Dentist earns lifetime achievement honor from Wisconsin Dental Association
WEST ALLIS, Wisconsin--Saukville resident and retired general dentist Dr. Ronald Stifter is the 2008 Wisconsin Dental Association Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Dr. Stifter was one of seven individuals and one organization to receive Pyramids of Pride Nov. 7 from the 2,900-member statewide dental organization during a special banquet at The Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest WDA honor, recognizing
individuals who have given time, energy and expertise to organized dentistry throughout their careers.
Dr. Stifter, who had a downtown Milwaukee dental practice for nearly four
decades, served as president of the WDA and Greater Milwaukee Dental
Association and helped elect two Wisconsin dentists president of the American Dental Association.
He continues to serve dentistry as a member of the WDA Foundation Board of Directors and by providing free, much-needed care at Milwaukee's Madre Angela Dental Clinic.
A 1967 graduate of Marquette University School of Dentistry, Dr. Stifter has been on that school's faculty for more than 34 years and is currently adjunct clinical professor for general dental services/prosthodontics.
He was involved in getting a state-of-the-art dental school built and has helped many aspiring dental students through the WDA-MUSOD-Pierre Fauchard Mentor Program. Stifter received the MUSOD Distinguished Alumni Award in 1994.
Dr. Stifter is also a member of The Dental Forum, American Academy of Fixed
Prosthodontics, American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists, Chicago Dental Society, Delta Sigma Delta international dental fraternity and Omicron Kappa Upsilon national dental honor society.
Three Community Outreach Awards for exceptional public service were presented this year.
Dr. Mark Karrels, general dentist and president of Rock County Dental Society, was honored for his drive to establish a free dental clinic for uninsured county residents at HealthNet of Janesville. Since opening in July, the clinic and its volunteer dentists have provided more than $350,000 in care to 1,200 patients.
Lynne Kern, a teacher at Holy Family Parish Church in Whitefish Bay, was
recognized for incorporating dental health instruction into her classroom curriculum. Kern believes educating youngsters about good oral hygiene and nutrition establishes positive, lifelong dental health habits.
Save a Smile, a collaborative initiative of the Fond du Lac County Health Department, Fond du Lac County Dental Society member dentists and
community support agencies, was commended for delivering much-needed
preventive and restorative care and oral health education to local Medicaid children.
This public-private partnership addresses the ongoing dental access crisis for children in the state MA program by removing many of the financial and administrative barriers for local dental providers. Funding sources include the county, Fond du Lac Area Foundation, Sophia Foundation, American Academy of Pediatrics CATCH grant and Wisconsin Dental MA.
Stevens Point resident and general dentist Dr. Timothy Cooper received the New Dentist Leadership Award for significant involvement in organized dentistry and demonstrated leadership on new dentist issues. Dr. Cooper has been involved in the state dental association since his years as a MUSOD student when he helped represent classmates at the WDA House of Delegates and annual Legislative Day.
Soon after graduation, he joined his local Central Wisconsin Dental Society and currently serves as its president. Dr. Cooper is also a member of the WDA Foundation Board of Directors and its Fundraising Committee.
Dr. Lyndsay Knoell, Racine general dentist and resident, accepted the Political Action Award for his efforts to further WDA legislative interests through increased grassroots member involvement. Dr. Knoell regularly meets with state legislators in their Capitol and local district offices to educate them on dental issues.
A member of the WDA Legislative Committee and the Wisconsin Dental Political Action Committee, Dr. Knoell attends and hosts political fundraisers believing political action to be important to organized dentistry.
President's Awards of Honor for contributions and activities reflecting great credit on the dental profession were bestowed on Dr. Philip Grosnick of Watertown and Dr. John Reardon of Ashland.
Dr. Grosnick has served as secretary/treasurer of the Jefferson County Dental Society for 23 years and has also been a delegate to the annual WDA policy-making meeting nine times.
He is a volunteer dental consultant for Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services in Watertown and Clearview Long Term Care and Rehabilitation Center in Juneau. Dr. Grosnick has also traveled to the Dominican Republic on pediatric dental missions.
Dr. Reardon provided general dental care to Ashland residents for more than 35 years before retiring. He has been active with numerous community organizations, most notably Memorial Medical Center Board of Directors for more than three decades.
Reardon rallied area dentists' financial support for the new hospital despite being the youngest member of that board when the project was proposed. He chaired the MMC Board from 1984 to 1992 and was recognized with the Wisconsin Hospital Association Trustee Award in 1999.
For more information on the WDA, call (414) 276-4520 or Wisconsin Dental Association.
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