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Mark Your Calendar... Continuing Dental Education Courses
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Financial Matters for New and Established Dentists
Speakers: • Richard Willeford, MBA, CPA, CFP • Lawrence Swedroe, BA, MBA Location: U-M School of Dentistry Spend a day examining many of the most important financial matters facing dentists, including retirement and tax planning, practice transitions, and investing for the long term. This informative, useful, and entertaining course will help you keep more of what you earn and invest it wisely.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Beginning Photoshop® and PowerPoint®; Intermediate Photoshop® and PowerPoint®
Speaker: Scott Pelok, DDS Assistant Clinical Professor Location: U-M School of Dentistry The “Beginning” course, for all members of the dental office staff, will teach individuals the basic skills needed to use both software programs for lectures, demonstrations, and/or patient education. The “Intermediate” course will build upon the basic skills course. Both courses are “hands-on.” Participants do not need to bring software or hardware to either course.
For more information about these and other continuing dental education courses, contact: University of Michigan School of Dentistry Office of Continuing Dental Education 1011 N. University Room G508 Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078 Phone: (734) 763-5070 or (734) 763-5171 Fax: (734) 936-3065 www.dent.umich.edu
Spring & Summer 2005
DentalUM
Volume 21, Number 1
DentalUM magazine is published twice a year by the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Office of Alumni Relations and Continuing Dental Education. Mail letters and updates to: Jerry Mastey, Editor, School of Dentistry, Room 1205, 1011 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078. Or you may send your letters and updates via email to: jmastey@umich.edu. Dean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Polverini Director of External Relations and Continuing Dental Education . . . . . Richard Fetchiet Writer & Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jerry Mastey Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris Jung Photography . . . . . . Per H. Kjeldsen, Keary Campbell Member publication of the American Association of Dental Editors The Regents of the University: David A. Brandon, Laurence B. Deitch, Olivia P. Maynard, Rebecca McGowan, Andrea Fischer Newman, Andrew C. Richner, S. Martin Taylor, Katherine E. White, Mary Sue Coleman, ex officio. University of Michigan School of Dentistry Alumni Society Board of Governors Terms Expire 2005: Joseph T. Barss ‘80, Chicago, IL Eli Berger, ‘57, ‘61, West Bloomfield, MI (Chair) William E. Brownscombe, ‘74, St. Clair Shores, MI Janet Cook, ‘81 DH, Whitmore Lake, MI Thomas C. Pink, ‘69, Jackson, MI Terms Expire 2006: Daniel L. Edwards, ‘97, Ann Arbor, MI Gerald L. Howe, ‘61, Monroe, MI Gary R. Hubbard, ‘78, Okemos, MI Michel S. Nasif, ‘72, Lansing, MI Janet Souder Wilson, ‘73 DH, Northville, MI Terms Expire 2007: Samuel Bander, ’81, Grand Rapids, MI Richard L. Pascoe, ’70, Traverse City, MI Susan Pritzel, ’67 DH, Ann Arbor, MI Terry Timm, ’71, Saline, MI Josephine Weeden, ’96, ’99, Saline, MI Student Representative: Julian (J.P.) Miller (D4) Ex Officio Members: Peter Polverini, Dean Janet Souder Wilson, ‘73, DH, Northville, MI Alumni Association Liaison Steve C. Grafton , Executive Director, Alumni Assoc. Richard R. Fetchiet, Director of External Relations and Continuing Dental Education
The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The University of Michigan is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or Vietnam-era veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. Inquiries or complaints may be addressed to the Senior Director for Institutional Equity and Title IX/Section 504 Coordinator, Office for Institutional Equity, 2072 Administrative Services Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-1432. (734) 763-0235, T.T.Y. (734) 747-1388. For other University of Michigan information, call (734) 764-1817.
Developing and Nurturing the Next Generation of Academic Leaders
One of the programs that makes the University of Michigan School of Dentistry unique is our Oral Health Sciences PhD program. Compared to our predoctoral and dental hygiene programs, it’s relatively young. First offered just 11 years ago, the Oral Health Sciences PhD program was launched in response to a national demand for universities to develop and cultivate leaders in oral health research. Some very impressive strides have been made under the leadership of Dr. Charlotte Mistretta, who is the subject of this issue’s Faculty Profile (pages 29-33). The cover story (pages 34-39) describes why the OHS PhD program is special, the areas of research, the options that can help students achieve their goals if they wish to pursue a career in research, as well as information about students who have completed the program. It also cites students who have won an impressive number of awards, made important presentations, and have had their work published in major scientific journals. A second story (pages 40-42) focuses on mentoring which, as Charlotte describes, “is the heart and soul of PhD training.” A third story (page 43) focuses on some of the research now being conducted by OHS PhD students. After reading these stories, you will understand why this program is attracting more interest among students with dental or specialty degrees, and more recently, among students who are interested in simultaneously pursuing a dental degree and a doctorate. The Oral Health Sciences PhD program is, and will continue to be, a part of the foundation of our academic future. It will allow our School to play an increasingly important role in developing and nurturing the next generation of academic leaders.
Sincerely,
Peter J. Polverini, Dean
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In This Issue . . .
COVER STORY
34
Oral Health Sciences PhD Launched 11 years ago in response to a national demand for leaders in oral health research, the School of Dentistry’s Oral Health Sciences PhD program has made major strides. It’s attracting growing interest among students with dental or specialty degrees, and more recently, among students interested in simultaneously pursuing a dental degree and a doctorate. Important elements of the program include... 40 - Mentoring: What it is...Why it Matters...Who Benefits 43 - Student-Faculty Research
Design by Chris Jung. Photo of neurons courtesy of Dr. Charlotte Mistretta.
FEATURES
4 New Video for School of Dentistry
Students, faculty, and alumni are among those who appear in a new School of Dentistry video. “The video is about something more than teeth,” said the owner of the company that made the video. “Students, faculty, and alumni beautifully describe what it’s like to be a part of one of the most respected dental schools in the nation.”
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School’s Web Site Gets New Look
He was a three-time All-American on the U-M Swimming Team which won NCAA championships in 1958 and 1959, a member of the U.S. Swim Team at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City, served on the School of Dentistry’s Alumni Society Board of Governors, and chaired the School’s Annual Fund for 11 years. Dr. Carl Woolley has a long-term record of giving back to the profession, his alma mater, and the community.
19 Alumnus Profile – Dr. Carl Woolley
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27 A Royal Welcome for Dr. Robert Bagramian
He was the first Western-trained dentist to provide oral health care in Taiwan during the 1960s. Last fall, Dr. Robert Bagramian returned to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of a dental clinic he helped establish.
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29 Faculty Profile – Dr. Charlotte Mistretta
“I was raised with a ‘You can do anything if you put your mind to it’ philosophy. ...Throughout my life, it seems I have been in settings where I learned to take on challenges, develop intellectually, and grow personally and professionally.” Dr. Charlotte Mistretta’s life has been one of achievement in many areas, including developing the School’s Oral Health Sciences PhD program.
46 Attracting Minorities to Academic Dentistry (Still) a Major Priority Says ADEA Official 72 D1s Welcomed in White Coat Ceremony 74 Community Dentist Retires after 63 Years
Dr. Jules Flax, who earned his DDS from U-M in 1940, recently retired after practicing dentistry for more than 60 years in the village of Jeffersonville, New York.
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DEPARTMENTS
8 Development
8 – Dr. George Stead Gifts $1.2 Million to School of Dentistry The U-M School of Dentistry is the beneficiary of one of the largest gifts in its history. A gift from the estate of Dr. George Stead and his wife, Ruth, will be used for scholarships for dental students. Those who knew the Steads discuss what the couple meant to them. 12 – Dr. Michael Lueder Gifts $100,000 for Scholarships
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44 Faculty News 49 Department Update: 53 Dental Hygiene
53 – DH Students Stage 1st “Advancement Ceremony” 55 – U-M’s Melva Baxter Honored by MDHA Dental hygienists from across Michigan honored Melva Baxter for her years of service to the organization, including 26 years as its historian.
Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
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60 Research News 78 Alumni News 79 In Memoriam
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School News
New School of Dentistry Video
I
t’s not your typical video.
“We wanted this video to be about something more than teeth. ...We wanted to capture and convey what’s unique about this School. We did that. You can hear it in the voices and see it in the faces of everyone who appears on camera. Students, faculty, and alumni beautifully describe what it’s like to come here and to be a part of one of the most respected dental schools in the nation.” Harvey Ovshinksy, HKO Media
This spring, students, faculty, staff, and several alumni attended the premier of a new video about the U-M School of Dentistry. For five days last October and November, HKO Media of Ann Arbor interviewed students, faculty members, and alumni and filmed students and faculty in classrooms, clinics, and research laboratories. Portions of the annual White Coat Ceremony were also taped and included in the video. What makes the new video unique is that nearly all of it is devoted to testimonials from students, faculty, alumni, and others. Narration is minimal. “Those who appear on camera tell a very compelling story about what makes our School so special and why its future is so promising,” said Dean Peter Polverini, who is one of 18 individuals to appear on-camera in the nearly 10-minute video. “When prospective students might ask, ‘Why should I consider Michigan,’ we answer that question in this video with one word, ‘opportunity’,” Polverini said. “Our School is an opportunity-rich environment, and we encourage all students to take advantage of those opportunities and make a difference while they are here.” “It’s More than Teeth” Harvey Ovshinksy, HKO Media president whose production company has developed documentaries, commercials, and corporate and educational videos in Detroit and Ann Arbor during the past 20 years, said producing the School’s video was a challenge he and members of his staff, especially co-producer Matt Prested, relished. “We wanted this video to be about something more than teeth,” he said. “From the outset, we wanted to
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Jerry Mastey
Unveiled
capture and convey what’s unique about this School. We did that. You can hear it in the voices and see it in the faces of everyone who appears on camera. Students, faculty, and alumni beautifully describe what it’s like to come here and to be a part of one of the most respected dental schools in the nation.” Linking the present with the past, the video also notes that today’s dental students, like those before them, seek to create their own opportunities and continue the rich legacy and traditions of leadership, community outreach, and education based on personal, hands-on learning and discovery. Multiple Uses The video is being used as an informational and recruiting tool that shows different audiences the important role the School plays in classroom and clinical education, patient care, research, and community service. In addition to being mailed to alumni and distributed throughout the School, the video has been mailed to U-M Regents and University executives, civic and government leaders, and dental organizations. It will also be sent to prospective students and/or their parents or spouses, to potential faculty members, and to government agencies and corporations. Along with Michigan Public Television, HKO Media co-produced Michigan Football Memories, an hour-long video that was televised on public television stations state wide last fall. The vast majority of copies of the video are on DVD. A limited number are available on CD-ROM and VHS videotape. Copies of the CD-ROM and/or VHS videotape may be obtained by calling the School’s Office of Development at (734) 763-3315.
Cameraman Bob Berg and audio technician Roger Smith record the sights and sounds of first-year dental students at work in the new Roberts Preclinical Laboratory.
Jerry Mastey
Dr. George Taylor (left) and Harvey Ovshinksy of HKO Media, share a laugh in the Faculty Alumni Lounge prior to Ovshinsky interviewing Taylor for the video.
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School News
School of Dentistry Web Site
Navigation Easier, Other
The U-M School of Dentistry earlier this year unveiled a newly redesigned Web site (www.dent.umich.edu) that makes it easier for individuals to find information that’s important to them. Under the direction of Dr. Lynn Johnson, director of Dental Informatics and Information Technology and an associate professor of dentistry, and Sarah Brittain, the School’s Web manager, a task force of nearly 30 individuals reviewed the previous site and suggested numerous improvements. Major Enhancements “Whether someone is an external or internal visitor to our Web site, they will find the new site easier to use. It has a cleaner look, is less cluttered, and is less confusing,” Johnson said. Major enhancements, Brittain said, are focused in four major areas – site organization, navigation, accessibility, and esthetics. In particular: • Site organization. The new site focuses on the School’s major audiences – students (current and prospective), researchers, patients, alumni, and faculty and staff. • Navigation. Individuals can find the page(s) of interest to them in three clicks or less after arriving at the home page. A submenu of each section’s contents appears on the homepage. • Navigation. All pages contain a standard set of links. Links at the top of the page include: “Home, “U-M Home,” “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ),” “Resources,” “Sitemap,” and “Search UMSD.” At the bottom of the page are standard site links including “Intranet,” “Contact,” and “About this Website.” • Accessibility. The redesigned site complies with standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act making it easier for visually impaired individuals to locate information. The new site also meets and exceeds standards set by the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines for access by those internationally as well as those with visual impairments. • Esthetics. The new site has a professional look. There is a balance of text and graphics. Images load quickly. Importance Emphasized “The Web site is the starting point for information gathering about all of the School’s activities, so it is critical in promoting the School to patients, prospective students, alumni, researchers, and others who want to know more about us,” said Dean Peter Polverini.
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Gets New Look
Features Added
Noting that the Web site reflects the teaching, research, patient care, and outreach missions of the School, Polverini said the home page “also provides newsworthy information about the School and highlights some of the innovative activities taking place.” The redesign of the Web site began more than a year ago. A 10-member Redesign Task Force examined the previous site and focused on accessibility, content quality, and numerous other issues. The group recommended improving accessibility, especially for the visually disabled, and creating a content management team to regularly add new information. A 15-member Content Team, some of whom were on the Redesign Task Force, reviewed all information on the former Web site, deleted pages with dead links, and suggested improvements. A 6-member Technical Team worked with members of the Content Team and Redesign Task Force to program new capabilities, post new pages, new graphics, and the new design. “Our new look is only the beginning,” Johnson said. “In the future, I anticipate adding many other resources, including publications and videos, to name just two.”
The School of Dentistry’s redesigned Web site was unveiled earlier this year. Marking the occasion in the School’s Digital Learning Laboratory are Sarah Brittain (left), Dean Peter Polverini, and Lynn Johnson. Johnson, director of dental informatics, led the redesign effort. Brittain, the School’s Web manager, led the technical team that posted new pages, graphics, and the new design.
Per Kjeldsen
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DEVELOPMENT
Steads Gift $1.2 Million to the School of Dentistry
“They Will Live on Because of Their Gift”
Photo courtesy of Mary Giallanza
In this picture, taken in 1955, Dr. George Stead holds his wife’s hand as she prepares to cut a cake celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary. A friend of the Steads, Joe Giallanza, said, “Whenever he was in civilian clothes, George always wore a bow tie.”
The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is the beneficiary of one of the largest gifts in its history.
A $1.2 million gift, from the estate of Dr. George Stead and his wife, Ruth, will be used for scholarships for dental students. The scholarships will be awarded based on need and merit. The Stead’s first significant gift to the School of Dentistry came in 1995 in the form of a $150,000 charitable unitrust. Following her husband’s death in March 1995, Ruth “Nipper” Stead returned to suburban Buffalo, New York from North Carolina to be close to her adopted family – Joe and Elaine Giallanza and their six children. [See story pages 9-11.] Several years ago, Mrs. Stead asked Mary Giallanza, a dear friend and practicing attorney, to make changes to a longstanding will.
“We talked about it off and on for about a year, but only intensely focused on it for about four or five months after that,” Mary Giallanza said. “It was a good thing we worked on it when we did because a short time later, Nipper had a mild stroke and probably would not have been able to make any further changes to her will.” Giallanza said during their many conversations, Mrs. Stead “fondly recalled her husband’s passion for the University of Michigan and the School of Dentistry.” “I think what motivated her to go ahead and make this gift to the School of Dentistry was the fact that they didn’t have any children,” Giallanza said. “Nipper wanted George’s legacy to live on with this gift and, knowing her, wanted to do something George would be proud of. Now George Stead’s name and that of his wife will live on in perpetuity since there will always be ‘Stead Scholars’ at George’s School of Dentistry.”
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A Man of Many Achievements...
Dr. George Stead
What kind of man was the late Dr. George Stead?
Talk to those who knew him, you hear remarks such as, “A close and very dear friend,” “the life of the party,” “extremely positive,” “never frustrated,” and “an all-around great guy.” However, there was more to the late Dr. George Stead than some might realize. Stead was not only a dentist who earned his DDS from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in 1940, he was a man of many achievements. During his 80 years of life, Stead was also: • An athlete who received a baseball scholarship that enabled him to earn his undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire. • A 27-year naval officer who, at one time, was being considered for Admiral. • A world traveler, even after retiring from the Navy. • A corporate president. • President of a New York state chapter of Toastmaster’s International. Stead was an avid gardener, a passionate U-M football and basketball fan who also loved to stay connected with his U-M dental classmates, and could tell stories about his life and travels that would make a person’s ribs ache from laughing so much. A Former Neighbor’s Memories “We were close friends for 36 years and next door neighbors for 14 of those years,” said Joseph Giallanza of suburban Buffalo, New York. “In fact, we both moved into our homes on the same day, October 1, 1967.”
Class of 1940
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DEVELOPMENT
During those years, Giallanza, “George was extremely positive and “Nipper wanted his wife, Elaine, their six children, loved a good joke. He loved to laugh, George’s legacy to live and Stead, along with his wife Ruth, loved to travel, loved the University on with this gift and, affectionately known as “Nipper,” of Michigan, and loved the Navy,” knowing her, wanted developed a strong friendship that Eubanks said. to do something endured until George’s death in 1995 Giallanza said Stead “had George would be and Nipper’s death a year-and-a-half a great career in the Navy. He was proud of. Now George ago. a dental officer on the U.S.S. Wasp, Stead’s name and that Before arriving in Ann Arbor moved up the ladder to Captain and, of his wife will live on to pursue his dental studies, Stead as I understand, at one time was being in perpetuity since attended Moses Brown, a college considered for Admiral.” there will always be preparatory school in Rhode Island. A But after 27 years, Giallanza ‘Stead Scholars’ at baseball scholarship enabled him to said Stead chose to retire. He later George’s School of attend and earn a bachelor’s degree from became president of a company in Dentistry.” the University of New Hampshire. Buffalo that made dental articulators. Recalling one of their many However, Stead continued to Mary Giallanza conversations, Giallanza said Stead travel, but this time with his wife. became interested in dentistry while “They must have sent us hundreds helping his father at the family’s pharmacy in New of pictures of places they had visited during their travels,” Giallanza said. London, Connecticut. Eubanks said it seemed whenever he visited them “He and Nipper met at a party in the spring of 1940 when George was finishing dental school in Ann Arbor,” “they were always returning from one trip and getting Giallanza said. “After he received his dental degree, they ready to go on another one. These were elegant trips all married a short time later, and George went into the U.S. over the world, not just weekend getaways,” he said. Returning from their trips, the Steads frequently Navy.” Although Nipper never attended college, she traveled brought gifts for all of the Giallanza children. Mary, their the world with her father, who invented the balloon truck youngest daughter, was especially close to George and tire and supervised the building of plants to manufacture Nipper. Both would bring back dolls from every country they visited. the product in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Now an attorney in the Buffalo area who specializes “A Poster Couple for Marriage” in family law, Mary said, “Since the Steads didn’t have “George and Nipper came as a pair,” said Mike any children, we became their family and they became Giallanza, one of Joe’s sons, in a eulogy for Mrs. Stead. ours. We adopted them and they adopted us.” “They did everything together,” including traveling Other Memories and Traditions around the world and collecting stamps and coins. Mary also recalled Stead’s love of the outdoors. “I The Stead’s 55-year marriage made impressions on others, including their financial advisor, Steve Eubanks. remember that he was always outside in the summertime, “What impressed me most about them as a couple digging, trimming or doing something in his yard,” she was how much in love they were with each other. They said. There were many traditions the Stead and Giallanza were a poster couple for marriage,” he said. Eubanks was also captivated by Stead’s demeanor. families shared. “Doughnut Day,” was one of those and
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occurred each Sunday. One week, the Steads would bring doughnuts to the Giallanza house. The next week, the G i a l l a n z a s re t u r n e d t h e favor. Another was during Thanksgiving and Christmas when both families shared time, stories, and dinner.
“he hated winters in Buffalo,” Giallanza said with a laugh. “He and Nipper even traveled to several different parts of the world to find a new home before finding one near Sanford, North Carolina.” Although the Steads and G i a l l a n z a s w e re s e p a r a t e d geographically, they were still close in other ways. On Sundays, the families U-M Sports and the took turns calling each other. Dental School One year, the Steads returned S p o r t s w e re a n o t h e r to the Buffalo area to help Mary important element of George Giallanza celebrate her twelfth Stead’s life. birthday. Joe Giallanza recalled Their gift to her? An airplane going to Stead’s house to ticket. watch football or basketball. “It was only one-way, from “He’d be sitting on the couch, North Carolina to Buffalo,” Mary with a bowl of popcorn on his In this photo taken in the late 1940’s, Nipper Stead posed for said. “After their visit, I rode with lap and a refreshment in hand. this picture on the hood of a 1946 Ford. them to North Carolina, spent Whenever Michigan made a great play, George would leap off the couch and shout his about a week with them, and then flew home using that approval. Of course,” Giallanza continued, “when he did ticket.” Mary added, “George thought I would be pretty good that, George went in one direction and the popcorn and entertainment for the drive. But he later joked that I slept refreshment in another.” Shortly after U-M lost the 2005 Rose Bowl to the from the minute we left Buffalo until we pulled into their University of Texas, Giallanza said, “Had George been driveway in North Carolina. The entire experience was around to see that game, I think he would have been on one I will never forget.” Eubanks, their financial advisor, also reflected on his the edge of his chair yelling and screaming to the very long-term relationship with the Steads. end.” “George was an extremely positive individual. I never Stead’s passion for U-M also involved the School of saw him act frustrated. He didn’t worry about what he Dentistry. In addition to attending several dental class reunions, couldn’t change. Things that might bother you and me Stead also hosted one from his new home in North just rolled off his back,” he said. “Even on his deathbed, Carolina in the late 1980s. “I remember how George George wanted to get together to play cards, have a beer, was beaming and saying he was hosting a reunion of and share some laughs.” During a Christmas get together with the Giallanzas his dental classmates at his home in North Carolina,” in 1994, Dr. Stead told Mike Giallanza, “ ‘Getting old is not Giallanza said. Stead moved from the Buffalo area in 1981 because for wimps.’ I still use that quote today.” Mike said.
Photo courtesy of Mary Giallanza
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DEVELOPMENT
Dr. Michael Lueder Gifts $100,000 for Scholarships
T
he influence of a mentor, the lasting impressions several School of Dentistry instructors made on him during his days as a dental student, good fortune, and the hustle of a gift officer in the School’s Office of Development, all converged to prompt Dr. Michael Lueder to “give something back” to his alma mater. Lueder, who earned his dental degree from the U-M School of Dentistry in 1975, and his wife, Kathryn, recently established the Ardis/Lueder Northern Lower Michigan Endowed Scholarship Fund.
something equally important – giving back to the community that enabled you to succeed.” Several years before he died, Ardis gifted $1 million to build the Missaukee District Library in Lake City, Michigan. By practicing what he preached, Ardis’ spurred Lueder to consider what he would do. Memorable Instructors Talking about his days as a dental student in Ann Arbor, Lueder said, “in retrospect, several
“Obviously, you can’t make a gift like this during the early years of practice because you’re paying off debts, establishing a family and a practice, and a host of other things. But as your career progresses, I can tell you that many practitioners can do it without adversely affecting their overall financial situation.”
Distributions from the $100,000 endowed fund will be used to provide scholarships to dental students from a three county area (Wexford, Missaukee, and Osceola) to help them complete their education and, hopefully, return to the area to practice dentistry. The Influence of a Mentor Lueder credits his mentor, the late Dr. Charles Ardis, with getting him to think about establishing the scholarship fund. Ardis died in February 2004 at the age of 94. “Dr. Ardis mentored me and four others in our office,” Lueder said. “His mentoring, however, was not just professionally oriented. It also focused on instructors had a profound influence on me. They were mentors by the way they conducted themselves and how they treated me as a student and how they treated patients in the clinics.” One of the instructors Lueder mentioned was Dr. Jeffrey Shotwell, associate professor of prosthodontics. Shotwell is from Manton in Wexford County, north of Cadillac. Others were Drs. Charles Jaslow, Jeffrey Cohen, Raul Caffesse, and Jack Gobetti. Good Fortune Lueder said he has enjoyed success in his career and considers himself fortunate to be able to give something back.
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“My success has been due to the influence of Dr. Ardis, the education I received from the University of Michigan, and my family,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d be making a gift of this size this soon. I thought my gift would be from my estate,” he said with a laugh. Some of the scholarship funds will come from Dr. Ardis’ estate. “Can Do” Attitude However, Lueder said what most impressed him was “the drive and determination of Marty Bailey.” Bailey is the School’s assistant major gifts officer. “Marty spent a lot of time listening to me, what I was thinking about doing, and then developing a way that would allow me to do it,” Lueder said. “His ‘can do’ attitude and his enthusiasm were contagious. No matter what the obstacles were, Marty was always positive. That impressed me.” Advice to Other Dentists Lueder, whose son Jacob earned his dental degree from U-M last year and is now a first-year periodontics student, urged other dentists to follow his lead. “Obviously, you can’t make a gift like this during the early years of practice because you’re paying off debts, establishing a family and a practice, and a host of other things,” he said. “But as your career progresses, I can tell you that many practitioners can do it without adversely affecting their overall financial situation.” Lueder offered some additional advice: “Don’t hesitate to call Marty or someone in the Development Office to see how it can be done.”
DentalUM Spring & Summer 2005
Photo One, Inc.
Dr. Michael Lueder and his mentor, the late Dr. Charles Ardis.
The Ardis/Lueder Northern Lower Michigan Endowed Scholarship Fund is a perpetual gift to the School of Dentistry through the University of Michigan Endowment. It’s funded through the Cadillac Area Community Foundation.
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DEVELOPMENT
Homecoming - November 10, 11, 12
The School of Dentistry’s annual homecoming activities will take place in November, a month later than last year. Events were moved to November because the ADA’s National Convention is being held in October in Philadelphia. Saturday’s tailgate party, which has been held outdoors in the past, will be held indoors at the Kensington Court Hotel in Ann Arbor on game day, November 12. The schedule of events is listed below. More information will be added, so check the School of Dentistry’s Web site for updates. The address is: www.dent.umich.edu.
Thursday, November 10
• Emeritus Pinning Ceremony - 11:30 a.m. Location: School of Dentistry, Room G390 • Emeritus Class Picture - 12:30 p.m. Location: Foyer staircase outside Sindecuse Museum • Emeritus Reunion and Hall of Honor Luncheon - 1:00 to 2:15 p.m. Location: Sindecuse Atrium • Hall of Honor Induction Ceremony - 2:15 to 3:00 p.m. Location: School of Dentistry, Room G390
Friday, November 11
• Morawa Lecture Topic: New Insights into the Etiology, Diagnosis, and Prevention of Oral Cancer Time: 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Location: Kensington Court Hotel, 610 Hilton Boulevard, Ann Arbor Speaker: Dr. Peter Polverini, Dean, University of Michigan School of Dentistry • Homecoming Celebration Dinner Honoring dental and dental hygiene classes with graduation years ending in 0 and 5 Time: 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Location: Kensington Court Hotel, 610 Hilton Boulevard, Ann Arbor
Saturday, November 12
• All Class Tailgate Brunch - 3 hours before kickoff Location: Kensington Court Hotel, 610 Hilton Boulevard, Ann Arbor • Football Game – University of Michigan vs. Indiana Time: Kick-off time to be announced Location: The Big House
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U-M Bond Rating Upgraded
One of the nation’s two bond rating agencies has upgraded the University of Michigan’s bonds to the highest rating possible. Earlier this year, Standard & Poor’s raised its rating on the University’s outstanding bonds secured by general revenues to their highest level, AAA. Previously, the bonds were rated AA+. S&P cited the University’s strong financial position and its national reputation for excellence in academics and research. Another major investment rating service, Moody’s Investor Services, again assigned U-M its highest “Aaa” rating. Moody’s originally upgraded U-M from “Aa” to “Aaa” in 2000. U-M is only the third public university in the country to be upgraded by S&P to its highest rating, said Timothy Slottow, executive vice president and chief financial officer. The other two are the universities of Texas and Virginia. “These ratings will reduce our cost of debt in the market. This will reduce expenditures over the long run, freeing up money for academic priorities,” Slottow said. “The upgrade also sends a signal to all University stakeholders about our successful ongoing focus on financial controls, budget discipline and ‘best practices’ in financial management.”
U-M Endowment Gains 20%
The University of Michigan’s endowment fund grew by more than 20 percent during the 2004 fiscal year. According to the results of a survey of 25 colleges with more than $1 billion invested, compiled by Bloomberg, U-M was one of only four universities whose endowments gained more than 20 percent between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004. Michigan recorded a gain of 20.7 percent, solidly beating the Standard & Poor’s 500 benchmark of 17.1 percent. The gain brought the size of the U-M endowment to $4.2 billion. The annual results for U.S. college endowments may be the best since the funds rose 17.5 percent, on average, in fiscal 1998, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers in Washington, D.C. Other universities with gains of more than 20 percent were Harvard University (21.1 percent), Texas A&M (21 percent), and the University of Texas (20.1 percent).
Golf Outing Reminder - September 22
The 8th annual School of Dentistry Golf Outing Classic will be held Thursday, September 22, at the U-M Golf Course. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., shotgun start at 10:30 a.m . Information about registering for the event will soon be mailed to you and will also appear on the School of Dentistry’s Web site www.dent. umich.edu.
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University of Michigan
School of Dentistry
Hall of Honor
I nominate
_________________________________________ for consideration to the University of Michigan School of Dentistry Hall of Honor.
The Hall of Honor posthumously honors some of the legends of the dental profession who have been associated with the U-M School of Dentistry.
Please provide any professional information you may have about this individual that would help the Selection Committee. You may use a separate sheet of paper if necessary. ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Your name ______________________________________________________________________________ Your address ____________________________________________________________________________ Your U-M School of Dentistry degree(s) & year(s) ________________________________________________ Your phone number ( _____ )_______________________ E-mail _________________________________ Please return this form to: University of Michigan School of Dentistry Office of Alumni Relations Attn: Amy Reyes 1011 N. University Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078
The envelope with your nomination must be postmarked by November 1, 2005.
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DEVELOPMENT
Emeritus Faculty and Staff Get Together
A new tradition may be in the making at the School of Dentistry. Last fall, more than a dozen former faculty and staff members gathered in the Faculty Alumni Lounge for the first “Emeritus Breakfast Get Together.” The low-key event included light refreshments and plenty of conversation. “We want to offer you a place here at the dental school where you can get together, relax, and enjoy each other’s company,” said Richard Fetchiet, director of external relations and continuing dental education. “We want you to stay involved with the School you served for so many years and allow us to benefit from your experience and counsel.” There was no formal agenda for the initial gathering. Following the breakfast, everyone went to the new Roberts Preclinical Laboratory to talk to preclinical instructor Dr. Merle Jaarda and watch him demonstrate the new technology dental students are using.
Keary Campbell
Mearnic Receives Clayton Scholarship
Among those seated who attended the first emeritus breakfast were Drs. Ross Margeson, H. Dean Millard, Andy Koran, Jim Avery, and Mr. Clarence Dukes. Standing in the background is Dr. Paul Loos.
Av e r i l M e a r n i c , a f i r s t - y e a r prosthodontic student, was awarded the Joseph Clayton Scholarship. The $5,000 award was for the academic year that just ended. Mearnic, who earned her dental degree from U-M last May, was also the recipient of the American College of Prosthodontists Undergraduate Achievement Award. After earning her master’s degree, she would like to practice in the area and teach part time at the School of Dentistry. The scholarship was made possible from an endowment initiated by Dr. Joseph A. Clayton who, for 25 years, until his retirement in 1996, developed, directed, and taught in the graduate program in restorative dentistry.
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BALLOT
School of Dentistry’s Alumni Society Board of Governors
It’s time to vote for new candidates to serve on the School of Dentistry’s Alumni Society Board of Governors. Using the ballot below, please choose four dentists and one dental hygienist to serve a three-year term and mail your ballot to the School of Dentistry. Ballots must be postmarked by August 1, 2005. Dr. William E. Brownscombe* has a private general dentistry practice in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. A graduate of the U-M School of Dentistry (1974), he is a member of the Macomb Dental Society, the Michigan Dental Association, and the ADA. A previous chairman of three MDA committees, he is also a current member of the School’s Alumni Society Board of Governors. Dr. John F. McMahon earned his dental degree from U-M in 1982 and has been a private practice dentist ever since. He has served on the Insurance Committee for the Western Michigan District Dental Society. If elected to the Board, he would continue building and enhancing the bond between alumni and the dental school. This relationship, he said, will become even more important because of challenges the profession will be facing in the years ahead. McMahon and his wife, Kathie, have four children ranging in age from 11 to 20. Dr. George Yellich, who practices in Santa Cruz and San Jose, California, specializes in dental implants and corrective jaw surgery. He earned his dental degree from the U-M School of Dentistry in 1972. After serving two years as a general dentist in the U.S. Navy, he entered U-M Medical School and received a master’s degree in oral and maxillofacial surgery in 1977, and his oral and maxillofacial surgery certificate in 1977. He is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He was a past president of the Northern California Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, is a Diplomate of the American Board of OMS, and has lectured on various oral health care topics. Dr. Harold S. Zald, a 1979 graduate of the U-M School of Dentistry, is a general practice dentist in Troy, Michigan. A member of the ADA, MDA, and Oakland County Dental Society, he chaired the Peer Review Committee in 1991. He is also a member of the Tri-County Implant Study Club. An adjunct clinical instructor at U-D Mercy, teaching operative restorative dentistry in third- and fourth-year clinics, Zald was formerly on the clinical oral diagnosis staff of the Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery at Sinai Hospital in Detroit. He is a Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry. Jemma Allor, Mt. Clemens, Michigan, earned a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene from the U-M School of Dentistry in 2000. She is a member of the U-M Dental Hygienist’s Alumni Association’s Executive Board and has served as president of the board for two terms. She works full-time in a private practice.
BALLOT
Vote for 4 dentists: William E. Brownscombe* John F. McMahon George Yellich Harold S. Zald
* Incumbent
Vote for 1 hygienist: Jemma Allor Envelope with ballot must be postmarked by August 1, 2005. Please mail your ballot to: University of Michigan School of Dentistry 1011 N. University Office of Alumni Relations Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1078
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Alumnus Profile
Per Kjeldsen
DDS 1965
His long-term record of giving back to the profession, his alma mater, and the community is impressive. Dr. Carl Woolley’s service includes serving two terms on the School’s Alumni Society Board of Governors and chairing the Annual Fund for 11 years.
Dr. Carl
Woolley
He was a three-time All-American on the University of Michigan’s Swimming Team which won NCAA championships in 1958 and 1959...finished third in the 100-meter freestyle as a member of the U.S. Swim Team during the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City...an AAU National Senior Swimming Champion in the 400-meter medley relay in 1959...an AAU Junior National Champion in 1954 and 1956...and, more recently, World Champion in the FINA World Masters Swimming Championships in 1992. Eight years ago, he was inducted into the Brockton High School Athletic Hall of Fame for his swimming achievements as a student at the Massachusetts school. Swimming has been...and continues to be...an important part of Dr. Carl Woolley’s life. “Swimming has been very good to me, giving me opportunities to travel, achieve, and receive an outstanding education.” He swims, on average, four days a week, about one-and-a-half to two miles each time. “It’s still fun,” he says. Woolley said his father, who played football and was a lifeguard at a swimming pool when he lived in New Jersey, taught him how to swim. After his father died, the family moved to Brockton, Massachusetts. Although Brockton High School didn’t have a swimming team in the earlyto mid-1950s, Carl and a classmate convinced the principal to create one. “We were two seniors who started the team in 1954,” he said. “We even made it to the state finals.”
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The Road to Dentistry Giving Back to the Profession and the Indirectly, swimming was his passport to the dental School of Dentistry After earning his DDS in 1965, Woolley found time to profession. give back – to the profession, to the School of Dentistry, Arriving at U-M on a swimming scholarship, Woolley met Donald Hurst, a dental student and gymnast, who and to the community. “I believe everyone who has worked during the summer at the Barton Hills Country received a degree from a state-supported institution Club swimming pool in Ann Arbor. The association with should find a way to give back,” he said. Woolley has. Hurst led Woolley to consider After 40 years, he is still dentistry. active in professional dental After earning a bachelor’s “I believe that a good organizations including the ADA, degree in education in 1960, idea that’s expressed MDA, and the Washtenaw District Woolley taught science for a year Dental Society. in the Wayne Community School may be rejected, but, For nearly as long, he’s been System. That year, he applied if it is a good idea, active with the Russell W. Bunting and was accepted for both the Periodontal Study Club and the master’s in education program it will reappear. An Francis B. Vedder Society of Crown and the predoctoral program at idea never expressed and Bridge Prosthesis. the dental school. “But the dental Between 1994 and 1998, school would accept me only if will never reappear.” he was an adjunct assistant I completed a course in organic professor and member of the chemistry,” he said. “That course Dean’s Faculty. was stressful. About 20 percent of Woolley served two terms as a member of the the students dropped out.” School of Dentistry’s Alumni Society Board of Governors, As he talked about his days as a student, Woolley said, “I had a lot of good teachers. And I admired not including a one-year term as chairman. He also served only the faculty members, but my classmates because of for three years on the Visiting Committee, including a term as chairman. their abilities and their knowledge.”
This photo of Carl Woolley, a member of the U-M Swimming Team, was taken in 1955.
Photo courtesy of Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
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One of Woolley’s biggest roles with the School of In 1994, at the age of 57, Woolley earned a master’s Dentistry was serving as chairman of its Annual Fund degree in business administration. Asked why, he said, for 11 years, from 1992 until 2003. “For years, I had been saying that we as dentists needed Richard Fetchiet, director of external relations and more training in business. Here was an opportunity I had continuing dental education, said when the School to follow through on what I believed.” was considering a candidate for the position, “we Woolley said he was one of 20 dentists and physicians, wanted to be sure we selected someone who was both all in private practice, who were in the two-year highly respected and program. sincerely committed What he learned to the mission of the in that program School. Carl quickly continues to shape became the obvious Wo o l l e y ’ s v i e w o f choice.” dental education. Fe t c h i e t s a i d “The concept of that under Woolley’s continuing to learn leadership, “he helped about new ways us raise more than of doing things in $2 million in annual dentistry, which is a gift support for the part of the Advanced School. We owe him Education in General an enormous amount Dentistry program, is of thanks for his essential to dentists, dedication and his This 1959 team photo shows Carl Woolley (front row, first on right). Two teammates hold NCAA regardless of when Championship trophies. service.” they graduated,” he As Annual Fund said. chairman, as well as during his two terms on the Board While saying dentists need to learn more about the of Governors, Woolley applied some of what he learned business of dentistry, he’s also concerned about what as a member of the Kiwanis Club of Western Ann Arbor. some might call “information overload.” He said when he was Kiwanis president from 1973 to “What worries me the most,” he said, “is the amount 1974, “I had a list of 40 goals I wanted to achieve. I knew of information dental students have to learn and master we wouldn’t be able to achieve all of them,” he said, “but today. There’s an awful lot they need to know.” we did make 60 percent of them and I was happy.” Another worry Woolley has comes from experience. He used the same approach in leadership roles at the “I’ve often found that when you treat a patient, you’re School of Dentistry. trading one set of problems for another, and you hope the “On several occasions, I rocked the boat with my second set of problems is less significant than the first. ideas and concerns,” Woolley said. “They were often Students need to get more experience so they know what rejected, but that was OK. I believe that a good idea to do when problems arise.” that’s expressed may be rejected, but, if it is a good idea, Although he sold his private practice two years ago, it will reappear. An idea never expressed will never Woolley continues practicing dentistry part time with reappear.” Dr. Bonnie Patel. He plans to continue doing so until he feels it’s time for him to “hang up the drill.” Ideas and Concerns If the past is a guide, Dr. Carl Woolley will continue One idea Woolley said he would like to see become to be involved, in some way, in the dental profession, a reality is creating a periodontal therapist training with the School of Dentistry, and serving the community. program for dental hygiene students. “This would But don’t be surprised to see him at the swimming pool be another step that would give dental hygienists an encouraging young and old and telling them, “You can opportunity to become even more valuable to dentists do it. Keep trying.” and patients.”
Photo courtesy of Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
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Carl Woolley, DDS, MA, MS, MBA
Selected Highlights
Education • Bachelor of Arts, University of Michigan (1960) • Doctor of Dental Surgery, University of Michigan (1965) • Master of Arts, Educational Psychology, Eastern Michigan University (1973) • Master of Science, Business Administration, Madonna University (1994) Professional and Educational • Private practice dentistry (part-time), Ann Arbor (2003 to present) • Adjunct Assistant Professor, Dean’s Faculty (1994-1998) • Private practice dentistry (full-time), Ann Arbor (1965-2003) • Wayne County Hospital (part-time), Children’s Dental Clinic (1965-1966) • Wayne Community Schools; Wayne, Michigan, 9th grade general science teacher (1960-1961) U-M School of Dentistry Service • Chairman, School of Dentistry Annual Fund (1992-2003) • Board of Directors, U-M Alumni Association (1989-1992) • Member and Chairman, School of Dentistry Alumni Visiting Committee (1986-1989) • Member and Chairman, School of Dentistry Alumni Society Board of Governors (1980-1986) • Guest lecturer, Practice Administration and Prevention (1970-1971, 1983) Awards and Honors • Listed in premier edition (2004-2005), Best Dentists in America • Athletic Hall of Fame, Brockton High School All-American Swimming Team (1997) • Distinguished Service Award, U-M School of Dentistry (1995) • Outstanding President Award, Michigan Kiwanis Club (1973-1974); member, Kiwanis Club of Western Ann Arbor (1968-1998) Professional Affiliations • American Dental Association (1963 to present) - Delegate and alternate delegate to ADA House (1984-1990) - Council on Dental Benefit Programs (1991-1995) • Michigan Dental Association (1963 to present) - Chairman, Peer Review Committee/Dental Care (1979-1983) - Delegate to MDA House (1979, 1982-1983) - Trustee (1985-1991) - Board of Directors, Contract Service Administration (1993-2002) • Washtenaw District Dental Society (1965 to present) - President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor - Member, 12 committees; committee chairman – Ethics, Peer Review, Constitution and Bylaws • Russell W. Bunting Periodontal Study Club (1966 to present) - President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Board of Directors - Chairman, Constitution and Bylaws Committee (20 years) • Francis B. Vedder Society of Crown and Bridge Prosthesis (1968 to present) • International College of Dentists (1983-1998) • Academy of General Dentistry (1969 to present) - Board of Directors, Michigan section (1975-1976, 1984-1994, 1999 to present) - Delegate to AGD House (1994, 2003-2004) • American Academy of Dental Practice Administration (1975 to present) • American Academy of Periodontology (1990-1999)
22 DentalUM Spring & Summer 2005
Former U-M Professor Delivers Annual Lecture Klaus Lang to Return to U-M for Sabbatical
It was a homecoming, a reunion, and a day-long lecture all rolled into one. Earlier this year, Professor Niklaus Lang returned to the University of Michigan campus and the School of Dentistry to deliver a lecture on oral implants for the annual Kenneth J. Ryan, DDS Memorial Seminar. A clinical instructor and assistant professor of dentistry from 1972 to 1975 at the School of Dentistry, Lang told his audience that leaving U-M 30 years ago with both a certificate in periodontics and a master’s degree “was unheard of at the time. I can guarantee you that the University of Michigan School of Dentistry set the foundation for my activities,” he said. Among those activities, he joked, was creating a department logo whose colors are maize and blue. Meetings with Colleagues Prior to the program, Lang and Dr. William Kotowicz met and reminisced. “I hadn’t seen Klaus in a while. It was good to see him again,” Kotowicz said. “He’s always had great intellectual curiosity and an incredible work ethic which, combined, have resulted in the tremendous career that he has had. Klaus’ body of work is an incredible contribution to the evidence-based practice of periodontics. What’s especially gratifying is that Klaus has always given the University of Michigan credit for the basis of his scientific approach to the field,” Kotowicz added. In his remarks to dentists, Lang said of his time at U-M, “The solid foundation I received here has enabled me to pursue the research and other activities I’ve been involved in since I was at Michigan.” Since 1980, Lang has been professor at the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Berne, Switzerland. He has been professor and chair of the Department of Periodontology and Fixed Prosthodontics since 1992. He has published more than 350 articles of original research in peer-reviewed scientific journals, delivered more than 1,500 lectures on five continents, and has served in leadership roles with dental and dental specialty organizations. In the day-long seminar at the Power Center, Lang talked about the biology of oral implants and their role in treating partially edentulous and edentulous patients, including how the implants are incorporated into the body, why they stay, how they work, and what might go wrong with them and what could be done when that occurs. The annual seminar is presented by the School of Dentistry and sponsored by the Delta Dental Fund.
Lang Returning in August
Professor Niklaus Lang will soon be returning to Ann Arbor. Later this summer, he will take a four-month sabbatical leave from the University of Berne and teach at the U-M School of Dentistry. “It will be a big boost to have him here,” said Dr. Robert Bagramian who has known Lang for more than thirty years. “He has a very strong attachment to Michigan. He feels very loyal to Michigan, especially to two very prominent professors, Major Ash and Sigurd Ramfjord.”
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Dental School Participates in Mock
Continuing Ed Course
One participant, Dr. Robert Eber, a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Periodontics, Prevention, and Geriatrics, said he felt “an obligation to participate as a member of the School’s bioterror preparedness committee.” But Eber said there was another important reason he participated. “Dentists have sufficient background and training to be able to contribute as members of emergency response teams when bioterror events threaten our country,” he said. Each of the 400 individuals who were “patients,” including those from the dental school, was given a “patient profile” they had to act out. Some played the role of children; others, adults. Testing the System Elizabeth Rodriguiz, academic secretar y in the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, and a Lansing woman who played an important role in organizing the drill, tested the system. “She was my 4-year-old son, and I
Keary Campbell
Deb Keedy (center) and Jean Klark register as “patients” for the disaster drill.
The possibility of a bioterrorist attack or an influenza pandemic has been on the minds of not just public officials, but administrators, faculty, and staff at the School of Dentistry, as well as oral health care professionals from across Michigan. In April, more than 150 health c a re p ro f e s s i o n a l s a t t e n d e d a biopreparedness course offered by the School of Dentistry. [See sidebar, page 25.] Last fall, more than a dozen staff and faculty members from the School of Dentistry participated in a mass immunization drive in Taylor, Michigan. They were among more than 400 “patients” who were “vaccinated” as part of a two-day, state-wide mock bioterroism drill. Two hundred health care workers also participated as vaccination coordinators and providers of information to patients. The second phase of the drill, which focused on an outbreak of smallpox and how authorities reacted, was organized by Biodefense Region 2 South with help from the State of Michigan and the Office of Homeland Security. Not a Game Dr. D e n n i s L o p a t i n , s e n i o r associate dean who leads the School of Dentistry’s biopreparedness program [DentalUM, Spring & Summer 2004, pages 48-49], said the drill “wasn’t a game for any of us. We all took it very seriously.”
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DentalUM Spring & Summer 2005
Bioterror Attack
was her 28-year-old father,” Rodriguiz said. “I accepted the smallpox vaccine for myself, but refused it for my child because I had fears about my child developing adverse reactions.” During her discussions with health care workers, Rodriguiz said she was later convinced that any possible adverse reactions from the vaccine were minimal compared to contracting smallpox. After the drill, Rodriguiz said “the three of us – myself, the woman from Lansing, and the health care worker – all agreed there should have been more refusals so that the workers could get more practice in situations like this.” Drill organizers wanted to treat 1,000 “patients” in four hours. The number turned out to be slightly higher, 1,077. Sylvia Bowman, administrative assistant in the School’s Human Resources Office, was the 1,000th “patient.” She said she volunteered “because I thought it would be interesting. I learned smallpox is much more serious than I thought.”
Keary Campbell
Stresses Importance of Preparation
Keary Campbell
Dental Professionals and Bioterrorism CE Course
“Prepare your family and home. Prepare your practice. Then be there for your community when it needs you.” That advice was given to more than 150 dentists and other health care professionals during the first biopreparedness course offered by the U-M School of Dentistry in April. Dr. Dennis Lopatin, senior associate dean in charge of the School of Dentistry’s biopreparedness effort, said that dental schools are beginning to integrate biodefense and disaster preparedness experiences into their educational programs, including U-M, where it is has been a part of the predoctoral curriculum. “We are working with local and regional agencies to help bring the skills of the dental community to the preparedness table,” he said. “Our long-term goal is to support local dental societies in partnership with the Michigan Dental Association to help develop preparedness plans that are linked to regional efforts.”
After arriving for treatment, Dr. Robert Eber receives a clipboard with information describing smallpox symptoms.
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Ignelzi Grad Student Applying Skills, Experience with FBI Forensics Lab
Nicole Crane Helping to Enhance New Fingerprinting Technique
Keary Campbell
Nicole Crane, who worked in Dr. Michael Ignelzi’s laboratory, is now with the FBI’s Counterterrorism Forensic Science and Research Laboratory in Virginia.
A graduate student who recently worked in the research laboratory of Dr. Michael Ignelzi studying craniosynostosis is now using her skills and applying what she has learned at the FBI’s Counterterrorism Forensic Science and Research Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia. Nicole Crane, who earned a PhD in chemistry in December from the School of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts, spent about three-anda-half years working with Ignelzi and a group of U-M researchers investigating the possible causes of and remedies for craniosynostosis, a premature fusion of the skull. Ignelzi, an associate professor in the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, and colleagues from across the U-M campus are trying to understand the genetic, molecular, and biological factors that result in the malady that affect one of every 3,000 children. [DentalUM, Fall 2000, pages 40-41.] A highly specialized technique Crane used in the laboratory (Raman spectroscopy) to detect the earliest stages of craniosynostosis is now being used to capture infrared images of fingerprints.
Using infrared spectroscopy, which measures how different molecules affect the wavelength and intensity of light waves, to study fingerprints is relatively new. “It provides more information than conventional methods,” Crane said. For example, it’s another tool that can be used to help identify children who may be kidnap victims. However, infrared imaging of fingerprints is not a technique agents are using in the field. It’s possible that it may also be used in the war on terrorism. However, Crane said, that may be years away. “Using the same techniques and imaging principles, we may, in the future, be able to identify trace chemicals found in the fingerprints of adults who might, for example, be arsonists or engage in some other kind of unlawful behavior,” she said. In addition to helping the FBI’s laboratories, Crane’s work may also lead to collaboration with the National Institutes of Health.
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A Royal Welcome for Dr. Robert Bagramian
Guest of Honor in Taiwan for 40-Year Celebration
You can hear the excitement in Dr. Robert Bagramian’s voice as he talks about a special visit he made to Taiwan last fall. He was the guest of honor helping Changhua Christian Hospital, a major medical and dental facility, celebrate the 40th anniversary of the dental clinic he founded. “This was my third trip back and the best,” he said. “It was the trip of a lifetime. I couldn’t have been treated any better. It was a royal welcome.” Bagramian was the first Westerntrained dentist to provide oral health care on the island during the 1960s. During the three years he was in Taiwan, Bagramian played a major role in helping the hospital establish a two-chair dental clinic. He worked with newly trained dentists and dental assistants, trained hundreds of others, taught at a local dental school, and also helped in outreach efforts to provide oral health care in cities and towns as well as villages on remote parts of the island. [DentalUM, Spring & Summer 2000, 37-38.] What’s Changed... and Some Surprises Much has changed since he left in 1965.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Robert Bagramian
Dr. Robert Bagramian recently returned to Taiwan to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of a dental clinic he helped establish in a hospital on the island.
The small dental clinic he helped create now has 55 chairs. Two dentists and two dental assistants he helped train are now approaching retirement. One of the dentists established a dental department at another major hospital. The son of the founder of the hospital, who approved establishing the dental clinic, is now 91 years old and living in England. Although he didn’t have any difficulty recognizing people he worked with and trained four decades ago, Bagramian said he did have some difficulty getting used to the “new geography” of the area because so much had changed. The two-bedroom bungalow
where he lived still stands. However, instead of looking out its windows and seeing rice paddies, he saw highrise apartments and offices. When he told his hosts about a small lake not far from where he lived, they went there for a visit. As he pointed to a building in the distance, Bagramian told a dentist standing next to him, the chief of the dental department at Changhua Hospital, that he taught at the dental school that was on the fifth floor of that structure. “After hearing that, he turned to me and said, ‘My family and I lived two floors down from where you taught’.” Although the two never met 40 years ago, Bagramian said the dentist who made the remark
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Photo courtesy of Dr. Robert Bagramian
This banner notes Dr. Robert Bagramian’s role in establishing the dental program at Changhua Christian Hospital and announces his lectures to the Changhua Dental Association. The banner also provides some biographical information about his education and teaching career.
now has offices in Taiwan and Los Angeles. Something else surprised Bagramian during his visit. A picture of him, taken 40 years earlier, was framed and prominently displayed on one of the walls leading to the dental clinic. Not only did Bagramian return to the dental school where he taught, he also delivered several lectures on oral health and epidemiology and talked to the deans of three dental schools on the island. After spending 10 days in Taiwan, Bagramian traveled to Hong Kong and visited one of his former students, Dr. Yuching “Hanie” Szeto, a 1988 graduate of the School of Dentistry who returned to Ann Arbor for her class reunion last spring. “We talked about what was new at Michigan and in our careers,” Bagramian said. “She also was kind enough to organize a trip to Beijing for me, so I went to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.”
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What Hasn’t Changed Reflecting on his visit, Bagramian said he was struck by what has...and has not...occurred in Taiwan. “Residents of the island have all the trappings of modernization and a much higher standard of living, witness the autos, clothes, and modern technology,” he said. “But more needs to be done in dealing with issues that affect the quality of life.” Bagramian said he mentioned in several lectures that he “had not seen a lot of progress during the last four decades” in addressing several oral health care issues. After making the comments, he said several individuals approached him to say they agreed with the remarks. “They told me it was helpful for them to hear someone from the outside say the very same things they had been talking about for many years.”
One reason for the lack of progress in dealing with oral health care issues is that water supplies are no longer fluoridated. “When the fluoridation equipment broke down, it wasn’t repaired or replaced,” he said. Another problem is the affinity many have to a native plant, beetle nut, a product that produces a bright red juice that stains teeth and may also cause cancer. “It’s almost like their version of chewing tobacco,” he said. “While treating oral health care problems is commendable, more attention needs to be focused on preventing those problems. That effort seems to be lacking,” he said. What’s next? Bagramian said “there’s talk about another anniversary celebration in two or three years. They’re trying to get myself and several others to return for the 110th anniversary of the hospital’s founding.”
Photo courtesy of Dr. Robert Bagramian
C B C
A B
A
The three individuals in the picture taken 40 years ago (left) are the same individuals who appear in the picture on the right taken recently. Dr. Robert Bagramian (A) trained both individuals. Dr. Samuel Chuang (B), a dental resident in the 1960s, was director of the dental program at Changhua Christian Hospital. Philip Wang (C), also a dental assistant in the 1960s, is now a successful businessman.
DentalUM Spring & Summer 2005
Faculty Profile
Per Kjeldsen
Dr. Charlotte
Mistretta
Director, Oral Health Sciences PhD Program
When she was in eighth grade, Charlotte Mistretta told her parents that school was not as challenging as she had hoped. Upon hearing that, her parents promised to find a high school that would challenge her academically. Mistretta’s father, a pharmacist and business owner in Georgetown, learned more about other area schools. His daughter was later accepted in the Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, an all-girl’s Catholic college preparatory school in Washington, D.C., founded in 1799. “I was raised in a house with a ‘You can do anything if you put your mind to it’ philosophy,” she said. “In high school, the expectation was that I would go on to college. In college, the expectation was I would go on to graduate school. Throughout my life, it seems I have been in settings where I learned to take on challenges, develop intellectually, and grow personally and professionally.” In retrospect, Mistretta has done that...and more. Growing up in Prince Georges County, Maryland, Mistretta said she always had an interest in biology, enjoyed visiting the National Zoo, and observing animal life. As a student at Trinity College in the nation’s capital, Mistretta obtained a National Science Foundation summer fellowship to study bird behavior. “I remember getting up many mornings at four o’clock and lugging a bulky tape recorder to record bird calls not far from home,” she said.
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An Influential Mentor Prior to graduating cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1966, a faculty member advised Mistretta to consider studying cell biology. Following her junior year, Mistretta was awarded a scholarship for summer-long research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Subsequently, a campus visit from two scientists with a National Science Foundation mentoring program persuaded
Considered by many as “the father of taste physiology,” Beidler’s research focused on the physiology and biophysics of the gustatory system. Also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Biedler’s most important discoveries included the physical/chemical nature of taste stimulation and the finding that taste bud cells replace themselves every several days. In 1967, Mistretta and Beidler coauthored a paper on the permeability
To England and Ann Arbor While Mistretta was working toward her PhD, which she received in 1970, she met Dr. Robert Bradley, a Fulbright Scholar who was completing his studies in the U.S. and would soon be returning to England. After they married and left for England, Mistretta was a postdoctoral fellow at the Nuffield Institute for Medical Research at Oxford University until 1972. Following his postdoctoral
Photo courtesy of Dr. Charlotte Mistretta
The Mistretta laboratory has a long history of studying the development of taste organs and their innervation. Illustrated here are early taste papillae on the embryonic rodent tongue in a scanning electron micrograph (left) and with a stain for a special protein found within papillae only (right).
her to also investigate the thenemerging fields of neuroscience and psychobiology. “I told them about my interest in biology and behavioral science,” she said. “As I heard them describe these areas, I was intrigued and decided to investigate further.” After earning her undergraduate degree, between 1966 and 1970 Mistretta was an NIH predoctoral trainee in biological sciences at Florida State University. “I chose Florida State because it had enormous strengths in the field of sensory biology and also offered me a full scholarship,” she said. At F S U , M i s t re t t a s t u d i e d psychobiology under one of the world’s foremost authorities in taste, Dr. Lloyd Beidler.
of rat tongue epithelium that appeared in The Physiologist. Based on this work, Mistretta’s department awarded her a master’s degree in biological science in 1968 while she continued working on her PhD. “I was the only woman working toward a PhD in biological science, but no one put up any barriers,” she said. “If anything, Lloyd pushed me to pursue my studies, to develop research projects, and to attend meetings and seminars. Prominent sensory physiologists were always coming to Florida State to speak, so we learned a great deal from them. The contacts with these scientists were lasting and helped me to obtain a postdoctoral position and future symposium speaking invitations.”
work, Bradley was recruited to the School of Dentistry by Dr. Dominic Dziewiatkowski who was building the Dental Research Institute and chaired the Department of Oral Biology. Arriving in Ann Arbor in 1972, Mistretta became a senior research associate in the department until the research faculty track was established a year later. In the ensuing years, her work included appointments at the School of Dentistry (research track faculty), the Center for Human Growth and Development (research track faculty), and the School of Nursing’s Center for Nursing Research (tenured professor). From 1982 to 1983, she was a visiting researcher in the Department of Psychobiology at the University
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of California’s (Irvine) School of Biological Sciences. Mistretta and Bradley started their family in the early 1980s when four-month-old Anna arrived from Korea in 1983 and five-and-a-half month old Robin arrived in 1985. This new aspect of their lives led Mistretta and Bradley to develop creative child care avenues with campus colleagues that allowed each to have time with their children and sustain their careers at the University of Michigan. In 1987, U-M President James Duderstadt named Mistretta a member of the School of Dentistry’s Transition Committee. Under the leadership of committee chair, Dr. William Kotowicz, the group assumed leadership of the School, reconfigured departments, examined programs and facilities, and made recommendations on subjects ranging from admissions to the curriculum to postgraduate education. Developing the PhD Program Mistretta’s career emphasis shifted again in 1990 when then-Dean J. Bernard Machen suggested she transfer her tenure from the School of Nursing to the School of Dentistry so she could focus her research activities in one physical location. Those research interests are centered on the development of the sense of taste and the interactions between nerves and taste organs to assemble taste circuits. [See the research story on page 32.] Also during the early 1990s, Machen asked Mistretta to launch a school-wide doctoral program which was officially established in 1994. [See story pages 34-43.] Mistretta brings some of Beidler’s methods and approaches to the
Working with Dr. Charlotte Mistretta in her laboratory are Arturis Grigaliunas (left), a post-doctoral researcher, and Yan Qiu Zhou (right) a post-doctoral research fellow.
research-focused PhD program. “Lloyd encouraged me to ask questions, not to give up, to always acquire new methods, and to apply what I learned in seminars and programs to my research. That’s something I try to convey to our students in this program,” she said. “When they’re curious and motivated, they fall in love with science and excel, even when encountering the inevitable obstacles of graduate training.” A former student in the program, Dr. Jacques Nör, agrees. Now an associate professor of dentistry, Nör, who was one of the first two students to receive a PhD in Oral Health Sciences in 1999, said the program changed his life. “It helped me realize the impact research can have on people’s lives, especially those who have oral cancer,” he said. “As program director, Charlotte deserves so much credit for her leadership and all she did to make it possible.” Others agree. “Charlotte has done an absolutely fabulous job of developing the program,” said Dr. William Kotowicz, former dean. “I think the program’s
success is due to her ability to see the big picture, bring people together to achieve an objective, and working with Pat Schultz, administrative associate in the research office, to pay attention to the details that make the program work.” Dr. Don Clewell, who has been involved with the program from the beginning, agrees. “It’s a terrific program. It wouldn’t be the success that it has been without Charlotte’s efforts,” he said. As she reflected on her career, Mistretta said, “It’s been so incredibly rewarding. I love the academic life. I love this University. I am especially proud of, and grateful to have worked with people on committees from other schools and colleges, and bringing all the knowledge, talent, and effort together for a common goal,” she said. “But what also is very rewarding is to see a student ‘turn the corner’ and have everything come together for excellent science, even with the stresses of PhD training. That’s what really makes it all worthwhile.”
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Understanding the Sense of Taste
Neurons and Taste Organs
How do we develop the sense of taste? What biological and chemical processes take place that prompt us during a meal with family or friends to say, “I enjoy this food, it tastes wonderful”?
The life-essential sense of taste is central to the oral cavity, where taste buds reside in the tongue. During a 30-year academic career, Dr. Charlotte Mistretta has focused her research on how our sensation of taste develops. The basis of taste function begins with the development of taste organs on the tongue and the innervation to these taste organs to form nerve “circuits” that transmit taste information to the brain. Using embryonic and postnatal animal models, Mistretta is investigating how neurons acquire their functional “signatures” and how nerves grow to make connections with taste organs in the tongue and with the brain. Part of this study involves how the taste organs develop and subsequently “attract” sensory nerves. Her research has been funded with grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, and the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke. Currently, her research is supported with a $1.6 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, continuing 16 years of funding from that organization. Important Discoveries One of the important discoveries Mistretta’s lab has made is that mammalian taste function both gradually emerges during prenatal development and also continues after birth. Recent studies on geniculate and trigeminal ganglion neurons, that innervate taste and somatosensory receptors on the tongue, demonstrate early differences in electrical properties between these neurons that set the stage for later special functions of gustation, touch, temperature, or pain. Specific ion channel properties develop in the embryonic ganglia which can be altered when growing nerve endings encounter molecules called neurotrophins. These support survival and growth of sensory neurons. The early neurons have properties that give them a taste versus a somatosensory identification. But during development, these properties are further shaped and refined by molecules in the oralfacial area. During her research, Mistretta has received an NIH Career Development Award and a sevenyear independent investigator grant, the Claude Pepper Award, for outstanding research. She acknowledges a longstanding collaboration with Dr. Robert M. Bradley in their joint and separate grants to investigate the sense of taste. How taste develops enables us to better understand not only why we like certain foods, but also the health implications that result from our choices. The location of taste receptors in the mouth keeps this sensory system center-stage for oral health scientists and professionals.
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Professional Achievements Selected Highlights
Education • Postdoctoral Fellow, Nuffield Institute for Medical Research, University of Oxford, England (1970-1972) • PhD, Biological Science, Florida State University (1970) • MS, Biological Science, Florida State University (1968) • BA, Biology, Trinity College, Washington, D.C. (1966) cum laude Academic Appointments and Professional Experience • U-M School of Dentistry - Program Director, Oral Health Sciences/PhD program (1993 to present) - Professor, Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences (1991 to present) - Research Scientist, Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences (1982-1991) - Assistant to Associate Research Scientist, Dept. of Oral Biology (1973-1982) • U-M School of Nursing - Associate Professor to Professor, Center for Nursing Research (1975 to present) - Interim Director, Center for Nursing Research (1985-1988) • Center for Human Growth and Development - Research Scientist (1984-1996); Associate Research Scientist (1975-1984) Honors and Awards • William R. Mann Professor, School of Dentistry (2003-2008) • Distinguished Research in Taste (Frito-Lay Award), Association for Chemoreception Sciences (1996) • Claude Pepper Award, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH (1988-1995) • Phi Beta Kappa, Epsilon Chapter, District of Columbia (1987) Professional Society Memberships • American Association for the Advancement of Science • Association for Chemoreception Sciences • American Physiological Society • Society for Neuroscience Service • University of Michigan - Provost’s Faculty Advisory Committee (2003-2005) - Dean Search Committee, School of Dentistry (2002) - Executive Committee, Hearing and Chemical Senses Training Program (1994-1999, 1999-2005) - Search Committee, Vice President for Research (1998-1999) - Executive Board, Horace Rackham School of Graduate Studies (1994-1999) - President’s Task Force on the Organization of the University (1995-1996) - Budget Priorities Committee (1983-1986, 1986-1989) • School of Dentistry - Executive Committee (1994-1997, 2001-2004) - Program Committee chair, Oral Health Sciences/PhD program (1993 to present) - Executive Committee, Center for the Biorestoration of Oral Health (1997-2000) - Department chair and faculty member Search Committees (1990, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004) - Graduate Curriculum Review Committee (1993) - Research Committee (1992-1993) • National - Association for Chemoreception Sciences (1987 to present) • International - International Committee on Olfaction and Taste (1994-1998, 1998-2002, 2004) - Symposium Chair, International Symposium on Olfaction and Taste (1997, 2004)
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O H S
Leading in Oral Health
the School of Dentistry’s
Investigating molecules that can trigger new blood vessel formation...dissecting cell death programs in oral cancer...devising scaffolds to implant new bone cells into tissues with oral defects...measuring craniofacial neuron responses to survival factors...these are just a few of the research topics that engage students in the University of Michigan School of Dentistry’s Oral Health Sciences PhD (OHS PhD) program.
First offered 11 years ago, the OHS PhD program was launched in response to a national demand for leaders in oral health research. Today, the program is attracting growing interest among students with dental or specialty degrees, and more recently, among students who are interested in simultaneously pursuing a dental degree and a doctorate. Students in the program have a goal to become independent investigators as faculty members in a top ranked dental school.
Keary Campbell
Twelve students were enrolled in the Oral Health Sciences PhD program during the 2004-2005 academic year. They included (front row, left to right): Chad Novince, Erica Scheller, Elisabeta Karl, Dr. Charlotte Mistretta (program director), Andrew Fribley, Yuhe Lu, and Bradley Henson. In the back row are other students and staff members including: Judy Pace (secretary, OHS office), Yong-Hee Chun, Elliott Hill, Kathleen Neiva, Abraham Schneider, ZhuoRan Zhao, Zhao Lin, and Patricia Schultz (administrative associate, OHS office).
“It is a PhD program of the Horace Rackham School of Graduate Studies. OHS has a very strong science curriculum and it has enhanced the reputation of our School as well as the University’s, because we have produced results,” she said. “Students who have completed this program have progressed to careers in research and academic dentistry. Their success, in turn, is attracting other exceptional and highly-motivated students who want to ‘push themselves’ to achieve even more both professionally and personally.” Since the first PhD degrees in Oral Health Sciences were awarded in 1999, 15 students have completed the program. Seven graduates are now faculty members at the U-M School of Dentistry and at other colleges and universities around the world. Three graduates are in postdoctoral programs. Five are in specialty residency programs or working with a pharmaceutical company. [See page 38.] Program Origins Formally established in 1994, the Oral Health Sciences PhD program began taking shape a few years earlier when J. Bernard Machen became Dean of the School of Dentistry. Machen, currently president of the University of Florida, said the program was established “because dental education and dental research needed well-educated PhD-level researchers. We
Why the Program is Special “The Oral Health Sciences PhD program is not a specialty program in dentistry,” said Dr. Charlotte Mistretta who developed the curriculum and has directed the program since its inception.
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Research...
Oral Health Sciences PhD Program
hoped to provide a cohort to increase research and faculty positions.” He saw other advantages. “A university always benefits from highquality PhD programs,” he said. “They help bring good faculty to the University of Michigan and help the School of Dentistry compete with other units on campus.” Dr. William Kotowicz, who succeeded Machen as dental school dean, cited another necessity. Although the School had a strong reputation for its master’s and clinical programs, there was not a well-defined, school-wide doctoral program. “Since the PhD is the ultimate academic degree,” he said, “we knew that if we wanted to remain competitive and continue attracting both the best faculty and the best students, we would have to have a school-wide program and build it, literally, from the ground up,” he said. Machen asked Dr. Charlotte Mistretta to do that. Although one or two departments within the School were awarding doctoral degrees, she said, “we wanted something broader, a schoolwide program that allowed us to build upon our existing strengths in scholarship and research.” Another reason for creating the program, Kotowicz said, “was to enhance our basic, translational, clinical, and health services research.” Areas of Focus Although the School of Dentistry offers the OHS PhD program, it is a part of the Horace Rackham School of Graduate Studies that grants admission to the program and the PhD degree. Students who apply are rigorously reviewed, first by an admissions committee and later a program committee.
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The School’s OHS PhD program is run under the auspices of the Rackham School of Graduate Studies. Interim Dean at Rackham, Dr. Steven Kunkel (center) and members of his staff, oversee admission requirements and provide information to staff, faculty, and students to ensure the records and academic performance of students are accurate. Also pictured (left to right) are students Yong-Hee Chun, Kathleen Neiva, Zhao Lin, and Yuhe Lu.
The program attracts students – of all ages, ethnicities, and, in recent years, a large proportion of women – from the U.S. and countries around the world. The basic goal of the Oral Health Sciences PhD program is to train exceptional students to become leaders in academic research, oral health maintenance, and disease prevention. Students investigate an array of biological, chemical, and physical aspects of problems related to oral health, focusing on six broad areas of research: • • • • Craniofacial development and anomalies Tissue engineering and regeneration Microbial diseases and immunity Mineralized tissue and musculoskeletal disorders • Oral neuroscience • Oral and pharyngeal carcinogenesis
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“The Oral Health Sciences PhD program is, and will continue to be, a part of the foundation of our academic future. It will allow our School to play an increasingly important role in developing and nurturing the next generation of academic leaders.”
Dean Peter Polverini
A Program Offering Close, Personal Attention Students and the School of Dentistry benefit from the program. One of the major benefits for students is its modest size. Between 12 and 14 students are enrolled at any given time. This gives students opportunities to work closely with their mentors and interact with other faculty members engaged in research. “The size of our program allows us to provide the close, personal attention that is often difficult to find in a program where there may be hundreds of students,” Kotowicz said. “A highly-respected faculty enables us to attract very capable and highly-motivated students.” Kotowicz said the program “has made our School increasingly attractive to other schools and colleges on the U-M campus. Since research is increasingly collaborative, more of our faculty and students are working with colleagues in engineering, medicine, and other disciplines.” Faculty members who mentor the students are equally enthusiastic. [See story, pages 40 - 43.] Three Program Options Students considering a research career can choose one of three options in the OHS PhD program to help them achieve their goals.
One is the Oral Health Sciences PhD program itself. Another is a dual clinical master’s degree/ OHS PhD program. The third is the dual-degree DDS/OHS PhD program. First Option – OHS PhD Program This program is for students interested in pursuing a long-term career in academic dentistry. It is best suited for outstanding students who have completed their dental training, and often have also completed a clinical master’s degree. A rigorous basic science core curriculum, l a b o r a t o r y ro t a t i o n s , t h e p re l i m i n a r y examination, and advanced courses in areas of specialization prepare a student to concentrate on a dissertation topic and collaborate with a group of researchers. The dissertation research is the crucial element of PhD training. Students are also encouraged to keep their clinical skills and knowledge current by practicing in clinics. Second Option – Combined Specialty Master’s/PhD Program This program is for students who have earned their dental degree and are now interested in acquiring dental specialty training while simultaneously pursuing the OHS PhD. Directors of the graduate specialty programs and the director of the OHS program collaborate to develop a specialized program for each student. This customized program ensures that students graduate with the skills required to be proficient in their specialty and their research career. Third Option – Combined DDS/PhD Program This rigorous dual-degree program is for
Oral Health Sciences PhD students Elisabeta Karl, Bradley Henson, and Andrew Fribley are focusing their research on cell signaling in oral and pharyngeal cancer.
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students who want to combine dental and oral health research careers from the moment they enter the School of Dentistry. Designed to be completed by a student in about eight years, the program includes courses leading to the DDS degree, graduate science courses, and clinical and research experiences. At the end of the program, the student receives the dental and PhD degrees simultaneously. Typically, this program begins with a research rotation the summer before a student’s first year in the dual-degree curriculum. During a student’s first two years, the focus is on the dental curriculum. Graduate courses in basic sciences are also included, as are laboratory research rotations. By the third and fourth years, a gradual shift begins. Laboratory activity is more concentrated as a student gains a better understanding of the research process. Toward the end of the student’s curriculum, he or she spends most of their time conducting research. About 20 to 25 percent of the time is spent providing clinical care. With a strong curriculum, clinical training, and research activity, graduates of the DDS/PhD program have a broad portfolio of experiences that strongly position them to enter an academic environment. Program Lauded The program has become successful during its first decade. “The program has visibility and is one everyone likes to brag about,” said Dr. Laurie McCauley, who directed two students. She said the program has succeeded for several reasons. “First and foremost is Charlotte herself. She’s organized, methodical, and devoted to
seeing it thrive,” McCauley said. Other factors contributing to the program’s success, she added, include financial support from the School, talented faculty who are willing to mentor students, and the high caliber of the students in the program. Kotowicz said the program has succeeded “because of Charlotte’s ability to see the big picture and her ability to bring people together to achieve an objective. Pat Schultz, who works closely with Charlotte, and Judy Pace who also did before she retired, address the many details that contribute to the program’s success.” Dean Peter Polverini agreed. “Charlotte set into motion a strategy that enhanced the PhD experience for all students, broadened the scope of scientific opportunities for students, and set very high standards for participation by both students and faculty. She has been a wonderful mentor, both for students and for faculty who have participated,” he said. “The Oral Health Sciences PhD program is, and will continue to be, a part of the foundation of our academic future,” Polverini said. “It will allow our School to play an increasingly important role in developing and nurturing the next generation of academic leaders.”
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“Students who have completed this program have progressed to careers in research and academic dentistry. Their success, in turn, is attracting other exceptional and highly-motivated students who want to ‘push themselves’ to achieve even more both professionally and personally.”
Dr. Charlotte Mistretta, director, OHS PhD program
Two School of Dentistry students, Erica Scheller (second from left) and Chad Novince (second from right), entered the dualdegree DDS/PhD program in the 2004-2005 academic year. With them are their initial academic advisors, Dr. Christopher Fenno (left) and Dr. Robert Bradley (right).
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Graduates: Then & Now
Between 12 and 14 students are enrolled in the program at any given time. This gives students opportunities to work closely with their mentors and interact with other faculty members engaged in research.
Fifteen students have been awarded a PhD degree after completing the School of Dentistry’s Oral Health Sciences program. Below are their names, the names of their dissertation advisors, and where the students are now. 1999
• Jacques Nör, DDS, MS, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. Peter Polverini - Now: Associate Professor of Dentistry; U-M School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan • Esam Tashkandi, BDS, MS, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. William O’Brien - Now: Chairman, Department of Prosthodontics and Assistant Professor, College of Dentistry; King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia • Christopher Kazor, DDS, MS, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisors, Drs. Walter Loesche and J. Christopher Fenno - Now: Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Periodontics, Prevention, and Geriatrics; U-M School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan
2003
• Keni Gu, MD, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. R. Bruce Rutherford - Now: Resident, Pathology Department, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit
2000
• Hongjiao Ouyang, DDS, MS, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. Martha Somerman - Now: Assistant Professor and Assistant Research Scientist, Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences, and Endodontics; U-M School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan • Somjin Ratansathien, DDS, MS, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. Carl T. Hanks - Now: Faculty of Dentistry, Prince of Songkhla University, Songkhla, Thailand • Erika DeBoever, DDS, MPH, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. Don Clewell - Now: Research scientist; GlaxoSmithKline, Philadelphia
2004
• Domenica Sweier, DDS, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. Dennis Lopatin - Now: Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences, and Endodontics; U-M School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan • Ting Wang, DDS, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. Christian Stohler - Now: Postdoctoral program fellowship, University of Maryland • Darnell Kaigler, Jr., DDS, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. David Mooney - Now: Postdoctoral program fellowship & master’s program in clinical research training at the University of Michigan
2002
• Hen-Li Chen, DDS, MS, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. Laurie McCauley - Now: Assistant Professor, Yang-Ming University; Taipei, Taiwan • Solaiman Al-Hadlaq, BDS, MS, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. Charlotte Mistretta - Now: Assistant Professor, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia • Andre Haerian, DDS, MS, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. William O’Brien - Now: Private practice orthodontist; Ann Arbor, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio
2005
• Elliott Hill, DDS, MS, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. David Mooney - Now: Postdoctoral fellowship, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor • Abraham Schneider, DDS, PhD - Then: Dissertation Advisor, Dr. Laurie McCauley - Now: Postdoctoral program at the National Institutes of Health & assistant professor, Dept. of Diagnostic Sciences and Pathology, School of Dentistry, University of Maryland
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Student Awards (selected)
Current students in the Oral Health Sciences PhD program who have received awards for their research.
Yong-Hee Chun • Rackham Block Grant Award. Cold Spring Harbor Genome Research Center, Genome Access course (2004). • Rackham Travel Grant Award, IADR/AADR meeting to present research (2004). Andrew Fribley • Dominic Dziewiatkowski Award for excellence in research (2004). • American Association of Dental Research Edward Hatton Award for outstanding predoctoral research (2004), IADR/AADR. • International Association of Dental Research Edward Hatton Award for outstanding predoctoral research (2004). • Rackham Block Grant Award. Cold Spring Harbor Meeting; Protein Folding Meeting (2004). Bradley Henson • Dominic Dziewiatkowski Award for excellence in research (2005) • Hatton Award 2nd place (2005) American Association for Dental Research meeting. • Hatton Award finalist (2004) American Association for Dental Research meeting. Elisabeta Karl • Rackham Block Grant Award. Gordon Research Conference, “Endothelial Cell Phenotypes in Health & Disease,” (2004). Kathleen Neiva • Rackham Block Grant Award. IADR/AADR meeting (2004). Abraham Schneider • Harold M. Frost Young Investigator Award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (2004). • Third prize, Basic Science category, Research/Table Clinic Day, University of Michigan School of Dentistry (2004). • Faculty Recognition Award for outstanding research mentorship, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, University of Michigan College of Literature, Sciences, and Arts (2004). • Dominic Dziewiatkowski Award for excellence in research (2003). ZhuoRan Zhao • Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship Award (2005). • Rackham Block Grant Award. Cold Spring Harbor Genome Research Center, Genome Access course (2004).
Student Presentations at Scientific Meetings
(selected)
Students in the OHS program have also presented their research at meetings worldwide.
Yong-Hee Chun • Chun, Y-HP, Foster, B, Berry, J, Lukasavage, P, Zhao, M, Tenenbaum, HC, Somerman, M. “Bisphosphonate modulates cementoblast behavior in vitro.” International Association for Dental Research (2004). Andrew Fribley • Poster IADR “Proteasome inhibitor PS-341 induces apoptosis through the induction of ER stress/reactive oxygen species in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma,” (2004). • Seminar, Dziewiatkowski Award. “Conquering oral cancer: From gene therapy to novel chemotherapy,” University of Michigan (2004). • “Programmed cell death,” Cold Spring Harbor (2003). • “Molecular chaparones and the heat shock response,” Cold Spring Harbor (2004). Bradley Henson • Henson, B, Nair R, Jang I, Carey TE, and D’Silva, NJ. “Galanin receptor expression & signaling pathways: Novel findings in oral cancer.” American Association for Cancer Research meeting (2004). • B Henson, R Nair, I Jang, TE Carey and NJ D’Silva, NJ, “Galanin receptor 1 and 2 signaling in oral keratinocytes: Role in proliferation.” VII Symposium on Research in Head and Neck Cancer, Dusseldorf, Germany (2003). Elliott Hill • Boontheekul, T, Hill, EE, Kong, HJ, Mooney, DJ, “Role of scaffolding material degradation on cellular behavior,” 40th Biomedical Engineering Symposium, U-Michigan (2004). • Boontheekul, T, Hill, EE, Kong, HJ, Mooney, DJ, “Role of scaffolding material degradation on cellular behavior,” 10th Meeting, Society for Women in Engineering, University of Michigan (2004). Abraham Schneider • Schneider A, LM Kalikin, AC Mattos, ET Keller, MJ Allen, KJ Pienta, and LK McCauley, “Increased bone turnover facilitates prostate cancer skeletal localization,” 34th International Sun Valley Workshop in Skeletal Tissue Biology, Sun Valley, Idaho (2004). • Schneider A, LM Kalikin, AC Mattos, ET Keller, PJ Pienta, and LK McCauley, “Increased bone turnover facilitates prostate cancer metastasis to the skeleton,” 4th International Conference on Cancer-Inducted Bone Disease, San Antonio (2003).
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MENTORING:
S
What it Is...Why it
A faculty member, for example, will advise students about course selection and, drawing on their experiences, will help them better understand how the University of Michigan and the Rackham School of Graduate Studies operate. For some students, especially those from other countries, attending U-M is their first experience living abroad. In those cases, mentors advise those students about many of the cultural, geographic, and social nuances of attending a major university and what it’s like living in Ann Arbor or surrounding communities. To help students better understand what will happen during their years of study and what will be expected of them in their new academic and research environment, mentors and students convene for frequent meetings. During the early meetings, for example, each mentor discusses course selection and introduces his or her student to other faculty members and research investigators on campus. Career Planning These meetings, however, are more than scientific gatherings. They also serve as forums that enable students to develop a network of contacts who, in the future, may help them in subtle or major ways during their studies or finding the right postdoctoral or assistant professor opportunity. Working with their mentor, a PhD student can create a unique, long-term career path. Complementing career planning are OHS workshops on subjects that include grant writing, the importance of postdoctoral training, how to interview, negotiating, and other relevant topics.
chool of Dentistry faculty members involved in the Oral Health Sciences PhD program say it has provided countless benefits to them in several ways, not the least of which is being involved in mentoring students. “Mentoring is the heart and soul of PhD training,” says Dr. Charlotte Mistretta, director of the OHS PhD program. “It’s a crucial collaboration between established scientists and students that, eventually, helps the student become an independent, creative scientist.” Although mentors may be considered by some as curriculum or dissertation advisors, Mistretta said that in reality, their role is broader. “As described in The Odyssey, a mentor was someone who was deemed ‘a wise and trusted counselor’,” she said. “That’s what our mentors are, wise and trusted counselors to every student who is in this program.” The Role of the Advisor Mentoring begins during a student’s first days in the program. When they begin their studies in the OHS PhD program, each student is assigned an initial academic advisor who provides counsel on a range of topics.
School of Dentistry faculty members frequently meet with OHS PhD students to advise them on a range of topics including career planning, trends in research, and other subjects.
Keary Campbell
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Matters...Who Benefits
Per Kjeldsen
The Role of Research The focus of the OHS PhD curriculum is laboratory research. During the time a student is enrolled in precandidate courses, he or she will complete three lab rotations. These rotations allow students to learn different laboratory techniques and understand approaches used in the various research themes of the program. Students conduct research and also learn the importance of effectively communicating their work and the possible implications of that work to both scientific and nonscientific audiences. Students are required to present their research in the OHS Seminar Series and to review major research papers with their colleagues and other faculty members in OHS Journal Clubs. Dr. Cun-Yu Wang, Journal Club director, challenges students to select outstanding articles from scientific journals, such as Cell. Students analyze and lead discussions about these articles. This helps the student design their own experiments and gain appreciation of the work that’s involved in developing articles for scientific publications. During the years of advising, mentors develop a better understanding of a student’s strengths and research and academic interests. OHS students move from an initial advisor to the dissertation advisor – the mentor who advises a student in developing a dissertation project while allowing the student the opportunity to enhance his or her intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm. The Rewards of Mentoring Advisors who have mentored OHS PhD students say it’s one of the most rewarding parts of being a School of Dentistry faculty member.
Yong-Hee Chun (seated), a precandidate in the OHS program, injects a sample of dentin proteins into a proteomics system. Observing are Dr. Yasuo Yamakoshi (left), who provides scientific and technical support in the laboratory of Dr. James Simmer (right).
“You see a tremendous amount of change in a student’s development over time, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see them evolve as scientists,” said Dr. Laurie McCauley. She said successes of students who have already completed the program have encouraged others to investigate it. “Of the students I mentored, Hen-Li Chen is now teaching in Taiwan; Somjin Ratansathien is teaching in Thailand; and Jacques Nör, who came to U-M from Brazil, is teaching here. Their achievements and the success of other students have generated strong interest in our program,” she said.
Keary Campbell
Dr. Abraham Schneider, a candidate in the OHS doctoral program, leads a Journal Club meeting discussing his research that seeks to understand why prostate cancer cells have a tendency to metastasize and inhabit bones, including the craniofacial region.
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O H S
Keary Campbell
Dr. Cun-Yu Wang (left, near screen), Journal Club director, meets regularly with students in the OHS PhD program and, at sessions such as this one, challenges them to critically analyze and discuss articles that appear in scientific publications.
Mentoring students is also challenging. Unlike a class, where a faculty member will teach dozens of students in a single setting, mentoring doctoral students is more focused. “Since you’re working on a one-to-one basis, you learn more about a student’s strengths and areas that need improvement,” McCauley said. “That, in turn, challenges you to develop a program that bolsters the student’s strengths and addresses their limitations.” The time and the commitment are worth it, faculty members say. “When you see them succeed, whether it’s receiving an award or having a paper published in a prestigious journal, you’re happy for them and what they’ve achieved,” McCauley said. “There’s inner satisfaction because you’ve contributed to their growth and development that allowed them to achieve that level of success.” Program Ambassadors Dr. Marilyn Woolfolk, who worked with Mistretta to develop the dual-degree DDS/ PhD program, said, “there’s tremendous emotional satisfaction in building an innovative program and seeing students, such as Darnell Kaigler successfully complete the dual-degree program.”
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Dr. Donald Clewell said mentoring helped him appreciate research that occurs in other laboratories throughout the School. Since the students are required to work in three labs before selecting a dissertation advisor, he said “what the students learn in one lab can be used in another that results in a ‘cross pollination’ of ideas, not just in dentistry or in research, but in technology too. In this program, where research topics vary widely and reflect different disciplines, this ‘knowledge transfer’ can be particularly valuable,” he added. But the greatest testimonials about the value of OHS PhD program are from those who have completed it and encourage others to look into it. Dr. Jacques Nör, one of the first to receive a PhD in the program in May 1999 and now an associate professor of dentistry at the School of Dentistry, said “receiving that degree changed my life. It helped me realize the impact research can have on other people’s lives.” McCauley perhaps put it best when she said, “All of our students who have received degrees from this program are ambassadors for the program.”
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P
h
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Student-Faculty Research
School of Dentistry faculty members play a crucial role advising students on their dissertation research in the Oral Health Sciences PhD program. On this page are five students who are candidates for the PhD degree, their advisors, and a research summary. Each candidate is spending a considerable amount of time in the laboratory conducting experiments. The experiments generate data for the dissertation and published journal articles. Student: Andrew Fribley Faculty Mentor: Dr. Cun-Yu Wang Research Focus: In his research, Fribley attempts to understand how novel chemotherapy and gene therapy approaches may be used to ease the burden of suffering for patients with head and neck cancers. He is investigating the ability of a new class of cancer chemotherapy drugs called protosome inhibitors to kill oral tumor cells. Student: Bradley Henson Faculty Mentor: Drs. Nisha D’Silva and Thomas Carey (not pictured) Research Focus: Henson is attempting to identify the molecular events that predict the biologic behavior of individual head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. The research has shown that the cell surface receptor, Galanin Receptor 1, has inhibitory effects on proliferation in head and neck epithelial cells. This raises the possibility that inactivation or disregulation of this receptor can lead to uncontrolled proliferation and neoplastic transformation. Student: Elisabeta Karl Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jacques Nör Research Focus: Angiogenesis, the process of developing new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, is crucial for tumor development and metastasis. The hypothesis of this research is that Bcl-2 (a pro-survival protein) enhances angiogenesis and tumor progression by up-regulating a variety of angiogenic factors. Their studies seek to improve cancer therapy and prevention. Student: Abraham Schneider Faculty Mentor: Dr. Laurie McCauley Research Focus: This research seeks to understand the pathophysiology of prostate cancer bone metastasis. They have demonstrated that tissue-engineered bone, generated from transplanted bone marrow stromal cells, is responsive to hormonal cues. This model is being applied to study tumor/bone cell interactions as they occur in skeletal metastases. They have also provided evidence that bone turnover, bone marrow cellular composition, and extracellular calcium ions are important skeletal-specific factors that contribute to prostate cancer skeletal localization and growth. Student: ZhuoRan Zhao Faculty Mentor: Dr. Renny Franceschi Research Focus: Bone marrow stroma contains mesenchymal progenitors that have the plasticity to differentiate into several distinct cell types. Zhao is studying the role of the factor Runx2 in directing marrow stromal cell commitment to becoming osteoblasts. Knowledge gained from this study will provide a basis for improved clinical strategies to induce bone regeneration for fracture repair, alveolar ridge augmentation, dental implants, and craniofacial surgery.
Per Kjeldsen Per Kjeldsen
Per Kjeldsen
Keary Campbell
Keary Campbell
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Faculty NEWS
Krebasbach New BMS Head
Dr. Paul Krebsbach became the new chair of the School’s Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences and the Division of Prosthodontics on March 1. Dean Peter Polverini announced the appointment in February. Krebsbach succeeds Dr. Robert Bradley, who was named interim chair in early 2003 after the previous chair, Dr. Christian Stohler, became dean of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery at the University of Maryland. Dr. Paul Krebsbach After receiving his dental degree from the University of Minnesota in 1987, Krebsbach received a PhD in oral biology from the University of Connecticut in 1993. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, he was appointed to the School of Dentistry faculty in 1996 in the Department of Oral Medicine, Pathology, and Oncology. Krebsbach, who was promoted to associate professor of dentistry four years ago, also holds a joint appointment as associate professor of biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering. “The search process for a new chair was broad and thorough,” Polverini said. “Paul emerged as the clear leader from a group of distinguished and experienced candidates.”
Keary Campbell
Tedesco to Resume
Dr. Lisa Tedesco will return to the School of Dentistry as a faculty member early next year. After serving as U-M vice president and secretary since 1998, she stepped down from the position in February to resume her teaching and research career. As vice president and secretary, she was executive officer liaison to the U-M Board of Regents. Since February Tedesco has been a visiting fellow at the Columbia University Medical Center and a visiting professor at the Columbia School of Dentistry and Oral Surgery. She will return to the School of Dentistry’s Department of Periodontics, Prevention, and Geriatrics next February. Thanked and Praised for Service At a farewell reception in January, U-M President Mar y Sue Coleman praised Tedesco “for her exemplary work on behalf of the University. She was a great colleague and a great advisor.” U-M Regent Rebecca McGowan agreed, adding, “Lisa set the gold standard for this job.” Noting Tedesco’s passion for U-M ice hockey, athletic director Bill Martin presented her with a hockey jersey signed by coach Red Berenson. After hearing the accolades, Tedesco joked that “it’s so great to have a great job evaluation done so publicly. My years in this position,” she said, “have deepened my love for the University of Michigan.”
Giannobile Inducted into American College of Dentistry
Keary Campbell
Dr. William Giannobile
Dr. William Giannobile was inducted last fall into the American College of Dentists. An associate professor in the Department of Periodontics, Prevention, and Geriatrics, Giannobile also directs the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research. [DentalUM, Fall 2004, pages 12-14.] Membership in the 7,000 member organization, founded in 1920, is by invitation only. Members are selected for their contributions to organized dentistry, oral health care, dental research and education, and to society.
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Teaching Role
Per Kjeldsen
Ismail Receives Distinguished Public Service Award
Dr. Amid Ismail, professor of dentistry in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences, and Endodontics, and a professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health, received the Distinguished Public Service Award from U-M Regents last fall for his work. The U-M Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) which presented the award, noted that throughout his career, Ismail “has Dr. Amid Ismail been a productive researcher and educator. What sets him apart, however, is the extension of his research efforts into the service area, particularly underserved populations in the Detroit area. For him,” the office noted, “it is not enough to document the health care disparities that occur in certain segments of the population, he tries to do something about them.” Oral Health Disparities Research In the fall of 2001, the School of Dentistry received approximately $9.3 million from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to develop a research program to investigate the social, economic, environmental, and biological causes of disparities in oral health. The Detroit Center for Research on Oral Health Disparities, which Ismail heads, is a collaborate venture involving the School of Dentistry, other U-M schools and colleges, the Voices of Detroit Initiative, and the Detroit Department of Health. [DentalUM, Spring & Summer 2002, page 65.] Evidence-Based Dentistry For the past three years, Ismail has also been a consultant to the American Dental Association’s task force on evidence-based dentistry. [DentalUM, Fall 2003, pages 64-65.] Evidence-based dentistry focuses on the scientific evidence pertaining to oral health care and dentistry in a disciplined, methodical, unbiased manner. Information or evidence that appears in journal publications is summarized and presented to oral health care providers in a way that minimizes biases inherent in that information. In 2001, Ismail received the H. Trendly Dean Memorial Award from the International Association for Dental Research for distinguished achievements in behavioral science, epidemiology, and public health.
Keary Campbell
Dr. Lisa Tedesco
Other Roles and Achievements Te d e s c o j o i n e d t h e S c h o o l of Dentistry as associate dean for academic affairs in 1992. Six years later she assumed her U-M role as executive liaison to the Board of Regents where she was responsible for coordination and management of policy matters and was also responsible for communications with regents. She also served as U-M interim provost in 2001. Throughout her career, Tedesco has been involved with programs to increase student and faculty diversity on campus. She was co-principal investigator of the U-M Health Occupations Partners in Education program to provide academic preparation and social support to disadvantaged and minority youth interested in careers in health professions. From 1995-1996, Tedesco served a one-year term as President of the American Dental Education Association.
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Attracting Minorities to Academic Dentistry
Per Kjeldsen
Dr. Jeanne Sinkford, ADEA associate executive director.
Welcoming Dr. Jeanne Sinkford to the School of Dentistry were (left to right): Drs. Todd Ester, director of multicultural affairs; Lisa Tedesco, U-M secretary and School of Dentistry professor; Sinkford; Dean Peter Polverini; Dr. Marilyn Woolfolk, assistant dean for student services; and Dr. Marilyn Lantz, associate dean for academic affairs.
T
here is still an urgent need to attract minority students and faculty to the oral health care profession an ADEA executive said during an appearance at the U-M School of Dentistry. D r. J e a n n e S i n k f o rd , A D E A associate executive director and director of the Center of Equity and Diversity, spoke as a part of the School’s efforts to end existing disparities among faculty and to recruit more underrepresented preand post-graduate students into academic careers in dentistry. The efforts are taking place as a part of the Michigan Gateway to Minority Dental Faculty Development Program. Sinkford, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Howard University, professor emeritus, and dean emeritus of Howard’s College of Dentistry, was a member of the Sullivan Commission which issued a report in 2004 focusing
on the shortage of underrepresented minorities in U.S. dental, medical and nursing schools. During her presentation last fall, she cited several major historical events that have affected diversity in higher education, among them the Brown vs. Board of Education decision in 1954. Others included an executive order from President Lyndon Johnson in 1965 establishing affirmative action, the Supreme Court’s 1978 Bakke decision saying racial quotas were not permissible in admissions but that race could be one of several factors considered, and the Court’s decision in the U-M case in 2003 saying diversity was a compelling interest. U-M’s Pioneering Efforts “Michigan has traditionally made an effort to admit minority students,” she said, citing the first
African-American female dentist to graduate from the School of Dentistry in 1890, Ida Gray. Sinkford said a symposium conducted at U-M by Drs. Emerson Robinson and Michael Razzoog in 1991, Black Dentistry in the 21st Centur y, addressed a number of factors that continue to affect black and other minority communities. “The basic assumptions from that workshop are still pertinent today,” Sinkford said. She said they include: African American dentists will continue to provide care to the African American community, enrollment of African American students will continue to decline, and non-black dentists must provide some care to African Americans and that there must be collaborative efforts from organized dentistry to address the critical factors concerning human resource development.
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(Still) a Major Priority Says ADEA Official
Per Kjeldsen
U-M Launches Gateway Program
The U-M School of Dentistry is one of seven dental schools to receive a Gateway Program grant to recruit and develop minority faculty members. The ADEA/W.K. Kellogg Minority Dental Faculty Development grant will be used primarily for direct educational assistance to underrepresented minority students and faculty starting their academic careers. It will also be used to help establish partnerships that foster career development. “This program is a part of continuing efforts at our School and the University to achieve diversity, equity, and multicultural value in all levels of academic attainment,” said Dean Peter Polverini. “We believe this faculty development program will position the dental school to assume an important leadership role in advancing the academic careers of women and underrepresented minorities.” Program directors are Drs. Marilyn Woolfolk and Todd Ester.
Dr. Jeanne Sinkford noted the prominent role the U-M School of Dentistry has played in efforts to attract minority students and address oral health issues that affect minorities.
Addressing an Urgent Need At t r a c t i n g m o re m i n o r i t y students and faculty to dentistry will continue to be a pressing need well into the future for several reasons, she said. They include faculty members approaching retirement, a relatively flat enrollment trend among minority students, and significant oral health disparities among minorities, as noted in the U.S. Surgeon General’s oral health report issued five years ago. The ADEA, Sinkford said, has several strategies to increase the number of minorities in dental education. Among her suggestions were biannual conferences on minority re c r u i t m e n t a n d re t e n t i o n , establishing support networks, providing information on national trends in applications and enrollment,
producing handbooks for students and their academic advisors that list opportunities for minority students in U.S. dental schools, and grants. One, Access to Dental Careers, provides financial support to dental students; the other provides for development of minority dental faculty members. Sinkford cited “the importance of this grant in developing models that will benefit not only the U-M School of Dentistry, but the University itself, and other dental schools and institutions across the nation. The successful elements of this model can be applied to future faculty recruitment in a broad context which is a major challenge to all of dental education.”
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Per Kjeldsen
Miss Spitfire Wows’em
She came. She saw. She spoke. She had them laughing. And she got her message across. In February, “Miss Spitfire” made her debut at the School of Dentistry as a part of Black History Month. “Miss Spitfire” is the stage name of information desk clerk Kimberly Smith whose hobby is stand-up comedy. [DentalUM, Spring & Summer 2004, page 36.] Smith takes on the persona of an old lady who hobbles on stage with a cane and reveals a big gold tooth when she smiles. In her remarks, Miss Spitfire talked about some of the people she has “met” during her life, including Ida Gray, the first black woman to earn a dental degree from U-M in 1890. After talking about Gray and other historical figures, Miss Spitfire also recited a poem she wrote, “Freedom,” which recounted their struggles and sacrifices. “It didn’t matter what color they were or we are,” she said, “we all bleed the same color, red.” She urged her audience to continue telling “the next generation” about the past and to continue trying to make life better for those who follow. Afterwards, the Ida Gray Award was presented to three persons for their efforts to promote diversity throughout the School: Justin Smith, fourth-year dental student; Diane Nixon, manager of the Clinical Billing Office; and Dr. Todd Ester, chair, Multicultural Affairs Committee.
Miss Spitfire is overcome with emotion as Cheryl Quiney, co-chair of the School’s Multicultural Affairs Committee which sponsored the Black History Month program, presents Miss Spitfire with a Certificate of Appreciation for appearing at the School.
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DentalUM Spring & Summer 2005
DEPARTMENT UPDATE
Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
Per Kjeldsen
I
Dr. Sunil Kapila, Chair
t is my pleasure to highlight some of our department’s recent developments, my vision for the department, and the achievements of our faculty and residents in my inaugural report for this issue of DentalUM. While it has been hectic since becoming department chair last June, I have truly enjoyed meeting and getting to know the faculty, residents, staff, and some of our alumni. Although my family and I have learned a great deal about Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, I know a lot more remains to be discovered. We are looking forward to raising our three children in this wonderful community and developing our careers here.
availability of quality full-time faculty, it is important for our department to take a leading role in training future full-time academicians. While we will continue to primarily educate residents for private practice, we need to recognize that educating future generations of high caliber orthodontists and pediatric dentists requires adequate numbers of wellqualified educators. Alumni Support Important One of the key indicators of the success of an academic program is the support and loyalty of its alumni. Alumni provide a lot of positive energy to the residents and faculty. Their participation and support is important in keeping the department vibrant. T h e a l u m n i a re a l s o o u r “ambassadors” to the outside community. Their pride and positive feelings about the department help to create a sound reputation for the program. So I welcome and ask you to continue to participate in department and alumni events, and become ambassadors for the program. You can also contribute to the department’s success by becoming mentors for our new graduates to ensure their success. For those of you who are so inclined, please come back to teach. Finally, the faculty and residents owe much gratitude to the alumni for their continued moral and financial support, which helps to keep our two programs of an outstanding caliber.
Goals Let me give you an overview about some of my immediate-term goals for the department. Of vital importance is my desire to continue to build on the existing warm relations with our orthodontic and pediatric dentistry alumni. I intend to continue our tradition of excellence in clinical and didactic education, including introducing contemporary clinical procedures and practice management strategies. I also intend to support and enhance the quality and quantity of student and faculty research activities that will be key to achieving increased l e v e l s o f p e e r- re v i e w e d g r a n t support. Since a major crisis facing dentistry, particularly orthodontics and pediatric dentistr y, is the
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FACULTY UPDATES
The department is undergoing personnel changes as several individuals have retired or will be retiring shortly.
Retiring Faculty A l t h o u g h D r. Lysle Johnston stepped down as Department c h a i r l a s t M a y, he continues to participate in teaching and academic activities within the program. Lysle is teaching biostatistics and research methods courses, will teach “Histor y of Orthodontics,” and has agreed to mentor Master of Science students in their research projects. He has also been busy in his “free time” in other ways, continuing, for example, to give lectures nationally and internationally, most recently in Denmark and India. D r. R i c h a r d Johnson retired this month after 35 years of dedicated and selfless service to the Department and the School. Following the Jarabak Lecture in April, we honored Rich and celebrated his many contributions with a retirement party for him. It was a small gesture on our part to thank him for his years of service. As a tribute to Rich, the Class of 2004, which initiated the “Wolverine Fund,” renamed it the Richard A. Johnson Wolverine Fund for Orthodontic Resident Education. Rich will return on a part-time basis to participate in predoctoral teaching and provide us with guidance in running the orthodontics clinic. We have initiated a search for a full-time faculty member to fill the vacancy created by Rich’s departure. Dr. Airton Arruda assumed the responsibilities of the orthodontics clinic director in January. After 37 years of exemplary service, Dr. Lloyd (Bud) Straffon will retire on August 31. He will be hard to replace. We are presently conducting a search for Bud’s replacement as director of pediatric dentistry. We hope to find and recruit a qualified candidate shortly. New Faculty and Promotions Several new faculty members have joined the Department. They are: Dr. Courtney A. Dunn, adjunct clinical lecturer (orthodontics), Dr. David O. Cramer, adjunct clinical lecturer (orthodontics), and Dr. Raymond A. Maturo, adjunct clinical assistant professor (pediatric dentistry). Additionally, Dr. Mark E. Berkman was recently promoted to adjunct clinical assistant professor and Dr. Nick S. Palmer to adjunct clinical associate professor. I congratulate both Nick and Mark on their promotions.
PROGRAM NEWS
Orthodontics In 2002, the program increased its enrollment from 6 to 7 residents per year in part to meet the need created by a looming shortage of orthodontists in Michigan. More recently, some other changes have been made to the clinical program. Starting with our first year residents, we have implemented digital photography and are planning to purchase a digital Panorex/ cephalometric unit. Together, these two developments, along with the purchase of new practice management software, are part of our longer-term plan to make our clinics a paperless operation. We are beginning to incorporate several contemporary diagnostic and treatment approaches including 3-D computed tomographic imaging and implants for anchorage. We have also initiated formal courses in practice management and transitions, ABO Preparatory Review Course, and a research course. We also hosted a very successful and the largest ever Graduate Orthodontic Residents Program (GORP) meeting last August. More than 400 residents and 90 vendors participated. I want to congratulate our orthodontic residents for doing an exceptional job organizing a lively and smoothly run meeting. Faculty and Alumni Awards Dr. Lysle Johnston was recently awarded the prestigious Ketcham Award by the AAO.
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DentalUM Spring & Summer 2005
Department Update
Dr. Jim McNamara was awarded the Edward H. Angle Award for research titled “Treatment Timing for Rapid Maxillary Expansion” for the best paper recently published by the Angle Society. Jim is also the Scientific Program Chair of this year’s AAO meeting. Several of our part-time faculty members have taken on leadership roles in professional organizations. Dr. Chris Roberts is president o f G re a t L a ke s A s s o c i a t i o n o f Orthodontists while Dr. Debbie Priestap is president of the Michigan Association of Orthodontists. Resident Awards Over the years our residents have received more than a dozen awards for their research. Since 1993, our residents have won two Milo Hellman Awards, five Harry Sicher Awards and eight Awards of Special Merit. This is certainly something we’re very proud of. Dr. Courtney Dunn (Ortho 2004) is this year’s recipient of the Milo Hellman Research Award from the American Association of Orthodontists. The award is given to a resident for their research in orthodontics. Courtney’s research, under the mentorship of Dr. William Giannobile, is entitled, “Tissue Engineering of Alveolar Bone Adjacent to Dental Implants Through Gene Therapy.” Courtney’s research evaluated the effectiveness of in vivo gene delivery of BMP-7 for bone tissue regeneration around titanium dental implants. She demonstrated that treating dental implant fixtures with BMP-7 resulted in the enhancement of
alveolar bone defect fill, coronal new bone formation, and the new bone-toimplant contact. These findings have important implications for restoring missing teeth in patients with compromised bone as well as for the use of implant anchoring in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. [See pages 63-64.] At last year’s AAO meeting, Dr. Monisha Gupta was awarded the Thomas Graber Award of Special Merit for her master’s research. Monisha was mentored by Lysle Johnston. Recently, Dr. Marsha Beattie received an award from Delta Dental for her research under the guidance of Dr. Jan Hu and Dr. Siew-Ging Gong on patients with dentinogenesis imperfecta. ABO Related Achieving the ABO Diplomate status is an important reflection on the success of our alumni and the program. It also illustrates the continued professional development of our alumni. Three of our alumni — Dr. Greg Hummon and Dr. Mar y Walton (both from the Class of 1992), and Dr. Mart McClellan (Class of 1993) — passed the ABO Phase III examination to become ABO Diplomates. I congratulate them on this important achievement. We continue to emphasize the need for our residents to achieve the ABO diplomate status. In keeping with this goal, all residents of the Class of 2004 passed the ABO Phase II examination with good scores. Congratulations to our recent graduates.
Special Thanks With ongoing state budget cuts to higher education, we find the support from our alumni continues to be increasingly important in sustaining the quality of the education we provide our residents. Recently, several funds have been established and have been very helpful. I want to acknowledge and thank the alumni for being such generous donors and advocates of our program. Several individuals deser ve special mention and a heart-felt thanks. They include Dr. Dick and Mrs. Nancy Christiansen who have pledged a gift of $500,000 towards establishing the Christiansen Collegiate Professorship. [DentalUM, Fall 2004, pages 33-35.] Another collegiate professorship, the James E. Harris Professorship, will mature when it reaches contributions of $500,000. The major donor to this fund is Dr. Stanley Smith who has given a gift of $100,000. Collegiate professorships are an excellent method for recruiting and supplementing salaries of faculty, and make us competitive in recruiting the best and brightest faculty to the University of Michigan. The program has several other ongoing fund raising activities. The Lysle E. Johnston Craniofacial Biometrics Endowment will be used for converting a wealth of radiographic and cast records to a shareable digital format. T h e O r t h o d o n t i c Fu n d f o r Excellence is utilized for resident research projects and sending second year residents to the Tweed Meeting
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Suzanne Port
The Class of 2004 recognized and presented Dr. Lloyd “Bud” Straffon with an award that is now named for him. Future recipients of the Lloyd H. Straffon Award will be given to a faculty member for excellence in teaching and mentorship in pediatric dentistry. The first recipient of the award was Dr. David M. Weine. Pictured, left to right, are: Suzanne Port, Chris Yamada, James Boynton, Lloyd Straffon, Kevin Lee, and Heather Gormley.
in Tucson. The Richard A. Johnson Wolverine Fund for Orthodontic Resident Education is designed to support student travel to orthodontic meetings. Pediatric Dentistry Pediatric dentistry celebrated the graduation of our 2004 residents at our annual banquet last December. Over 80 people attended. The five residents, Drs. James Boynton, Heather Gormley, Kevin Lee, Suzanne Port, and Chris Yamada proudly completed their requirements to receive their Master of Science in Pediatric Dentistry from the Rackham School of Graduate Studies. Five residents of the Class of 2005 are presently off campus spending a year at the Mott Children’s Health Center in Flint. Our one international resident from that class remains on the Ann Arbor campus. The five residents of the Class of 2006 are taking didactic classes and developing their clinical skills here in Ann Arbor. All residents receive excellent experiences treating children’s dental needs and concerns, both at the dental school and at the U-M Hospital. Dr. Dan Briskie, the head of pediatric dentistry at Mott Children’s
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Health Center, and his staff continue to provide an exceptional clinical experience for our residents there. Dr. James Boynton has been recruited by MCHC to serve its patients and teach our second-year residents. Dan has agreed to support some of Jim’s teaching activities twice a month here at the dental school. Other Recognition Two of our faculty received significant recognition for their contributions by being selected for competitive awards and fellowships. Dr. Jan Hu and her colleagues were recently selected to receive one of the most prestigious awards in dental research, the William J. Gies Award. Jan and her collaborators received the award for dental research at the International Association for Research meeting in March. Dr. Hu’s research focused on determining the genetic mutations that contribute to one type of amelogensis imperfecta. [See story, pages 62-63.] Jan continues to run a very successful NIH-funded research laboratory. She published seven articles last year with two more about to be published and another under review. Dr. Marcio da Fonseca has been selected for the American Academy
of Pediatric Dentistry Foundation’s Leadership Institute. This award provides financial support for leadership training at the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, which Marcio recently began. Congratulations, Jan and Marcio, on your exceptional achievements. Dr. Michael Ignelzi is currently serving on the Editorial Board of the journal Pediatric Dentistry and is a consultant to the American Dental Association’s Council on Dental Practice. Mike is the only dentist on the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Bright Futures Early Childhood Expert Panel. This panel is currently revising all of the recommendations for periodic examinations by pediatricians for children between the ages of 1 and 4. [DentalUM, Spring & Summer 2004, pages 50-51.] Dr. Ruwaida Tootla successfully defended her PhD thesis last June at the University of Leeds in England. Her thesis title was “Evaluation of the Effects of Pediatric Asthma Inhalers on Oral Disease.” Ruwaida is keenly interested in continuing these important studies in childhood asthma at the University of Michigan and has initiated discussions with potential collaborators. I congratulate Ruwaida on this very important achievement. Ruwaida is serving as clinical director of the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic. In summary... I am truly excited about serving as the chair of this exceptional department and look forward to working with our alumni, faculty, staff and students to continue to develop and enhance our education and research programs.
DentalUM Spring & Summer 2005
DENTAL HYGIENE
Per Kjeldsen
“Advancement Ceremony”
Dental hygiene students were praised for their achievements and reminded of their responsibilities to patients, each other, and their profession during the first “Advancement Ceremony” held at the School of Dentistry in early March. Eighty-six students from all three dental hygiene classes participated in the inaugural event in the Sindecuse Atrium that was organized by leaders from the three classes. During the program, all recited a pledge to serve their patients with honor, integrity, and compassion. “Today represents a significant step in your development as oral health care professionals,” said Professor Wendy Kerschbaum, dental hygiene program director. “As professionals, you will realize economic and social benefits. Accompanying those benefits will be responsibilities.” She said they include professional competence, discipline, guarding against conflicts of interest, and promoting access to care. Other faculty members who spoke, including Christine Klausner, clinical assistant professor, urged students to take advantage of the opportunities for professional and personal growth. Karen Ridley, assistant professor of dental hygiene offered insights and encouragement. “As you strive to achieve your goals, you will occasionally fall down. But when you do, get back up,” she said. Another faculty member, Susan Pritzel, assistant professor of dental hygiene, said that although the technology used to provide quality oral health care has advanced, “the core of what we do, serving the public, is still our focus. As professionals, you’re members of a select group,” she continued, “and we expect you to act in a responsible way.” To symbolize their advancement, Kerschbaum gave all senior dental hygiene students a rose “as a symbol of our hope that each of you will bloom.” Seniors also received a pin, a gold block M, from Kerschbaum. Each senior then passed a similar pin to a junior dental hygiene student who, in turn, presented a comparable pin to a sophomore dental hygiene student. “This program is now a new tradition for us,” Kerschbaum said afterwards.
DH Students Stage 1st
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Per Kjeldsen
Gracie Buhagiar, DH4 class president, presents advancement pins to Dawn Bobee and Carrie Guernsey, both DH3s. Also receiving pins are Anette Dan and Jasmine Mann, both DH2s. Third-year dental hygiene student Chanessia Rhine was among the students participating in the first dental hygiene Advancement Ceremony in March. During the ceremony, Susan Pritzel showed dental hygiene students the cap she was given at her ceremony when she was a student. Opening the box containing her pin is second-year dental hygiene student Kristen Ramirez.
1st Advancement Ceremony
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U-M’s Melva Baxter Honored by MDHA
Served 26 Years as Group’s Historian
Photo courtesy of Anne Gwozdek
Life at the School of Dorothy Hard. Philip Dentistry Jay. Donald Kerr. Victoria “I remember Dorothy Tondrowski. Albert Richards. Hard, the first director of Thomas Gilson. Kenneth the School’s dental hygiene Easlick. program, very well,” Baxter Those are among the said with a chuckle. “She faculty members Melva Baxter was a strict disciplinarian. remembers during her days as But if you were one of her a dental hygiene student at graduates, you left with a the U-M School of Dentistry. great reputation and were Last fall, Baxter, who highly regarded.” Baxter said earned a certificate in dental Melva Baxter, who earned a certificate in dental hygiene in 1950, was honored last October by the Michigan Dental Hygienists’ Association for her she had frequent telephone hygiene in 1950, was honored years of service to the organization, including 26 years as its historian. conversations with Hard until by the Michigan Dental her death in 1994. Hygienists’ Association for her years of service to the Baxter said she also remembered Dr. Philip Jay during organization, including 26 years as its historian. Her interest in dental hygiene began, literally, by her two years in the dental hygiene program. “I especially remembered him because he was accident. Not one accident, but two. “Our family was involved in two accidents that investigating the causes of caries and working on water occurred within three months of each other when I was fluoridation studies,” she said. “Dr. Jay’s office door eight years old,” she said. “The first time, we were hit was always open, so I would stop by on occasion and broadside; the second time our car overturned after talk to him.” In 1931, Jay, along with Dr. Trendly Dean, hitting a patch of ice.” As a result, Baxter said that not began studying the effects of natural water fluoridation only did her upper anterior teeth need restoration “I also in Texas, Colorado, and Illinois. In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first in the world to add fluoride had 10 appointments for root canal work.” to its water supply. There were moments of humor too at U-M. The Influence of the Family Dentist “I wasn’t even five feet tall, so I couldn’t reach some of Baxter said the Lansing dentist who treated her, Dr. Clifford Jones (DDS 1914), once told her, “ ‘You ought my patients, even though we had chairs that we could move to become a dental hygienist.’ Since I had been to the up and down,” Baxter said. “So one of the janitors built a dentist so many times, I decided when I was 11 or 12 that box for me, about four or five inches tall, that I was able to this is what I would do.” Jones’ dental hygienist, Grace stand on so I could reach them,” she said with a laugh. The box was also used during another, more solemn Bankston, received her certificate from the U-M dental occasion. hygiene program in 1933. “When the dental hygiene students received their Growing up in Muir, Michigan, a town of about 600 located 30 miles northwest of Lansing, Baxter chose U-M caps during a formal ceremony prior to graduation, because it was the only university in the state with a I remember Miss Victoria Tondrowski (RN, RDH), who wasn’t much taller than I was, stepping up onto that dental hygiene curriculum. stool and putting my cap on my head.” What was it like at Michigan?
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Since graduating in 1950, Baxter was actively involved, virtually non-stop, with the dental hygiene profession. The only time she took any time off was for three weeks in 1962 to give birth to her son, David. Making a Difference Baxter was a charter member of the Lansing area Central District Dental Hygienists’ Society and was the group’s liaison to the MDHA from 1955 to 1959. From 1959 Recognition for Her Achievements to 1960, she was MDHA treasurer. In September 1998, the Michigan House of From 1974 to 1976, the Michigan Board of Dentistry Representatives approved a resolution honoring her “for named her as an examiner of applicants for dental hygiene her untiring devotion to the betterment of the health of students who were seeking to be licensed. her dental hygiene patients.” By 1976, her reputation was so renowned that the Last October, dental hygienists from across Michigan MDHA awarded her both Life Membership and Dental honored Baxter for her achievements. Hygienist of the Year awards. Jemma Allor, president The best was yet to come. of the U-M Dental Hygienists’ In 1978, the MDHA named Alumnae Association, thanked her its historian. “I took over Baxter for “your tireless work, for Marjorie Butz, who was uplifting the profession of MDHA’s first historian,” Baxter dental hygiene, and embodying said. “I loved the job because it all that is great about the gave me an opportunity to not University of Michigan.” only learn about the history of “All of us who follow the organization and dental after you in our great profession hygiene in general, but it also are truly indebted to your allowed me to keep up with leadership and enthusiasm,” Colleagues gather around Melva Baxter to celebrate her years current events and see if there of service to the dental hygiene profession. Allor continued. “Without a were any parallels to what doubt, the people whose lives may have happened in the past.” you have touched are much brighter, richer, and healthier Baxter was among a group of dental hygienists who because of you.” traveled to China in 1981 to help establish dental hygiene Congratulating Baxter on her achievements, Wendy programs in Shanghai. Nine years later, she returned and Kerschbaum, director of the dental hygiene program, said, was surprised to learn that only 10 students graduated “You truly are an exemplary dental hygienist...and we are with dental hygiene degrees each year. very proud to have you as a U of M alumna.” Combining her passion for dental hygiene and love In a narrative describing her achievements, the MDHA of history, Baxter wrote a history about the MDHA for its said, “Her service in Michigan is unparalleled. ...Melva’s professional journal, The Bulletin, to mark the group’s professionalism has touched the lives of many dental 80th year anniversary in 2003. hygienists over the last 54 years.” That same year her photography, which had been However, Baxter doesn’t seem to be slowing down. published in magazines, calendars, and greeting cards, “I’m working on the 50th anniversary issue of the was on display at an exhibit in Lansing, Michigan. MDHA’s publication, The Bulletin, which will be published An avid photographer for as long as she can remember, in November,” she said. “And I’m still taking pictures Baxter was fascinated with the photography of a School with my son, David, that, hopefully, will appear in future of Dentistry faculty member, Professor Albert Richards. publications.”
Photo courtesy of David Baxter
“I love his photographs, especially his floral radiographs which have been displayed at the School,” Baxter said. In 1941, Richards, who taught radiography to dental students and hygienists, made a radiograph of some flowers which continue to be displayed on the main floor of the School on a wall outside the graduate periodontics clinic.
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Melva Baxter and her son, David, have a passion for photography. His picture of the ducks was published by Melva as a bookmark. The picture of the flower, taken by Melva, is a note card.
McGowan Leads School’s “Smokeout” Efforts 41 Promise to Quit
“I’m encouraged with what I saw and the commitments that were made,” said Joan McGowan following last November’s Great American Smokeout. “I’m always encouraged when someone makes an effort to kick this bad habit.” Held on the third Thursday in November, the American Cancer Society’s annual event challenges individuals to stop using tobacco for one day. The hope is that if a person quits for a day that will be sufficient incentive to quit permanently. McGowan, associate professor of dentistry and tobacco cessation coordinator, and colleagues on the U-M campus competed with Eastern Michigan University to see which university could get the most individuals to pledge to quit smoking for a day. Forty-one individuals promised to kick butt during appointments at the U-M School of Dentistry. However, EMU won the competition. More than 150 patients who had appointments at the School of Dentistry during the November 18th event were given “Quit Kits.” The kits included literature about the benefits of quitting, the dangers of second-hand smoke, and toothpicks, gum, mints, and even coffee straws. The straws were for people with a hand/mouth fixation. The second annual competition will take place this fall.
Keary Campbell
HONORS
• 1996, Francis Shook Award, Michigan Dental Hygiene Association • 1993, Dental Hygienist of the Year Award, Central District Dental Hygienists’ Society • 1984, Outstanding Alumna Award, U-M Dental Hygienists’ Alumnae Association • 1978, Distinguished Service Award, Sigma Phi Alpha • 1976, Life Membership and Dental Hygienist of the Year Award, Michigan Dental Hygienists Association • 1962, Sigma Phi Alpha
Associate professor of dentistry and tobacco cessation coordinator Joan McGowan handed out “Quit Kits” at School of Dentistry information desks and records room during last fall’s Great American Smokeout.
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Johnson Awarded Major Scholarship
“I’m still trying to adjust to the personal, professional, and academic demands in my life,” Terri Johnson said with a laugh as she discussed the School of Dentistry’s dental hygiene program and a $12,000 scholarship she received to help her with her studies. Johnson, who begins the third year of the dental hygiene program this summer, is not a typical dental hygiene student. The 41-year-old mother of three who Terri Johnson has been a dental assistant since 1987, is also a church evangelist in Inkster, commutes daily to the U-M campus from Highland Park (a round trip of about 80 miles), and is making plans to further her career once she earns her degree next year. It hasn’t been easy for another reason. With a 21-year-old daughter attending Michigan State University, an 18-year-old son attending Pace University in New York, and a 10-year-old son attending an accelerated school for gifted students in Detroit, the family found itself tested last year when the city that employs her husband as a police officer couldn’t pay its employees for several months. So the $12,000 Lucile Conger Alumnae Scholarship Johnson received from the U-M Center for the Education of Women last spring was a blessing. Founded in 1937, the Conger Alumnae Club, which has approximately 300 members currently, actively raises funds to provide scholarships for women who attend U-M. Several weeks after receiving that scholarship, Johnson was also awarded a $500 scholarship from the National Dental Hygiene Association during its annual convention in Los Angeles. When she graduates, Johnson said she would like to use the bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene, along with a bachelor’s degree in biology she earned in 2001 from the University of Detroit Mercy, and perhaps conduct research or work for a periodontist. She’s also considering trying to enter the predoctoral program at the School of Dentistry or opening a dental hygiene practice in California. When asked if she’s encountered a generational gap with dental hygiene students, Johnson smiled and said, “it’s not an issue. I’ve been dealing with youth groups at my church for as long as I can recall. And having two children in college certainly keeps you in tune with what’s going on with students today.”
Per Kjeldsen
NDHA Scholarships to Johnson, Rhine
The National Dental Hygiene Association awarded scholarships to two U-M School of Dentistry dental hygiene students during the organization’s annual meeting last summer. Terri Johnson and Charmessia Rhine received $500 scholarships for their academic performance and community service. Johnson, who begins the third year of the dental hygiene curriculum this summer, has been a dental chairside assistant since 1987. Rhine begins her third year in the dental hygiene program later this summer. Her plans include working in a general practice office in Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, D.C. after graduation.
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Photo courtesy of Lisa Sarkisian Dederian
Congratulations
DH Class of 2005!
“The results of our pledge drive shows how proud we are of our profession and its future,” said Jennifer McNamee, chair of the Dental Hygiene Class of 2005 fundraising drive as the results of this year’s pledge drive were announced. Earlier in the year, McNamee and co-chair Melanie Lemanski announced this year’s group of graduating students surpassed what last year’s class achieved. The Class of 2005 raised more than $4,500. Ninety-seven percent of the class participated. Last year, 93 percent of the members of the Class of 2004 participated, pledging a total of $4,195.
Class of ‘84 Reunites
Members of the Class of 1984 gathered for their 20 year reunion last fall. Among those present included (left to right): Cheryl Crites, Maureen Kerr, Sandy Moceri, Debra Moriartey, Lisa Derderian, and Cathy McGuire Schultz.
Research Table Clinic Day
Like their dental school colleagues, students in the dental hygiene program participated in this year’s Research Table Clinic Day held in February. The winners, all in the “Current Topics” category, are listed below.
Results: DH Class of 2005
• Pledged: $4,575 • Average Pledge: $75 • Participation: 97 percent “I thought those numbers would be impossible to beat, but our class did even better. I’m impressed with the efforts of our class,” McNamee said. Lemanski thanked Dawn Ford in the Development Office and others for their support. McNamee and Lemanski said the money raised “will enable us to buy our ‘goal item,’ power instruments that allow us to have a perfectly sharpened cutting edge to our instruments.”
First Prize
Kelly Hresko and Melissa Wasley (DH4) Adverse Effects of Bleaching on the Enamel Surface Mentor: Hana Hasson
Second Prize (tie)
Colleen Riley and Mari Jabero Knowledge and Use of Pain Control Methods by Dental Hygienists Mentor: Wendy Kerschbaum Rae Hardin and Lindsey Thompson Health Concerns Related to Mercury Found in Dental Amalgam Restorations Mentor: Susan Pritzel
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RESEARCH NEWS
Research Activities, Plans Presented to Board of Governors
“Throughout its long history, research has played a very important role at the School of Dentistry. And it continues to do so today and will into the future,” Dr. Renny Franceschi told members of the School’s Alumni Society Board of Governors last fall. Franceschi, associate dean for research, gave Board members an overview of some current research activities and plans for the future. “ O u r re s e a rc h s e r v e s t w o functions,” he said. “The first is to develop new knowledge in oral health sciences and related fields. The second is to apply that knowledge to improve the health of those in the community.” During his hour-long presentation, Franceschi highlighted several topics, including the amount of federal funding the School receives for research activities and how its funding level compares with other dental schools, gave examples of several research projects, discussed research training programs, talked about plans to enhance current research facilities and build additional research space. Funding Levels and National Rankings “Our faculty has a strong record of success obtaining federal funding to support their research,” he told Board members, noting that the National Institutes of Health awarded the School more than $10.4 million for research during federal fiscal year 2003.
Keary Campbell
The School’s research activities are currently focused in six major a re a s , Fr a n c e s c h i s a i d . T h e y include craniofacial biology and regeneration, neurosciences and pain, oral microbiology and immunology, oral cancer, clinical research and health services research, and health professions education research. Research Training “Almost from the moment they enter dental school, students are exposed to research,” Franceschi said. A prominent example is the Dental Student Research Program. In this program, which features poster presentations and table clinics at the Research Table Clinic
Dr. Renny Franceschi That amount, Franceschi said, placed the School among the top five in new research and grant awards. Other dental schools that ranked higher were the University of California (San Fr a n c i s c o ) , a n d the Universities of Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington. The vast majority of the f u n d s re c e i v e d , nearly 87 percent, he said, are used for laboratorybased research; the balance for clinical and educational research. Franceschi also noted funding levels vary annually. [See chart.]
Day each February, students learn what’s involved being an academic researcher. Working with a faculty advisor, a student defines an objective,
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Lab Renovations Begin
Renovations to third floor facilities in the School of Dentistry building are underway. Five clinical lab and exam spaces are being converted into a single research laboratory and support area. U-M Regents approved the renovations, which will cost about $750,000, during their meeting last November.
conducts research, and then reports their findings that are judged by faculty members. Research training, he added, is another important component of the School’s research portfolio. Training in this area includes the Master of Science degree and dental specialty programs, the Oral Health Sciences PhD program, and cross-disciplinary programs. Research Facilities “In recent years, the School’s re s e a rc h a c t i v i t i e s h a v e b e e n constrained by the size and quality of our research facilities,” Franceschi said. About three years ago, a Boston architectural firm presented the School with what it called “a comprehensive vision” for the School. That report complemented another report the School received from a Denver company in January 2001 that gave the School several major ideas to consider. [DentalUM, Fall 2002, p. 11.]
“Our existing research facilities are now more than 30 years old,” Franceschi told the Board. He added the School lacks sufficient research space to support current or projected future research needs and that existing floor plans do not efficiently use space or encourage collaboration. To address space needs, about 20 research scientists and staff moved from the second floor research tower to facilities at the Eisenhower Commerce Center on the south side of Ann Arbor in July 2002. [DentalUM, Fall 2002, p. 13.] Recently, a new clinical research facility, the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research, opened at Domino’s Farms. [See story, page 62]. Other Renovations As part of a long-term plan to improve the School’s research infrastructure, the School submitted a proposal to NIH last September seeking a $4 million grant to renovate the second and third floors of the Research Tower and to convert the “Orange Clinic” on the third floor of the dental building into research facilities. The funds will be matched by $5 million from U-M and the School of Dentistry. A New Facility? However, the School has a longerterm goal, Franceschi said. That plan calls for renovating the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of the Research Tower and building a new 45,000 square foot research facility. “This project, should secure our tradition of excellence well into the future,” he told Board members.
New Regenerative Science Program
The U-M School of Dentistry will play a major role in a new regenerative sciences program. Late last year, the NIH awarded U-M a $3 million grant to develop a novel program that will train doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical fellows in an interdisciplinary program that also involves the U-M Medical School and College of Engineering. Dr. William Giannobile, professor of dentistry and director of the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research is associate director of the regenerative program; the director is Dr. Steven Goldstein, professor of orthopedic surgery at the Medical School. “The dental school will play a major role in this new program which will focus on regenerating various types of tissues that have been damaged for one reason or another,” Giannobile said. Students participating in the program will learn from clinicians, dentists, engineers, and others. The program will run for five years. Each year, 12 students will be chosen for the program by a special review committee. Initial training will focus on regenerating musculoskeletal tissues, but Giannobile hopes the program will expand to other areas in the future.
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Michigan Center for Oral Health Research Opens
The Michigan Center for Oral Health Research is up and running. The Center will use the knowledge discovered in laboratories and apply it to help patients in clinics. [DentalUM, Fall 2004, pages 12-14.] The Center, which opened in January, provides patient services related to clinical research including oral exams, some oral surgeries, and major restorative procedures. Director of the Center, Dr. William Giannobile, said, “This facility is a service unit of the School of Dentistry. It’s in a great environment that will foster multidisciplinary research and partnerships with others involved in research and clinical care.” The 3,500 square foot facility at Domino’s Farms that the dental school is sharing with the U-M Health System can handle as many as 7,800 patient visits and conduct between 15 and 20 studies annually. In the 2,000 square feet occupied by MCOHR are four operatories, a radiological (x-ray) facility, patient consultation area, and six offices. The cost to create and run the Center will total about $2.5 million during the next five years. Future funding plans include seeking U-M start-up funds, research grants, corporate sponsorships, endowments, and eventually, clinic practice revenues.
Keary Campbell
Dental School Gies Award
O n e o f t h e n a t i o n’ s m o s t prestigious awards for dental research was presented to University of Michigan School of Dentistry scientists this spring. The Gies Award, presented during the meeting of both the International and American Associations for Dental Research in Baltimore in March, is given for the best paper published in the Journal of Dental Research during the preceding year. Dr. Jan Hu, an associate professor in the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, received the award for an article that appeared last May, “Amelogeninp.M1T and p.W4S Mutations Underlying Hypoplastic X-linked Amelogenesis Imperfecta.” Collaborating with Hu and those in her laboratory were Dr. James Simmer and members of his research team. Simmer is an associate professor in the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences. Research Focus The article explored the genes and mutations that cause defects in the formation of dental hard tissues, as well as mutations that cause some teeth not to develop at all. Recently Hu’s team identified novel mutations in the amelogenin gene that cause inherited enamel defects. In these instances, tooth enamel was thin and rough and also accumulated plaque and calculus.
Each operatory has a dental chair and a computer monitor that allows a clinician to display a patient’s digital radiographs and intraoral images. Educational demonstrations, such as how to brush and floss, may also be demonstrated on the monitors.
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Researcher’s Team Wins Major Award for Best Paper Published
Mark Personnett
Gene Therapy Promising for Growing ToothSupporting Bone
Colleen Newvine, U-M News Service
Dr. Jan Hu (standing) and members of her research team. Front row: Yuanyuan Hu and Jung-Wook Kim. Seated: Mingjia Tan, James Simmer, and Yasuo Yamakoshi.
Because the enamel layer was so thin, the teeth of individuals with the gene mutations were yellow, sensitive to temperature changes, and painful to brush. Patients with the gene defect tend to experience difficulty maintaining oral hygiene and have lower self-esteem due to the poor appearance of their teeth. “Many individuals helped to make winning this award possible,” Hu said. “The University of Michigan provides us with the ideal setting for advancing our research, including local groups of patients, as well as expertise, collaborators, a research environment, and support.” Hu said one of her research collaborators, Dr. Jung-Wook Kim, a visiting scientist from Seoul,
South Korea, “is the dynamo in the laboratory who conducted the mutational analyses for the genetic studies.” Other research collaborators included Yuanyan Hu, Christopher Yamada, and Steve Rayes from the U-M School of Dentistry; Dr. Robert Feigal, formerly with the School of Dentistry and now with the University of Minnesota; Drs. J. Timothy Wright and Courtney Boyd, with the University of North Carolina, and Dr. Brent P.L. Lin, at the University of California in San Francisco. This is the third time in four years researchers from the U-M School of Dentistry have won the prestigious award. Hu’s team received the award in 2001. In 2003, Drs. David Mooney and Cun-Yu Wang received the award.
A U-M research team has found that introducing a growth factor protein into a mouth wound using gene therapy helped generate bone around dental implants, according to a paper in the February issue of the journal Molecular Therapy. In a patient with a sizeable mouth wound, replacing a tooth takes more than simply implanting a new one – the patient also needs the bone structure to anchor the new tooth in place. Such reconstructive surgery today involves either taking a bone graft from the patient’s chin or jaw, which leaves a second wound needing to heal, or using donated bone from a tissue bank, which yields unpredictable results. Dr. William Giannobile led a team at the School of Dentistry that delivered the gene encoding for bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7) to large bone defects in rats in an attempt to activate the body’s own bone growth mechanisms. The study showed that animals receiving the BMP-7 treatment produced nearly 50 percent more supporting bone around dental implants than those receiving conventional treatment. More Work Needed “This study represents a proofof-concept investigation. We are encouraged about the promise of this treatment,” said Giannobile,
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who is also an associate professor of biomedical engineering and director of the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research. More work is needed before the approach can be tested in humans. He said he optimistically would like to see initial trials begin in humans in four to seven years. Giannobile is part of a cross-campus program called Tissue Engineering at Michigan, funded in part by the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research. TEAM aims to provide an interdisciplinary, research-intensive environment for those pursuing careers in the oral sciences, with a focus in the area of restoration of oral-craniofacial tissues. Co-authors on the paper include Courtney Dunn, adjunct clinical lecturer; Qiming Jin, research associate; Mario Taba Jr., research fellow; Renny Franceschi, associate dean for research. All are with the U-M School of Dentistry. R. Bruce Rutherford, a former U-M Dentistry professor who now is chief scientific officer of a privately-held tissue engineering firm was also a coauthor. Dunn received the 2005 Milo Hellman Research Essay Award from the American Association of Orthodontists for her work on this project under Giannobile’s mentorship. [See page 51.] More information is available on the School of Dentistry’s Web site: www. dent.umich.edu. On the homepage, click “More News” and then click the headline, “Gene Therapy Promising for Growing Tooth-Supporting Bone.” Or you may locate the news release at: h ttp://www.umich.edu/news/ index.html?Releases/2005/Feb05/ r020105b
Research Table Clinic Day –
Keary Campbell
Dr. David Wong, professor and chair of the Division of Oral Biology and Medicine at the UCLA School of Dentistry, was keynote speaker at this year’s Research Table Clinic Day. He began his career at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Three years ago Wong joined the UCLA School of Dentistry as professor and director of its Dental Research Institute. His research, which has been continually funded by NIDCR and the National Cancer Institute for more than 16 years, focuses on the genomic and proteomic factors leading to head and neck cancer.
Keary Campbell
Grand Prize winner, Fernando Urzua stands alongside his poster presentation. He also drew favorable comments for his necktie that shows the symbols of all the atomic elements.
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February 8, 2005 Award Winners
Basic Science Grand Prize: Trip to ADA’s 146th Annual Session in Philadelphia (October 6-11, 2005) Fernando Urzua (D2) A Novel Approach to Increase the Efficacy of Anti-Tumor Therapies Mentor: Dr. Peter Polverini First Prize Matthew Pinsky (D4) Evaluation of Oral Cancer Response to Anti-Angiogenic Therapy via Bioluminescence Mentor: Dr. Jacques Nör Second Prize Brody Hart (D3) Oral Candida in Adults with Diabetes Mellitus and Periodontal Disease Mentor: Dr. George Taylor Third Prize Elizabeth Van Tubergen (D3) Porphyromonas Gingivalis Antibiotic Resistance Inducted by Sublethal Triclosan Mentor: Dr. Dennis Lopatin Current Topics Grand Prize Kenneth Falk (MS certificate) Influence of Preparation Size on Mechanical Efficacy of Root Irrigation Mentors: Drs. Christine Sedgley and Neville McDonald First Prize Paul Kloostra (D2) Surgical vs. Nonsurgical Periodontal Treatment: The Role of Psychosocial Factors Mentor: Dr. Robert Eber Second Prize Maryam Kishta-Derani (D2) Evaluation of Tooth Color Change Using Four Paint-On Tooth Whiteners Mentor: Dr. Gisele Neiva Third Prize Godfrey Curtis (D3) Effect of DBA Curing Sequence on SBS and Margin Fit Mentor: Dr. Peter Yaman Graduate & Postdoctorate First Prize Glenda Pettway (PhD Postdoctorate) Use of a Novel Tissue Engineering Model to Elucidate Anabolic Actions of PTH in Bone Mentor: Dr. Laurie McCauley Second Prize Kyungsup Shin (Graduate student) Biomimetic Self-Mineralizing Materials; In-Vitro and In-Vivo Studies Mentor: Dr. David Kohn Third Prize Carlos Rossa, Jr. (PhD Postdoctorate) Negative Regulation of MMP-13 Gene Expression by MKK-6/p38 Pathways Mentor: Dr. Keith Kirkwood Audience Choice First Prize Maryam Kishta-Derani (D2) Evaluation of Tooth Color Change Using Four Paint-On Tooth Whiteners Mentor: Dr. Gisele Neiva
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Preliminary Testing of New Saliva Kit Begins
Device May Spot Periodontal and Cardiovascular Diseases
will be collected from another 100 individuals at MCOHR clinics in northeast Ann Arbor. Oral Health and Systemic Health Link? “For years, oral health care professionals have talked about a close connection between a person’s saliva and his or her bloodstream,” Giannobile said. “The tests we are now conducting using this kit may determine just how much of a link there is between a person’s saliva and their blood, and how it may be affecting their overall health.” The preliminary testing now underway, he said, will help determine which biological markers indicate the presence of periodontal disease and osteoporosis as well as detect the presence of C-reactive protein, a cardiovascular disease marker. It may be several years before the kit is available for widespread use, however. “After the last of the patients are tested in December, we will analyze the results and conduct follow-up examinations of all 130 patients for a year to see if there is a correlation between their oral health and the test results,” Giannobile said. Collaborating with Giannobile are Dr. Charles Hasselbrink and Dr. Mark Burns, both with the U-M School of Chemical Engineering. Funding for the test studies is being provided by the National Institutes of Health. Manufactured by Sandia National Laboratories, The Microchem Lab™ is designed to eliminate the need for dentists to send a patient’s saliva sample to a laboratory. [DentalUM,
Fall 2001, p. 73.] Sandia has major research and developmental interests in national security, energy, and environmental technologies.
A portable saliva test kit developed by a University of Michigan School of Dentistry professor in collaboration with government agencies and the private sector is now undergoing limited preliminary testing at two U-M sites. D r. Wi l l i a m G i a n n o b i l e , a professor of dentistry and associate professor of biomedical engineering who developed the test kit, said, “There are a significant number of potential applications for this device because of its ease of use and its portability.” The hand-held, battery-powered rapid-test kit is being used to test saliva samples from several dozen patients to determine if they have periodontal or cardiovascular disease biomarkers. Once marketed, the kit will allow dentists to test patients in their offices and learn, in 15 minutes or less, if their patients have those diseases. One day the kit may also be used by federal, state, or local government agencies as well as corporations to detect biological toxins. Giannobile, who is also the director of the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research, said that since December, the kit has been used to analyze saliva samples from nearly 30 individuals who have participated in a pilot study that began late last year at the School of Dentistry. Before the end of this year, saliva samples
U-M Scientist Talks about Tissue Engineering
Colleen Newvine, U-M News Service
Scientists have a pretty good handle on how to teach human cells to do tricks in a laboratory – things like getting soft cells from the mouth’s lining to form bone. B u t i n t h e re a l w o r l d , accomplishing such feats is more complex. Regenerating the jawbone of a person undergoing radiation therapy for cancer means managing the constant bacteria bath of a human mouth as well as compensating for the damage of radiation. “It’s not just a question of whether we can make new tissue in a perfect condition. Now we’re mimicking what can really happen in a person, and we don’t know if the rules of regeneration might be totally different,” said Paul Krebsbach, associate professor of dentistry. He participated in a panel highlighting the use of adult stem cell research in craniofacial tissue regeneration during the annual meeting of the AAS in February. Overview In the broadest sense, tissue engineering refers to growing human tissue through artificial means.
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Typically it involves harvesting a small sample of cells, treating them in the lab, then reintroducing the cells into a damaged area, like a jawbone damaged too badly to simply heal on its own. A tiny scaffold helps direct the engineered cells to the right place, then dissolves once the cells begin to generate to fill in the wound. “In certain kinds of defects, the body cannot heal itself and the body needs a jumpstart,” Krebsbach said. To heal a large wound, like one created when a cancerous tumor is removed from the jaw, often means taking a bone graft from someplace like the hip. That approach has problems both for the wound at the donor site and for the site where it is implanted. He also talked about the potential for combining seemingly unrelated therapies to improve the benefits of tissue engineering. Fo r e x a m p l e , p a r a t h y ro i d hormone is given to patients with osteoporosis, a condition in which bone quality declines leaving them fragile and prone to breaking. Parathyroid hormone stimulates bone growth in these patients, and Krebsbach sees potential to use it for similar gains in tissue engineering new bone. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) help cells differentiate into specific kinds of bone, and encouraging cells to make more BMPs during tissue engineering also can ramp up the effects. “ To g e t h e r t h e s e t h e r a p i e s c a n o v e rc o m e c o m p ro m i s e d environments,” he said. “Combining therapies can help us overcome
some of the complications of current therapies, too.” T h e s e a p p ro a c h e s a re n o t yet being tested in humans, but Krebsbach said some small clinical trials are under consideration. If the combination therapy approach works, Krebsbach said the next step would be working with engineers to develop anatomically c o r re c t s c a f f o l d i n g w i t h t h e same curvature and contours of natural bones. That would help a patient develop new bone almost indistinguishable from nature’s original equipment. Many U-M researchers have focused their tissue engineering efforts on the head and neck, in part because the School of Dentistry plays a leading role in the effort. Dentists have a long tradition of finding ways to fill tooth cavities that will not heal on their own, Krebsbach said, and that has led to research in biomaterials, bone and connective tissue function, and then tissue engineering. More information is available on the School of Dentistry’s Web site: www.dent.umich.edu. On the homepage, click “More News” and then click the headline in the “Current News” section, “U-M Scientist....” Or you may locate the news release at: http : / / w w w. u m i c h . e d u / n e w s / index.html?Releases/2005/Feb05/ r022005
U-M Team Treating Mouth Wounds by Engineering Tissue Grafts
Colleen Newvine, U-M News Service
U-M researchers are testing a new procedure in which they can take a tiny piece of a person’s mouth lining, grow it into a dollar-bill sized piece of tissue, and graft that expanded piece into the donor’s mouth to heal a wound. Dr. Stephen Feinberg, a professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Hospital Dentistry, is leading a team that is currently working with five patients to treat small mouth wounds with the grafts. The five patients are part of a “proof of concept study” for the Food and Drug Administration. Feinberg is collaborating with Kenji Izumi, a scientist and surgeon who already has seen success with the method in about 80 patients in Japan. Izumi is a visiting assistant research scientist at U-M and a longtime Feinberg colleague. Many types of people have trouble with mouth wounds that do not heal well on their own. These include, for example, patients going through cancer chemotherapy and those with diabetes. Existing treatments include taking a skin graft from a site such as a leg and stitching it into the mouth. Skin works for covering the wound, but is not as pliable as the mucosal lining of the mouth. If the skin is
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RESEARCH NEWS
too thick, it might even grow hair inside the mouth. A large skin graft also leaves the patient in pain with lengthy healing time. Feinberg said tissue engineering has many advantages, including a smaller donor site that heals faster and a graft that is mucosal cells, more like the mouth lining, not skin. After a short healing period, the patient feels mouth lining as it is supposed to feel. What’s Involved In their research, Feinberg and Izumi took thin pieces of mucosa from the roof of the patients’ mouths, about the size of a pencil eraser. They worked with Cynthia Marcelo, a research professor of surgery with nearly a decade of expertise in cell growth, to use a system she developed that encourages the cells to reproduce more rapidly in a well-defined system acceptable to the FDA. This special environment helps a tiny piece of mucosal mouth lining grow to the size of a quarter within a few weeks, and a dollar bill within about a month. The team attaches the expanded cells to a piece of AlloDerm, a specially prepared piece of human dermis made by LifeCell Corp. The composite of cells and AlloDerm is then immersed in a petri dish with a liquid Izumi casually compares to plant food. The liquid contains proteins and vitamins, the nutrients that encourage the cells to grow faster and increase in numbers. The team is working with five patients to demonstrate proof of concept, the precursor to moving into trials that inform the FDA before deciding to approve a new medical treatment. What May Be Next Eventually, Feinberg hopes to see the treatment used not only for small mouth wounds but also for major reconstructive surgery where the patient cannot physically donate enough tissue for repairs. Though this treatment is still in the early stages of approval, Feinberg already is looking ahead. He has begun to separate the stem cells from the harvested piece of tissue, because stem cells divide more rapidly and can live longer, aiming to eventually produce grafts solely from stem cells. He is also interested in modifying the approach to infuse the piece of tissue with gene therapy compounds, meaning the implanted tissue might help a person with such chronic conditions. Feinberg and his team are among dozens of researchers at U-M working on tissue engineering techniques and applications. All are looking at the next generation treatment that involves having a patient’s own body to provide the building blocks for healing itself. This research is supported by a $1.25 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. More information is available on the School of Dentistry Web site: www.dent.umich.edu. On the homepage click “More News” and then scroll down to “News Archives, Year 2004.” After clicking “Year 2004,” click the headline “U-M Team Treating Mouth Wounds by Engineering Tissue Grafts.” The news release is also accessible at: h t t p : / / w w w. u m i c h . e d u / n e w s / index.html?Releases/2004/Oct04/ r100504c
Dental School Wins “Most Student Abstracts” Award
The U-M School of Dentistry recently won a contest sponsored by the American Association for Dental Research. The School took first place for winning “the most student abstracts accepted contest” as a part of the annual AADR/IADR program, which was held in Baltimore in March. Thirty-seven student abstracts were accepted. Officers and faculty advisors of the AADR National Student Research Group announced the award, and the prize, a check for $300, which was mailed to the School following the program.
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Students Making a Difference...
From writing legislators and the Governor, to reactivating a dental fraternity, School of Dentistry students have been proactive on several fronts in recent months.
Dental Students Lobby Legislators, the Governor
Express Concern for Patients, Education with Medicaid Cuts
Concerned about the impact Medicaid cutbacks are having on patients and their clinical education, U-M School of Dentistry students have expressed their concerns to Governor Jennifer Granholm and members of the State Legislature. Led by dental students Brent Accurso and Erin Kloostra, nearly 300 dental students wrote letters to state officials late last year saying they “have seen the damage this loss of primary health care has caused for patients” who come to the dental school for treatment. “Many of our patients choose the school (to receive oral health care) because it is affordable,” they wrote. Without even basic care, they pointed out that relatively minor dental problems “can escalate to a major health concern.” Citing some of their experiences in the School’s clinics, the students noted that some patients “are missing so many teeth that they are effectively disabled. They cannot eat well, cannot speak well, and suffer the social ramifications of dental neglect.” The students also said the cutbacks have reduced the opportunities and experiences they need to treat lowincome patients. Officials Respond The letters generated some response. Thanking students for their concern, Granholm wrote, “Keeping Michigan’s citizens healthy is of the utmost importance to me.” She added the state was looking at ways “to preserve a dental benefit that will allow Michigan’s Medicaid beneficiaries to receive the care they deserve.” An official with the Department of Community Health wrote that the state “is facing a serious budget deficit again this fiscal year. Every effort is being made to maintain services at their current levels at a time when we are being asked to reduce expenditures further,” wrote Paul Reinhart, director of the department’s Medical Services Administration. State Senator Liz Brater of Ann Arbor wasn’t encouraging. “Unfortunately, Michigan’s current fiscal crisis has affected every state program and with the latest budget projections, it doesn’t look like things will change anytime soon.” She added that she would do her best “to protect the interests of our State’s most vulnerable population.” The state’s Medicaid program currently covers approximately 1 million residents, including 600,000 adults eligible for dental benefits. The Senate Fiscal Agency, which advises the state Senate on economic and budget issues, said last December the state will need to find another $50 million for the program whose costs now surpass $7 billion. In an effort to save more than $125 million, Michigan ended coverage for adult dental care, hearing aids, and other services beginning in October 2003. But that hasn’t saved the state enough money. The students acknowledged the problems facing the state, but urged the Governor and lawmakers “to please work to find funding for this incredibly needed and extremely valuable program.”
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Dental Fraternity Reactivated Xi Psi Phi Resurrected after Internet Search
Photo courtesy of Rajeev Prasher
ΞΨΦ
Reactivating the Alpha Chapter of Xi Psi Phi Dental Fraternity were (left to right): Daniel Chung, Dev Vohra, Rajeev Prasher, Benjamin Ruff, and Scott Behnan.
After a hiatus that lasted more than half a century, the Alpha Chapter of the Xi Psi Phi Dental Fraternity has been reactivated at the U-M School of Dentistry. Originally created in February 1889, the chapter became inactive in 1950. However, last April it was reactivated by the five dental students pictured. The group now has 55 members from all four predoctoral classes.
“We learned about the organization doing an Internet search,” said Rajeev Prasher, the chapter’s president. “Once we obtained the information about the history of the organization and why it was created here at Michigan, we reactivated it.” The fraternity provides dental students with experiences that complement what they learn in classrooms and clinics. It also is creating a network designed to benefit students and alumni. Prasher said the group is asking School of Dentistry alumni to host members of the dental fraternity who can observe what takes place in their offices and talk to alumni about their philosophy and approach to practicing dentistry. “This summer, we hope some of our alumni will give members of the dental fraternity an opportunity to observe the interactions among staff and patients and that they will also take some time to tell us how they practice dentistry and offer suggestions on how we might be able to benefit from their knowledge and expertise,” Prasher said.
Student Research Group Formed
Getting more dental students interested in research and helping them become a part of a network that gives them a way to share their interests with colleagues across the country are among the goals of a newly-formed group at the U-M School of Dentistry. Launched almost two years ago, the local chapter of the Student Research Group is part of a national organization with the same name. The national SRG, which is a part of the American Association for Dental Research, has approximately 1,200 members. Brent Accurso, president of the student-run group, said, “Michigan already has a strong research program, but we want to enhance the research interests of U-M dental students by creating a local chapter that’s a part of a national organization. That would make it easier for them to share their research interests with students from other parts of the country.” Since its creation, the U-M group has organized lectures on current research topics and sent five students to two national AADR meetings, and has planned workshops to help students with their research endeavors. Dr. Jacques Nör, associate professor of dentistry in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences, and Endodontics, is the group’s faculty advisor. For more information about the Student Research group, contact Accurso at: brentaccurso@sbcglobal.net.
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Students Represent U-M at Leadership Program
Two dental students represented the School of Dentistry at a leadership training program last year in Seattle. Swati Shah and Tyra Jefferson were among 40 students from around the country who participated in the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) Foundation’s Primary Care Leadership Training Program. Participants were nominated by the deans of their schools or colleges. Designed for both dental and medical students, the week-long conference focused on major issues in primary care, outlined the scope of health disparities and what could be done to reduce them, and focused on leadership skills. The program also offered an opportunity for hands-on community service and visits to community health centers in the Seattle area. “I have a revitalized passion for serving underserved populations,” Jefferson said. She said the program has inspired her “to search for ways to be effective in the fight for diversity in the health care workforce and education system, access and quality of care issues, and being a voice for the underserved.” Shah said, “Living in Ann Arbor, we are lucky to experience relationships with patients of many different cultures and races. It’s helpful to understand why some experience higher rates of disease than others.” AMSA is the nation’s oldest and largest independent association of physicians and dentists who are in training at colleges and universities.
Per Kjeldsen
Tsunami Relief Fund
Students, faculty, and staff raised more than $1,200 earlier this year in an effort to reach out and help survivors of the tsunami which claimed more than 150,000 lives in southern Asia last December. The School’s efforts complemented those of other fundraising efforts across the U-M campus. Some of the funds raised at the School were for Champa Jayasuriya, who worked in the laboratory of Dr. David Kohn from 2002 until last year. Jayasuriya, now an assistant professor and director of research at the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo, lost her mother, elder sister, two cousins, and many friends who lived in a fishing village on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Her brother survived.
Food and Supply Drive
Dental and dental hygiene students raised more than $500 in food, personal items, and household goods earlier this year for SOS Community Services of Ypsilanti. The organization works with Washtenaw County families to address an array of personal and family care needs. Philanthropy chair of Delta Sigma Delta, the international dental co-ed fraternity which conducted the drive, was second-year predoctoral student Jenny Hendricks.
Tyra Jefferson (left) and Swati Shah represented the U-M School of Dentistry at the annual American Medical Student Association Foundation’s Primary Care Leadership Training Program held in Seattle.
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105 Dental Students Receive
“Believe in yourselves, you have a great future ahead of you,” Michigan Dental Goodis told first-year dental students during last fall’s White Coat Ceremony.
Per Kjeldsen
Justin Smith, president of the Dental Class of 2005, helped first-year dental students, including Caroline Hong, into their white coats.
Per Kjeldsen
The first-year class of 105 predoctoral students – 56 women and 49 men – received their white coats during a formal ceremony held in the School of Dentistry’s Sindecuse Museum and Atrium. Portions of the ceremony are included in the new School of Dentistry video. [See pages 4 and 5.] The annual event officially welcomes first-year dental students into the profession. Goodis, who earned his dental degree from U-M in 1964, told students, their parents, and guests, “this is where I began my journey in the dental profession. I have many fond memories of my time here.” Telling students they “were being welcomed into the dental profession as colleagues,” Goodis encouraged them to get involved in organized dentistry during their four years in dental school. “By doing so, you will be able to stay on top of current issues that impact our profession,” he said. President of the Dental Class of 2005, Justin Smith, told students, “Today is another step forward in your career and you should be very proud of yourselves.” He reminded students that wearing the white coat “is a privilege that should not be taken for granted. You have a responsibility to your profession and to your patients to uphold the highest standards of professionalism.” Dean Peter Polverini also congratulated the students on their achievement and reminded them of the responsibilities they now have. “Best Dental School on This Planet” The relationship dentists have with their patients is special, Goodis said. He noted the general, or family dentist, delivers 80 percent of the dental treatment to their patients, while specialists provide 20 percent of oral health care. But in medicine, the percentages are reversed. “This kind of relationship building with patients is what makes dentistry so rewarding,” he said. Saying the U-M School of Dentistry “is the best dental school on this planet,” Goodis reminded students of advice he once received: “Never measure your generosity by what you give, but rather by what you have left.”
Guest speaker, Michigan Dental Association President Dr. George Goodis (DDS 1964), welcomed first-year dental students into the profession.
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White Coats
Association President Dr. George
Per Kjeldsen Per Kjeldsen
Oath of Aspiring Dental Professionals
Written by the Dental Class of 2005, this is the oath first-year dental students recited at last fall’s White Coat Ceremony at the School of Dentistry. Upon entering the honorable ranks of the dental community, I swear to uphold, to the best of my ability, the following oath: I will administer sound, ethical judgment in the treatment of my patients while remembering that I am treating a human being, not a symptom or an illness. I will not let vanity or greed interfere with doing what is just and right. I will remember that the practice of dentistry is a right and that I must earn and hold myself to the highest standard of care. I will have the courage to admit when I do not know, and to defer when a better treatment has been presented. I will practice prevention and continue to learn the latest methods of treatment in order to give my patients the best possible care and confidence in my ability. I will, at all times, act in an ethical manner and never abuse the privileges I have been granted. I will remember that I represent a noble class of skilled professionals and will never willingly tarnish their reputation. For if I uphold this oath, I will be able to practice the art of dentistry with pride and form a legacy that will be followed for many years to come.
Since he was recovering from hip surgery last summer, Justin Pearson needed crutches to reach the platform where he received his white coat from Justin Smith.
Among the family members present to see Macare Kelly receive her white coat were her mother, Mary (second from left) and her grandparents, Dr. Charles Kelly (DDS 1953) and his wife, Delores (DH 1951).
Angie Mathews (left), Nancy Lam (center), and Mariya Hussain listen to Michigan Dental Association President Dr. George Goodis welcome them and their classmates into the profession.
Keary Campbell
Annelies Cornish and Brent Frye after receiving their white coats.
Keary Campbell
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Community Dentist Retires after 63 Years
Dr. Jules Flax Leaves an Unforgettable Legacy
It’s not easy giving up something you love doing. And it’s even tougher to say goodbye after 63 years knowing you have made a difference in the lives of so many. But on September 30, 2004, Dr. Jules Flax...who earned his dental degree from the U-M School of Dentistry in 1940...retired after practicing general dentistry in the village of Jeffersonville, New York, a community of about 500 located about 100 miles northwest of New York City. Those who know him...and worked with him...recall a gentle man who inspired them, both personally and professionally, and who unselfishly gave of himself. They also recall an individual who was fun to be with. “I miss not going to the office,” Flax said shortly after he retired. “I miss the daily contact with my staff, my patients, and others in the community. But it was time,” said the 87-year-old Queens, New York native shortly before embarking on a Florida vacation. An Achiever...Despite Obstacles Born to immigrant parents who owned a candy store in New York City,
Photo courtesy of Judith Pearl
The University of Michigan and family are near and dear to Dr. Jules Flax as pictures on his refrigerator show.
Flax was orphaned before he was 13. He was raised by his sister, Ella, who was 10 years his senior. A demanding, loving “mother,” she died in 1981. Flax graduated from Townsend Harris High School, a school for the gifted, before he was 16. One of his classmates was Jonas Salk, who was a research fellow at the University of Michigan from 1942 to 1947, and who developed the polio vaccine in 1955. Flax’s interest in the dental profession was sparked by his uncle who practiced dentistry in Long Island until he was 93. “I had many chances to observe him and liked the way he conducted himself, the way he treated his patients, and the hours,” Flax said. “I also enjoyed making things, so I thought that this would be the career to pursue.” Before arriving at Michigan in 1936, Flax attended the City College of New York for three years, earning a bachelor’s degree when he was 19.
He paid for his education by selling Good Humor ice cream on a bicycle he peddled across the Queensboro Bridge. Michigan Memories Flax had never been to Ann Arbor when he arrived at Michigan to begin his dental studies. “I applied to four dental schools around the countr y, including Michigan, and was accepted at all of them. But I chose Michigan because I liked the pictures of the campus that I saw in several magazines, and also liked its reputation and its sports program,” he said. “I thought Tom Harmon was the greatest player who ever carried a football,” said Flax, whose home has many items of Michigan memorabilia. He recalled several of the School’s best-known faculty members and administrators, including Drs. Marcus Ward and Russell Bunting. “I also
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remember Ken Easlick. He was a good man. Everyone liked him,” Flax said. “I also watched workers in 1939 begin work on what then was the new dental school,” Flax said. A
Roche said Flax’s office assistant, Edythe Hyatt, “had a great sense of humor. I can recall times where they would engage in amusing debates about the most arcane topics, such as the cost of a loaf of bread in 1915.” Patients also contributed to the relaxed office atmosphere. Roche recalled one patient coming to the office with a fiddle, sitting in a dental chair and playing. “After finishing work on a patient, Dr. Flax joined all of us singing different songs,” she said. Never Turned Anyone Away “Perhaps the biggest thing I have always respected Dr. Flax for was his humanity,” Roche said. “I never saw him turn anyone away. He took care of every patient with a problem who came to him.” If patients couldn’t immediately pay their bill, Roche said Flax made arrangements with them “even if they paid only five dollars a week,” she said. On other occasions, barter agreements were made. One patient, she said, paid his bill by making belt buckles for Dr. Flax and others in his office. The letter “J” was a prominent part of Flax’s life. Jules was married to Jennie Brownstein for 54 years before she died in 1996. They raised three girls, Judy, Janet, and Jo. Flax also found time to be involved in his community. In 1947, he became a charter member of the Jeffersonville Lions Club. Fifty-five years later, the club honored him as their only continually active charter member. Flax was also a charter member of the town’s A m b u l a n c e C o r p s , t h e t o w n’ s emergency medical service that was created in 1965.
Roche said Flax made such an impression on his patients that several of them who moved later drove three or four hours to return for their annual checkups. She said one patient flew in from California once a year to be treated by him. Daughter Janet, said, “His office was such a wonderful place to visit. When dad, his dental hygienist, his assistant, and patients got together, you never knew what might happen. Now, when dad goes downtown, people tell him how much they miss him.” Leaving a Legacy His oldest daughter, Judy, said her father “has certainly passed his love of dentistry to me. After assisting him for all of my teenage years, I received my bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene from Columbia University. I continue to practice, although I don’t expect to continue until I’m 87!” Flax says he now devotes his time “to the three Gs – gardening, gambling, and golfing.” He grows flowers and vegetables, continues to visit Las Vegas as he has for more than 20 years, and enjoys golfing “because you can play it long after your days of playing tennis or handball are over.” When asked about what advice he would offer to young dentists, Flax said, “Make sure you hire someone who can quickly and accurately complete all the forms the government and the insurance companies require because that seems to be taking up more and more time every year.” If the measure of a person’s legacy is the memories that person leaves with family, employees, and patients, then there is no doubt among those who know him that Dr. Jules Flax has left indelible impressions on thousands.
Dr. Julius Flax as he appeared in his Class of 1940 picture.
year later, the first building in the world devoted solely to graduate and postgraduate teaching in dentistry opened, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Institute. After earning his DDS, Flax became an intern at the Jersey City Medical Center. One day, he answered an ad placed by a dentist in Jeffersonville who needed a dentist to “temporarily” take over the practice of Dr. Bernard Kove who was leaving to serve in the U.S. Army. Flax purchased the practice in 1941 and remained there for nearly 64 years. During that time, Flax made indelible impressions. Practice Memories His hygienist of 34 years, Linda Roche, said, “I have never worked in another office that I enjoyed more. He was such a one-of-a-kind individual that I don’t expect to work for someone like him again.”
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“The Floss” Wins Basketball Tournament
Annual PAES Basketball Challenge Begins
Some might call it “combat basketball.” Can you blame them? Just look at some of the team names: “Team Ibuprofen,” “The Devastators,” “The Garbagemen,” and, yes, even “The Floss.” For three hours last fall, dental students and clinicians in the School’s Patient Admitting and Emergency Services Clinic held a tournament, of sorts, at the Coliseum Gym, on Hoover St. near the Intramural Building, in Ann Arbor. Dr. David Jacobson, PAES Clinic director and organizer of the event, said the idea for the “tournament” had been percolating for some time. Over the years, students had challenged him and Dr. Juan Johnson, a staff dentist in the PAES clinic, to play a few games. Talk Leads to Action “We talk about basketball all the time and some of the students have even seen us in the gym from time to time,” Jacobson said. “But we never got around to arranging even a single all-dental pick-up game, much less a tournament. Juan and I thought that if it was ever going to happen, we would have to organize it and bump up the stakes to make it interesting and fun.” Using the concept of the popular three-on-three Gus Macker tournament, and acknowledging the work of late 19th century dental pioneer Dr. G.V. Black, the “G.V. BlackER” competition was held. In addition to Jacobson and Johnson, 20 third- and fourthyear dental students signed up for the tournament – enough for six teams to be created. A few teams, however, had four players who took turns subbing during the games. Injury Report “Since the older guys had bad knees and other pains, Juan and I called ourselves ‘Team Ibuprofen.’ We also recruited an alumnus to play on our team, James Lee, from the Class of 1991. He was our go-to guy in the paint and had the hot hand all morning,” Jacobson said with a laugh. “The Floss” won the tournament. Members of the team included third-year dental students Julius Bunek and John Lesneski, and two other players who were not dental students. Jacobson said the tournament will be held this fall, but will be called “The Annual PAES Basketball Challenge.” For further information, contact Jacobson by e-mail at: deepfunk@umich.edu.
Anderson Receives Awards
School of Dentistry librarian Patricia Anderson (center) was the first recipient of the MLA’s Harriet L. Steuernagel Award. Presenting the award were Dean Peter Polverini (second from left) and William Gosling, university librarian, University Library (second from right). Also pictured are (left) Dennis Lopatin, senior associate dean, and Brenda Johnson, associate university librarian for public services, University Library.
School of Dentistry librarian Patricia Anderson has received a major award for her work. Last fall she became the first person to receive the Medical Library Association’s Harriet L. Steuernagel Award. The award recognizes a health services librarian who has contributed to the growth and development of the dental section through professional activities or service. Anderson coauthored The MLA Encyclopedic Guide to Searching and Finding Health Information on the Web. The three-volume publication gives health care professionals and consumers strategies they can use to find authoritative information on the Web. [DentalUM, Fall 2004, pages 26-27.] She also received a Certificate of Appreciation from the U-M Council for Disability Concerns. The award acknowledges individuals who have significantly benefited people with disabilities at U-M.
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Please clip and mail
What’s New with You?
Your Classmates Want to Know!
Send news about your latest personal or professional achievement, award, or honor, along with a picture (black and white or color) to: Jerry Mastey, editor DentalUM, University of Michigan, School of Dentistry, 1011 N. University Avenue, Room 1205, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078. Name ___________________________________________________________________ Address __________________________________________________________________ City ________________________________ State ______ Zip Code __________________ Telephone __________________________Fax (if available) ___________________________ e-mail __________________________________________________________________ Can we use your email address in our publications? ____ Yes ____ No Is this an address change? ____ Yes What type of address change? ____ Home ____ No ____ Office
(Please list only University of Michigan degrees and the year earned.) DDS ________ DH Certificate ________ BS ________ MS ________ PhD ________ Specialization __________________________________________________________ News: ___________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Get Involved! _____ I would like to help plan my next reunion. _____ I would like to be considered for the Alumni Society Board of Governors.
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Alumni News
Class Notes 2000s
Susan Buttleman (DDS 2002) of Davenport, Iowa,
and her husband, Jason, are the proud parents of a son born last October 29. Young Henrik Clausen Buttleman “is an absolute joy to have around,” she writes. The family plans to return to Traverse City where her husband will start a practice following graduation from Palmer Chiropractic College. April was a month Wakeshi (Scott) Benson (DDS 2000) of Battle Creek won’t soon forget. On the 12th, she received the New Dentist Award from the Detroit District Dental Society. Three days later, she received the Recent Alumni Award from Michigan State University. The award is presented annually to an alumnus who has graduated during the past 15 years that has demonstrated outstanding professional growth. Benson earned her bachelor’s degree from MSU. As a dental student, she also earned the American Association of Public Health Dentistry’s Dental Student Recognition Award.
1970s
Edward Ellis III (DDS 1978,
MS 1981) of Irving, Texas, was formally inducted into the Royal College of Surgeons of England last October. “This is a very special honor with only a handful of oral and maxillofacial surgeons receiving it,” he wrote. Recently, Ellis completed 13 years of service on the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He was an examiner for six years and director for seven years. In his final year as director, Ellis was president of the organization. Ellis continues to direct the oral and maxillofacial surgery training program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and is chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery at Parkland Memorial Hospital.
Mark Marunick (DDS 1975, MS
1980) of Farmington Hills, Michigan, completed his term as President o f t h e A m e r i c a n Ac a d e m y o f Maxillofacial Prosthetics last October. He said relations with national and international prosthodontic organizations were improved during his one-year term as president of the 275-member organization. “This will enhance future interactions and strengthen the specialty,” he said. Marunick, who is an adjunct clinical professor in the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, authored an article that was featured on the cover of the April 2004 issue of The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. His feature, “Hybrid Gate Design Frameworks for the Rehabilitation of the Maxillectomy Patient,” described the clinical considerations for using a hybrid gate design framework for rehabilitating the maxillectomy patient. “This unique approach incorporates both conventional cast retainers and the gate design concept,” he said.
1980s
Richard Christiansen (Dean
Emeritus, 1982-1987) was elected vice chairman of the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Social Services of Michigan in April. He’s been a member of the Board for the past seven years.
Solomon K. Pesis (DDS 1980) of
Farmington Hills has been appointed to the Michigan Board of Dentistry. His four-year term expires in 2007.
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In Memoriam
’34 Dr. Joseph P. Kessel Ashraf Maher (DDS 1973) of
Portage, Michigan, was inducted into the International College of Dentists last October and was also reappointed to the State Board of Dentistry for a four-year term that same month. In 2003, Maher became a Fellow with the Royal College of Medicine in London. Saginaw, Michigan March 28, 2005 Monroe, Michigan May 13, 2004
’37 Dr. Francis J. Dorner
‘46 Dr. John W. Neilson
Vernon, British Columbia, Canada March 25, 2005 Shelby Township, Michigan February 1, 2005 Tampa, Florida June 1, 2004
’52 Dr. Carl Ritchie, Jr.
Terry Comar (DDS 1971) recently received the
Kalamazoo Valley District Dental Society’s highest honor, the Edgar A. Honey Award.
’53 Dr. Richard Peck
1960s
Thomas P. Osborn (DDS 1968)
recently moved to Georgia and is teaching oral surgery, part time, at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. He was a member of the School of Dentistry’s Alumni Society Board of Governors from 2002 through 2004 and practiced dentistry in Bloomfield Hills for more than 25 years.
‘54 Dr. Robert W. Mohr
Tecumseh, Michigan April 1, 2005 Upland, California November 4, 2004
’62 Dr. Arnold J. Smith
’68 Dr. Phil Cohen
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida April 9, 2005
’73 Dr. Larry Sindledecker
Boca Raton, Florida January 3, 2005
Henry Milanowski (DDS 1965) received the West
Michigan District Dental Society’s highest honor, the Silent Bell Award, for his service to the profession and the community.
’75 Dr. Parker W. Wortham
Dr. Parker W. Wortham, a clinical assistant professor of endodontics at the School of Dentistry, died October 29, 2004. He was 73. Wortham received his dental degree from Meharry Medical College in 1960 and earned his master’s degree from the U-M School of Dentistry in 1975. He taught endodontics from 1975 to 1979. He also practiced with Dr. Robert Ellison, who died last May.
Last October was a special month for Robert Reed (DDS 1952) of Tampa, Florida. “After growing up in Tampa from 1926 to 1942, I was inducted into the Jefferson High School Hall of Fame last October,” he wrote in a note to the School of Dentistry. His 53-year career in dentistry included a three-year stint with the U.S. Air Force. He was a multi-engine bomber pilot, flying B-24 Liberators and B-29 Super Fortresses. “I’ve retired from the Air Force, but still use dental lasers and porcelain veneers. I loved my job and all that U of M has meant for me.”
DentalUM Spring & Summer 2005
1950s
‘81 Dr. Lynn Wilson-Hill
Ann Arbor, Michigan April 27, 2005
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In Memoriam Charles Kelsey, DDS 1964
Dr. Charles Kelsey, affectionately known throughout the U-M School of Dentistry as its historian, died March 20. He was 70. Born in Wellsville, New York in October 1934, Kelsey earned three degrees from the University of Michigan: a bachelor’s degree in 1956, a dental degree in 1964, and a master’s degree in prosthodontics in 1967. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he attended the U.S. Navy’s Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island and returned to Michigan following his tour of duty. Shortly after earning his dental degree, Dr. Kelsey joined the faculty in 1964 as a clinical instructor. In 1967, he became an assistant professor; six years later, a full professor. During a career that spanned 35 years, Dr. Kelsey was editor of the School’s Alumni Bulletin from 1970 to 1980. He also produced over 25 videos in the School’s television studios on dentures and occlusion. For many, his most memorable piece was a 30-minute video he produced and narrated in 1975 that focused on the School’s 100-year history. His literary interests transcended dentistry. As a long-time Samuel Clemens aficionado, Dr. Kelsey’s study contained an extensive collection of rare books, pamphlets, and artifacts that focused on what he called “the country’s greatest literary genius, Mark Twain.” He was also interested in the Civil War and Lincoln’s assassination. Dr. Kelsey was a charter fellow of the American College of Prosthodontics and a leader in teaching and clinical activities at the predoctoral and graduate levels and in continuing education programs. His commitment to teaching was rewarded on five occasions when he was voted Teacher of the Year. In an interview in the Spring 1994 issue of School’s alumni magazine, DentalUM, he said, “I feel very fortunate that my career has allowed me to participate in a wide range of interesting and rewarding experiences – whether I’m helping a first-year student in the preclinical lab, or working with a graduate student involved in a difficult clinical situation. I enjoy what I do very much.” He also served on numerous dental school committees, including two terms on its executive committee; was a member of the University’s Senate Assembly, secretary to the Senate Assembly, and was appointed to the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, and the Library Council. He also was an integral part of the School’s Gordon H. Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry Committee during its development.
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Homecoming Weekend
November 10, 11, 12
Thursday, November 10
Emeritus Pinning Ceremony Time: 11:30 a.m. Location: School of Dentistry, Room G390 Emeritus Class Picture Time: 12:30 p.m. Location: Foyer staircase outside Sindecuse Museum Emeritus Reunion and Hall of Honor Luncheon Time: 1:00 to 2:15 p.m. Location: Sindecuse Atrium Hall of Honor Induction Ceremony Time: 2:15 to 3:00 p.m. Location: School of Dentistry, Room G390
Friday, November 11
Morawa Lecture - New Insight into the Etiology, Diagnosis, and Prevention of Oral Cancer Time: 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Location: Kensington Court Hotel, 610 Hilton Boulevard, Ann Arbor Speaker: Dr. Peter Polverini, Dean, U-M School of Dentistry Homecoming Celebration Dinner Honoring Dental and Dental Hygiene classes with graduation years ending in 0 and 5 Time: 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Location: Kensington Court Hotel, 610 Hilton Boulevard, Ann Arbor
Saturday, November 12
All Class Tailgate Brunch Time: 3 hours before kickoff Location: Kensington Court Hotel, 610 Hilton Boulevard, Ann Arbor Football Game – University of Michigan vs. Indiana Time: Kick-off time to be announced Location: The Big House