Topics at a glance: SMDEP students leave Houston children a little warmer...SAVE THE DATE: DB’s ‘Scream Out’ Ice Cream Social July 23...Two from UTDB accepted for Educational Scholars Fellowship Program...Ortho resident Duers promoted to rank of major... Society for Color and Appearance in Dentistry: First conference July 17-18...

SMDEP students leave Houston children a little warmer

Xuan Yao, a pre-med student, presents a handmade blanket to Dr. Paula O’Neill at the SMDEP graduation July 1. Photo by Brian Schnupp.

When the 79 students in this year’s Summer Medical and Dental Education Program assembled for a July 1 graduation ceremony at the Dental Branch, they surprised the program’s administrative team with a hand-made blanket — one of 19 blankets the students made for young patients at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) and the Ronald McDonald House. The other blankets were presented to TCH later that evening to, as the students said, “let the patients and their families know that others care about them.”

Dr. Paula O’Neill, principal investigator for SMDEP, said the gift was a surprise in some ways, but not in others. “It’s what the program is all about,” she said. “'All of the students contributed $3 each to buy the blanket materials, and then about 20 students made the blankets by hand. It’s this ‘giving spirit’ that personifies the types of students this program attracts – those who find community service gratifying. They’re now working on a fund-raising event for the Ronald McDonald House patients and families.”

SMDEP seeks to encourage outstanding students from underprivileged backgrounds to fulfill their dreams of becoming health care professionals. The 19 pre-dental and 60 pre-med students spend six weeks at the UT Health Science Center — one of 12 SMDEP sites around the country. The students get academic, clinical and life-skills experience at both the Dental Branch and the UT Medical School. The program is funded by a grant from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation.

SAVE THE DATE:
DB’s ‘Scream Out’ Ice Cream Social July 23

In recognition of July as National Ice Cream Month, all Dental Branch faculty, staff and students are invited to the first “Scream Out” Ice Cream Social from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, July 23 in the basement cafeteria. The event is hosted by the dean’s office.

Two from UTDB accepted for Educational Scholars Fellowship Program

J.G. Welch, D.D.S.		Veronique F. Delattre, D.D.S.

Associate Professor Veronique F. Delattre, D.D.S., and Assistant Professor J. G. Welch, D.D.S., have been accepted into the Educational Scholars Fellowship Program (ESFP) for 2009-11. This 24-month fellowship is designed to expand the teaching skills of participating faculty who desire a more extensive program than simply attending individual workshops and mini-fellowships, but who prefer something less intense than the Master of Education in Teaching program – although the program can provide graduate credit toward a master’s degree. ESFP participants expand their knowledge of key educational principles and theories; enhance skills in lecturing, facilitating and educational design and evaluation. The program also promotes interest in and ability to serve as educational leaders.

The ESFP originated at the Baylor College of Medicine and expanded to include a collaborative relationship with the UT Dental Branch and The University of Texas Medical School through the efforts of Dental Branch Associate Dean Paula O’Neill, Ed.D., and Drs. Linda Perkowski and Allison Ownby at the Medical School. Associate Professor Allan Levine, Ph.D., joined the ESFP director team after he completed the program and applied it toward his eventual master of education degree at the University of Houston.

For additional information on the ESFP application process contact Paula.N.ONeil@uth.tmc.edu or visit the Web site at http://www.db.uth.tmc.edu/prof-develop/IED/index.htm. Applications are closed for this cycle (2009-2011), but look for notices about the next fellowship offering in spring 2011.

Ortho resident Duers promoted to rank of major

Air Force Major Brian Penton, D.D.S. (left) led the pinning ceremony July 2 when fellow orthodontics resident Michael Duers, D.D.S. was promoted to the rank of major, USAF. Photo by Rhonda Moran.

Third-year orthodontics resident Michael W.
Duers, D.D.S., was promoted to the rank of major in the U.S. Air Force in a July 2 ceremony at the Dental Branch witnessed by friends, colleagues and faculty. Second-year orthodontics resident Brian Penton, D.D.S., who is also a USAF major, performed the pinning ceremony. Duers, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., is expected to complete his residency and graduate from the Dental Branch Aug. 15 with a certificate of orthodontics and a master’s degree in dentistry. He will practice orthodontics in the USAF Dental Corps at Lakenheath AFB, just outside of London, England.

Orthodontics Department Chair Jeryl English, D.D.S., praised Duers as an outstanding clinician with a clear vision for treatment planning. “We offer our congratulations to Major Duers for this great accomplishment and for his service to our country,” English said.

Society for Color and Appearance in Dentistry:
First conference July 17-18

Dental professionals interested in color and appearance in esthetic dentistry will gather in Houston Friday and Saturday, July 17-18, for the first meeting of a new organization, the Society for Color and Appearance in Dentistry. The conference has already drawn the support of some of the world’s most famous clinicians, dental technicians and researchers, said the society’s president, UT Dental Branch Associate Professor Rade D. Paravina, D.D.S., Ph.D.

The general sponsor is Vita Zahfabrik/Vident. 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, Paravina, Stephen F. Rosenstiel, Claude Sieber, Robert C. Sproull, Edward J.Swift, Marcos A. Vargas, Stephen Westland, Aki Yoshida and Pascal Zyman. Attendees will receive 12 credit hours of continuing education. For more information, contact info@scadent.org.