From: Durham, Erika
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 4:24 PM
Subject: UTDB eflash (weekly edition) -- Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

DB faculty and staff develop professionally

• Gissela Anderson, D.D.S., associate professor and coordinator of Periodontics and Dental Hygiene Professional Development, along with Donald Belles, D.D.S., associate professor in Prosthodontics, have been selected to participate in the Educational Scholars Fellowship Program. The program, which is jointly sponsored by the Dental Branch, Baylor College of Medicine and UT Medical School, aims to enhance the educational missions of the schools involved by improving the knowledge, skills, scholarship and attitudes of individual faculty, thus empowering them to make a positive contribution to the college and their department.



• Veronique Delattre, D.D.S., associate professor, and Douglas Simmons, D.D.S., associate professor, both of Restorative Dentistry, along with Kim Chambers, director of Patient Services, have been selected to participate in the Class of 2006 Academic and Administrative Leadership Development Program. The primary goal of the AALDP is to develop new leadership qualities and management skills in heath science center faculty and administrators.

Welcome to the family: Four new Periodontics residents have arrived
Welcoming new faculty, staff and research postdocs to the UT Dental Branch

A hearty welcome to the four new residents in the department of Periodontics, left to right, Katy Akers, D.D.S.; Lisa Tran, D.D.S.; Magret Lan, D.D.S.; and Sid Gupta, D.B.S.

• Akers is a 2005 graduate of Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.



• Tran is a 2004 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She has just completed a year in general practice residency at the UT Dental Branch at Houston.
  


• Lan is a 1998 graduate from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She completed residency training in Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, Conn., in 2000. She has been in private practice since then.
  


• Dr. Siddharth (Sid) Gupta graduated from Dental School at the College of Dental Surgery in Mangalore, India, in 2002. He will receive a Master of Science degree from State University of New York, Stony Brook, in August of 2005.

Hygiene comes home with big win

From left to right: Hygiene graduates Nga Nguyen and Tianna Phan, with ADHA sponsor Harold Henson are shown with the winning table clinic.

The table clinic, Betel Nut: Myths, Dangers and Facts won second place during the American Dental Hygienists’ Association competition earlier this month. Shown here are School of Dental Hygiene graduates Nga Nguyen (left) and Tianna Phan (center). Harold Henson, assistant professor of dental hygiene, (right) served as the ADHA faculty sponsor, along with former faculty hygiene member Amy Murphy.

For more Dental Branch wins during the ADHA competition watch upcoming editions of the UTDB eflash.

Controversial former Surgeon General speaks at DB

She’s charismatic and controversial, highly educated and seriously dedicated to diversity in health care. That dynamic combination creates much anticipation and excitement over the keynote address of former U.S. Surgeon General M. Joycelyn Elders, M.D., during a conference for dental and medical students at the end of July. Elders will speak at 10 a.m., Wednesday, July 27, at the Dental Branch, Room 207. The speech is sponsored by The Lone Star Legacy Society.

Elders’ talk and those of others are open to the entire health science center. The presentations are a part of the 2005 Primary Care Leadership Training Program’s Achieving Diversity in Dentistry and Medicine conference, sponsored by the American Medical Student Association. Together, the Dental Branch and Medical School are hosting this year’s events Monday, July 25, through Friday, July 29. For details on other conference speakers visit the Dental Branch Web site at http://www.db.uth.tmc.edu/.

Sweet success

We did it! The health science center stepped up to the plate, donating more than 3,885 pounds of non-perishable goods and $4,300 dollars to the UT Bags Hunger Food Drive — surpassing the goal of 3,000 pounds and $4,000. Every dollar donated can purchase $25 worth of food, which means this university gave the equivalent of $107,500 worth of food to feed Houston’s hungry.

Raffle winners were Gail Whitsitt, School of Public Health, Environmental Health and Safety, who won the Kodak EasyShare camera, and Mary Ann Smith, Ph.D., Environmental and Occupational Health, who won the IPod Shuffle. Elease Jenkins, university-wide Food Drive coordinator, and Gwin Morris, Ph.D., vice president of Public Affairs, send thanks to all food drive coordinators (see list at http://www.uthouston.edu/community/food_drive/coordinators.html) and everyone who donated.

HR offers growth opportunities at DB

The UT Health Science Center’s Office of Human Resources offers several upcoming training and development opportunities within the walls of the Dental Branch, Room 139. Learn to:

• Renew your enthusiasm for work: 9 a.m.-11a .m., Friday, July 29;
• Explore Personality Types: 9 a.m.-11 a.m., Friday, Aug. 5;
• Communicate Assertively: 9 a.m.-11 a.m., Friday, Aug. 12;
• and Motivate Your Employees: 9 a.m.-11 a.m., Friday, Aug. 19
  

UTDB eflash is an electronic newsletter produced by The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. Submit items for consideration to Erika.Durham@uth.tmc.edu by Tuesdays at noon. Items may be edited for length and style.