In Sympathy

Dr. Mary Ann Lester (Perio ’94) January 28, 2022 Dr. Lester dedicated her time to the Periodontics Residency Program and remained on the part-time faculty throughout her career in Rochester. She owned a successful periodontal practice in Rochester for 26 years, where her office was one of the first in Western NY to introduce 3-Dimensional radiography for diagnosis and surgical care. She collaborated in a multi-center clinical trial for developing a new implant system and also worked to advance healing outcomes as a co-investigator using amniotic stem cells in periodontal and implant applications, and often lectured in local, national and international arenas.

Dr. Robert J. Berkowitz

November 3, 2021 Dr. Berkowitz, former chair, EIOH Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program, served in academic settings at University of Maryland, University of Pennsylvania, Case Western Reserve, Columbia University, University of Texas, Houston, and Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. before coming to Eastman Institute for Oral Health in 1992. He first served as the program director, and then became chair in 1997. He is credited for reimagining the Residency Program and charting a course to align pediatric oral health as part of overall pediatric health for the children of Rochester. His research and many publications on Early Childhood Caries and its prevention was not only pioneering, but field advancing. Dr. Jeffrey P. Feingold (Gen Den ‘72) October 7, 2021 While completing his residency at EIOH, he donated his time and skills treating migrant farmworkers. This work touched his heart and would be instrumental in his future as an innovator in the dental profession. He was a change agent in dental managed care across the nation and developed the concept of combining general dentistry and multiple dental specialties under one roof, co-founding the Dentaland Organization. Dentaland offices treated many patients from underserved communities who suffered greatly from dental disease but could not get proper care. He championed their needs for affordable, high quality dental care for Florida’s children and adults by founding Managed Care of North America, Inc., with the goal of managing Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) dental benefits for state agencies.

Dr. Buddhi Shrestha

(GenDen ‘69, MS ‘70, PhD ‘80) October 3, 2021 Dr. Shrestha was a communityoriented practitioner, researcher, educator, administrator, and social change agent who advocated tirelessly on behalf of underserved NYS residents, particularly children. He enjoyed a distinguished career in dental academia and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to receive advanced clinical training in the U.S. Dr. Shrestha completed the General Dentistry program and also received Pediatric Dental training at Eastman Dental. He later earned an MS in Dental Science and PhD in Pathology, the latter through a National Research Service Award from NIH.

In addition to his extensive research

Dr. Shrestha: Married for 33 years, Dr. Buddhi Shrestha and his wife Sheila Shrestha (MS ’84) met when he was an AEGD resident and she was a lab tech at the Eastman Dental Dispensary. She worked as a UR Research associate professor in Oral Sciences doing dental research at Eastman Dental. work in preventing dental decay, Dr. Shrestha played a key role in expanding access to oral health care in upstate New York and beyond. Dr. Shrestha founded the Rochester Regional Oral Health Coalition, helped pass state laws for licensure of dentists trained outside the U.S., and served on the NYS Dept. of Health, Medicaid Dental Managed Care Work Group in Albany, where he represented Rochester and Finger Lakes interests. During his tenure as director of Community Dentistry at Eastman Dental Center/URMC, Dr. Shrestha expanded the center’s Smilemobile program to increase children’s access to oral health care. As a result of his substantial contributions toward improving oral health, Dr. Shrestha was recognized with numerous awards.

Dr. Ziegler

Dr. Meyers Dr. Leonardo M. Abelardo (Pedo ’65) passed away February 3, 2022. Dr. Howard W. Schneider (Pedo ’89) passed away January 23, 2022. Dr. Bill Ziegler (Ortho ’91) passed away January 14, 2022. Dr. Richard Myers, longtime Orthodontics part-time faculty member, passed away January 16, 2022.

Joan Ellen (Hamilton) Dundorf, 88, passed away Aug. 20, 2021. She was a graduate of the Eastman Dental Dispensary School of Dental Hygiene. Dr. James Kennedy (Perio ’69, MS ’69) passed away July 7, 2021. Bruce Bates, a longstanding Eastman Dental Center Foundation Board member, passed away May 28, 2021. Dr. Lonnie Slapar passed away May 23, 2021. He served as part-time faculty in General and Community Dentistry since 1995. Betty Tishkoff, a long time dental assistant in Periodontics, passed away April 28, 2021. Dr. Michael Kantor (Perio ‘77, MS ‘77) passed away on March 12, 2021.

Mr. Bates

Dr. Slapar