Topics at a glance: Dr. Peter Triolo returns to UTDB...ADHA names Henson 2009 Educator of the Year...Alumni association honors Senior Guard Reginald Rainey...Coulter Foundation supports Dr. Yang’s research with $260K grant...Fiesta on Friday: It’s party time at the DB! ...ADEA honors Dr. Gary Badger...First (hopefully annual) UTDB Scream Out draws hundreds...

Peter Triolo, D.D.S.

Dr. Peter Triolo returns to UTDB

After a three-year absence, Peter Triolo, D.D.S., has returned to the UT Dental Branch to serve as an associate professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials, chief information officer and special assistant to the dean.He started his new job June 22 and now oversees information technology and instructional media. In the fall, he will be teaching in the operative and pre-clinical settings. Triolo first joined the UTDB staff in 1998 and left in 2006 to be director of electronic patient records (axiUm) implementation at the University of Pittsburgh.

Returning to Houston, he said, means coming home for him and his wife, Pamela, a nursing executive who retired from The Methodist Hospital in Houston. “Even when we left, we had purchased property here to come back and retire to, so it’s our home,” he said. FULL STORY.

ADHA names Henson 2009 Educator of the Year

ADHA President Dianne Bomkamp, R.D.H., presents the organization’s 2009 Educator of the Year Award to UTDB Associate Professor Harold A. Henson, R.D.H.

The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) has named Harold A. Henson, R.D.H., as the recipient of the Educator of the Year Award. He was honored at the ADHA’s 86th Annual Session in Washington, D.C., on June 20. Henson is an associate professor in the Department of Periodontics at The University of Texas Dental Branch. The award was established to recognize, honor and reward a full-time dental hygiene faculty member who contributes to and is dedicated to providing high-quality education to dental hygiene students. The recipient is also chosen for excellence in teaching, mentoring and/or devotion to student achievement.

Henson received his certificate in dental hygiene from UTDB in 1995. He earned a master’s degree in allied health education and administration from the University of Houston and Baylor College of Medicine in 2001, and completed a certificate in college teaching from Texas A&M University in 2004. In 2008, he completed the American Dental Education Association’s Institute for Allied Health Educators Program. He has held numerous positions at the national, state and local levels and is currently on editorial boards for ADHA’s Access magazine and the Journal of Dental Hygiene.

UTDB Alumni Association President Leslie Fullerton, D.D.S., leads a surprised Senior Guard Reginald Rainey to a reception in Rainey’s honor July 15 at the Dental Branch. Photo by Brian Schnupp.

Alumni association honors Senior Guard Reginald Rainey

It was high noon and hot on Wednesday, July 15 when UTPD Senior Guard Reginald Rainey walked into an ambush in Room B-81 at the Dental Branch. As he and Dr. Leslie Fullerton rounded the corner, the veteran officer saw a crowd of students, faculty and staff clapping and waving them into the room. It wasn’t Rainey’s birthday and he wasn’t retiring, so he assumed the party was for Fullerton. Within a few seconds, though, the officer realized he was being honored by the UT Dental Branch Alumni Association.

"The alumni really appreciate what you do to take care of our students,” Fullerton said, declaring Rainey an honorary member of the alumni association. Fullerton presented Rainey with a plaque and gift certificate. Then Tricia Fullerton, executive director of the alumni association, began serving the cake.

Rainey has been a UTPD officer for 23 years, including 12 at the Dental Branch. He usually gets to work by 6:45 a.m. or earlier, and he’s a familiar presence for those who frequent the school. He was amazed that the secret party stayed a secret. “I thought I had friends here,” he said, grinning. “Somebody should’ve told me.”

Peter Yang, Ph.D.

Coulter Foundation supports Dr. Yang’s research with $260K grant

The Wallace H. Coulter Foundation has awarded $260,000 over two years to Assistant Professor Peter Yang, Ph.D., of the Houston Biomaterials Research Center at the UT Dental Branch. His clinical collaborator is Milan Sen, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the UT Medical School.

They are researching ways to repair large load-bearing bone defects. The Coulter Foundation encourages biomedical engineering translational research. In 2007, they funded 16 assistant professors in a Phase I study, and they selected eight projects for Phase II study.

Fiesta on Friday: It’s party time at the DB!

The Dental Branch Employee Relations Committee invites faculty and staff to the Fourth Annual Fiesta End-of-Year Party from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday, July 31 in the first-floor lobby. Employees must have their ID badges for admission to the party featuring door prizes, a cake walk, music and a meal catered by Mamacitas.

ADEA honors Dr. Gary Badger

Clinical Associate Professor Gary R. Badger, D.D.S., of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry is one of 38 dental educators nationwide accepted to the 2009 American Dental Education Association/Academy for Academic Leadership Institute for Teaching and Learning. The intensive faculty-development program is conducted in collaboration with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry and seeks to help teachers develop skills that facilitate confidence, job satisfaction and professional growth in the academic environment. It is particularly useful for those transitioning from private practice to academic careers.

Sandra Watkins chose a cone, while John Bell opted for sprinkles on his ice cream. CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS.

First (hopefully annual) UTDB
Scream Out draws hundreds

It may have been nearly 100 degrees outside, but Dental Branch students, faculty and staff members were especially cool July 23 thanks to the “Scream Out” ice cream social in the basement cafeteria. July is National Ice Cream Month, and Interim Dean John A. Valenza, D.D.S., hosted the event as a way to bring Dental Branch personnel together for camaraderie and fun. Guests had their choice of several kinds of Blue Bell ice cream and ice cream sandwiches.