DentalUM Spring & Summer 2014

Spring & Summer 2014
FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY
Thank you,
Delta Dental!
Victors for Michigan
Victors for Dentistry
DH E-Learning
Program
Alumnus Profile:
Dr. Frank Alley
Research Day
2014
Dear Alumni and Friends:
DEANS MESSAGE
I love the seasons we experience in Michigan. The winter of 2014 may have
been a tough one, but we made it, which makes the rewards of spring even
more exquisite. I am also enjoying the promise that is everywhere at the
School of Dentistry.
The promise of the bright future of dentistry is exemplified in the recent
commitment to the School and dental education shown by the Delta Dental
Foundation. Please be sure to read about the $2 million gift the Delta Dental
Foundation has so generously provided to fund the Delta Dental of Michigan
Integrated Special Care Clinic. The School is grateful for this incredible gift and
the promise it holds for our students as they learn to treat patients with special
needs in this new clinic. This $2 million gift is among the lead gifts that have
helped us launch our Victors for Michigan - Victors for Dentistry campaign.
You may recall the University launched Victors for Michigan as the most ambitious fundraising campaign to date, $4 billion. The School of Dentistry is an
integral part of this important campus initiative. I hope you have had a chance
to review the campaign case statement mailed to you in January. The case
statement highlights our goals and priorities and the promise a successful
campaign holds for the University of Michigan School of Dentistry.
Our top priority for the campaign is student support. A demanding year-round
class schedule has made it virtually impossible for students to work, even part
time. Our promise to our students is to do everything we can to reduce their
debt burden by increasing scholarships and fellowships.
Other campaign priorities include:

renovation of outdated clinical spaces

support for new learning initiatives and expanded clinical opportunities
faculty enrichment experiences to improve teaching
support for continued top-tier research initiatives
You can learn more about other Victors for Dentistry giving opportunities at
www.bit.ly/giving2dentistry. Select Campaign Case Statement to read about
the campaign goals and priorities of our campaign.
Your support is vitally important and will allow us to maintain our position
as the leaders and the best in dentistry. My husband and I are Victors
for Dentistry as are many other faculty and alumni. Please join us!
Kind regardsand Go Blue!
Dr. Laurie K. McCauley

Dean
In this Issue
Honors, Awards
& New Exhibit
DH E-Learning
Program
10
Thank You, Delta

Dental Foundation
Boosting graduates
careers
24
Faculty Profile
18
A $2 million gift from the Delta

Dental Foundation will build
a new clinic for patients with
special needs and promote
interprofessional education.
Dr. Rene E. Duff,

Assistant Dean for
Student Services
26
Student Leaders,
Awards and
Grants
Alumnus Profile
Research
Day 2014
Dr. Frank Alley
30
20
In this issue you will learn about the Victors for Michigan campaignthe goals and
priorities and how the Delta Dental Foundation is helping to make the special needs
clinic a reality. Dont miss the faculty and alumni profiles and stories about the
honors and awards our faculty, staff and students have received.
Be sure to visit www.dent.umich.edu for up to the minute access
to School of Dentistry news and events.
University of Michigan School of Dentistry

Alumni Society Board of Governors:
Volume 30, Number 1
DentalUM magazine is published twice a year by the

University of Michigan School of Dentistry.
Send comments and updates to:
dentistry.communications@umich.edu or Director of
Communications, School of Dentistry, Room 1218,
1011 N. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078
Dean........................................................Laurie McCauley
Director of Communications..................Sharon Grayden
Writer & Editor.............................................. Jerry Mastey
Designer.......................................................... Ken Rieger
Member publication of the
American Association of
Dental Editors
The Regents of the University:
Mark J. Bernstein, Julia Donovan Darlow, Laurence
B. Deitch, Shauna Ryder Diggs, Denise Ilitch, Andrea
Fischer Newman, Andrew C. Richner, Katherine E.
White, Mary Sue Coleman, ex officio
Terms Expire 2014:

Frank Alley, 81 DDS, Portage, MI
Michael Cerminaro, 86 DDS, Muskegon, MI
Sondra Moore Gunn, 78 DDS, 80 MS, Ann Arbor, MI
Jackie Solberg, 86 DH, Grand Rapids, MI
M.H. Reggie VanderVeen (chair), 76 DDS,
Grand Rapids, MI
Terms Expire 2015:
Sheree Duff, 80 BSDH, 91 MS, Grand Blanc, MI
Wayne Olsen, 81 DDS, Traverse City, MI
Michael Palaszek, 82 DDS, Grand Rapids, MI
Carl Pogoncheff, 09 DDS, 12 MS, Lansing, MI
Scott Schulz, 96 DDS, 03 MS, Traverse City, MI
Terms Expire 2016:
Steve Dater, 88 DDS, Belmont, MI
Lawrence Duffield, 82 DDS, Birmingham, MI
Matthew Gietzen, 05 DDS, Ada, MI
Bruce Turpin, 80 DDS, Pontiac, MI
Janet Wilson, 73 BSDH, Northville, MI
Ex Officio Members:
Laurie McCauley, Dean
Steve C. Grafton , Executive Director, Alumni Assoc.
Richard R. Fetchiet, Executive Director, Alumni
Relations and Development
The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative

action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state
laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action.
The University of Michigan is committed to a policy of equal
opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the
basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex,
sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability,
religion, height, weight, or 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/ADA Coordinator,
Office of Institutional Equity, 2072 Administrative Services
Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1432, (734) 763-0235,
TTY (734) 647-1388. For other University of Michigan information
call (734) 764-1817.
Copyright 2014 The Regents of the University of Michigan

Victors for Dentistry
Campaign Focus: Scholarships, Facility Improvements,
Faculty & Research Support
The School of Dentistry has set a
goal to raise $35 million during the
Universitys Victors for Michigan
fundraising campaign. The Schools
effort is part of a larger U-M goal to
raise $4 billion, the largest fundraising
effort in the history of public higher
education, before the campaign
ends in 2018.
Dean Laurie McCauley announced
the Schools goal during a special
combined meeting of its Campaign
Committee and Alumni Society Board
of Governors on November 8. The
Schools $35 million goal includes the
following objectives:
Student Support: $11.0 million
Facilities Support: $18.0 million
Curriculum/Program Support:
$1.0 million
Faculty Support: $1.5 million
Research Support: $1.5 million
TRANSFORMING DENTAL
EDUCATION
McCauley gave the Schools Campaign
Committee and Board of Governors
an outline of recent achievements and
forward-looking ideas designed to help
the School remain a leader in dental
education.
Achievements she cited included a
contemporary curriculum that allows
students to build on their interests
in leadership, health care delivery
and research. She also cited other
initiatives including case-based
learning; evidence-based dental
Another $2 million in discretionary

support is envisioned that can be
applied to one or more of the five
listed categories.
Financial support for students is a

top priority for our School, just as it
is for the University, McCauley said.
Without exception, the students tell
me they want to make a difference.
We can help them do that by providing
scholarship support and financial aid
that will enable them to focus their
time and energy on a demanding
educational program, she said.
We must provide the tools they
need to make that difference, whether
its in their communities, across our
state or around the world.
Dean Laurie McCauley discusses the goals at the campaign kickoff meeting in November.
education and clinical care; and

interprofessional education.
Focusing on the future, McCauley said
that strategic planning is progressing.
The result of our efforts are focused
on having our School transform dental
education by anticipating and meeting
the needs of an evolving oral health
care environment, she said.
Citing changes in student culture,
notably a growing use of technology
and a desire to make a difference,
McCauley said the approach to
dental education is also evolving.
She mentioned innovations in
classroom and clinical education,
patient care, community-based
dental education and research.
Because of our educational and
research efforts here at Michigan,
there will be a significant change in
how patients are cared for in dental
clinics within the next ten years. Our
students must be prepared for that.
She said its important for the School
to adapt to the changing landscape
because the dental schools that will
be successful in the future are those
that continually embrace change.
Photo by Per Kjeldsen
CLINICAL RENOVATIONS
Dr. Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch,

associate dean for Academic Affairs,
said since the dental curriculum now
spans almost the entire year, dental
students are unable to work even
part time to earn money to pay for
their education.
Dr. Stephen Stefanac, senior associate

dean, said there is an urgent need to
upgrade the Schools clinical facilities.
He said our predoctoral students have
about 79 square feet of space available
to work compared to about 120 square
feet at other dental schools.
Were also limited with the financial

aid we can provide to our students,
she said. We arent able to provide
full scholarships, and only about 25
percent of our students receive some
kind of financial aid. As a result, the
average debt for a dental student
graduating from U-M is approximately
$191,000. So generating scholarship
support during this campaign will be
vitally important, she added.
Stefanac also said the School must

accommodate patients with special
needs. Demand for oral health care
services for these patients is expected
to grow in the future.
Slightly more than $3 million has been
raised for facilities support, including
a $2 million gift from the Delta Dental
Foundation.
IMPORTANT FOR THE

SCHOOLS FUTURE
The Schools Campaign Committee

has set a goal of raising $11 million
for student aid. Richard Fetchiet,
executive director of Alumni Relations
and Development, said approximately
$3.7 million has already been raised
for student support.
Dr. Matt Gietzen and Dr. Jan Duski listen

to some ideas designed to help the School
remain a leader in dental education.
FINANCIAL AID
Dr. Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch, associate dean for Academic Affairs, talks about the impact
of educational debt on our students.
Kevin Goles (D3) and Dr. Ed Duski talk

about some of the changes in dental
education in recent years.
Drs. Donald Wurtzel (left) and Reggie

VanderVeen, listen to School administrators
explain how funds raised during the
Victors for Michigan campaign will be
used throughout the School.
These goals will help

define the School for
the next 50 years.
Jeff Freshcorn
2014 Spring & Summer
The School is grateful for the $7.7

million that has been raised during
a two-year silent phase of the
campaign, Freshcorn said. This
campaign offers an incredible opportunity for the School of Dentistry and its
benefactors to make a commitment to
the dental practitioners and patients
of tomorrow. With the help of alumni,
friends, faculty, staff and students,
we will excel, innovate and lead as
we shape the future of dentistry.
Jeff Freshcorn, director of development and campaign director, emphasized the importance of all the Schools
fundraising goals during the Victors for
Michigan campaign. These goals will
help define the School for the next 50
years, he said.

Victors for Dentistry (Continued)
Why Giving Matters
I feel I have a responsibility to give back to the profession and
the School that has given me and my family so much over the
years. If I am able to help one dental student achieve his or her
goal of gaining the requisite knowledge, skill, and training to heal
others, I will have partially paid back the many who helped me at
the University of Michigan.
Dr. Jed J. Jacobson
The education Kathleen and I received at the University of

Michigan was second to none. For that, we are so very grateful. It
is our privilege to give back to the School of Dentistry. Our
gift for clinical renovations is our expression of appreciation
for a truly outstanding dental education. We are proud of
what U-M offers and has helped us achieve.
Dr. Timothy & Mrs. Kathleen Gietzen
The University of Michigan School of Dentistry has provided our family, that includes three
dentists and one dental hygienist, with the education and tools to make a difference. I remember,
as a student, using outdated equipment that made it more difficult to learn. Giving future dentists
the most up-to-date equipment to aid their learning is our way of giving back.
Dr. David & Mrs. Charlene Kott
Giving back was probably the easiest decision we could make.

My University of Michigan School of Dentistry education prepared
me for the professional life that Ive enjoyed and served as the
foundation for every financial success that our family has enjoyed.
It just made sense to show our deepest gratitude for the
education that made it all possible.
Dr. Reggie & Mrs. Gayle VanderVeen
Nancy and I are pleased to help support the proposed

improvements to the School of Dentistry. When we travel,
we meet University of Michigan graduates and friends who
enthusiastically support this University. With the challenges facing
education, it seems vital that we do what is necessary to help
advance the excellence that is the University of Michigan
and the School of Dentistry.
Dr. Richard & Mrs. Nancy Christiansen
When we toured the Schools clinical facilities, we were alarmed at how outdated they were.
During the Schools previous fundraising campaign, updating the preclinical lab facilities, including
simulation stations used by dental and dental hygiene students, was a game changer for them
and for clinical faculty. We want our gift to have a similar effect during the Victors for Michigan
fundraising campaign.
Dr. William & Mrs. Shelley Lawler
As senior associate dean, I wanted to be among the

first to show financial support for our clinical renovation
project which we have been discussing and planning
for the past two years. I hope others will join me
with their support of the School of Dentistry.
Dr. Stephen Stefanac
For more information about contributing

to the Victors for Michigan fundraising
campaign, contact the Office of Alumni
Relations and Development at
(734) 763-3315 or visit the Campaign
Web site: www.bit.ly/giving2dentistry

Victors for Dentistry (Continued)
Endodontics Clinic Renovation Gift
Im grateful to be in a profession which I truly enjoy and thankful
for the opportunity to be involved as I have been for the past 30
years with the School and the Department of Cariology, Restorative
Sciences and Endodontics. Those are some reasons I want
to give back. I have seen dramatic changes in endodontics and
how technology is being used to enhance education and make
patients lives better. That technology costs money. I hope my
gift, and those from my colleagues, will enable the School to
update the endodontics clinic so it continues to advance the
education of our students and improve the lives of their patients.
Dr. Richard Gardner
Oral Surgery Clinic Renovation Gift

I appreciate the good things that have happened to me professionally and personally. My dental education at Michigan and oral
surgery training in the Army have been crucial to my success. I
remember Dr. James Hayward writing my letter of recommendation and constantly emphasizing the importance of being the
best. That also applies to our facilities. We sorely need a new oral
surgery clinic. Our students deserve the best facilities to continue
our Schools tradition of excellence.
Dr. Wayne Olsen
Roberts Family Foundation
Among the nucleus fund gifts was

a generous commitment from the
Roberts Family Foundation. The
Foundations gift of $1.5 million for
scholarships includes $500,000
designated for an endowed dental
student scholarship. This portion
qualifies for the U-M Presidents Scholarship Challenge. Launched in 2013,
the Scholarship Challenge leverages
gifts of up to $1 million with a contribution from U-Ms president of 25 cents

for every dollar gifted.
The Roberts Family Foundation was
created from the estate of Dr. Roy
and Mrs. Natalie Roberts. Dr. Roy
Roberts (DDS 1932) was one of the
Schools most generous benefactors
prior to his death. In 1997, he and
Mrs. Roberts gifted what is believed to

be the largest single commitment ever
made to a dental school, $10 million.
Another $3 million was gifted to the
School in 2001 and 2002.
Your Planned Giving Options

Planned Giving Options
BEQUEST
This is a gift you make through your will or trust. The gift
can include stocks, bonds, cash or other property. You keep
control of and can use your assets during your lifetime.
CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITIES
$7 Million Goal
Now that the University of Michigans fundraising campaign,
Victors for Michigan, is underway, consider making a
planned gift to the School of Dentistry.
Our goal is to raise $35 million during the campaign.
Approximately 20 percent of that amount, or $7 million,
will come from planned giving.
Planned giving can help you integrate your personal,
financial and estate planning goals with a charitable gift
to the School of Dentistry. For more information about any
of these planned giving opportunities, please contact
Jeff Freshcorn (734) 647-4016 or freshco@umich.edu
or Carrie Towns (734) 764-6856 or clarkca@umich.edu.
This is a simple contract between you, as a School of Dentistry donor, and the University of Michigan. In return for your
gift of cash (minimum $10,000) or marketable securities, U-M
will make fixed installment payments to you for life. However,
your contribution is irrevocable. Charitable gift annuities are
one of the more simple life income plans available.
CHARITABLE REMAINDER TRUST

A charitable remainder trust makes it possible for individuals
to make a gift now and retain annual income for a predetermined period of time. In addition to an immediate income tax
charitable deduction, the CRT also provides income for life or
for a specified number of years. It also enables one to avoid
capital gains if the trust is funded with appreciated securities
or other assets and gives the donor(s) the opportunity to
make a gift for a program they care about.
LEAD TRUST
Campaign Committee
Sheree Duff
BSDH 1980
Grand Blanc, MI
Jan Duski
DDS 1989
Indian River, MI
Tim Gietzen
DDS 1976
Holland, MI
Allan Jacobs
DDS 1974,
MS Endo 1978
West Bloomfield, MI
Jed J. Jacobson
DDS 1978,
MS Oral Diag 1982
Okemos, MI
William Lawler, Jr.

DDS 1981
Bloomfield Hills, MI
Wayne Olsen
DDS 1981
Traverse City, MI
Reggie VanderVeen
DDS 1976
Grand Rapids, MI
Jay Werschky
DDS 1976
Flint, MI
Don Wurtzel
DDS 1981
Saline, MI
FOR MORE INFORMATION

For additional details about these planned giving options that
are available to you, visit www.michigan.giftlegacy.com
The Development Staff

We are here to answer your questions.
Do not hesitate to call on us if we can
assist you in any way.
Richard Fetchiet
(734) 647-4016
plateman@umich.edu
Carrie Towns
(734) 764-6856
clarkca@umich.edu
Jeff Freshcorn
(734) 647-4394
freshco@umich.edu
Thalia Colliau
(734) 763-3315
thaliaj@umich.edu
Ray Gist
DDS 1966
Grand Blanc, MI
Peter Kelly
DDS 1970,
MS Perio 1973
Marquette, MI
You transfer your gift of cash or property to a trust that makes

payments to the School of Dentistry for a designated period
of time. The trust then passes along the trust property to your
family with no additional tax.
Delta Dental Foundation Awards

$2 Million for Special Care Clinic
Gift Will Create States First Dental Interprofessional
Clinic for Patients with Special Needs
The University of Michigan School
of Dentistry will create a new clinic
where patients with special needs
will receive dental and health care
services in the same facility from
providers from multiple disciplines,
thanks to a $2 million gift from the
Delta Dental Foundation.
who will expedite care with the help of

an interprofessional team representing dentistry, nursing, pharmacy and
social work. Staff will be available who
are experienced working with caregivers and patients with special needs.
Quality care delivered with sensitivity
and compassion is our primary goal.
Dr. Laurie McCauley, dean of the
School of Dentistry, thanked the Delta
Dental Foundation for its generous gift.
The School provides oral health care

to patients as a part of its dental and
dental hygiene education programs.
The new clinic will be built in existing

space in the U-M School of Dentistry.
It will have a cluster of treatment rooms
of sufficient size to accommodate
patients in wheelchairs, caregivers
and health care professionals. There
will also be two fully enclosed quiet
rooms. The design phase for the
new clinic is already underway.
Dr. Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch,
associate dean and clinical professor
of dentistry, said the gift from Delta
Dental Foundation reinforces a new
Council on Dental Accreditation
standard. It requires all graduates to
be competent in assessing the treatment needs of patients with special
needs and to be able to effectively
manage the oral health care of those
patients, while collaborating effectively
with other members of the health
care team.
The clinics unique delivery model

is designed so dental students and
faculty, as well as colleagues from
other U-M health science schools and
colleges, will provide care together.
This interdisciplinary approach
believed to be the first of its kind in
Michigan will allow clinicians to
more effectively serve this special
patient population with the goals of
enhancing access to, and improving
the quality of, care.
Appointments in our comprehensive
care clinics may require two or three
hours, something that can be difficult
for patients with special needs, said
Dr. Stephen Stefanac, U-M senior
associate dean and clinical professor
of dentistry. Patients in our new clinic
will be assigned to a faculty member
Photo by Ken Rieger
U-M will use the funds to create the

Delta Dental of Michigan Integrated
Special Care Clinic, where patients with
special needs can access dental and
other treatment services from multiple
health care disciplines in the same
location. This special clinic will improve
health care access and convenience for
patients with developmental disabilities, cognitive impairments, complex
medical problems, significant medical
limitations, veterans with PTSD, and
the vulnerable elderly. In addition, U-M
dental, dental hygiene and graduate
students will learn how to assess and
manage the needs of these patients.
We are very grateful to Delta Dental

Foundation, McCauley said. This gift
will help us provide services to a group
of patients whose access to oral health
care is limited. Equally important, she
continued, is the training our dental,
dental hygiene and graduate students
will receive here at the University
of Michigan. It will better prepare
them to treat this group of patients
in a private practice environment
or in public health facilities after
they graduate.
This past year, more than 130,000

patient visits took place in the Schools
14 clinics. That number included about
12,000 new patients who sought
comprehensive dental care.
The sign says it all. Touring the School are Teri Battaglieri, director of corporate citizenship
and philanthropy for Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana (R) with Drs. Stephen
Stefanac and Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch, and James P. Hallan, Chairman of the Delta
Dental Foundation Board of Trustees.
Murdoch-Kinch said interprofessional

team-based care has been shown to
improve patient care outcomes, especially for those with complex needs.
She added that oral health care will
increasingly become integrated into
a patients overall care that will be
provided by groups of health professionals including the dental team,
nurses, physicians, pharmacists and
social workers focused on providing
patient-centered, holistic health care.
The gift represents the largest grant

ever awarded by the Delta Dental
Foundation, the philanthropic arm of
Delta Dental operations in Michigan,
Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina.
This gift counts toward the Victors
for Michigan campaign currently
underway at the U of M. The School
of Dentistry is a part of this important
fundraising initiative.
The Delta Dental Foundation is
thrilled to partner with prestigious
institutions and professionals in

science, academia and the dental
profession to develop new care
models and cutting-edge approaches
to improving access to dental care
for all people, especially populations
with special needs, said Delta Dental
Foundation Director Teri Battaglieri.
We are extraordinarily proud of this
association with the University of
Michigan School of Dentistry.
Interprofessional Education: A curriculum imperative

WHAT IS IPE?
WHY THE FOCUS

ON IPE NOW?
D2s Logan White (L) and Eric Tye (R) consult with first-year pharmacy student, Austin Brown.
As part of their Pathway project, White and Tye are surveying classmates and students in
other disciplines about their knowledge and perceptions about IPE.
HOW DO THE
STUDENTS BENEFIT?
The IPE experience gained in dental
school will prepare dental and dental
hygiene students to provide care for
patients with special needs in an environment that models communication
and collaboration with professionals
from other health disciplines and social
service professions.
WHAT IS THE
ECONOMIC IMPACT?
Training in IPE will prepare our graduates to manage the various problems
in different patient communities
throughout the state. Over 1.6 million
of Michigans 9.9 million people are
without insurance. Approximately

1.7 million Michigan children and
adults are covered by Medicaid.
A 2008 report noted there were
1,004 hospitalizations due to dentalrelated issues that resulted in a 2.5
day average length of stay at an
average cost of $19,074 per patient.
Most, if not all of these hospitalizations
could have been avoided with access
to appropriate primary care capable
of triaging dental infections, either
in a dental or medical environment.
Such care requires an increased ability
of our health care providers to interact
and coordinate with each other.
In our changing health care environment, team-based care will become

the norm because it has been shown
to improve quality, safety and patient
care outcomes. The dentist will be an
integral member of the primary care
team. An aging patient population and
one with increasing numbers of medically complex patients (patients with
special needs) make IPE an essential
component of a comprehensive education program for health professionals.
Additionally, one of the Council on
Dental Accreditation (CODA) standards
requires that all graduates are competent in assessing the treatment needs
of patients with special needs. Another
requires that graduates are competent
in communicating and collaborating
with other members of the health
care team to facilitate care.
Interprofessional Education (IPE) occurs

When students from two or more
professions learn about, from and
with each other to enable effective
collaboration and improve health
outcomes (WHO, 2010). For example,
students from nursing, medicine,
pharmacy and dentistry can learn from
each other and about the roles and
responsibilities of each to improve
patient care. Importantly, through IPE,
dental students can educate other
health professional students about
oral health.
Dental Hygiene E-Learning

(Online) Program
Boosting Graduates Careers
The E-Learning Program is off to a
great start. Were looking to the future
to see how we can continue to be
successful, says Janet Kinney,
director of the School of Dentistrys
dental hygiene program, as she talks
about the E-Learning (Online) Degree
Completion Program.
Launched six years ago, the program
was created to meet the needs of
dental hygienists who want to earn a
Bachelor of Science degree, continue
working in their present jobs, and study
at times that are convenient for them.
Photo by Jerry Mastey
Seven students were the first to

graduate five years ago.
The E-Learning Program has had
a profound impact on each of its
42 graduates, according to Anne
Gwozdek, program director and
clinical assistant professor of
dentistry, who helped establish it.
Anne Gwozdek and Janet Kinney review the progress of dental hygiene students in the
online program.
Our graduates tell us that our

E-Learning Program is one of the
best, if not the best, course of study
they have ever taken, Gwozdek says.
Because of the Program, they are
increasingly involved in their profession
and their communities. [See sidebar.]
After earning an associates degree

in dental hygiene at Grand Rapids
Community College and working part
time in a private practice, Beckering
wanted to do more.
The success of the bachelors degree

program led to developing an online
program leading to a Master of Science
degree in dental hygiene. For more
than 40 years the degree was exclusively a program on the U-M campus.
But since the fall of 2012, students
can choose to complete courses
leading to a masters degree.
10
materials that employs more than

2,700 people in over 120 countries.
I applied to Michigans online

program because it offered the best
of all possible worlds, she says.
I didnt have to quit my job. And
there was enough flexibility so I could
study at times that were convenient
for me, yet allow me to also have time
with my family.
HELPING ADVANCE CAREERS
NEVER FELT ALONE

Samantha Reidenbach, a member of
the Class of 2012, agrees.
The E-Learning Program gave me a
big picture perspective about opportunities in dental hygiene I hadnt
considered, she says. Reidenbach
now works full time as a dental hygiene
faculty member at Kalamazoo Valley
Community College.
Although we were separated geographically, I never felt alone because
of the support I received from the
dental hygiene faculty and my classmates, Reidenbach says. The small
class size fosters a special closeness
and camaraderie among everyone.
Graduates of the E-Learning Program

say it has been a springboard in
advancing their careers.
Jennifer Smits Beckering, one of
seven graduates of the Class of 2011,
says the online bachelors degree
program helped her advance
professionally. She is the Michigan
sales representative for Ivoclar
Vivadent, a global leader in dental
Perhaps the biggest benefit of the

online program, Beckering says, is that
it helped all of us realize that there are
many opportunities to apply our dental
hygiene education and training in other
areas including teaching, research and
even in the corporate world.
Jennifer Smits Beckering says the online

bachelors degree program helped her
to advance professionally.
Reidenbach says her capstone project,

investigating some of the occupational
hazards dental hygienists face, was
probably the best part of the online
Im trying to do for the online students

what the dental hygiene faculty did
for me when I was a student helping
students advance academically and
enhancing their career growth as dental
hygienists, Yee says.
APPLYING WHAT IS TAUGHT
Samantha Reidenbach with a copy of her

article published in the April 2013 issue
of Access.
program. In addition to learning more

about infectious diseases and ergonomics, Reidenbach also discovered
she enjoyed writing. Her research was
published last April in the American
Dental Hygienists Association
magazine, Access.
NOW A DISTANCE
LEARNING TEACHER
One of the first seven graduates of
the E-Learning Program, Kathy Yee
(Class of 2009), says earning her bachelors degree gave her confidence to
continue her studies, including earning
a Masters of Public Health last year.
After successfully completing U-Ms
online program, she taught some
of the courses she took as an online
student. She now directs two courses
where dental hygiene students work
on oral health education projects in
their communities and is also recruiting
and admissions coordinator for the
E-Learning Program.
After listening to Gwozdek describe the

E-Learning Program in West Branch,
Dack applied. She doesnt regret her
decision.
I have never been in an educational
program like this before, she says.
You build great relationships with your
classmates and the faculty, which some
may consider a paradox since this is an
online course.
Dack collaborated with a West Branch
dentist, Dr. Jonathan Berns, for her
community course project. He offered
some great insights that enabled me to
develop an oral health care education
program for 46 residents and 16 staff
at The Brook, an assisted living and
retirement community, Dack said. My
network is now more extensive than it
ever has been. And its not limited to
those in my profession.
Dack is scheduled to receive her
bachelors degree in dental hygiene
this summer. She also hopes to earn
a masters degree in public health.
The E-Learning Program is grateful
to the faculty who were pioneers in
developing and teaching the online
courses, Kinney and Gwozdek said.
The guidance and leadership of
Wendy Kerschbaum, who directed
the dental hygiene program until
she retired in 2012, and Emily
Springfield, instructional designer,
were instrumental in the programs
success, they added.
Elisa Dack and her employer, Dr. Jonathan

Berns, review a patients oral health
care record.
Notable
Successes
Since the bachelors degree
program began in January
2008, five cohorts of students
have graduated. The professional achievements of
graduates include:
36% are teaching or have
taught in dental hygiene
programs.
33% have received awards
or have authored articles
that have appeared in
dental hygiene publications.
26% are enrolled in graduate
school or a professional
school or have graduated.
24% work in communitybased dental clinics.
19% are in leadership
positions in professional
associations.
Amber Fredericks (left), a student in the

E-Learning program, discusses ideas for
her capstone project with dental hygiene
instructor Kathy Yee.
Initially, Elisa Dack wanted to become

a dentist. But that idea was put on hold
for more than a decade after earning
an associates degree in 2001, working
in a private practice and giving birth to
three children.
11
School of Dentistry Honors

Memory of Martin Luther King
Dental Services Donated at Community
Dental Center, Awards Presented
The U-M School of Dentistry honored
the memory of the late Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. with dental and
dental hygiene students teaming up
to provide oral health care in Ann
Arbor and presenting awards to three
individuals for their community service.
COMMUNITY
DENTAL CENTER
A group of third- and fourth-year
dental and dental hygiene students
worked with dentists and dental assistants at the Community Dental Center
in downtown Ann Arbor treating
patients during two special Saturday
clinics prior to Martin Luther King Day.
Twenty-five patients received cleanings, exams, fillings, extractions and
oral hygiene education. The value
of the services surpassed $12,000.
Dr. Bonita Neighbors (center) checks the work of dental students Sarah Tomaka (D3) and
Joey Musselwhite (D4).
Dr. Bonita Neighbors, Community

Dental Clinic director, and Dr. Anne
Bibik supervised the dental students.
Janet Kinney, director of the School
of Dentistrys dental hygiene program,
and Christine Ropp and Darlene

Jones, both CDC hygienists, supervised the dental hygiene students.
First- and second-year dental and

dental hygiene students were also
involved. They gathered health
history information from the patients,
checked their vital signs, assisted
chairside when needed, cleaned up
operatories after each appointment
and helped at the front desk.
12
Fourth-year dental student Brandon Veremis (left), assisted by second
year dental student Bartosz Maska, completes a filling.
Community Dental Center dental assistant Carolyn Thomas (left)

and Dr. Anne Bibik conduct a preliminary examination of a patient.
Dr. Laurie McCauley led a program

in the Sindecuse Atrium emphasizing
diversity at the School. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate
how, working together, we can address
many of the challenges we face and
move forward to solve them, she said.
McCauley also presented an Ida Gray
Award to three individuals for their
commitment to diversity, inclusion
and community service activities.
The award, presented annually,
honors Dr. Ida Gray (DDS 1890),
the first black woman to graduate
from the School of Dentistry.
SCOTT WARD
A former School of Dentistry
laboratory technician, Ward owns
a dental laboratory business and
volunteers his services at the Hope
Dental Clinic in Ypsilanti. In recent
years, he has also been involved with
the Vina Community Dental Center
in Brighton. Last year, he participated
in a Mission of Mercy held at Saginaw
Valley University.
Photo by Dr. Henry Temple
Ida Gray Awards

Presented
Scott Ward, Isabel Castillo and John Squires each hold an Ida Gray Award they received
during the School of Dentistrys celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
ISABEL CASTILLO (D4)
JOHN SQUIRES
During the four years in the Schools

predoctoral program, Castillo has
been actively involved in oral health
care service and education. Working
with the Latin American & Native
American Medical Association, she has
provided oral health care screenings
and education to underserved groups
in southeast Michigan and other parts
of the state. She organized a dental aid
trip to Guatemala for a group of U-M
dental students in 2012.
After a 35-year career at U-M, 33 of

which were spent at the School of
Dentistry, Squires retired in Dec. 2012.
For more than 20 years, beginning
in the 1970s, he helped produce
nearly 2,000 videotapes about dental
anatomy and dental procedures
that were recorded in the television
studios at the School and distributed
worldwide. Digital versions of many
of those videotapes are still used
worldwide today by other dental
schools, public health facilities and
private practitioners.
Castillo has helped revive the Schools

Hispanic Student Dental Association
and served in leadership positions,
serving as its secretary, treasurer and
public relations chair. She collaborated with some of her peers to create
the Spanish Conversation Hour for
students, faculty and staff at the
dental school.
Squires was praised for how he

embodies diversity with his respect
and appreciation of others, in words
and actions, not only at the School
of Dentistry, but in his service to the
Boy Scouts of America.
2013-2014 Multicultural Affairs Committee

The Multicultural Affairs Committee works hard to promote diversity and inclusion by sponsoring Getting to Know You brown
bag lunches, continuing education on relevant topics and special events like the Taste Fest, MLK Day, and the Womens Tea.
We are grateful for the time and energy they invest to make the School of Dentistry a welcome place to learn and work.
Marita Inglehart, Periodontics &
Oral Medicine
Cheryl Quiney, Patient Services
MEMBERS
Amir Aryaan, D1
Dan Bair, D1
Isabel Castillo, D4
Rogerio Castilho, Periodontics
& Oral Medicine
Judy Craft, Patient Services
Carmen Garcia, Grad Orthodontics
Mary Jo Gray, Compliance

Elliott Hill, Biologic & Materials
Sciences
Lora Kewallal, D3
Guneet Kohli, D1
Kyriaki (Kiki) Marti, Oral &
Maxillofacial Surgery
Ken May, Biologic & Materials
Sciences, Ex officio
Saliah Miles, D3
Alameedi (Monty) Muntather,
DH4
Bonita Neighbors, Community
Dental Center
Gail Oljace, Dental Informatics

Ovy Quintanal, D3
Helena Ritchie, Cariology,
Restorative Sciences & Endodontics
Alexandra Schulz, DH2
John Squires, Dental Informatics
(retired)
Henry Temple, Periodontics
& Oral Medicine
DeAngelo Webster, D2
My Yang, D2
CO-CHAIRS
13
Saying Goodbye
to Paper Records
Photo by Stephen Stefanac
The patient services team had some fun saying goodbye

to the paper records used for decades to document patient
care. Beginning February 3, 2014 the School of Dentistry
stopped using paper records for new patients. Now, all
patient information will be saved and retrieved electronically. The conversion to an electronic patient record (EPR)
has been in the works for some time. The EPR ensures that
all of a patients information is secure, in one place and that
referring dentists and physicians can easily provide important
information to us.
Dr. Steve Stefanac is glad to jet-tison the old paper records.
14
The EPR ensures that all of a

patients information is secure,
in one place and that referring
dentists and physicians can
easily provide important
information to us.
Dr. Stephen Stefanac
Paper record jackets make great origami hats.
Administrative specialist Jean Thompson relishes the task

of shredding paper records and looks forward to the switch
to the Electronic Patient Record.
Faculty News
Fitzgerald Receives Excellence in Teaching Award
I enjoy innovating and creating
new paths for learning. Its
rewarding to teach here at the
School of Dentistry because the
search to do things better and to
find ways to improve is constant,
said Dr. Mark Fitzgerald
as he recently discussed his
33-year career at Michigan.
An associate professor of
dentistry in the Department
of Cariology, Restorative
Sciences and Endodontics, Fitzgerald is the 2014
recipient of the American Dental Education Association/
Colgate-Palmolive Excellence in Teaching Award during
the ADEAs annual session in San Antonio, Texas.
ADEA dental educators annually select a winner
for the award which is now in its 15th year.
Rachel Sheridan, Fitzgerald was described as an

outstanding educator who has shown incredible
innovation over a long period of time and for his special
efforts leading major changes in dental education.
Citing Fitzgeralds computer and technology prowess,
they noted his development of the first electronic syllabi
at the School of Dentistry, creating online quiz and exam
software for dental students, co-directing a new model
for evidence-based dentistry, use of digital technology
found in dental offices, and many other achievements.
Fitzgerald is also playing a major role in shaping
interprofessional education (IPE) at the School of
Dentistry. This team-based approach encourages
administrators, faculty and students to re-think what
some call the traditional silo approach to patient care.
IPE engages multiple health care disciplines dentistry,
medicine, public health, nursing, pharmacy and social
work to work together to improve patient care.
Nominated by Dean Laurie McCauley, U-M ADEA

representative Dr. Stephen Bayne, faculty peer Dr.
Bill Piskorowski, and ADEA student representative
3 Inducted into ICD

Three School of Dentistry faculty members have been
inducted as Fellows into the International College of Dentists
(ICD). Drs. Sunil Kapila, Yvonne Kapila, and Bill Piskorowski
were among 300 dentists from across the U.S. who were
inducted during ICDs annual convocation last fall in
New Orleans.
Bill Piskorowski, DDS, is assistant dean for CommunityBased Dental Education and a clinical associate professor
in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and
Endodontics. He is also a member of the Michigan Dental
Associations Special Committee on Access to Care.
New International College of Dentists Fellows from the U-M

School of Dentistry (left to right): Drs. Sunil Kapila, Yvonne Kapila
and Bill Piskorowski.
ICD is the oldest and largest international honorary dental

organization with more than 12,000 members, designated as
Fellows, from around the globe. Fellowship in the College is
by invitation only and is granted in recognition of a dentists
outstanding professional achievements, meritorious service
and dedication to the continued progress of dentistry.
Yvonne Kapila, DDS, PhD, is professor of dentistry in

the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine. She is
also the director of the Schools Global Oral Health Initiative.
In addition to teaching periodontics in classrooms and clinics,
she is a cell and molecular biologist whose laboratory focuses
on the process of cell death.
Photo by XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sunil Kapila, BDS, MS, PhD, is the Robert W. Browne

Endowed Professor of Dentistry and has chaired the
Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
since 2004. He is also director of the Schools Graduate
Orthodontics Program.
15
Faculty News (Continued)

Giannobile Receives ADA
Achievement Award
Dr. William Giannobile, chair of
the Department of Periodontics
and Oral Medicine, has been
recognized by the Student
Clinicians of the American Dental
Associations (SCADA) Board
of Governors for outstanding
service to the dental profession,
his scientific contributions and
mentoring.
During the ADAs annual session
in New Orleans, Giannobile
received the Alan J. Davis/SCADA Achievement Award
during a DENTSPLY-hosted awards program. He was
honored for his continuing commitment to dental research
that may benefit patients in clinical applications, scientific
contributions in periodontology, leadership in academics
and the profession, student mentoring and service to the
profession.
Giannobile is the Najjar Professor of Dentistry and a professor
of biomedical engineering at the College of Engineering.
Ma Elected AAAS Fellow
Dr. Peter Ma, the Richard

Kingery Collegiate Professor of
Dentistry in the Department of
Biologic and Materials Sciences,
has been elected Fellow of the
American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS).
He was among 388 scientists
nationwide to be awarded the
honor for his work.
16
AAAS honored Ma for

distinguished contributions
to biomimetic biomaterials, tissue engineering, and
regenerative medicine in dentistry and oral health sciences.
Mas research focuses on developing materials that have
dental and medical applications. Some of the materials,
such as those used in restorative dentistry, are developed to
replace the structure and function of damaged or diseased
tissues and organs.
Kapila Lauded by U-M for

International Outreach
Nominated by U-M Dental Students
Dr. Yvonne Kapila, director of
the Schools Global Oral Health
Initiative and a professor of
dentistry in the Department of
Periodontics and Oral Medicine,
has been recognized by the
University for her international
outreach initiative.
She was one of 54 faculty and
staff members recognized by
the U-M Council on Global
Engagement and received
an award for her work at a special ceremony last fall that
was a part of the Universitys celebration of International
Education Week.
Three dental students Jami Ballantine, Jonathan Dzingle
and James Musselwhite nominated Kapila for her
mentorship of the Kenya Summer Research Program. The
program is an interprofessional collaboration among U-M
dental, medical, pharmacy and nursing students.
The Schools Global Oral Health Initiative is designed to
complement U-M President Mary Sue Colemans Third
Century Initiative that seeks to develop new opportunities
for learning and immerse students in experiences beyond
the classroom.
Neighbors Honored
Dr. Bonita Neighbors, director
of the Community Dental Center,
has been honored for her service
to the community. She received
the Martin Luther King Jr.
Award for Servant Leadership in
Building a Beloved Community
from the Church of the Good
Sheperd in Ann Arbor.
The Center, located in downtown
Ann Arbor at 406 N. Ashley St.,
provides Washtenaw County
residents low income families, senior citizens, young adults
and the homeless with a full range of services including
cleaning, extractions, crowns, bridge work, implants as
well as oral health care education. It began in 1981 as a
cooperative venture between U-M and the city of Ann Arbor.
Kaigler, Rios Complete

Teaching, Learning
Institute
Drs. Darnell Kaigler and
Hector Rios have completed
the American Dental Education
Association/AAL Institute for
Teaching and Learning. The
program was established in
2006 to help prepare dental
educators to become more
effective teachers and develop
skills that enhance their
confidence, job satisfaction
and professional growth in
an academic environment.
Michigan Shines at AADR

The 2014 American Association for Dental Research (AADR)
annual meeting was very special for the School, faculty
and students. For the past year, Dr. Peter Polverini has
led the AADR, the preeminent dental research organization
in the U.S., advocating for the membership and guiding
the organization through sequestration and the government shutdown. He completed his term of office at the
associations annual meeting in March. Dr. Paul Krebsbach,
chair of the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences,
completed his term as the AADR vice president and is now
the organizations president-elect. He will become president
of the 3,600-member organization at the 2015 meeting
in Boston. AADRs mission is to advance research and
increase knowledge that improves oral health, support and
represent the oral health research community and enhance
communication and application of research findings.
Kaigler is an assistant professor

in the Department of Periodontics
and Oral Medicine and the
Department of Biomedical
Engineering at the College
of Engineering.
Photo courtesy of AADR
Rios is an assistant professor in

and Oral Medicine.
HAIL!
HAIL!
Dr. Peter Polverini was lauded for his service and achievements
by Dr. Christopher Fox, AADR executive director.
We couldnt do it without you!
Thank You!
A complete list of the School of Dentistry volunteer faculty
can be found online at media.dent.umich.edu/volunteer-faculty.
Our volunteer faculty members provide invaluable service to the School.

Their contribution to our educational and clinical programs is amazing.
Whether the commitment is a day a week or a day a month, we are grateful
for the knowledge and expertise each volunteer faculty member offers the
students. We want to recognize their dedication to the School and say
thank you to these devoted instructors who give so much to our
students and our School.
17
Faculty Profile
Rene E. Duff, DDS, MS
Assistant Dean for Student Services
Also a classroom and clinical instructor, she says the roles of administrator
and instructor complement each
other. The direct contact I have with
students helps me to know them
better, especially as they discuss their
successes, struggles and concerns.
Our conversations give me insights
about what the students may have on
their minds and how we might be able
to help them, she adds.
Duff assumed her new role last
September following an extensive
national search. She succeeds Dr.
Marilyn Woolfolk who retired following a 23-year career as a School of
Dentistry administrator.
As assistant dean for Student Services,

Duff directs the Office of Student
18
Services and oversees admissions

and other non-academic aspects
of student life. She works with more
than 680 students in the Schools
predoctoral, dental hygiene, masters
and PhD programs.
She is also an advisor to the dental
student Honor Council, an ex-officio
member of Academic Review Boards
and collaborates with the Schools
director of Multicultural Affairs to
recruit a diverse student body.
THE ROAD TO DENTISTRY

Growing up in Hudson, Michigan, a
town of about 2,300 located approximately 20 miles southeast of Hillsdale,
Duff says she had an unwavering
goal when she was in high school
gaining admission to the University
of Michigan.
She achieved that goal and then some.
A biology major, Duff graduated with
a bachelors degree from U-Ms
College of Literature, Sciences
and the Arts in 1991.
During her senior year
at LS&A, Duff said she
became interested in
dentistry working in
the laboratory of Dr.
Steven Goldstein,
a professor and
researcher in the
Department of
Orthopaedic Surgery
at the U-M Medical
School. Goldstein and
his team collaborated
with researchers and
faculty at the School of
Dentistry and other
units on campus.
I was fascinated
listening to Dr.
Goldstein and
others who
worked with
him describe
I feel I have the best of both worlds,

says Dr. Rene E. Duff as she talks
about her new role as assistant dean
for Student Services.
In her role as assistant dean for Student

Services, Dr. Rene E. Duff welcomed a
group of pre-dental students who were
invited to the School of Dentistry last
November to learn more about the
School and participate in interviews.
some of the research they were doing

on bone defects, the genetics of bone
disorders and regeneration, Duff says.
They all spoke highly of the dental
school. That played an important role
in my decision to apply for admission.
After earning her Doctor of Dental
Surgery degree in 1996, Duff worked
in the Ann Arbor family practice of
Dr. Carl T. Woolley (DDS 1965), an
adjunct assistant professor and later a
member of the Deans Faculty.
Dr. Woolley was a wonderful mentor
who instilled an even greater appreciation for dentistry. He also inspired me
to get involved in organized dentistry,
Duff said.
She took the advice to heart and
has been active in the ADA, MDA,
ADEA, and the Washtenaw District
Dental Society. She chaired the WDDS
Committee on the Young Professional
for two years. Later, she became a
member of the American College of
Prosthodontics.
In addition to working in a private
practice, Duff also began teaching at
the School of Dentistry in 1997 as a
part-time faculty member. She became
a full-time faculty member in 2004,
the same year she earned a masters
As a full-time faculty member, Duff

is an active member of the Schools
Dental Faculty Associates Clinic providing prosthodontics care to patients
who wish to be seen by a faculty
member. Similar to a private practice,
DFA is a full-service dental facility
offering patients a range of oral
health services from general dentists
and specialists.
In 2005, Duff accepted an invitation
to serve on the Schools Admissions
Committee. This experience was
invaluable, she said. It provided
in-depth insight into the admissions
process and all that is involved in
selecting the best students each year,
an important part of the job of assistant
dean for Student Services.
THE ATTRACTION
OF MICHIGAN
The Office of Student Services received
1,963 applications from students
worldwide seeking admission to the
Schools four-year dental program for
the 2014-2015 academic year.
Duff personally welcomed each group

of students and talked about some of
the benefits of earning a dental degree
from U-M.
She says most of the students she talks
to tell me the University of Michigan
School of Dentistry is their first choice
because our predoctoral program
offers a great curriculum, a chance to
be in clinics earlier, and opportunities
to engage in research.
The Schools Pathways Program is
another draw for them, Duff says.
The Pathways Program enhances
the curriculum by offering students
opportunities to pursue their individual
interests in oral health care in areas
that include leadership, health care
delivery, or research. Duff previously
co-directed the Leadership Pathway
which is designed to help students
develop leadership skills that can be
used to spark change in oral health
care delivery.
In her role as an educator, Dr. Rene E. Duff reviews secondyear dental student Mira Egbarias denture work on a typodont.
As Duff talks to
students before or
after lectures, in clinics,
or even in hallways,
she says they have
Dr. Rene E. Duff reviews the complete

denture laboratory simulation project of
second-year dental students Baxter Jones
(center) and Corey Cook.
more concerns compared to when I

was a dental student. Those concerns
include not only trying to successfully complete a rigorous educational
program, but also career development,
family matters, and finances, including
educational debt.
Dental students who graduated from
U-M in 2013 averaged $191,000 of
educational debt. Raising money for
scholarships is a major focus of the
Schools and U-Ms Victors for Michigan
fundraising campaign that was officially
launched last November.
Becoming assistant dean didnt
even enter my mind when I began my
dental education or academic career,
Duff says. But Im grateful for the
opportunity to support the dental
professionals of the future in this way.
Im enjoying being an advocate for
our students, learning more about
each of them, and working with our
staff to make a difference during
their time here at Michigan.
Student admissions, while a significant

task, is only one of Duffs responsibilities. Once they begin their education
at Michigan, Duff encourages students
to use the many services her office
provides. Everyone in the Office of
Student Services is committed to the
academic success of each student,
she said. One-on-one meetings
with students, workshops and group
sessions that foster
education and learning
skills, as well as
sessions promoting
emotional wellbeing
are offered. We take
pride in being good
listeners and advisors
and helping students
get answers to their
questions, she added.
Of those, 312 were invited to the

School of Dentistry for a campus visit
and interview (CVI). Ten CVIs were
held from September through January.
From these sessions, about 110
students will be selected to become

members of the Dental Class of 2018.
degree in prosthodontics from U-M. A

highly-regarded clinical instructor, Duff
teaches in both the predoctoral and
graduate prosthodontics clinics.
19
Research Day 2014

Can Molecular Indicators Identify
Aggressive Oral Cancer?
Currently, we know how advanced

a tumor is when it is first discovered,
but we dont know how aggressive the
molecular biology of that tumor is,
Aljadeff said noting that some earlystage tumors may not be advanced,
but are very aggressive. If we could
determine which early-stage tumors
are particularly aggressive, we might
be able to treat them more effectively
with a more forceful approach,
he added.
Aljadeffs interest in oral and neck

cancer was sparked by Dr. Brent
Ward, an associate professor with the
School of Dentistrys Department of
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and
Hospital Dentistry. Ward also directs
the Oral, Head and Neck Oncology
Fellowship and Microvascular
Surgery Training Programs.
PhD candidate Christina Scanlon tied

for first place in the PhD category for
her work on head and neck cancer.
Watching him, I was moved by the

lifelong relationships he has developed
with his patients with his extraordinary
work, Aljadeff said.
His mentor, Dr. Theodora Danciu,
enhanced Aljadeffs interest. She
nurtured my enthusiasm for basic
science research and invested significant time and energy to help me,
he added.
Mariya Volvovsky (D4) won First Prize for

her research about whether involvement
of dental students and faculty members in
community service shapes their attitudes.
20
Third-year dental student Lior Aljadeff, Grand Prize ADA
Dentsply Award winner, discusses his research at the
Michigan League.
Aljadeff will present the

results of his research
during the ADAs annual
session in San Antonio
in October.
Aljadeff said that Drs. Kevin

Byrd, Gregory Wolf
Gran
and Stephen Weiss,
Prized
all gifted academic
Win
clinicians and scienner
ADA
tists, further fueled
DEN
my desire to conduct
Awa TSPLY
rd
research that has direct
application in clinical
practice.
The American Cancer Society estimates

that about 37,000 individuals in the
U.S. will develop oral and oropharyngeal cancer this year. The five-year
survival rate will be approximately
Reviewing nearly 100 oral squamous

cell carcinoma patient biopsies,
Aljadeff said the presence of a protein,
Twist 1, has a significant role in a
patients survival. Our preliminary
data suggests this protein is playing
a critical role in aggressive tumor
biology, he said.
Third-year dental student Lior

Aljadeffs research to get answers
to those questions led to his winning
the Grand Prize at this years Research
Day at the University of Michigan
School of Dentistry.
60 percent, a figure that has not

changed significantly in decades.
Is there a way to identify oral cancer

tumors that are highly aggressive,
especially when they have been
detected early and still small? Can
molecular indicators reveal aggressive
tumor behavior? If so, would they offer
insights to allow for possibly more
personalized treatment?
Barbara Preston (left) and Jessica Price

won First Prize in dental hygiene for their
research focusing on how gender may
influence faculty and student perspectives
of career choices.
2014 Research Day Award Winners

GRAND PRIZE
ADA DENTSPLY AWARD
Second Prize (TIE)
Lior Aljadeff
(D3, Mentor: Theodora Danciu)
Lulia Kana
(Undergrad, Mentor: Russell Taichman)
Histomorphology, EMT and Stemness

Markers Characterize Invasive Tumor Front
Behavior and Predict Overall Survival in
Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Characterization of Prostate Cancer

Dormancy Using Fucci Dye Indicators
UNDERGRADUATE, DDS,
DH, MS/CERTIFICATE
CLINICAL APPLICATION
AND TECHNIQUE
1
First Prize
Mariya Volvovsky
(D4, Mentor: Marita Inglehart)
Dental Students and Faculty Members
Attitudes Toward Community Service:
Does Involvement Matter?
Ahmed Maawady
(MS-Certification, Mentor:
Peter Yaman)
Effect of Two Light Intensities on
Bulk Fill Composite Resin
3
Third Prize
Riley Schaff
(D1, Mentor: William Giannobile)
Oral Porphyromonas Gingivalis Infection
Increases the Development and Progression
of Collagen-Induced Arthritis
DENTAL HYGIENE
Second Prize
First Prize
Daniel Hammaker, Rachel Sheridan

(D4, Mentor: Tracy de Peralta)
Jessica Price, Barbara Preston

(DH4, Mentor: Anne Gwozdek)
Dental Students Perceived Value of

Clinical Leadership Experiences
Faculty and Student Perceptions of Career

Choices As Influenced By Gender Roles
Third Prize
Second Prize
Sarah Baxter
(D3, Mentor: Margherita Fontana)
Alyssa Bergermann,
Samantha Metcalf
(DH4, Mentors: Susan Taichman, Dan
Chiego, Chris Fenno)
Metabolic Markers of Caries in Saliva

and Plaque of Toddlers
1
First Prize
Emily Eubanks
(D3, Mentor: Darnell Kaigler)
Cell Seeding Efficiency and Survival for
Clinical Cell Therapy of Craniofacial Defects
3
Third Prize
Renee Berger, Aphton McElheney
(DH4, Mentors: Danielle Furgeson,
Susan Taichman)
A Comparison of Common Instrumentation
Modalities for Dental Calculus Removal
1
First Prize (TIE)
Jamie Lane
(PhD Candidate, Mentor: Vesa
Kaartinen)
Removal of Transforming Growth Factor
Beta 3 Signaling Components Lead to
Defects in the Secondary Palatal Epithelium
Christina Scanlon
(PhD Candidate, Mentor: Nisha DSilva)
Perineural Invasion in Head and Neck
Cancer: Mechanism of Development
2
Second Prize
Fabiana Soki
(PhD Candidate, Mentor:
Laurie McCauley)
Macrophages and Prostate Cancer
Skeletal Metastasis
3
Third Prize
Sudha Rajderkar
(PhD Candidate, Mentor:
Vesa Kaartinen)
Trim33 Is Required for Lineage Potential of
Myocardial Progenitors in Developing Heart
Mark Your
Calendar!
Alumni and friends are
invited to join us for
Research Day
2015
Wednesday, February 11
1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Sponsored by the Office of Research
UNDERGRADUATE, DDS, DH,

MS/CERTIFICATE BASIC
SCIENCE AND RESEARCH
Bacterial Contamination & MRSA Detection

in Academic Dental Clinics
PHD/POSTDOCTORAL
FELLOW/FACULTY/STAFF
21
Research News
4 in a Row for U-M Orthodontics
AAO Award to
Dr. Sarah Smith
MILO HELLMAN AWARD TO DR. LUCIA CEVIDANES
Dr. Lucia Cevidanes, an assistant

professor who joined the School of
Dentistrys orthodontics faculty three
years ago, received the award this
spring during AAOs annual session in
New Orleans.
INTEGRATING BIOLOGY
AND IMAGING
Cevidanes won the award for her
research that focuses on using 3-D
imaging to solve difficult clinical
problems in orthodontics, including
detecting inflammatory and degenerative conditions of temporomandibular
joint (TMJ) bony tissues.
The TMJ differs from other joints
because a layer of fibrocartilage covers
the TMJ, so that area is particularly
vulnerable to inflammatory damage
and is a valuable model for studying
arthritic bony changes, she says.
The great challenge in understanding

and treating arthritis in this area of the
22
For the fourth consecutive year, the

U-M School of Dentistrys Department
of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
has won the prestigious Milo Hellman
Award. The award is given by the
American Association of Orthodontists
for the best research paper submitted
by a resident or faculty member in a
graduate orothodontics program in
the U.S. or Canada.
Behind Dr. Lucia Cevidanes are two colorcoded images showing her research on a
temporomandibular joint and changes to
the bony structures that occurred over two
years. The red depicts bone repair (formation). The blue highlights bone resorption.
face is that it often begins attacking different tissues in the TMJ. However, we
are not able to diagnose the condition
until it becomes symptomatic later. By
then, structural alterations are already
quite advanced, Cevidanes adds.
Thats a challenge for us as clinicians
and researchers because no proven
disease-modifying therapy exists for
TMJ arthritis, and current treatment
options for chronic arthritic pain are
insufficient.
Cevidanes hopes her research will
identify biomarkers and how they
interact so that they allow clinicians to
identify the disease process early and
minimize the pain patients experience.
By identifying biomarkers associated
Software May Help

with Dental Diagnosis
Dr. Lucia Cevidanes, assistant professor
in the Department of Orthodontics
and Pediatric Dentistry, has received a
$1.35 million grant from the National
Institute of Dental and Craniofacial
Surgery to develop diagnostic software
that can be used to assess, quantify
and evaluate the effectiveness of
dental treatment procedures.
Plans call for developing software

which can be initially used to diagnose
temporomandibular joint arthritis. If
successful, the software may ultimately
be used in other areas of dentistry or
possibly medicine.
AAO also named Dr. Sarah Smith

(MS 2012) as the recipient of the
Thomas M. Graber Award of Special
Merit for her work that demonstrates
how biological factors may be able
to control tooth movement. During
these studies, she developed a novel
animal model of orthodontic root
resorption, which is the breakdown
and loss of a tooths root structure.
Information gathered from Smiths
root resorption model may be useful
in future studies that identify biomarkers responsible for or associated
with root resorption that would
then lead to developing strategies
to prevent the condition.
Smith has been mentored by
Dr. Sunil Kapila, chair of the
Department of Orthodontics and
Pediatric Dentistry, and Dr. Nan
Hatch, an assistant professor of
dentistry in the same department.
with early onset arthritis, we hope to

help patients who may be at risk for
developing more severe stages of the
disease, she says. The TMJ research
may also give us insights later about
how arthritis develops elsewhere in the
body, such as the knees and hips.
Research Funding
for 2013
School of Dentistry remains
in the top 2 in NICDR & NIH
funding for US
Dental Schools
TOP
Trying to Solve the Mysteries

of TMJD and Orofacial Pain
Its a complex spectrum of disorders
that affects as many as 10 million
Americans. Its exact causes, however,
are unknown. Researchers, dentists and
other health care professionals have
been searching for decades for clues
that may offer insights into what causes
temporomandibular joint disorders and
orofacial pain (TMJD/OP)
A new interdisciplinary program led by
the U-M School of Dentistry may lead
to a better understanding.
A recently-awarded five-year, $2 million
grant from the National Institutes of
Health will support training of three
faculty and research scientists annually
whose work will enhance the understanding and diagnosis of TMJD/OP so
oral health care providers can ultimately deliver better care to patients.
The long-term objectives of the
interdisciplinary program are to help
scholars develop the knowledge and
expertise in this field of research as well
as provide long-term career development for participating scientists that
will serve as a springboard to further
discoveries in TMJD/OP.
UNDERSTANDING THE
CAUSES, DEVELOPING
THERAPIES
Dr. Sunil Kapila, chair of the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric
Dentistry, and Dr. Daniel Clauw, professor of anesthesiology and internal
medicine at the U-M Medical School,
obtained the funding and will lead the
new interdisciplinary effort.
Kapila said the collaboration between
the School of Dentistry and the
Medical School will provide unique
opportunities to train a new generation
of TMJ researchers, clinicians, and
scholars who may be able to identify
specific factors that cause a person to
be susceptible to TMJD and orofacial
pain. Unfortunately, he added, these
conditions can be debilitating and
have significant adverse effects on a
persons quality of life. We want to
help change that.
develop personalized therapies that

meet each patients specific needs.
EXTENSIVE TEAMWORK
Each scholar will be trained in one
of three areas orofacial pain and
therapeutics; TMJ pathogenesis; and
developmental biology, regeneration
and tissue engineering.
Mentors with expertise in one or more
of these areas will be appointed from
a group of 37 from the School of Dentistry, the Medical School, the School
of Public Health and the College of
Literature, Sciences and the Arts.
Working with an interdisciplinary
team of four mentors, each scholar
will create a personal career plan that
includes research experiences, didactic
course work and experiential learning
that may result in discoveries that
ultimately lead to new therapies that
help patients.
With advances in genetics, proteomics,

cell and molecular biology, and
computer and imaging technologies,
Kapila said, the ultimate goal is to
Emily Eubanks Wins 2nd Place

in National Research Competition
Eubanks is mentored by Dr. Darnell

Kaigler, an assistant professor in
and Oral Medicine.
She received the award in basic science

research for her work that focuses
on using stem cells from a patients
wisdom teeth to regenerate dental
tissues to grow new wisdom teeth.
She earned the trip to the ADA annual

session after winning the Grand Prize
during the Schools annual Research
Day competition in February 2013.
Emily Eubanks won the Grand Prize during

the School of Dentistrys annual Research
Day last year allowing her to compete
nationally in New Orleans.
Emily Eubanks (D3) won a second

place award for her research from the
Student Clinicians of the American
Dental Association (SCADA). The
national competition was held
during the ADAs annual session
in New Orleans.
23
Dental Hygiene Faculty

Member Wins ADEA Award
Martha
McComas, a
clinical assistant
professor of
dental hygiene,
received the
Olav Alvares
Award from
the American
Dental
Education
Association during its annual meeting
in San Antonio. The award recognizes
the work of a junior author whose
research has been published in
ADEAs print and online magazine,
the Journal of Dental Education.
Her work was published last April.
McComas assessed the difficulty

students have using their critical
thinking skills when taking examinations with multiple choice questions.
She asked 50 senior-year dental
hygiene students to take a five-part
test with questions similar to those
on a national board examination
for dental hygienists. The test was
designed as a Modified Objective
Structured Clinical Examination that
attempted to evaluate critical thinking
skills among dental hygiene students.
The test utilized a patient case and
included 24 multiple choice questions,
one fill-in-the-blank question, and a
section where students developed

a dental hygiene treatment plan.
The results showed that multiple
choice questions do not accurately
assess a students critical thinking
skills, McComas said. However,
asking students to design a dental
hygiene treatment plan did show if a
student was able to put it all together,
which ultimately, is critical thinking. As
much as instructors dont like giving
and grading written examinations,
answers on written tests are probably
a truer reflection of a students critical
thinking skills than answers on a
multiple choice test, she said.
DH Alumnae Receive Awards
Six graduates of the School of Dentistrys dental hygiene program were

honored by the Michigan Dental
Hygienists Association during the
organizations annual House of
Delegates meeting in Lansing.
24
Christine
Farrell (DH
1981) received
the Roger Hill
Friend of the
Profession
Award for her
contributions
to dental
hygiene within
the state, for
her community service, participation
in social service organizations and
for her legislative activities. She is a
course director in the Schools Degree
Completion E-Learning Program and
the Master of Science Degree in Dental
Hygiene Program. Farrell has been
director of the Michigan Department
of Community Health since 2010. She
was president of the Michigan Dental
Hygienists Association (1993-1994).
Allison
Restauri
(BS Degree
Completion
Program 2011),
U-M faculty
advisor to the
student chapter
of the American
Dental Hygienists Association, was elected to serve a one-year
term as MDHA vice president. Prior to
being elected to the state-level office,
she was a Trustee for the Washtenaw
District Dental Hygienists Society.
Elizabeth
Easter (BSDH
2012) received
the MDHAs
Springboard
Award for
her involvement in the
U-M Student
Chapter of
ADHA as a
dental hygiene student and being
involved in community-based
dental hygiene.
Jenny Dennings, Jennifer Suminski,

Tiffany Mandryga received an
Outstanding Dental Hygienist Award
from their respective district dental
hygiene societies Genesee, Macomb
and Detroit.
Learn Online
Bachelor of Science
Degree Completion
Masters of Science
Dental Hygiene
For more information:
bit.ly/DH_Online_BS
bit.ly/DH_Online_Masters
Equip for success with

Leaders and Best!
Masters DH Students
Awarded Scholarships
Four dental hygiene students working on a Master of Science degree have been awarded fellowships and research grants from
the Rackham Graduate School and the American Dental Education Association.
Stefanie Marx
has received
a Rackham
Graduate
Student
Research Grant
to support her
thesis research.
Marxs research
focuses on
women with
von Willebrand Disease (vWD), a
bleeding disorder that affects bloods
ability to clot, and gingival bleeding.
There is debate whether vWD affects
gingival bleeding, while some believe
gingival bleeding is due to poor
oral hygiene.
studies several years later after raising

three children. In 2011, she saw an
advertisement for the U-M online
dental hygiene program. She will earn
her Masters in August and plans to
become a part-time instructor. Last fall,
Kott received the Christine Klausner
Graduate Dental Hygiene Student
Scholarship Award.
Eagle has
been working
as a dental
hygienist at a
private practice
in Ann Arbor
since earning
her bachelors
degree from
U-M in 2004.
She enrolled
in the online masters degree program
in 2012.
Diana Kott
and Iwonka
Eagle received
a Rackham
Non-Traditional
Fellowship
awarded to
students who
resume their
education
following an
extended absence.
I love clinical practice. But I think

it would be even more satisfying
to use my knowledge and clinical
experiences to teach those interested
in becoming dental hygienists in the
future, Eagle said.
Eagle said the online masters degree
program appealed to her because it
allows her to continue her education,
remain employed and spend time with
her husband and two sons.
Kott worked in several dental offices

in Michigan after earning her dental
hygiene degree and resumed her
Angela Mills
received a
King-ChavezParks Faculty
Fellowship,
which was
established
to increase
the number
of underrepresented
candidates pursuing faculty teaching
careers in postsecondary education.
She is among the first group of online
students who will graduate with a
masters degree in dental hygiene
this year.
After earning a certificate in dental
assisting in 2006, she applied to the
School of Dentistry for admission to the
dental hygiene program, was accepted
and received her bachelors degree
in 2010. She has been working as a
dental hygienist in a private practice
in St. Clair Shores.
Mills has inspired her daughter with
her determination and perseverance.
After receiving her masters degree in
dental hygiene, Mills plans to become
a dental hygiene educator.
An exhibit highlighting the growth

and development of the dental
hygiene profession and dental hygiene
education is on display in the Kellogg
Buildings ground floor. The Sindecuse
Museum exhibit, Dental Hygiene
A Century of Progress, is on display in
the lobby of the Kellogg Building until
January 2016.
This timely exhibit marks 100 years
since dental hygiene was established
as an important part of oral health
care and the 92nd anniversary of the

creation of the dental hygiene curriculum here at Michigan, said Janet
Kinney, director of the Schools dental
hygiene program.
For more information, contact Shannon
ODell, Sindecuse Museum curator,
at (734) 763-0767, or by e-mail:
shannono@umich.edu.
Dental Hygiene Exhibit
25
Amy Lesch Selected

for ASDA Leadership Role
Amy Lesch
(D3) has been
selected for
a leadership
role with the
American
Student
Dental Association. She was
recently named
Legislative
Coordinator for Districts 6 and 7 by the
organizations Board of Trustees. The
districts encompass Michigan, Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky
and West Virginia.
I value what organized dentistry does
for the profession and was looking for
a way to become more involved, said
Lesch who will serve on the Council of
Advocacy. She will work with six other

dental students and monitor legislative
initiatives across the U.S. that will
affect dental students, the dental
profession and patients. She will also
be involved in lobbying and voter
registration drives.
Lesch said her interest in organized
dentistry began as an undergraduate when she was an intern at the
American Dental Association office
in Washington, D.C. I was inspired
by the passion of dentists and dental
students who travelled from across the
country to speak about various health
care issues, she said.
That interest continued when Lesch
began her dental studies at U-M. She
has been active in ASDA since her first
year in the Schools predoctoral

curriculum. I strongly believe
that active participation is what
makes ASDA, ADA and other dental
organizations effective, she said.
Lesch will serve a one-year term that
began in April. She plans to become
a pediatric dentist after earning her
dental degree next year.
Dr. Dan Edwards, ASDA faculty
advisor, said Lesch has been an
effective ASDA leader and great role
model for younger dental students at
Michigan. Im excited her talents will
be used nationally and that she will be
able to contribute to organized dentistry and, ultimately, the profession.
13 Students Inducted into OKU
26
Established in 1914, OKU promotes

and recognizes scholarship and
character among students of dentistry.
Each year, the Schools Chi Chapter
selects a limited number of final-year
dental students for initiation into the
organization. In addition to their scholastic achievements, the students have
also demonstrated exemplary traits of
character and the potential for future
professional growth.
This years inductees were: Jonathan
Dzingle, Lauren Ehardt, Kyle Eurick,
Samantha Garber, Mikhail Garibov,
Brent Kendziorski, Kevin Kuo, Laura
Lungu, Rebecca Mooar, Dipa Patel,
Elena Petrova, Cassandra Schwab
and Whitney Yahn.
Photo by Kritsa Paulin
A group of 13 fourth-year dental

students from U-M School of
Dentistry was inducted into the
national dental honor society,
Omicron Kappa Upsilon, this spring
as the organization celebrated the
100-year anniversary of its founding.
Omicron Kappa Upsilon inductees (Front row, left to right): Samantha Garber, Cassandra
Schwab, Elena Petrova, Rebecca Mooar, Jonathan Dzingle, Dipa Patel, Lauren Ehardt,
Kevin Kuo. (Back row, left to right): Brent Kendziorski, Mikhail Garibov, Laura Lungu.
Not present: Kyle Eurick, Whitney Yahn.
Allison Everett, D2, received the OKU

Scholarship Award, Douglas Orzel, D3,
received the Kramer Award, and Emily
Springfield, instructional designer,
received a certificate of recognition.
Dr. Sean Edwards, clinical associate
professor in the Department of Oral
and Maxillofacial Surgery and Hospital

Dentistry, was inducted as a new
faculty member. Dr. Vesa Kaartinen,
associate professor of dentistry in the
Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, was awarded honorary
membership.
Wolverine Patriot Project Wins

Major Award, Receives Grant
A program launched by a group of
dental students at the U-M School of
Dentistry to provide oral health care
to disabled and homeless veterans
in northern lower Michigan has won
a major national award from the
American Dental Association Foundation and received a grant to provide
care to more veterans.
For their efforts, the dental students

are recipients of the 2013 Bud Tarrson
Dental School Student Community
Leadership Award. The award recognizes dental school student programs that
demonstrate excellence in providing
help to underserved groups in the U.S.
I was studying for exams when I
received an e-mail with the news about
winning the award, Edwards said.
I was so excited that, after calming
down, I called Tony Guinn and Dr. Bill
Piskorowski to share the good news.
Guinn, president of the school-wide
student council, was elated. I still cant
believe we won, he said with a smile.
Im sure this achievement will be one
of the highlights of my dental education here at Michigan. Also involved
in the program are Ameen Shahnam,
Kevin Goles, and Mariam Dinkha.
Led by Jesse Edwards (D3), students

in the Wolverine Patriot Project saw
an urgent oral health care need that
was not being met and did something
about it.
Wolverine Patriot Project leaders (front row, L to R): Dental students Jesse Edwards, Kevin
Goles, Mariam Dinkha, Ameen Shahnam, Tony Guinn; (back row): Drs. Edward Duski, Janis
Chmura Duski, Bill Piskorowski, assistant dean for Community-Based Dental Education.
The Wolverine Patriot Project was

established in April 2012 to provide
comprehensive free dental care to
disabled and homeless veterans and
to enhance student education and
professional training under auspices of
the Schools Pathways program.
Two School of Dentistry alumni who
practice in Gaylord, Michigan, Dr.
Edward Duski and his wife, Dr. Janis
Chmura Duski, 1989 graduates of
the School of Dentistry, offered the
dental students the use of their private
practice office to treat the veterans.
Since the Duskis first hosted the

dental students in the fall of 2012,
40 veterans have received oral health
care, many for the first time in decades.
The dental students return to Gaylord
once a month to provide oral health
care during the weekend. Eight dental
students, four community dentists
and the Duskis are involved. Drs. Bill
Piskorowski and Howard Hamerink
are faculty mentors for the Wolverine
Patriot Project.
A $10,000 grant from the Delta Dental

Foundation, the philanthropic arm of
the Delta Dental Plan of Michigan,
Ohio, Indiana, and North Carolina,
will enable dental students in the
Wolverine Patriot Project to provide
oral health care to several dozen
more veterans.
been able to provide much needed

dental care to our local disadvantaged
veterans, said Dr. Janis Duski. Her
husband, Dr. Edward Duski, added,
Being veterans ourselves, it feels
so right that this has all come together
for us to be able to help our fellow
servicemen.
With the help of an extraordinary

group of University of Michigan dental
students and administrators, we have
The Duskis said the Delta Dental

Foundation grant also enhances
the services that can be provided.
Donations from dental suppliers,

a dental laboratory, and help from
other dental professionals, including
their staff, all contribute to the
success of the program.
Since dental students in the Wolverine
Patriot Project began providing care in
October 2012, more than 40 disabled
and homeless veterans have received
comprehensive dental care.
Grant Awarded
27
Homecoming Weekend 2013

Emeritus Alums Gather
It was a special time for everyone.
Dr. Bud Straffon receives his emeritus

medallion from Dr. Carol Anne MurdochKinch, associate dean for Academic Affairs.
Afterwards, alumni and their spouses

toured the Dr. Roy Roberts Preclinical
Laboratory, renewed friendships during
a luncheon in the Sindecuse Museum
Atrium, and witnessed the induction
of the late Dr. James R. Hayward
into the Schools Hall of Honor and
the presentation of the Distinguished
Service Award to retired dental hygiene
professor Wendy Kerschbaum.
Photo by Melissa Squires
McCauley presented a snapshot of the

School today including information
about students, faculty, research and
alumni. She told the Classes of 1963,
You excelled as students. You have
left your mark as alumni of our School
and continue to do so. You are a vital
part of our tradition of excellence.
Eighteen members of the Dental

Class and five graduates of the Dental
Hygiene Class of 1963 were then called
by name and received a medallion
that was placed around their neck by
Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch, associate dean for Academic Affairs. Each
also received congratulations from
McCauley, had their photo taken
with the new dean, and received an
emeritus pin from Dr. Dennis Lopatin,
senior associate dean. Class photos
were taken moments later.
Welcome back. Welcome home,

she said at the start of the emeritus
medallion and pinning ceremony held
in the recently renovated Kellogg
Auditorium. The auditorium was
a familiar site to the alumni who
attended many lectures there as
students in the late 1950s and early
1960s. Though years have passed
since your graduation, this is still your
home. Were glad you could be here,
she said.
Eighteen graduates of the Dental Class of 1963 returned to Ann Arbor during
Homecoming Weekend.
28
Five dental hygiene alumnae also received an emeritus medallion and pin marking the
50th anniversary of their graduation
Dean Laurie McCauley, who kicked

off the Schools Homecoming
Weekend activities for the first time
since becoming dean, welcomed
graduates and their spouses.
In mid October, graduates of the

Dental and Dental Hygiene Classes
of 1963 returned to the University
of Michigan to celebrate the 50th
anniversary of their graduation from
the School of Dentistry.
Emeritus medallion around his neck, Dr. D.

Clare Bates pauses to look at some of the
photos taken by his second cousin, Dr. Jack
Bates (DDS 1941) when Jack was a dental
student at U-M, that are displayed in the
Kellogg Auditorium.
Dr. James R. Hayward Inducted into Hall of Honor

World-renowned oral surgeon Dr. James Rogers Hayward
was inducted into the Schools Hall of Honor. Established
in 2003, Hall of Honor inductees are posthumously honored
for their lifetime contributions to the dental or dental
hygiene professions.
Dr. Hayward was a giant in our profession, said Dr. Joseph

Helman, chair of the School of Dentistrys Department of
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Hospital Dentistry, who
presented Hayward for induction. Dr. Hayward and Dr.
Chalmers Lyons helped to make Michigans oral surgery
program the greatest oral surgery program anywhere in
the world.
After receiving a replica of the Hall of Honor plaque that is on
a wall on the ground floor of the Kellogg Building, Dr. James
S. Hayward (DDS 1973), said the induction was an honor
During a nearly 30-year career at the U-M School of Dentistry

and the Medical School, Dr. Hayward helped develop oral
surgery training standards and protocols. He was known
worldwide as an extraordinarily gifted surgeon who emphasized knowledge, preparation, and excellence in clinics and
classrooms.
After Dr. Joseph Helman (left) presented the late Dr. James R.
Hayward for induction into the Schools Hall of Honor, Dr. James
S. Hayward (center) and his brother, Ralph, expressed their familys
appreciation for the honor.
for our family. The University of Michigan and the School

of Dentistry provided many opportunities for my
dad to succeed.
Kerschbaum Receives Distinguished Service Award

This award is such a wonderful way to wrap up a career
that was more rewarding than I ever imagined when I began
teaching here at the School of Dentistry, part time, in the
1970s, said Prof. Wendy Kerschbaum after receiving the
Distinguished Service Award. This award means so much
to me because its from colleagues and friends who I have
worked with for so many years.
SAVE THE DATE!
Congratulating Wendy Kerschbaum (second from right) after

receiving the Distinguished Service Award were (left to right):
Anne Gwozdek, Lisa Dodge, Dean Laurie McCauley,
Kerschbaum and Janet Kinney.
Oct. 30 Nov. 1
Homecoming Weekend 2014
Kerschbaum was described as forward thinking and the

consummate representative of the U-M School of Dentistry.
Her achievements always brought a new level of respect and
recognition to the School.
Kerschbaum directed the Schools dental hygiene program

from 1988 to 2012. Presenting the award, Dean Laurie
McCauley read a tribute to Kerschbaum written by Janet
Kinney, the new director of the dental hygiene program,
and Anne Gwozdek, director of the Dental Hygiene Degree
Completion E-Learning Program.
29
Alumnus Profile
Frank Alley (DDS 1981)
Asked what he remembers most about
his days as a dental student at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry,
Dr. Frank Alley pauses for a moment
and then quips, My first week!
But he quickly adds, I completed my
first semester in the pre-prosthetic
clinic in three or four days. In fact, I
tested out. But then Dr. Brien Lang,
my instructor, assigned me to help
my other classmates. There were
145 of them!
There was something else that
happened that first week, what Alley
describes as an incident to forget.
His hair caught fire leaning over a
Bunsen burner in the pre-clinic.
EARLY INTEREST
IN DENTISTRY
Growing up in Warren, Michigan,
Alleys interest in dentistry began
in high school when he visited his
uncle who ran a small dental laboratory

in nearby Roseville.
Alleys dental experiences in the

military paid dividends at U-M.
His work on dentures was exquisite,

Alley said. I was fascinated listening to
him describe what he did and why, and
how he worked with dentists to fabricate something that was so important
to so many people.
I not only tested out of the pros clinic,

but my dental education was also paid
for by the governments Military Health
Professions Scholarship Program. I
didnt have to worry about repaying
any student loans. That helped me
focus on my studies, he said.
During annual checkups with his

familys dentist, Alley said he asked
a lot of questions and became even
more interested in what his dentist was
doing and how he helped his patients.
I began thinking that I might like to do
that someday.
In 1970, Alley enrolled at Eastern
Michigan University in Ypsilanti. He
also played football as a running back.
However, his undergraduate education was interrupted after just two
years when he was drafted into the
U.S. Army. Stationed at Brooke Army
Medical Center in San Antonio, Alley
was a dental lab technician and also
worked alongside Army prosthdontists.
SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY
EDUCATION
After leaving the military in 1975, he

returned to EMU to finish his undergraduate education. He earned a
bachelors degree in biochemistry
and physiology in 1977.
30
I thought my interest in dentistry

and experiences in the Army would
help me gain admission to the School
of Dentistry, so I applied, Alley said.
He was admitted and began his studies
in August 1977 as a member of one of
the Schools largest dental classes
146 students.
His School of Dentistry education

was a lot of hard work. Classroom and
clinical instructors were demanding,
Alley said. Most of them, including
Dr. Lang and Dr. Bill Godwin, were
no-nonsense teachers who expected
a lot from all of their students.
The demands of the curriculum, Alley
said, fostered camaraderie. Some of
my classmates, including Drs. Wayne
Olsen, Don Wurtzel, Sam Bander
and Kerry Kaysserian, remain friends
today, more than thirty years after
we graduated.
Alleys hard work at U-M paid off.
He was near the top of his graduating
dental class when he received his
DDS in 1981.
Dental degree in hand, Alley returned
to the Army and practiced dentistry
at Ft. Jackson in Columbia, South
Carolina. He was also a member of
the medical and dental detachment
that accompanied the 82nd Airborne
Division that was stationed at nearby
Ft. Bragg in North Carolina.
After an honorable discharge from
the Army in 1985, Alley moved to
the Kalamazoo area to establish
a practice.
Several classmates, who were from
the Kalamazoo-Portage area, told me
what a great place it was to live and
practice dentistry. It still is, Alley said.
His general practice has six operatories
and employs a staff of eight.
technology, especially learning

preclinical
procedures.
We learned how
to perform a certain
number of procedures when I was a
dental student, he
said, but todays
dental students
are learning
more procedures
and have more
resources that can
Dr. Frank Alley with his daughter, Dr. Katie Warner. Im proud
help them with their
to have her in my practice and of how she has contributed to the
education, including
health and well being of our patients, he said.
videos they can
watch at their workstations and Internet
A DAUGHTER IN
resources they can access to enhance
their learning.
THE PRACTICE
Alley shares his practice with his
daughter, Dr. Katie Warner. She
earned her dental degree from the
University of Michigan School of
Dentistry in 2010.
I didnt know she was even considering pursuing a career in dentistry
until she was an undergrad, Alley
says. When she talked to me, I knew
she had done her homework. As she
discussed her plans, she talked about
majoring in chemistry at Arizona State
and after earning her undergraduate
degree, applying to the University
of Michigan School of Dentistry. She
reached both of her goals. Im proud to
have her in my practice and appreciate
how much she has contributed to the
health and well being of our patients.
Both have learned from each other.

Im helping her become more
comfortable with what I call bigger
procedures, such as reconstruction.
However, shes certainly teaching me
about how to use todays technology
in a dental practice to help patients.
Alley said he was amazed to see
how U-M dental students are using
Alley said his dental education at U-M

continues as a member of the Schools
Alumni Society Board of Governors.
Im glad I listened to the advice of
one of my former classmates, Dr.
Wayne Olsen, who encouraged me
to run for the Board.
Fellow classmate, colleague and friend

Dr. Wayne Olsen said what he remembers most about Alley was his focus
on education, both as a dental student
and serving in the military. After
graduating with their dental degrees
in 1981, Olsen and Alley were both
assigned to Ft. Jackson in Columbia,
South Carolina.
Frank was an academic standout
in our dental class. His focus on education enabled him to receive a Health
Professions Scholarship (HPS) that
allowed him to pursue his education
in the military, said Olsen who also
was an HPS recipient.
Of course, I will always remember
Franks hair catching fire during the
first week in dental school as an
example of his scientific curiosity,
Olsen said with a laugh. I am happy
to see Frank recognized for his
achievements in dentistry, his service
to the MDA and continuing to
be involved with the University of
Michigan School of Dentistry.
As a Board member, Alley said he

is learning more about the Schools
programs, students, finances and other
matters. Its eye opening to realize
how state support for education has
decreased over the years and how
tuition has increased, he said.
Alley has also been active with local
and state dental organizations and has
served on the Michigan Dental Associations Continuing Education Committee and the House of Delegates. He
also served a term as president of the
Kalamazoo District Dental Society.
For seven years, Alley worked one day
a week with the Kalamazoo Health
Department providing free oral health
care to developmentally disabled
children and adults. He also fabricated mouth guards for the Western
Michigan University football and
basketball teams.
A member of the Schools Alumni Society

Board of Governors, Dr. Frank Alley asked
questions about some of the Schools
plans for the future during a meeting
with administrators in late 2012.
Asked about working with his

daughter, Alley said its wonderful,
although, some days, I think I work
for her, he said with a laugh.
SERVICE TO THE SCHOOL

AND PROFESSION
AN ACADEMIC STANDOUT
31
Alumni Society Board

of Governors Election
Below are short biographies of candidates seeking to become members of the University of Michigan School of Dentistrys
Alumni Society Board of Governors.
Choose 4 dentists and 1 dental hygienist who will serve a three-year term beginning September 1, 2014. Then clip and mail
your ballot to the School of Dentistry at the address below. Envelopes must be postmarked by August 15, 2014.
Dr. Thomas E. Anderson (DDS
1989) has been in private practice
with his wife Dr. Jackie Anderson
(DDS 1989) in Holland since 1993.
Dr. Anderson is a current member
of the ADA, MDA, West Michigan
District Dental Society and was past
president of the Holland-Zeeland
Dental Society. He also served for
four years in the U.S. Navy.
Ms. Bridget Elizabeth Beattie
RDH (BSDH 2010, MSDH 2012) is
an adjunct clinical lecturer at the
School of Dentistry and a clinical
hygienist at her fathers dental
practice. Her research on the
Standardized Patient Instructor
Program is tentatively scheduled
for publication in the July issue of
the Journal of Dental Education.
She is a member of the Sigma
Phi Alpha Dental Hygiene Honor
Society, ADEA, ADHA, MDHA and
the Michigan Association of Dental
Hygiene Educators.
Dr. Brian Cilla (DDS 1987, MS

1989) is a periodontist in the Grand
Rapids area. He is a past-president
of West Michigan District Dental
Society, currently serves as a MDA
Trustee and has been on the MDA
delegation to the ADAs House of
Delegates. He is also secretary/treasurer for the Michigan Periodontal
Association and is the AAPs state
and regional assembly liaison.
Dr. Jori Lewis (DDS 2007) has
been practicing general dentistry
in Genesee County since 2007. She
is a member of the ADA, MDA, and
Genesee District Dental Society.
She serves as editor of the GDDS
newsletter and serves on the organizations Board of Directors. She
also served in the MDAs House
of Delegates and as a member on
the Deans Advisory Committee
at the U-M School of Dentistry.
Dr. M. H. Reggie VanderVeen*

(DDS 1976) retired from active
practice in 2008, but is still active
in organized dentistry. He served
on the State Board of Dentistry
and the North East Regional
Board of Dental Examiners.
He is a member of over six
dental professional organizations,
is serving a term on the Schools
Board of Governors and is a
member of the Schools Victors for
Michigan Campaign Committee.
Dr. Benjamin M. Wurtzel (DDS
2011) has a private practice in Ann
Arbor. Dr. Wurtzel is a member of
the ADA, MDA, Washtenaw District
Dental Society, and AGD. He also
is an adjunct professor at the
Washtenaw County Community
Colleges Dental Assisting Program.
*Incumbent
ALUMNI SOCIET Y BOARD OF GOVERNORS
ELECTION BALLOT
Vote for 4 dentists:
32
Dr. Thomas E. Anderson
Dr. Brian Cilla
Dr. Jori Lewis
Dr. M.H. Reggie VanderVeen*
Dr. Benjamin M. Wurtzel
*Incumbent
Vote for 1 hygienist:

Bridget Elizabeth Beattie
The envelope with your ballot must be

postmarked by August 15, 2014.
Please mail your ballot to:

University of Michigan
School of Dentistry
540 E. Liberty, Suite 204
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2210
Alumni News
Dr. Carl
Pogoncheff
(DDS 2009, MS
Pros 2012), an
adjunct clinical
lecturer in the
Department of
Biologic and Materials Sciences,
Division of
Prosthodontics, at the University of
Michigan School of Dentistry, has
been awarded board certification
by the American Board of Prosthodontics. Its the highest credential
a prosthodontist can receive.
Dr. Clifford Thomas (DDS 1987, MS

periodontics 1992), pictured on the
left, and Dr. Clifford Harter, a graduate
of Ohio States dental school, say they
are getting along just fine, thank you,
despite the longstanding WolverineBuckeye rivalry. Our patients enjoy
seeing us in scrubs from our alma
mater, Harter wrote in a note from
his Lakewood, Ohio dental practice.
Lefebvre leads approximately 300

students, 60 residents and 110 fulland part-time faculty engaged in
IN MEMORIAM
2008 Dr. Elizabeth A. Curtis
December 22, 2013
Spring Lake, Michigan
1963 Dr. David W. Heeke
January 29, 2014
East Lansing, Michigan
1960 Dr. Allen Doorn
December 25, 2013
Grand Rapids, Michigan
1958 Dr. Donald Carlsen
December 4, 2013
Midland, Michigan
Drs. Robert Kempski and Eric

Billes (DDS 1948) held a reunion last
fall to mark the 65th anniversary of
their graduation from the School of
Dentistry. They met for a wonderful
lunch and conversation in Frankenmuth, accompanied by Dr. Kempskis
daughter, Marilyn, and son-in-law,
Tom Collins (DDS 1968) and Dr.
Billes wife, Doris. All agreed to meet
annually for as long as possible.
Drs. Josh Wansten and Sonya Palit
(DDS 2009) have recently acquired
a general dentistry practice in Lake
Forest, Illinois after five years of
practicing in the greater Chicago
land area. Palit & Wansten Dentistry,
opened this January. The couple also
welcomed their first child, daughter
Layla Santi Wansten, August 12, 2013.
1954
1968

Dr. James Masty

MS, orthodontics
November 22, 2013
Hartland, Michigan
1953 Dr. Arthur W. Nolen

March 8, 2014
Beaverton, Oregon
1953 Dr. John S. Larder
February 27, 2014
Grass Lake, Michigan
1952 Dr. Arnold Babcock
November 16, 2013
Alexandria, Virginia
1943 Dr. Carl Mosberg
October 11, 2013
Bolingbrook, Illinois
Send us
Your News!
We want to hear from you.
Send us news about your
achievements,
awards, or honors.
Contact:
SODalumnirelations@umich.edu
University of Michigan
School of Dentistry
1011 N. University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Dr. Carol
Lefebvre
(DDS 1983,
MS prosthodontics 1988)
became the
new dean of
the Georgia
Regents University College
of Dental Medicine on February 1.
She was interim dean since last July.
classroom and clinical education

and research. A faculty member
since 1989 and professor of oral
rehabilitation and oral biology, she
has served in other leadership roles
at the College including vice dean
and also as associate dean for strategic initiatives and faculty affairs.
33
1011 N. University Ave. | Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078
Address Service Requested
Fall 2014 Events

SEPTEMBER 19TH
OCTOBER 10TH
OCTOBER 31ST
Alumni Golf Outing

& Optional CE
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
ADA Alumni Reception

5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Homecoming CE
Featuring Sreenivas Koka, DDS,
Polo FieldsWashtenaw
(formerly Washtenaw CC)
*Play in or sponsor a foursome!
San Antonio, TX
MS, PhD, MBA (DDS 1989)

School of Dentistry
OCTOBER 30TH
Homecoming Gala
Michigan Union
Distinguished Service Award

& Hall of Honor Ceremony
1:45 p.m.
School of Dentistry
NOVEMBER 1ST
UofM vs. Indiana
Homecoming Game
& Tailgate
STAY CONNECTED!

DentalUM Spring &amp; Summer 2014

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DentalUM Spring &amp; Summer 2014

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Spring & Summer 2014

FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY

Dear Alumni and Friends:

renovation of outdated clinical spaces

Dr. Laurie K. McCauley

Thank You, Delta

A $2 million gift from the Delta

Dr. Rene E. Duff,

Dr. Frank Alley

University of Michigan School of Dentistry

Spring & Summer 2014

Volume 30, Number 1

DentalUM magazine is published twice a year by the

Terms Expire 2014:

The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/affirmative

Victors for Michigan

Spring & Summer 2014

Another $2 million in discretionary

Financial support for students is a

education and clinical care; and

Photo by Per Kjeldsen

Dr. Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch,

Dr. Stephen Stefanac, senior associate

Were also limited with the financial

Stefanac also said the School must

IMPORTANT FOR THE

The Schools Campaign Committee

Dr. Matt Gietzen and Dr. Jan Duski listen

Photo by Per Kjeldsen

Photo by Per Kjeldsen

Kevin Goles (D3) and Dr. Ed Duski talk

Photo by Per Kjeldsen

Drs. Donald Wurtzel (left) and Reggie

These goals will help

2014 Spring & Summer

The School is grateful for the $7.7

Photo by Per Kjeldsen

Victors for Michigan

The education Kathleen and I received at the University of

Spring & Summer 2014

Dr. David & Mrs. Charlene Kott

Giving back was probably the easiest decision we could make.

Nancy and I are pleased to help support the proposed

As senior associate dean, I wanted to be among the

2014 Spring & Summer

For more information about contributing

Victors for Michigan

Oral Surgery Clinic Renovation Gift

Spring & Summer 2014

Roberts Family Foundation

Among the nucleus fund gifts was

gifts of up to $1 million with a contribution from U-Ms president of 25 cents

Mrs. Roberts gifted what is believed to

Your Planned Giving Options

CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITIES

CHARITABLE REMAINDER TRUST

William Lawler, Jr.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Development Staff

2014 Spring & Summer

You transfer your gift of cash or property to a trust that makes

Delta Dental Foundation Awards

who will expedite care with the help of

The School provides oral health care

DentalUM Spring & Summer 2014

DentalUM Spring & Summer 2014