The American Association of Endodontists recognized seven individuals with the organization’s highest honors and awards during its recent 2014 Annual Session in Washington, D.C. Those honored are:
A. Eddy Skidmore, DDS, MS, received the AAE’s highest honor, the Edgar D. Coolidge Award, given for leadership and exemplary dedication to dentistry and endodontics. Dr. Skidmore has dedicated his professional life, and much of his personal time, to the dental and endodontic communities and to the education of endodontists. Since 2004, Dr. Skidmore has served as an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University. He taught at the West Virginia University School of Dentistry from 1968 to 1993, resigning from the faculty as full professor, chairman, and graduate program director in the department of endodontics. He was in private practice in Morgantown, W.V., from 1993 to 2004. In accepting the Coolidge Award, Dr. Skidmore called on all endodontists to support the profession. “We need to give back, not only your money, but your time and your talents. It’s important that we all help the AAE grow,” Dr. Skidmore said.ADDITIONAL RELATED READING |American Association of Endodontists selects new leaders In addition to being the past president of the AAE Foundation, Dr. Skidmore served as president of the American Board of Endodontics, the College of Diplomates, and his state and local dental associations. He is a former delegate to the ADA and past chair of the endodontic section of the American Association of Dental Schools. He also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for the Journal of Endodontics and is a former AAE district director and member of several AAE committees. He is an inspiration to his many students, bestowing upon them the value and importance of dental leadership, and his fundraising efforts for the Foundation broke previous fundraising records. He continues to inspire new dentists and endodontists to continue the legacy of leadership.
M. Lamar Hicks, DDS, MS, received the I.B. Bender Lifetime Educator Award, given to a full-time educator of at least 15 years. Since his first appointment in 1975, Dr. Hicks has dedicated nearly four decades of his life to education. He got his start in education in Bethesda, Md., on the staff of the endodontics department and assistant director of the endodontics residency program at the National Naval Dental Center. He continued Naval endodontic education at the Naval Regional Dental Center, Naval Dental School, and Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences until he retired from the Navy in 1992. Despite his retirement, he continued to teach and mentor. In 1993, he became chair and program director of the I.B. Bender Division of Endodontics at Albert Einstein Medical Center, and at the same time served as adjunct professor of endodontics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. He also continued to provide support to the Naval Postgraduate Dental School, helping with mock oral board exams and other volunteer efforts. Most recently, he served as a clinical professor at the University of Maryland Dental School. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Hicks said he didn’t set out to be an educator, but found the quest for learning and desire to serve others exciting and highly motivating. In addition to the countless students he has mentored as an educator, Dr. Hicks is also a founding member of the College of Diplomates, and has been an active member of organized dentistry while being involved in local, state, and national components of the AAE and ADA. Students and faculty alike admire his selfless and humble nature and willingness to help any student.
Melissa M. Drum, DDS, MS, received the Edward M. Osetek Educator Award, which is presented to a full-time educator with less than 10 years of teaching experience who has earned the esteem and respect of students and faculty associates. Dr. Drum received her certificate in endodontics from The Ohio State University in 2006 — the same year she joined the school as a tenure-track faculty member. Dr. Drum knew in dental school that she wanted to be an endodontic predoctoral director, and she’s reached her goal, currently serving as associate professor and director of the predoctoral endodontic program at OSU. A “teacher of the new millennium,” her peers note that she is not only exceptional at clinical and didactic education, but also at helping instill confidence in students. Dr. Drum is active in in service at the college, state, and national levels, and is also engaged in research, currently contributing to anesthesia literature, and actively developing her own research focus of medications and methodologies to control preoperative and postoperative pain and anxiety. Dr. Drum became a Diplomate in 2008 and received tenure in 2012. “I’m a proud educator,” Dr. Drum said in her acceptance speech. “You can be an educator too. Please consider the best career possible.”
Robert W. Hawkinson, Jr., DMD, MS, received the Part-Time Educator Award recognizing a part-time educator of at least 20 years whose contributions have demonstrated dedication to endodontics and whose valuable contributions have instilled in his students a desire to pursue excellence in their careers. Dr. Hawkinson has been teaching part-time in the Endodontics Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago since 1977, beginning as an instructor, then moving to an assistant professor and course director for the postgraduate pulp biology course. He has been in private practice in Wheaton, Ill., for 37 years. Dr. Hawkinson served as a research advisor for nine residents, the results of those efforts culminating in several publications. He has been instrumental in shaping the UIC endodontic postgraduate program, serving as a member of the candidate review process. Students and faculty alike appreciate his reliability and fairness, as well as his easy-going and approachable attitude. His teaching is marked by friendship, cooperation, and genuine relationships. In accepting the award, Dr. Hawkinson commented, “It’s energizing for me to interact with students seeking clinical excellence, standard of practice, and who have the interests of patients at the heart of what we do.”
Jose F. Siqueira, Jr., DDS, MSc, PhD, received the Louis I. Grossman Award recognizing an author for cumulative publication of significant research studies that have made an extraordinary contribution to endodontics. Dr. Siqueira is an author or co-author of 264 scientific papers, seven books and 14 book chapters. His research on endodontic microbiology and infection control is widely cited, earning him the Louis I. Grossman award from the Societé Française d´Endodontie in 2012. Dr. Siqueira served as the associate editor of the Journal of Endodontics from 2006 to 2008, and is currently a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the JOE. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Oral Microbiology and ENDO – Endodontic Practice Today, and he serves as a reviewer for several other international journals. Dr. Siqueira’s ongoing research includes studies on the composition of the endodontic microbiota associated with different forms of apical periodontitis, development and analyses of clinical strategies to deal with endodontic infections, and the influence of disease modifiers on the patient response to treatment. He is actively lecturing on endodontics worldwide and currently serves as the chair of endodontics and director of the postgraduate program in endodontics at Estácio de Sá University, in Rio de Janeiro, where he also mentors PhD candidates.
Scott J. Hodges, DDS, MS, received the Lifetime Spirit of Service Award for his commitment to treat the underserved for virtually his entire professional career, from his time as a staff dental officer in the U.S. Public Health Service to the more than 30 dental missions he has led and participated in throughout the globe. From the Ukraine to the Dominican Republic and from Kenya to Guyana, Dr. Hodges has led dental teams across the globe to provide care to the underserved. He also focuses his service efforts close to home, participating in local and state volunteer work. He recently served as the dental chair of the 2013 Michigan Mission of Mercy. In addition to his volunteer efforts, Dr. Hodges has held a teaching appointment at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, served as an examiner on the Michigan State Board Endodontic Examination committee and has been active in his community’s board of education and church, while also a partner in an endodontic practice. His compassion, quality of leadership and sincere giving from the heart have benefited the underserved, both locally and globally.
G. Matthew Brock, DDS, MSD, received the New Practitioner Spirit of Service Award for serving his community, educating others, and volunteering with various dental groups. Dr. Brock has been involved with the Inner City Ministries Dental Clinic in Chattanooga, Tenn., and donates his time and dental services to other clinics as well. He also invests his time and talents into educating others, conducting lectures for the Tennessee Dental Association and nationwide. He has conducted research on NiTi endodontic files since their development in 1991 and works to promote NiTi rotary instrumentation expertise through understanding. Dr. Brock invests his time and talents in educating others about quality endodontics and helping to provide care to the underserved. Besides being in private endodontic practice in Chattanooga, Dr. Brock is also a part-time clinical instructor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. He also chaired the AAE’s distance learning and information technology committees and served on other Association committees, as well as numerous committees on the state and local levels. For more information about the American Association of Endodontists, please visit their website.
