Topics at a glance: UTDB employees’ charitable giving tops last year’s total … ADA’s Harris Fund donates $5K grant for UTDB Mobile Van Gift … DH celebrates holidays, distributes scholarships … Welcome to the family: Jenny Dowell has arrived … Dental Prom 2007 Thursday night at Trevisio

UTDB employees’ charitable giving
tops last year’s total

Campaign co-chairs John O’Black and Gillian Rittman are happy to report that Dental Branch employees’ contributions to the State Employee Charitable Campaign exceeded last year’s total donations, with a final total of $12,779.76. Ninety-seven employees made donations, with 23 giving at the Leadership level of $240 or above. Photo by Brian Schnupp

ADA’s Harris Fund donates $5K grant for UTDB Mobile Van
Gift supports pediatric work in East Texas

The American Dental Association’s Samuel Harris Fund for Children’s Dental Health has awarded a $5,000 grant to the UT Dental Branch in support of the Mobile Dental Van’s work in underserved communities in Deep East Texas.

With the help of the ADA’s Harris Fund and other contributors, the UTDB Mobile Van can continue making monthly visits to provide pediatric care to at-risk populations in one of the more impoverished areas of the state. Inadequate or non-existent dental care for children can lead to malnourishment and the start of serious systemic diseases. Eventually, a lack of dental care can inhibit economic advancement, making it harder for these children to overcome the cycle of poverty.

UTDB Dean Catherine Flaitz, D.D.S., thanked the ADA for the donation. “This gift is doubly valuable, not just for the dollars provided, but as a statement of support for the greater mission of protecting children’s health,” she said.

The van, which is a three-chair “rolling dental office,” was initially provided by St. Luke’s Episcopal Charities. It currently serves more than 3,000 patients annually.

DH celebrates holidays, distributes scholarships

Second-year dental hygiene students (from left) Jana Mannen, Sindy Medina and Deissy Ayala were awarded scholarships of $500 each. Photo by Brian Schnupp

DH students enjoyed a holiday party Dec. 3. They raised funds through food sales to pay for prizes and gifts at the event. Photo by Brian Schnupp

The UTDB School of Dental Hygiene celebrated the holidays Dec. 3 with a luncheon that featured presentation of scholarships to three second-year students. Deissy Ayala, Jana Mannen and Sindy Medina each received $500 from a fund established by the Class of 2003 whose members made history when, in 2003, they established the endowment fund to assist a second-year dental hygiene student in his or her final year of education.

In doing so, they became the only class at the Dental Branch ever to establish an endowment while still in school. At their first golf tournament, they raised more than $10,000 to be placed in a permanent fund, thereby providing funds to support future dental hygiene students for all time.

This endowment is awarded to a second-year dental hygiene student who exhibits the following criteria:

• Financial need
• Maintains an academic GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Compassionate
• Highly focused and motivated
• A team player
• An outstanding dental hygiene citizen among faculty, students, and staff
• A future dental hygiene leader
• An ambassador and advocate to the School of Dental Hygiene

Welcome to the family:

The newest employee in the dean’s office is Jenny Dowell, senior staff assistant. She is a 2003 graduate of Baylor University in Waco, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in social work. She recently moved to Houston from Bellville and lives with her two dogs, a 3-year-old Maltipoo named Phoebe and a 1-year-old Boston terrier named Annabelle. In her free time, Dowell enjoys scrap-booking and horseback riding.

She has two brothers, including one who is a pilot in San Antonio, and another who is a Harvard graduate currently serving with the Army in Iraq. Her mother lives in Bellville.

Dowell has prior work experience in the UT system through jobs at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and at the University of Texas Medical Branch. In her job at the Dental Branch, she will cover the front office, taking care of answering phones, scheduling the conference room, ordering supplies, distributing financial reports, etc. She can be reached at Jenny.M.Dowell@uth.tmc.edu or Ext. 4217.

Jenny Dowell is the new senior staff assistant in the dean’s office.

Dental Prom 2007 Thursday night at Trevisio

Don’t miss out on the food, drinks, music and dance at the Dental Prom 2007, planned for 8 p.m. to midnight Thursday, Dec. 13 at the Trevisio Restaurant on the top floor of The Commons at the corner of Bertner and Moursund streets. All Dental Branch students, faculty and administration members are invited. Advance tickets are $15 per person or $25 per couple and are available from class representatives Ginger Marblestone (DDS4), Drew Darsey (DDS3), Holly Pavlick (DDS2), Summer Ketron (DDS1), Morgan Harris (DH1) or Lisa Frazar (DH2), or by contacting Tiffany Tredway-Ransom at Tiffany.L.Tredway-Ransom@uth.tmc.edu . Tickets at the door will be $17 per person. Makes check payable to the UTDB Student Council. Parking in the Trevisio Garage will be $4 per car; bring your parking ticket to the door for validation.