Sunstar Americas and RDH magazine recently announced the recipients of the annual Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction for 2009.
The nine recipients will be honored during ceremonies and events at the upcoming RDH Under One Roof conference in Las Vegas on July 29-31.
The recipients of the award were selected by a panel of judges, who reviewed applications that are posted at RDH.
The nine 2009 recipients are:
Janet Aquilina-Arnold, RDH
Nancy Ferguson Brown, RDH
Rhonda Ford, RDH
Kimberley Grant, RDH
Mary L. Kellerman, RDH
Mary Kelly, RDH
Sandy Kemper, RDH
Kate Mills, RDH
Elaine Siebers, RDH
The recipients will be introduced prior to the RDH Under One Roof keynote session at 8 a.m. July 30. But UOR attendees will have a chance to personally meet the award winners during a networking reception later that day at 4:30 p.m. All UOR receptions are included with the cost of tuition.
Aquilina-Arnold is a Canadian representative to the circle of Award of Distinction recipients. She was praised for her work as a dental hygienist in the department of dental oncology at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto.
Aquilina-Arnold "recognized that dental hygienists play a role as advocates for the prevention of oral cancer."
Brown, a North Carolina hygienist, has spent 30 years in the dental public health setting. She is active in seeking dental care for uninsured children in the state.
"I continue to seek help in addressing the dwindling dental treatment care of our local children," she wrote.
Ford, a Tennessee hygienist, founded "Smiles and Blessings ... for children of all nations," a nonprofit organization which has the mission to "provide oral health education, training, and services to children in the slums of Brazil."
Her Tennesse patients are "inner-city teens living in the poorest area of our city. Over 90% had gingivitis and/or periodontal disease when I cleaned their teeth. The continuous oral health education I provide them is breaking that generational cycle of poor oral health."
Grant, a Missouri dental hygienist, recently participated in a pilot fluoride varnish program that may evolve into a statewide effort for elementary schools in Missouri. She has also focused her career on providing dental education to caregivers of Alzheimer's patients, as well as a strong emphasis on systemic links in patient education. She is also a certified critical care paramedic.
Kellerman, a Massachusetts hygienist, is also the 2007 recipient of the Dr. Esther M. Wilkins Distinguished Alumna Award at Forsyth. She has volunteered for numerous local and international dental charity events.
She wrote, "I also work daily in a Boston dental clinic that serves the poor and underserved, where many clients are 'new to the country' and I am their first dental hygiene provider/ educator."
Kelly, who practices in Des Moines, Iowa, provides clinical preventive services for local school districts and the surrounding communities. She proudly reports "conservative estimates" for the last eight years of educating, screening, and referring 15,917 children, placed fluoride varnish on 6,651, and sealed teeth on 5,758. She said approximately 20 percent had never been to a dental office.
She wrote, "I am most proud of my early childhood involvement and coordinating essential and complimentary components into my program, all based on research in serving this age group in the public health setting."
Kemper, a Seattle hygienist, was nominated by Sharon Golightly, RDH. Kemper established a tax exempt organization called Smiles Forever for raising funds for a variety of philanthropic endeavors, including a clinic in Bolivia.
Golightly wrote, "Dental hygiene is indeed lucky to have such a caring, motivated professional like Sandy Kemper, and this world is a better place because of her."
Mills, a Washington state hygienist, developed her "Mom & Me, Cavity Free" program for the Harrison Medical Center in Kitsap county. Mills, who was nominated by Carol Bruce, RDH, developed the program for expectant mothers to receive hygiene care prior to delivery.
Bruce wrote, "Many of us talk about serving the low income, disenfranchised populations, and even volunteer a day or so each year. However, this is Kate's full time work, serving senior citizens in senior centers, pregnant women in her hospital dental hygiene clinic, and children in school settings."
Siebers, who practices in Oxnard, Calif., was nominated by Noel Kelsch, RDH, a 2005 recipient of the Award of Distinction. Siebers, a long-time dental activist in local programs, is currently implementing a xylitol project in school districts where students receive a xylitol mint after breakfast and lunch.
Kelsch wrote, "Elaine is never satisfied. She is never content with the minimum. She is always looking for another way to change the lives of her students, her patients, and the community."
To read more about the Sunstar Award of Distinction, go to Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction.
To comment on this topic, go to PennWell Dental Community site.
