Hello, fellow dental students. This year has been an exciting one for our ASDA chapter. Every member has worked extremely hard to represent our school at multiple national, district and local events. As we transition to a new executive committee in the spring, we look forward to seeing all of the knowledge and wisdom we passed down come to fruition. Simon, will be taking over as the newsletter editor. If you don’t know who he is you can see a pic of him below:
As you can see from this past year, he has some really big shoes to fill. This is my last newsletter and I hope you enjoy reminiscing on what UT ASDA has done over the past year. -Chris Robertson, Editor
Get to Know an ASDA member: Gannon Van Allen
Hello, everybody. My name is Gannon Van Allen and I am currently a D4 and the Social Media chair for ASDA. For those who are interested, a few things about me that you should know. If you have been over to my apartment, you may have noticed all the Angels jerseys hanging in the living room. That is because I am a huge Angels fan. In fact, I sleep with a Mike Trout poster taped to my ceiling which is great because it’s the last thing I see before I fall asleep and the first thing I see when I wake up. The dead deer head hanging on the wall is not mine though. That belongs to my redneck roommate, Kyle. You may not know he lives in the apartment because he goes to bed at 8 o’clock. I once competed in an taco eating contest when On The Border was having all you can eat tacos for $7.99. I ate 15 and finished second to Nathan Heinsohn (20 tacos) because he is more man than me. My biggest claim to fame is the fact that I have the prettiest hair in dental school. My flowing locks attract the jealousy of all the other males and most of the females in dental school. Did you know Zac Berry makes a special pilgrimage to the south side of clinic every week just to run his fingers through my hair? Well, now you do. In fact, my glistening head of hair has earned me the nickname “Cali Swag.” If you’re even in clinic, you should make your way over to Group 8 and watch me compete in Chair Curling every morning. The current leaderboard shows Chris Wilson is the current champion, but we all know he uses PEDs and that I am the true champion.
ASDA National Convention: Anaheim, CA
At the end of February, members of the UT ASDA chapter executive committee attended the ASDA Annual Sessions in Anaheim California. Disneyland Hotel was the host for an incredible weekend. While there, we voted on the new national ASDA leadership and current issues and were updated on many of the important issues currently being debated in dentistry ranging from mid-level providers to the Affordable Care Act. However, we were not all about business on this trip. We were able to spend one afternoon hanging out on the beach, as well as join all our fellow Annual Sessions attendees for a night at Disneyland. Annual Sessions is a great way to meet fellow dentists and students from around the country. Perhaps most importantly, with ASDA being the student equivalent of the ADA, it allows you to hear first hand from the people who are on the front lines fighting to keep the field of dentistry as great as it is today.
A Dental Holiday As you all know, the holiday season is upon us. Thanksgiving passed quickly by, and Christmas will be here before we know it. D4s and D2s are getting ready for their respective board examinations, so shopping for the holidays might not be at the top of everybody’s list. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered for all your holiday needs. Take a look at these amazing dental themed gifts you could get for all your family members. First, for your fur babies. If your dog is anything like my lab, they will love chasing this ball around the yard. And who wouldn’t love a smile like that.
For your human babies. Nobody like a cold head, so keep your baby’s ears and head warm with a tooth beanie.
For the baker in your family, there are many kitchen inspired gifts to keep your belly full of holiday treats, such as the cookie cutter and cookie jar shown below.
Other great gifts include: golf tees for the golfer and every dental student needs a good coffee mug for those late nights studying.
Finally, for those that are reluctant to floss by conventional methods‌ maybe bacon and cupcake flavored floss will help inspire them!
A Tribute to Emalie
Heeeere’s Brian! Brian Platt is a D3 at the UT College of Dentistry. He previously served as Treasurer for the local ASDA chapter and is an active member of the Xi Psi Phi fraternity. Brian was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas and is a proud graduate of the University of Arkansas. Woo Pig Sooie! With all the free time dental school provides, Brian enjoys sports, playing the piano, and crimping stainless steel crowns. We wish Brian the best of luck and look forward to what Brian will bring as he takes over as president of our great ASDA chapter!
Thanks to everyone for your hard work this year! I hope you all have enjoyed the newsletters this year and best of luck to those taking over new ASDA executive positions in your leadership roles--thank you all for working for the benefit of your colleagues. Good luck to all the D2s and D4s taking boards this December! -Chris Robertson, Editor
President ……………………........ Emalie Bent Secretary …………………........... Cayce Connolly Editor………………………………... Chris Robertson Editor-Elect……………………….. Simon Chanin Community Service …………… Amber Owens Community Service-Elect…… Molly Bell Treasurer …………………………… Brian Platt Treasurer Elect…………………... John Scott Social Chair………………………… Amechi Echetebu Lunch & Learn……………………. Kyle Coghlan Vendor Fair Chair……………….. Andrew Johns Vendor Fair Chair-Elect………. Creighton Powell Webmaster………………………… Amir Francis Legislative Liaison………………. Alex Fitzhugh Legislative-Elect…………………. Ryan Roberts New Member Chair…………… Nathan Heinsohn Arkansas Rep…………………….. Kyle Taylor Tennessee Rep…………………… Charlie Felts Social Media Chair……………… Gannon Van Allen