Paula O’Neill, Ed.D., associate dean of Educational Research and Professional Development, was honored with one of three President’s Awards for Mentoring Women during the annual Committee on the Status of Women Banquet, Dec. 6.

O’Neill was nominated by Ronald Johnson, D.D.S., chief diversity officer for the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Rebecca Lopez, a former employee of the Dental Branch who worked with O’Neill for many years.

“Mentoring is a great calling. We have the opportunity to actively help current and future faculty,staff and administrators mold their future,” O’Neill said during her acceptance speech.

“As a result of this calling, we possess a piece of the process that allows us to be enriched as we mentor others.”

O’Neill called the award an “honor” and expressed appreciation to two women who have mentored her professionally —  Catherine M. Flaitz, D.D.S., dean of the Dental Branch and Patricia Butler, M.D., associate dean for Educational Programs.

For over 20 years O’Neill has been a dental/medical educator and faculty developer. Since1996 she has served in her current position at the Dental Branch, where she is also a professor in the department of Diagnostic Sciences.

Her mentoring ties to the school became even tighter in 1999 when she became part of the Health Science Center Mentoring Task Force. As a result of that experience; she initiated and developed an orientation for new faculty, which included a formal mentoring program. Based upon her mentoring work at the Dental Branch, she has become a recognized expert on mentoring and has consulted with over 80 institutions and organizations nationally and internationally.

The UT Dental Branch mentoring program is now recognized as a “best practice” by the American Dental Education Association. O’Neill has served two terms on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Dental Education, has chaired two NIH study sections, and is the principal investigator on The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Summer Medical and Dental Education Program.

Congratulations Dr. O’Neill!

Congratulations to Katie McLaren, second-year Dental Hygiene student, who was awarded a $300 scholarship from the UTDB Class of 2003 Endowed Scholarship Fund. McLaren received the award in front of her faculty and peers during the School of Dental Hygiene End-of-Year celebration.

Congratulations also goes to Misty Mayhall and Andrea Conti, two second-year students who the dental hygiene faculty also recommended for the award. 

Nina Infante, director of the School of Dental Hygiene, was chosen because she met the criteria set forth by the Class of 2003.  An important part of that criteria is showing showing potential as a future dental hygiene leader, Infante said.

“Katie certainly has the characteristics of a leader. In addition, she shows great compassion, is a highly focused and is a motivated team player. She will be an excellent ambassador and advocate for the School of Dental Hygiene.