Several faculty members and students from the Columbia University School of Dental & Oral Surgery (SDOS) have recently been honored as leaders in their fields.
Faculty Honors
Dr. Dennis A. Mitchell, DDS, MPH, assistant professor of clinical dental and oral surgery and assistant dean for diversity and multicultural affairs, was awarded the 2005 National Dental Association Foundation/Colgate Faculty Recognition Award. The award highlights the achievements of minority faculty who have demonstrated excellence in professional development in teaching, research or administration/service. Dr. Mitchell was honored for his research.
Martin J. Davis, DDS, SDOS '74, Pediatric Dentistry '75, associate dean for student and alumni affairs, has been awarded the 2005 American Student Dental Association Advocate Award "in recognition of outstanding dedication and service to dental students and organized dentistry." Dr. Davis received the ASDA Faculty Award of Excellence in 2001. ASDA is the national association for dental students and is the student section of the American Dental Association.
Steven Chussid, DDS, division director of Pediatric Dentistry, and Renuka Bijoor, DDS, SDOS '03 and Pediatric Dentistry '05, were honored for their poster "Multidisciplinary Approach to the Management of the Cleft Lip/Palate Patient" in the "runner-up" category at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's 58th Annual Session in Orlando in June.
Joseph McManus, DMD, MS, MHA, MBA, was appointed assistant dean for admissions for Columbia SDOS. Dr. McManus has been on the SDOS faculty for nearly three decades in Pediatric Dentistry and has served nearly two years as director of admissions.
Shantanu Lal, DDS, SDOS '01, assistant professor of Pediatric Dentistry, was awarded the Edward V. Zegarelli Teaching Award for 2005 at the SDOS commencement. The annual award recognizes one SDOS faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in innovative teaching techniques.
Student Honors
Saleem Josephs, SDOS '06, was chosen to represent Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery at the American Medical Student Association Foundation's 2005 Primary Care Leadership Training Program in late July in Houston. This is the first year that dental students were competing for the few positions available at the program. Josephs is simultaneously pursuing three graduate degrees at Columbia � his MBA at Columbia's Graduate School of Business and MPH at the Mailman School of Public Health in addition to his DDS at Columbia SDOS.
Two members of SDOS Class of 2008 have been chosen for summer research programs at the NIH.
Stephen Petty, SDOS '08, was selected to be an NIH Summer Research Fellow. Petty will study polyostotic fibrous dysplasia (PFD), a disease affecting multiple skeletal sites. The bone at these sites is rapidly resorbed and replaced by abnormal fibrous tissue and mechanically abnormal bone. These clinical studies will help define the natural history and the role of bisphosponates in PFD. Petty is President of the SDOS Class of 2008.
Frederick Liu, SDOS '08, was chosen for the NIDCR Summer Dental Student Award Program. Liu will study oral biofilm, the sticky film that forms on the surface of our teeth and gums. Hundreds of types of bacteria call this film home. The patterns of bacterial communities within our mouth may predict periodontal disease, a leading cause of tooth loss that affects millions of Americans. With additional information these patterns may be used in the future to allow for more precise and effective diagnosis and treatment of this disease.