The residents, Ricardo Gapski and Yong-Hee Chun, each won a $15,000 Abram and Sylvia Chasens Teaching and Research Fellowship from the AAP. Both Gapski and Chun received a Master of Science degree in periodontics this spring.

Created two years ago, the annual $30,000 fellowships help graduate students launch their careers in periodontal education. To be considered for the award, candidates must be third-year students enrolled in an accredited periodontal program in the U.S. or Canada. They must also express a desire to pursue a career in periodontal education.

Ricardo Gapski

Gapski said his desire to teach periodontics was influenced by his clinical and volunteer experiences both during and after earning his dental degree from the Federal University of Parana State in Curitiba, Brazil.

Michigan, he said, “changed me professionally and personally, making me enthusiastic toward a new path, investigating and teaching.”

Yong-Hee Chun

Chun came to U-M School of Dentistry after earning her dental degree and Doctor of Dental Medicine degree at the University of Goettingen, Germany. She then worked as a clinical assistant professor in operative dentistry and endodontics at the Charite, Humboldt University in Germany.

Studying periodontics at U-M and hearing lectures by scientists “has been an eye opening experience for me,” Chun said. “I’m fascinated by the fact that clinical events are simulated and tested at the molecular level.” Chun said she hopes to work toward better understanding the processes of developing periodontal tissues.

Dr. Laurie McCauley, chair of the Department of Periodontics, Prevention, and Geriatrics said, “The fact that two of our students won this award is a great testimonial to the quality of our graduate periodontics program.”

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care, and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the School to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia, and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide.

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