Topics at a glance: President Kaiser’s town hall meeting draws a crowd … Meet Hal: New LRC manager ready to introduce DB to Web 2.0 … Sealant Day at San Jose Clinic … Women of Rotary Scholarship winners … First Willerson Scholarship presented … Faculty News … SAVE THE DATE: UCSC 2009 Workshop June 11 … 2009 Star Awards recognize UTHSC-H employees … Dental Assistant Recognition Week

Larry R. Kaiser, M.D., UTHSC-H President.

President Kaiser’s town hall meeting draws a crowd

At his first town hall meeting of the year, UT Health Science Center President Larry R. Kaiser, M.D. fielded a variety of questions from an enthusiastic audience at the UT Medical School on Feb. 26. Many questions had to do with the financial stability of the health science center and plans for the future, but the final question of the day asked about the practicality of Medical School faculty continuing to teach basic science at the Dental Branch once the dental school moves to a new location on the south campus of the Texas Medical Center. Kaiser replied that several solutions are possible, and with the move still three-and-a-half years away, the schools have time to resolve the issue. Read more about the town hall meeting in UT2Me, a weekly newsletter by Medical School Dean Guiseppe Colasurdo, M.D., or download the podcast

Richard “Hal” Halpin

Meet Hal:

New LRC manager ready to introduce DB to Web 2.0

Richard “Hal” Halpin has joined the UT Dental Branch staff as an instructional developer and manager of the Learning Resources Center. A native of England, Halpin has a master’s degree in instructional technology from the University of Houston and a bachelor of science in archeology from Bradford University in the U.K. In his new job, Halpin plans to “make things a bit more technical for everybody and a bit more up-to-date” by promoting Web 2.0 applications like podcasting, wikis, social networking, etc. For those who use PowerPoint, he promises “to show you things you never dreamed of.” He’s also hoping to assist faculty members as they try new ways of teaching using innovative technology. FULL STORY.

Sealant Day
at San Jose Clinic

Saturday, Feb. 28 was sealant day at the San Jose Clinic, where UTDB students and faculty regularly provide dental care. Pictured from left are dental hygiene students Marina Pedraza, Charleen Cabler, Lisa Goss, Sarah Allen, Alija Lozano and Leslie Thompson.

Women of Rotary Scholarship winners

The Women of Rotary Club of Houston Scholarship Is the oldest scholarship fund dedicated to the UT Dental Branch, dating back to 1986. It began as a $15,000 gift and has been increased several times by generous gifts from that organization. This year’s group of award recipients is the largest in the scholarship’s history. The awardees (from left) are fourth-year dental students Daniel San Martin, Aileen Wang, Jonathan McEwen, Charles Nguyen, Jason Flores, Phuong Ngo and Steven Goodman. Women of Rotary officers present for the scholarship presentation were (from left) Rita Spencer, Barbara Clinton, Pat Walker and Barbara Watler. Photo by Brian Schnupp.

First Willerson Scholarship presented

Third-year dental student Holly Pavlick, pictured with Nancy Willerson (left) and Dean Catherine Flaitz, D.D.S., is this year’s recipient of the President James T. and Nancy Beamer Willerson Endowed Scholarship at the Dental Branch. The scholarship was established in honor of Dr. Willerson and his wife at the end of his service as president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. It was created with proceeds of the UTHSC-H 35th Anniversary Gala in 2007, along with similar scholarships to the other five schools in the health science center. Pavlick is the first recipient of the award at the Dental Branch. Photo by Brian Schnupp.

FACULTY NEWS

James A. Katancik, D.D.S., Ph.D

Distinguished professorship in periodontics
goes to Dr. Katancik

Periodontics Chair and Associate Professor James A. Katancik, D.D.S., Ph.D., has been appointed holder of the Raul G. Caffesse Distinguished Professorship in Periodontics. Raul Caffesse, D.D.S., Dr. Odont., was chair of the Periodontics Department at the Dental Branch from 1988 to 1993 and served two additional years as the director of the post-graduate periodontics program. He was serving as dean pro-tem in 1996 when the professorship was created, thanks to a gift by Mrs. Lynn Wolfson.

Katancik earned his dental degree at Emory University School of Dentistry and his Ph.D. at State University of New York at Buffalo. He has been with the Dental Branch since November 2005. Prior to that, he was program director of the Advanced Program in Periodontics at the University of Tennessee for two of his seven years there. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology.

James W. Kennedy, D.D.S., associate professor in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, has been appointed to the Examination Committee of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Cynthia Trajtenberg, D.D.S., assistant professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials, was the recipient of a Carl Storm Underrepresented Minority Fellowship for the 2009 Salivary Glands and Exocrine Secretion Conference in Galveston, sponsored by Gordon Research Conferences.

SAVE THE DATE: UCSC 2009 Workshop June 11

The University Classified Staff Workshop has been set for 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 11 at The UT Brown Foundation Institute for Molecular Medicine. The theme will be “You Be in Charge: Health Matters.” More details will be provided closer to time. For information, contact Trish McFarland, Ext. 4105, or Patricia.McFarland@uth.tmc.edu.

2009 Star Awards recognize UTHSC-H employees

Longevity, leadership and teamwork were ample causes for celebration at the 2009 Star Awards luncheon and ceremony hosted by and for members of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Feb. 19. The STAR Awards luncheon is hosted by the Office of Human Resources, and the two special awards, the Michael J. Jimenez Award and the STAR Team awards, are selected by UT Counseling and WorkLife Services. The two cash prizes for these awards are administered by the President’s Office. FULL STORY.

Dental Assistant Recognition Week

March 1-7 is Dental Assistant Recognition Week and the theme is One Team, One Goal: Improving Oral Health. Please join the Dental Branch in recognizing our dental assistants. No matter the setting or the location, assistants enhance the delivery of quality dental health care and are critical members of the dental team. For more information on Dental Assistant Recognition Week, and on dental assisting as a career, please visit http://www.dentalassistant.org