Mission of Mercy leads, sponsors, donors, and
Enjoy the Ride
event Co-Chairs Karyn Stockwell and
Dubin’s older son, Zachary, volunteered for Mission of Mercy as well and will join next year’s GRU College of Dental Medicine freshman class. “My advice to him was to enjoy the ride and do the best he can,” says Dubin, adding that he envies the environment his son will learn
Jonathan Dubin,” said 2012-13 GDA President Sidney Tourial, himself a Mission of Mercy volunteer. “The GDA believes this event accomplished the goals of providing urgent care to lowincome adults, educating patients about oral health, raising awareness about access to dental care, and challenging policy makers to do their part in improving the oral health of those who have difficulty obtaining care.” The next Georgia Mission of Mercy will be held in 2015 near Macon, Ga. n
gadental.org/mission-of-mercy.html
TRACI DUBIN WITH DAUGHTER MYLEE 32
in, including the new College of Dental Medicine clinical facility and the Education Commons. “It almost makes me want to go back to school,” he says cheerfully. As proud as Dubin is that his son is following in his footsteps, he’s even more proud of his children’s character. Dubin noted that the son accepted into dental school recently showed tremendous maturity by spending seven months caring for a terminally ill aunt. “I was really proud of the way he stepped up for that.” The sons are young adults now (the younger one is studying computer science), but Dubin is still elbow-deep in raising children. He and wife Traci, a biostatistics professor at Emory University, added daughter Mylee to the family seven years ago. “She has more shoes than my boys ever had combined,” Dubin says with a laugh. He manages to squeeze activities including fitness and photography into his busy schedule but is gratified that most of his time is spent doing what he loves most: being a father and a dentist. Says Dubin, “I don’t know of any other profession that has so many opportunities to give back.” n
Philanthropist Morris Hirsch established the Morris Hirsch clinic around the turn of the 20th century to provide outpatient medical care to those unable to afford it. A dental program was added in 1929. In 1956, brothers Irving and Marvin Goldstein enlisted the help of Ben Massell, one of Atlanta’s premier builders and developers, to move the clinic from downtown Atlanta to Pryor Street. In 1959, urban renewal and eminent domain laws necessitated another move. Massell, with the help of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, secured a new home on 7th Street in midtown Atlanta, where it remained for 49 years. In honor of his assistance, the clinic was renamed the Ben Massell Dental Clinic. In 2005, Gary Miller, CEO of Jewish Family & Career Services, helped raise $5.5 million to update the clinic, which now stands at 700 14th Street in Atlanta. n
benmasselldentalclinic.org
THE DUBIN CHILDREN
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Treasure Trove Renovation Unearths Decades Worth of Dental Memorabilia By CHRISTINE HURLEY DERISO
When Kathy Schofe relocated from the Summerville Campus to the former dental building on LaneyWalker Boulevard last year, she had no idea she’d moved into a veritable treasure trove.
To make a donation, share a memory, or share information about the dental collection, contact Schofe at kschofe@gru.edu or 706-446-4802. KATHY SCHOFE (LEFT) AND ROBIN MEDLOCK
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Schofe, Director of Community Relations and Museums in the Office of Communications and Marketing, is overseeing several projects, but the one closest to her heart is laying the groundwork for Georgia Regents University museums. Locations and opening dates aren’t finalized, but she and Community Relations Coordinator Robin Medlock are already elbow-deep in memorabilia. Ironically, one of the biggest sources of material has been right under her nose. The OCM staff recently moved into temporary offices during renovation of the almost 50-year-old dental building, and the gutting of the facility has laid bare decades worth of artifacts. “I’ve got box after box of wonderful things,” said Schofe. “I’m trying to save every tool, every beaker, every old drill. . . . not to mention models, research materials— just an incredible assortment of memorabilia.” She’s enjoyed something of a crash course in College of Dental Medicine history as she has identified and catalogued her finds. “I know a tremendous amount about the history of the [former Augusta State University],” she said, “but I have lots to learn about the Health Sciences Campus. And the more I learn, the more I realize that although both campuses have distinct histories, they’ve been extensively intertwined over the years.” Dr. Lee Ann Caldwell, GRU Professor of History and Director of the Center for the Study of Georgia History, and Medical Historian in Residence Lois T. Ellison enumerated examples of shared history in the spring 2013 edition of GRU’s Gravity magazine. “There’s always been a cooperative spirit among the two campuses,” Ellison said in the article. “It’s really hard to pull those threads apart,” Caldwell concurred, citing examples such as joint classes, pipeline programs, joint community service projects, and even sports matchups. Said Schofe, “I knew [the former Medical College of Georgia] had a football team, but I didn’t realize they had other sports as well, including rugby and basketball. The more I uncover, the more exciting these museums will be.” She envisions having separate museums, or separate displays, devoted to medicine, dentistry, ASU, the arsenal, and art, among other categories. Thanks to the gutted dental building, dentistry is emerging as the largest collection. Alumni and friends of the College of Dental Medicine are also making contributions. “An old dental chair was the first donation to the museum,” Schofe noted. She welcomes more donations, as well as information about the finds to date. “It’s exciting to see history preserved,” she said. “Everybody has their memories, and we need to hold onto them. I’ll be contacting individuals and departments to make sure we preserve as many of those memories as possible.” n 35
CLASS NOTES Dr. Tara Forester Perry (’01) recently completed a miniresidency in dental sleep medicine co-sponsored by the American Academy of CranioFacial Pain and Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Perry practices in Suwanee, Ga. Dr. Rhoda Sword (’03), Assistant Professor of Oral Rehabilitation in the College of Dental Medicine, has been named a Fellow of the Academy of Dentistry International. She is one of three College of Dental Medicine Alumni Association representatives to the GRU Alumni Board. Dr. Faith Drennon (’06) has assumed the practice Newport Pediatric Dentistry in Rhode Island. Dr. Anna Schultz (’13) completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency at the University of Rochester Eastman Institute for Oral Health in 2013 and practices as an associate at Stiehl Dental in Newnan, Ga.
Drs. Scott Carter, Shannon Thorsteinson, and Brooke Usry, all of whom completed General Practice Residencies at GRU, have been named Fellows of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. Drs. Misha Ghazarian, Andrew Hamilton, and Jonathan Johnson, also alumni of the General Practice Residency, completed mastership requirements of the Implant Prosthetics Section. Dr. David Alford, a 2013 graduate of the Periodontics residency, has received the Dr. and Mrs. Gerald M. Kramer Scholar Award for Excellence from the American Academy of Periodontology Foundation. Scholarship criteria include integrity, academic achievement, and community involvement.
Dr. Christopher DeLeon, a 2014 graduate of the College of Dental Medicine Orthodontics residency program, has opened a practice in Savannah, Ga. Dr. Paul Trotter, a 2014 graduate of the College of Dental Medicine Orthodontics residency program, has joined his father’s practice in Augusta, and they will soon open a second office in Evans, Ga. Dr. Bart Wilson, a 2014 graduate of the College of Dental Medicine Orthodontics residency program, practices in San Antonio.
Got news? Give us a shout. Christine Hurley Deriso, Editor cderiso@gru.edu, 706-721-2124
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WE NEED
HEROES Meet Darrell Byrd, one of our volunteers at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia. He’s a banker and a news junkie. He enjoys kayaking and walking on the beach. But to Emma and the other kids being treated at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia – he’s a hero.
Volunteer or make a gift today. Come on, be a hero. giving.gru.edu/heroes 706.721.4004
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