Topics at a glance: Society for Color and Appearance in Dentistry plans inaugural conference in July … PEDS wants you! Pediatric Education Dental Society seeks new members …Miles for Mina: TAWD sponsors walk in memory of dental student …Dr. Vaughan earns fellowship In Academy of General Dentistry … SAVE THE DATE: Senior Awards Banquet set for April 23 …Rio Grande Valley District Dental Society hosts Dean Flaitz …Win a Houston Rockets-autographed basketball …Family Medical Leave Act Updates

Rade D. Paravina, D.D.S., Ph.D.

Society for Color and Appearance in Dentistry
plans inaugural conference in July

Dental professionals interested in color and appearance in esthetic dentistry will gather in Houston July 17-18 for the first meeting of a new organization, the Society for Color and Appearance in Dentistry (SCAD). The conference has already drawn the support of some of the world’s most famous clinicians, dental technicians and researchers in this area, said the society’s president, Rade D. Paravina, D.D.S., Ph.D. The conference will feature high-quality, evidence-based information presented by leaders in the field. The topics will be related to clinical shade matching, communication and reproduction, imaging in dentistry, tooth whitening, ceramics, composites, and material selection. Scheduled presenters include Nasser Barghi, William D. Browning, Stephen J. Chu, Newton Fahl, Robert W. Gerlach, Ronald E. Goldstein, Francisco H. Imai, Holger Jakstat, William M. Johnston, Sudarat Kiat-amnuay, Rade D. Paravina, Stephen F. Rosenstiel, Claude Sieber, Robert C. Sproull, Edward J. Swift, Marcos A. Vargas, Stephen Westland, Aki Yoshida and Pascal Zyman. FULL STORY.

PEDS founder and president Zarina Rasheed (right) with the club’s faculty sponsor, Pediatric Dentistry Department Chair Sanford Fenton, D.D.S.;, and the club’s vice president, Katya Shevchenko.

PEDS wants you!
Pediatric Education Dental Society seeks new members

A new student organization focused on pediatrics has been created at The University of Texas Dental Branch. The Pediatric Education Dental Society (PEDS) was founded by third-year dental student Zarina Rasheed, who wanted to share a passion for pediatrics with like-minded students. Pediatric Dentistry Department Chair Sanford Fenton, D.D.S., is the faculty sponsor, and officers include vice president Katya Shevchenko and secretary/treasurer Brenden Taylor. The club is in full swing, with more than 20 members now meeting at lunchtime on the third Thursday of each month in Room B-14 at the Dental Branch.
FULL STORY.

Mina Rosenthal-Eames

Miles for Mina:
TAWD sponsors walk in memory of dental student

The Texas Association of Women Dentists will sponsor a walk, “Miles for Mina” beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21 to raise funds for an endowment in memory of Mina Rosenthal-Eames, a UT dental student who died in 2007 at the hands of her estranged husband. The endowment was established in Mina's name to provide dental treatment for women and children who are victims of domestic violence. The walk will begin at the UT Recreation Center, 7779 Knight Road. For information about donations, registration fees or to sign up, contact Amber.C.Garcia@uth.tmc.edu.

Steven Vaughan, D.D.S.

Dr. Vaughan earns fellowship
In Academy of General Dentistry

Steven Vaughan, D.D.S., assistant director of the General Practice Residency Program and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials, has earned a Fellowship Award in the Academy of General Dentistry. To be eligible for the fellowship award, a dentist must maintain membership in the AGD for three consecutive years, complete 500 hours of approved continuing education, attend the convocation ceremony at an annual AGD meeting and pass the Fellowship Examination, a 400-question multiple choice test that covers all dental disciplines and specialties and emphasizes clinical applications of accepted dental knowledge, techniques and procedures. Vaughan is a 2004 graduate of the University of Texas Dental School at San Antonio.

SAVE THE DATE: Senior Awards Banquet set for April 23

It’s never too soon to plan a special evening, so the Office of Student Affairs would like you to know that the 2009 Senior Awards Banquet has been scheduled for the evening of Thursday, April 23 at the United Way Center for Philanthropy, Leadership and Volunteerism, 50 Waugh Drive at Feagan. This dinner event is sponsored by the DDS Class of 2009, and tickets will be available for purchase from class officers closer to the date. Fifty awards will be presented to graduating students. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

UT Dental Branch Dean Catherine M. Flaitz is pictured seated between the society’s president, Michael Fuqua ’90, and UTDB Associate Dean for Student and Alumni Affairs H. Philip Pierpont ‘77. Behind them are UTDB alumni (from left) Joel Martinez ’77, Edmundo Martinez ’77, Claudia Hernandez ’06, Robert Diaz ’82, Rick Garcia ’83, Hector Montalvo ’79, Noel Garza ’92, Grayson Sellers ’74, Jorge Castillo ’05, Jim Foster ’87, Jimmy Person ’78, Raymond Best ’84, Javier Trevino ’05, and Gil Villarreal ‘87.

Rio Grande Valley
District Dental Society
hosts Dean Flaitz

When members of the Rio Grande Valley District Dental Society held their annual Christmas banquet in December, UT Dental Branch Dean Catherine M. Flaitz attended as a special invited guest. It is the society’s tradition to invite the dean of the dental school from which their current president was graduated, and the current president is Michael Fuqua (’90). Associate Dean for Student and Alumni Affairs H. Philip Pierpont (’77) also attended the event. The Rio Grande Valley Dental Society is also known as District 15-B of the Texas Dental Association.

Win a Houston Rockets-autographed basketball!

The University Classified Staff Council is raising money for scholarships by selling tickets for a drawing. The prize is a basketball autographed by the Houston Rockets. Tickets are $1 each or six for $5, and the drawing will be on March 11. For tickets, contact UCSC Representative Trish McFarland, Ext. 4105 in Room 4.109B. The ball is number 31 of 213 autographed for the 2002-03 season.

Family Medical Leave Act Updates

Human Resource representatives will discuss highlights of 2009 regulatory updates and the new military Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) on the following dates:

• 9-10 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 29, Medical School, Room B645
• 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 5, University Center Tower, Room 1505 C
• 10-11 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 11, Dental Branch, Room 340