Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fall 2011
Welcome!
ach year I have the privilege of welcoming our D1 students on the first day of dental school. This annual event always reminds me that our students are part of a very select group, attending one of the truly great dental schools, in one of the great universities of the world. The University of Michigan is renowned for its groundbreaking research, its unique educational programs, and prestigious professional schools. Our students experience what is perhaps the most progressive dental education program in the country. These eager minds are our future and we must encourage them and celebrate their journey. This new educational experience sets a very high bar. To be successful our students must be self-reliant, collaborative, and willing to explore and apply the science of dentistry and medicine much more deeply. The journey will not always be easy. Our students represent a new generation of health care providers and we will prepare them to deliver care based on early intervention and sophisticated diagnostics and therapies. We expect our students to explore the boundaries of the profession, explore new opportunities for professional practice and challenge existing paradigms with the intent of redefining the future of dentistry as a health profession. As future leaders some of them will formulate and influence oral health care policy at the regional and national level, or we may even find some of them leading teams of health care providers developing new strategies to improve oral health in global communities. Most importantly we expect that each aspiring dentist will espouse the highest standards of professionalism and commit to the well being of patients, in particular those individuals that are in most need of compassion and care. I know you join me in extending a warm welcome to the Class of 2015. Be mindful that these special individuals could have attended other dental schools and discovered what others have created. However, they chose Michigan and at Michigan we create what others will discover! Sincerely,
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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Polverini Director of Communications . . . . . . Sharon Grayden Writer & Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jerry Mastey Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris Jung Editorial Review Board: Member publication Dennis Lopatin - Chair of the American Richard Fetchiet Association of Erica Hanss Dental Editors Lynn Johnson Sharon Grayden - ex officio The Regents of the University: Julia Donovan Darlow, Laurence B. Deitch, Denise Ilitch, Olivia P. Maynard, Andrea Fischer Newman, Andrew C. Richner, S. Martin Taylor, Katherine E. White, Mary Sue Coleman, ex officio University of Michigan School of Dentistry Alumni Society Board of Governors: Terms Expire 2012: Metodi C. Pogoncheff, 76 DDS, Lansing, MI Wayne Olsen (Chair), 81 DDS, Traverse City, MI Sheree Duff (Secretary), 80 BSDH, Grand Blanc, MI David O. Cramer, 93 DDS, Grand Rapids, MI Scott Schulz, 96 DDS, Traverse City, MI Student Representative: Anh Pham (D3) Terms Expire 2013: Kathleen Early, 77 DH, Lakeland, MI Kerry Kaysserian, 81 DDS, Traverse City, MI Jeff Smith, 82 DDS, 85 MS, Grand Rapids, MI Jerry Booth, 61 DDS, 64 MS, Jackson, MI Janis Chmura Duski, 89 DDS, Gaylord, MI 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 M.H. Reggie VanderVeen, 76 DDS, Grand Rapids, MI Jackie Solberg, 86 DH, Grand Rapids Ex Officio Members: Peter Polverini, Dean Janet Souder Wilson, 73 DH, Northville, MI Alumni Association Liaison Steve C. Grafton , Executive Director, Alumni Assoc. Richard R. Fetchiet, Director of Alumni Relations, Development, and Continuing Dental Education
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 2011 The Regents of the University of Michigan
CONTENTS:
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w w w. d e n t . u m i c h . e d u
FEATURES
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Grand Rounds
Faculty Profile
Dr. Nisha DSilva
10 U.S. Army Surgeon General Impressed 11 Grand Rounds 14 White Coat Ceremony
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DEPARTMENTS
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DeWitt, Michigan
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Go where you think you will be the happiest, and the rest will fall into place.
U-M Dentistry
graduates...
stayed in michigan
left michigan
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Lindsey Wurtzel
consider all opportunities, whether those are in Michigan or elsewhere. However, she also advised dental students, a big part of knowing whether you should pursue a particular opportunity is to know exactly what it is that you want. Although geography is one factor to consider, she said others include the economy of the area where the practice is located, the size of the practice, the technology that is being used, and who might be a mentor. You have to be in a place where you will be happy and working with people you enjoy being with. Im very fortunate to have the best of all possible worlds, she said.
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Be proactive
Jemma Allor
was not a U-M graduate, advised Babin, If you want to practice dentistry anywhere in the world, go to Michigan. It was great advice, Babin said, Im glad I listened. When he returned to Seattle in 2006, Babin worked for nine months with the Seattle-King County Health Department before purchasing his practice. New patients mostly choose a dentist from an insurers provider list. Often, patients tell me that they picked me because I earned my dental degree from U-M. For dental students who are considering what to do after graduation, Babin said, I do not think their question should be, Do I stay in Michigan or do I leave? You have to be open to all opportunities no matter where they are. Before making a final decision, however, Babin advised students, make sure you know what youre getting into, whether its associating or purchasing an existing practice. Be thorough. Be patient. Youve come so far already, earning your DDS from one of the top programs in the world. Then the hard work begins.
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FACULTY
PROFILE
Jerry Mastey
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He was willing to move so my career could advance, she said. I was offered a position and accepted because the move offered the best of all worlds for all of us.
lesions are treatable, she said. DSilva enjoys mentoring postdoctoral, doctoral, dental, and undergraduate students in her laboratory. I consider this a very important part of my work because it creates future generations of dentists and scientists, she said. She also directs several courses and teaches both dental and dental hygiene students.
school achieve its goals and objectives, she said. She said those programs and the Essentials of MBA and Entrepreneurship she completed at the U-M Ross School of Business have helped me immensely in my position as director of the division of oral medicine, pathology, and radiology within the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine.
Leadership Training
DSilvas achievements have been recognized throughout the School and nationwide. In 2004, she was selected by the American Dental Education Association to participate in its Leadership Institute. The 12-month program helps develop the nations most promising faculty to
Seeing so many patients with oral cancer, which has a poor prognosis, I began asking myself, How could I change that?
Nisha DSilva and Rajat Banerjee.
One of DSilvas research initiatives at the School of Dentistry focuses on the study of a protein involved in promoting the growth of oral cancer cells. The protein, rap1, also induces the secretion of factors that promote invasion by cancer cells. Understanding how these processes evolve may one day lead to developing oral cancer treatments that are unique for each patient. She is also investigating biomarkers that may offer clues to the early detection of tumors and predicting their possible progression. If caught early, as many as 80 to 90 percent of
become future leaders in dentistry and dental education. Last year, DSilva was one of 54 women from across the country selected to participate in the prestigious Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM), a program designed to increase the number of women in senior academic leadership positions. DSilva said participating in both programs gave me a better understanding of organizational behavior. These programs also gave me new insights into my personal and professional strengths and how I could use them to improve myself even more and also help the dental
The three disciplines are connected, she added. Research encourages further exploration and leads to new discoveries. Teaching gives me opportunities to pass along what I have learned and discovered to the next generation of students. And I continue to enjoy clinical work because that gives my research and teaching even more meaning. Reflecting on her career, DSilva said, When I was a dental student, I never imagined I would be doing what Im doing now. She is also well on her way to answer that question she asked herself as a dental student How could I change that?
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FACULTY
4 Faculty Promoted
Promotions of four School of Dentistry faculty members were recently approved
Tenure Track:
U-M Regents approved the promotion of Yvonne Kapila, DDS, PhD to professor of dentistry with tenure, from associate professor of dentistry with tenure in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine. Kapila has been with the University of Michigan School of Dentistry since 2004. Her research focuses on how the extracellular matrix regulates the life and death of cells in conditions such as inflammation, which is encountered in periodontal disease, and during the process of cancer progression in oral squamous cell carcinomas. She earned a bachelors degree in human biology from Stanford in 1986, a dental degree from the University of California-San Francisco in 1990, a certificate in periodontics from UCSF in 1994, and a doctoral degree, also from UCSF, in 1997. She recently accepted a leadership role directing global initiatives for the School of Dentistry and will work with the leadership team to develop a globalization strategy for the School.
Clinical Track:
Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch, DDS, PhD to clinical professor of dentistry from clinical associate professor of dentistry in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Hospital Dentistry. Appointed Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in June 2010, Murdoch-Kinch has been extensively involved in developing the Schools new curriculum, including its science foundation component. Domenica Sweier, DDS, PhD, to clinical associate professor of dentistry from clinical assistant professor in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences, and Endodontics. Sweier teaches in the graduate and undergraduate dental clinics; directs the geriatric dentistry course for third-year dental and dental hygiene students; co-directs the infection and immunity course for first-year dental students; and lectures on caries risk management.
Research Track:
Louise OBrien, PhD, to associate research scientist from assistant research scientist with the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Hospital Dentistry. A faculty member with the School of Dentistry and the Medical School since 2006, OBriens research interests include the neuro-behavioral consequences of sleep-disordered breathing in children and sleep in children with cleft palate repair, craniofacial anomalies, and Williams Syndrome.
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three-star U.S. Army General, who is also that military branchs Surgeon General and Commanding General of the Medical Command, was impressed with the students, faculty, and technology being used in clinics at the School of Dentistry. Lt. General Eric Schoomaker, a Detroit native and U-M alumnus (BS 1970, MD 1975, PhD 1979) visited the School and recalled his experiences as a dental school patient as fourth-year dental student Jillian Dettloff demonstrated how some of the new technology is being used to enhance patient care. Dettloff and other dental students are using 3Ms Lava Chairside Optical Scanner in their all-ceramic dental restoration course. The digital impression-taking system and related technologies are preparing dental students for an increasingly technology-driven environment that is designed to increase the efficiency of clinicians and enhance the quality of care patients receive. Dettloff is the recipient of a Health Professions Scholarship from the U.S. Army that pays 100 percent of tuition to qualified students who pursue professional degrees from universities or colleges that have accredited medical, dental, veterinary, or similar programs. The scholarship also pays for a students books, equipment, and most academic fees. This was my first presentation to a high-ranking officer, Dettloff said. It was a great honor and a once in a lifetime opportunity to be selected for the privilege of leading a tour of the U-M dental school for someone as esteemed as the Army Surgeon General. Schoomaker recalled receiving care at the School when he was working on his bachelors degree. I got great care here. In fact, I had my molars taken out in one of these clinics when I was a student, he said with a smile as he talked to Dean Peter Polverini and Dr. Ronald Heys, director of the 2 Green Clinic. Near the end of his visit, Schoomaker commented about the militarys use of technology to provide oral health
Three-star General and U.S. Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker (left) observed Jillian Dettloff (D4) demonstrate the use of 3Ms Lava Chairside Optical Scanner with Dean Peter Polverini.
care. We are always cost conscious when it comes to using technology but quality care is our first priority, he said. Technology evolves, but my focus is finding the best people who have been trained to use the leading technology and who can handle a broad range of dental care issues. I am very pleased with Jillian Dettloff and others like her at the School of Dentistry. The Army is always looking for the best people, and she certainly is one of them, he added. Commenting about Schoomakers visit, the Chief of the Army Dental Corps, Major General Ted Wong, said, its not often the Army Surgeon General visits dental schools. I have been truly impressed with the dedication and talents of our new dental officers. It speaks highly of them and the dental schools who prepare them. Thanks for what you do at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Dettloff, who graduates next May, will join the Army Dental Corps as a captain.
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SCHOOL
A Grand Idea...
ur goal is to get them thinking like dentists from the moment they arrive. Grand Rounds is one of the programs our dental students encounter during their first week of classes, and it will continue throughout their four years of dental school, said Dr. Dennis Fasbinder, clinical professor in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences, and Endodontics.
However, the Grand Rounds program is not limited to D1s. Second-, third-, and fourth-year dental students also participate.
Barbara Zickgraf (D3) and Dr. Mark Fitzgerald discuss the merits of digital dentistry during the November Mega Grand Rounds program.
faculty, and practicing dentists in a group learning environment. The first Mega Grand Rounds course, State of the Art Diagnosis and Management of Oral Cancer, gave dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and other oral health care professionals the opportunity to participate with students in learning more about oral cancer. The second Mega Grand Rounds course, The Application of Digital Technology in Restorative Dentistry, featured uses of digital technology in dental practice. The fact that youre learning so much from experts at U-M and outside the university really broadens your horizons and expands your knowledge base, Mencarelli said. Vinkovich agreed, adding, you not only learn from what the experts have to say about a particular topic, you also learn from the way a question is asked.
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A registered dental assistant since 1998, Stamm began working at the School of Dentistry in 2005 coordinating clinical research studies in CRSE. She was president of the Michigan Dental Assistants Association from 2007 to 2008. Also appointed to the State Board for fouryear terms were two School of Dentistry alumni, Drs. Kerry Kaysserian, (DDS 1981) and Craig Spencer (DDS 1981).
will also endeavor to increase my knowledge of financial and budget management, learn best practices in leadership and learn how to negotiate and communicate. These are tools for a lifetime, she continued, which will help me become better prepared from a personal, research, and service perspective to develop solutions to problems that face dental education and the dental profession.
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SCHOOL
Drs. Marita Inglehart and Kenneth May urge high school students to go to college.
An Investment in Themselves
When the cost of attending a college or university comes up, May said he frames his response in a way most students have not considered. I ask them, if they had the money, what kind of new automobile would they buy? After giving me their answers, I tell them that the new car loses value the moment its driven off the lot, May said. But I emphasize that if they earn a college degree, it is an investment in themselves, and that education is something no one will ever take away from them. Inglehart agreed, describing in detail what they need to do in high school to prepare for college. That includes studying hard to get good grades especially in science, math, grammar and composition; doing well on ACT and SAT tests; participating in extracurricular activities; volunteering in the community; and looking for
opportunities to make themselves more competitive, she said. K imberly Johnson, pro g ram coordinator of the School of Dentistrys Health Careers Opportunity Program, said many students warm up to the idea of pursuing postsecondary education after she asks them to participate in a quiz. I give them a list of famous people from all walks of life politics, sports, entertainment and ask them to match the names of the people with the college or university they attended, she said. When I tell them the results, I think that inspires some of them to seriously consider going to college.
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STUDENTS
first-year dental students were officially welcomed to the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and the dental profession during the Schools annual White Coat Ceremony at Rackham Auditorium on July 29. Addressing the 52 men and 56 women who comprise the Class of 2015, Michigan Dental Association President Connie Verhagen (DDS 1986, MS 1988) said that becoming a dental student is not just a turning point in your education, it represents the beginning of the transition from academic student to student clinician to dentist. As clinicians in training, she said, you will face many challenges to overcome and skills to acquire. Acknowledging that wearing the white coat is a symbol of professionalism, Verhagen said it also signifies to patients that you will strive to regard them with the utmost respect, treat their problems to the best of your ability, and to listen carefully. She advised students about the importance of truly listening to your patients, not just hearing them. Of all the skills of a dentist, listening is probably the most underrated, Verhagen said. Its not enough to hear the words. You must also listen for meaning, feelings, hidden questions, and listen to understand. Reflecting on her experiences as a dental student at U-M, Verhagen told dental students your academic career will involve more than attending class and taking exams. You will be building character and developing professional values and ethics. Respect and honesty, she added, are the two main components of professional ethics. Verhagen urged dental students to get involved in outreach programs, clinics, and other opportunities, not just within the dental community, but the local community. You can accomplish so much working with people one on one, she said. After receiving their white coats, the new dental students recited an oath that they will again recite when they receive their dental degree in 2015. The oath for the D1s was written by fourth-year dental students who graduate next spring.
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STUDENTS
Traverse City
Four to five U-M dental students now spend three days a month in Traverse City working with 12 local dentists who have a long-term record of volunteering their time and services to provide dental care on behalf of the Traverse Health Clinic that serves low income, uninsured adults. During the eight-month program, dental students work two days in the office of Dr. Ronald Chao and one day at Grand Traverse Oral Surgery under the direction of Dr. Wayne Olsen (DDS 1981). Rene Louchart, Traverse Health Clinic dental director, said the need is critical. More than 700 low-income residents came to the Traverse Health Clinic for oral health care last year compared to 450 a year earlier, she said. Our new arrangement with the U-M School of Dentistry and community dentists will benefit the underserved in this area who need that care. Joining the U-M dental students and volunteer dentists are students in the dental assistant program at Northwestern Michigan College. The arrangement also enables registered dental hygienists, under terms of Michigan Public Act 161, to provide preventive care. Oral health care services provided include examinations, treatment plans, extractions, restorations, crowns, and dentures. Funding for the initiative is possible with gifts from the Les and Anne Biederman Foundation and
Outreach participants (front L-R): Hillary Mendillo, Michael Lieberman, Jenna Comstock, and Lindsey Steele and volunteer dentists (back left) Daniel Madion (DDS 2001) and Craig Fountain.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Complementing the funding are the efforts of nearly 40 community dentists who, according to Louchart, donated approximately $200,000 of oral health care services last year.
Initiative Lauded
It was the best learning experience I have had outside the dental school, said Jenna Comstock, D4, following her outreach rotation in Traverse City. She said she especially enjoyed working in an oral surgery clinic. My experiences in Traverse City have increased my confidence and ability to problem solve and will help me during my final year of dental school, she added.
Bad Axe
In Bad Axe, three dental students are providing health care two days a week for seven months at the office of Dr. Michael Bills (DDS 2000). Three health departments in the area and several community dentists will be a part of the local effort. Each two-day session will include U-M student dentists and dental assisting and dental hygiene students from Baker College. Bills hopes the initiative will become a year round program with funding from health departments in a three-county area.
Widespread Interest
Our Schools community outreach efforts have attracted an incredible amount of attention and interest among U-M dental alumni. Other oral health care professionals across Michigan also desire to participate in the program, said Dr. Bill Piskorowski, director of outreach and community affairs.
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MDA Foundation Scholarship recipients (L-R) Travis Mattson, Jennifer Broers, Steven Davis, Patricia Walch, and Michael Wierenga. Brent Medema (not pictured) .
Jennifer Broers, a third-year dental student from Alpena, Michigan, received a $2,000 Robert Mitus Award. Steven Davis is a fourth-year dental student from Gladstone, Michigan, who received a $1,000 IFG Scholarship Award. Travis Mattson, a third-year dental student from the town of Watersmeet in the western Upper Peninsula,
received a $500 John G. Nolen Award.
Brent Medema, a third-year dental student from Portage, Michigan, received a $2,000 Robert Mitus Award. Michael Wierenga, a third-year dental student from Grand Rapids, also received a $2,000 Robert Mitus Award. Patricia Walch, a dental hygiene student from Chelsea, Michigan, received a $1,000 Robert Mitus Award.
Funds for the Mitus Awards are made available from the family of Dr. Robert Mitus (DDS 1978), an honorary MDA past president who was a leader in efforts to establish the Michigan Dental Association Foundation in the late 1990s. A former past president of the West Michigan District Dental Society, he also served on the MDAs Board of Trustees before he died in 1999. The Nolen Award is named for the late Dr. John G. Nolen (DDS 1944) who was the MDAs executive director for 21 years before he died in 2000. The IFG Award is from the MDAs Insurance and Financial Group which offers insurance coverage to dentists.
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STUDENTS
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STUDENTS
Per Kjeldsen
Listen to the remarks of graduation speakers and see more photographs on the School of Dentistrys Web site: www.dent.umich.edu. Click the tab: Special Features
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Dental hygiene Degree Completion Program graduates (L-R): Allison Restauri, Elizabeth Farber, Ashleigh Colpetsir, Lindsey VandenBerg, Jennifer Smith, Allie Turnbull, and Lisa Hayes.
DENTAL HYGIENE
A new honor was conferred upon every dental hygiene student that each wore proudly as they received a Bachelor of Science degree at graduation. All 37 graduates from either the entry-level or degree completion program wore red service cords. Conferred by the U-M Ginsberg Center, the red cords recognized graduates who have completed at least 135 hours of community service. According to Prof. Wendy Kerschbaum, director of the dental hygiene program, the 37 participated in 135 hours during their senior year alone. The red cords were presented to them during a luncheon in April that was hosted by the U-M Dental Hygiene Alumni Association and the Washtenaw District Dental Hygienists Society. At the luncheon several students also received awards for other achievements: Elizabeth Brown received the Colgate Student Total Achievement Recognition (STAR) Award. Kylee Brieden received the Hu-Friedy Outstanding Clinician Award. Gina Vidican received the Johnson & Johnson Professional Excellence in Dental Hygiene Award. Paul Mackovjak received the Washtenaw District Dental Hygienists Societys Professional and Community Involvement Award. Kathryn Brown received the Pauline Steele Student Leadership Award.
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2011
Of the 113 graduates of the Class of 2011 45 percent plan to stay in Michigan.
Private Practice/ General Practice/ Associate . . . . . . 45% General Practice Residency . . . . . 19% Specialty Training . . . . . . . 11% AEGD . . . . . . . . . . 9% Military . . . . . . . . 5% Community/ Public Health . . . . 4% FQHC . . . . . . . . . . 4% Unsure . . . . . . . . . 3%
Daryl Kwan, Ki Wan Kim, Ross Ryan, and Doug Cabell
Goran Topalo wasnt shy about his emotions after he was hooded
Amira May, Victoria Lucas-Perry, Evelyn Lucas-Perry, Shana Francois, and Andrea Salazar
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RESEARCH
Jerry Mastey
Researchers Inject Nanofiber Spheres Carrying Cells into Wounds to Grow Tissue
By Laura Bailey, U-M News Service
For the first time, scientists have made star- shaped, biodegradable polymers that can self-assemble into hollow, nanofiber spheres, and when the spheres are injected with cells into wounds, these spheres biodegrade, but the cells live on to form new tissue. Developing this nanofiber sphere as a cell carrier that simulates the natural growing environment of the cell is a very significant advance in tissue repair, says Peter Ma, professor at the U-M School of Dentistry and lead author of the paper published online on April 17 in Nature Materials. Co-authors are Xiaohua Liu and Xiaobing Jin. Repairing tissue is very difficult and success is extremely limited by a shortage of donor tissue, says Ma, who also has an appointment at the U-M College of Engineering. The procedure gives hope to people with certain types of cartilage injuries for which there arent good treatments now. It also provides a better alternative to ACI, which is a clinical method of treating cartilage injuries where the patients own cells are directly injected into the patients body. The quality of the tissue repair by the ACI technique isnt good because the cells are injected loosely and are not supported by a carrier that simulates the natural environment for the cells, Ma says.
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RESEARCH
Research Day
2012
chool of Dentistry researchers believe they know why prostate and breast cancer usually recur in the bone. Dr. Russell Taichman, senior author of a new study that appears online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, investigated possible interrelationships in stem cell development, cancer cell proliferation, and bone biology. Once in the niche, the cancer cells stay dormant and when they become active again years later, thats when tumors recur in the bone. The implication is that this may give us a window into how dormancy and recurrence take place. Taichman and a team of researchers looked in the bone marrow and found cancer cells and hematopoietic stem cells next to one another competing for the same place. The finding is important because it demonstrates that the bone marrow niche plays a central role in bone metastasis cancers that spread into the bonegiving researchers a new potential drug target. Drugs could be developed to keep the types of cancers that likely recur in the bone from returning, Taichman said. For example, these drugs could either halt or disrupt how the cancer cells enter or behave in the niche, or keep the cancer cells from out-competing the stem cells. Cancer cells act a lot like stem cells in that they must reproduce, so the U-M research group hypothesized that prostate cancer cells might travel to the niche during metastasis. One of the jobs of the niche is to keep hematopoietic stem cells from proliferating which may be the case for cancer cells, as well, the researchers found.
The next step is to find out how the tumor cell gets into the niche and becomes dormant, and exactly what they do to the stem cells when they are there.
Dr. Russell Taichman
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n assistant professor in the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of 12 researchers nationwide to receive a prestigious award that will enable her to pursue cutting-edge biomedical applied research that has the potential to benefit childrens health. Dr. Nan Hatch will receive $100,000 in res earch s up p or t annually for the next three years from The Hartwell Foundation to investigate the role tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase may play in the development of craniosynostosis.
What It Is
Craniosynostosis is relatively common, affecting about one in 3,000 children. Its been associated with a myriad of problems and is a significant biomedical burden for afflicted children and their parents. As a child is born, the soft spot or sutures at the top of the head allow the skull bones to slide over one another. Following birth, the skull bones normally slide back and the childs skull and brain continue growing. At birth, a childs brain is about 25 percent of its adult size. As the child continues to grow and develop, the skull normally expands to accommodate that growth. In craniosynostosis, however, the skull bones fuse prematurely. While the brain continues to grow, the skull does not, exerting pressure on the brain. Mental retardation and other problems then occur.
In an attempt to remedy the problem, bones in the skull are broken to allow for growth and expansion. However, children with craniosynostosis often need four or five surgeries by the time they are 18. The physical, emotional, and financial stresses take a toll on children and their parents.
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DENTAL HYGIENE
Anne Gwozdek
Sheree Duff (right) and her mother, Elva Brownell, hold the Outstanding Alumna Award Duff received this spring.
U-M Sigma Phil Alpha inductees were (LR): Kathryn Brown, Patricia Walch, Allison Restauri, Becky Lewis, Anne Gwozdek. Photo courtesy of Anne Gwozdek
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First Place
Anja Hoffstrom, Brandi Johnson, and Elizabeth Brown won first place for their study that assessed the results of a community garden project at the Huron Valley Boys and Girls Club.
Honorable Mention
Miranda Marion, Michelle Uekihara, and Sabrina Williams received an honorable mention for their project that investigated the barriers that prevent dentists in the Ann Arbor area from volunteering at the Washtenaw Childrens Dental Clinic (WCDC).
Receiving First-Place Awards from the American Association of Public Health Dentistry were (left to right) dental hygiene students Anja Hoffstrom, Brandi Johnson, and Elizabeth Brown. With them is their faculty mentor, Anne Gwozdek.
Faculty, staff, students, family, and friends of Chris Klausner participated in the annual Relay for Life earlier this year on the U-M campus.
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ALUMNI
PROFILE
o this day, I am grateful for the education I received at the University of Michigan. Thats why Im trying to give something back to the School of Dentistry by staying involved, said Dr. George Yellich. Earlier this year, Yellich finished serving a second three-year term on the Schools Alumni Society Board of Governors. Now he is serving an eight-year term on the Chalmers J. Lyons Academys Board of Directors. Lyons and several of his oral surgery residents founded the Academy in 1927. They would meet in Ann Arbor to discuss cases with him and each other. A successful oral surgeon with offices in San Jose and Santa Cruz, California, Yellich is also a recruiter who talks to students at local high schools in California about the benefits of a University of Michigan education. During those appearances, and on other occasions, Yellich expresses appreciation for his U-M education and talks about how his life has changed and his career has flourished. Growing up in Melvindale, Michigan, Yellich said he considered a career in engineering or medicine when he was in high school. But he decided to pursue dentistry after conversations with his familys dentist. That dentists could help so many patients in so many different ways appealed to me. So, too, did the fact that dentists didnt have to be on call 24/7 like physicians, he said with a chuckle. Accepted into dental programs at both U-M and the University of Detroit, Yellich said he never had any regrets about choosing Michigan. The high quality of education and the outstanding instructors I had enabled me to be in such a rewarding profession, he said. Among the instructors Yellich mentioned were Drs. Gerry Charbeneau, Charles Cartwright, Fred Kahler, William Kotowicz, and Charles Kelsey. It was during the second year of his dental education at Michigan that Yellich said he decided to become an oral surgeon. That seemed to be an exciting dental specialty because you were working with patient tissues, he said. It also seemed to have a medical angle to it as well, which was something that also intrigued me. With the desire to become an oral surgeon, Yellich said he attended as many oral surgery procedures as he could, both at the dental school and at U-M Hospital.
I feel good about being involved with the University of Michigan School of Dentistry . . . I have a strong sense of pride and a desire to see its tradition of excellence continue.
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another trait Hayward demanded from his residents, Yellich said. He constantly emphasized how important it was to display a high degree of compassion every time you talked to your patients. When you did that, Dr. Hayward would tell us, you would become an even better practitioner because that helped you to connect with your patients.
to join the Lyons Academy Board of Directors. Dr. Chalmers Lyons founded the oral surgery training program at Michigan in 1917 and chaired the program until his death in 1935. He also established the largest cleft lip and palate practice in the country. Yellich said he enjoys returning to Michigan. Having grown up here, I was very receptive to the idea of returning to
at the naval base, and had a little more oral surgery experience than they did, so they had me work on some of their patients. That fueled my desire to earn a degree in oral surgery and specialize after my service was over. Yellich applied for admission to the oral surgery program at Michigan, was accepted, and received both a masters degree and certificate in oral and maxillofacial surgery in 1977. Yellich said his three years as a resident, under the direction of Dr. James Hayward, chair of the department, had a profound impact. Dr. Hayward was a demanding instructor. He paid attention to everything, especially the way you handled a patients tissues. You learned very early to do so with extreme care, otherwise you heard about it. Compassion toward patients was
Michigan to attend summer meetings of the Lyons Academy on Mackinac Island. My wife and young son and daughter also accompany me and enjoy themselves, he said. This is a vacation our family looks forward to every year and this past summer was no exception, he said. I feel good about being involved with the University of Michigan School of Dentistry in these different ways, Yellich said. I have a strong sense of pride and a desire to see its tradition of excellence continue. In 2006, a substantial gift to the School from Yellich helped establish the Dr. James Hayward Professorship in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. I want my gift to honor a truly outstanding instructor and role model, he said. In fact, I still receive handwritten Christmas cards from him every year and stay in touch as time allows.
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Team Up in Honduras
Gary Mancewicz
hree dental students who graduated from the U-M School of Dentistry in May said they wont forget providing dental care in Honduras during their spring break. Stephen Mancewicz, Jon Hekman, and Julia Latham spent four days in the village of Tocoa near the Caribbean Sea, about 135 miles northeast of the nations capitol, Tegucigalpa. We did a little of everything, but mostly restorations and extractions, said Mancewicz, who accompanied his father, Gary Mancewicz (DDS 1976). Working with Honduran dentists, the group treated between 750 and 800 patients, some as young as three or four years old. A school auditorium served as an open-air clinic and opened each morning at eight oclock. Some patients told us they were up at five oclock so they could get to the clinic for treatment, Hekman said.
Gary Mancewicz
Dental students Julia Latham, Stephen Mancewicz, and Jon Hekman accompanied School of Dentistry alumnus Dr. Gary Mancewicz (DDS 1976) to Honduras earlier this year to provide oral health care.
Up to one-third of the patients said this was the first time they were being examined by a dentist, Latham said. She added that many children had significant decay from drinking sugary water that was readily accessible.
fifth mission trip to a Third World country. Every one of them has been so rewarding. But this one was special, he said, because I was able to work with my son and mentor other students as we provided dental care to so many. Praising the students for their enthusiasm, he added the dental students not only had to work efficiently, but also had to learn how to improvise with available dental tools and materials. I told the students that dentistry is a very gratifying profession because you can relieve pain and put a smile on faces, and thats something you cant put a price tag on, he said. Reflecting on his experiences with the dental students and his education at the School of Dentistry in the 1970s, Mancewicz said, I was glad to see that their training is as good now as it was when I was a student at Michigan.
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NEWS
Jack Bates (DDS 1941) of Grand
Rapids, Michigan, who turned 94 in June, recently bought a new laptop and is learning to use an upgraded version of Microsofts operating system. Im glad I retired my six-year-old computer and now have a laptop, he wrote. In July he flew to Seattle to be with his son and caught a salmon while fishing. in Las Vegas. Membership in ACD, the oldest national honorary organization for dentists, is by invitation only. ACDs mission is to advance excellence, ethics, professionalism, and leadership in dentistry. didnt think I would ever recover from the pain in muscles I never knew I had.
Steven Davenport,
o f S p r i n g A r b o r, Michigan (DDS 1997), recently published a novel about a boy separated from his father during an attempted kidnapping of the youngster. As he returns home, the youngster encounters scary creatures as he travels though ancient kingdoms and strange lands. Davenport dedicated the book, A Fathers Love, to his father, Dr. Edward Davenport (DDS 1963, MS 1965), who was a pediatric dentist in Jackson for 37 years.
William Hoffmann
(DDS 1981) of Minnetonka, Minnesota, received the Minnesota Dental Associations highest award, the Guest of Honor, during its annual meeting in St. Paul in May. He was lauded for providing oral care services to the poor and homeless in Minnesota, Guatemala, and Haiti and was also recognized for increasing the number of volunteer dentists providing oral health care at community clinics and homeless shelters in the state.
James S. Hayward (DDS 1973) of Marquette, Michigan, says he is still working three days a week at the public health clinic in Marquette and plans to continue doing so for another year. I miss the days when U-M senior dental students and residents were rotating in our clinics, he wrote. Those were the best years of my practice experience.
Troy Wollenslegel
David M. White
(DDS 2003) of Reno, Nevad a , recently received the ADAs 2011 Golden Apple Award for New Dentist Legislative Leadership. The award was presented during the groups annual New Dentist Conference in Chicago in June.
Lynne Moseley , of Beverly Hills, Michigan (right) and Patty McGarry, of Fenton, Michigan (left), both graduates of the Dental Class of 1985, participated in the U-M Womens Football Boot Camp in June. Under the direction of head Marvin Sonne (DDS 1973) on the left,
of Farmington Hills, Michigan, received the Lifesaver Award from the Ann Arbor chapter of the American Heart Association in October for saving the life of a Bay City, Michigan man during the U-M-Notre Dame football game a month earlier. Also honored was a nursing supervisor from the Bay Medical Center who was nearby and assisted, Jan Tardiff. Dr. Al Dodds of the Michigan Heart Association presented the award.
McClellan Conover (DDS 1977) of Burton, Michigan, was inducted into the American College of Dentists during the ACDs Annual Session and Convocation
football coach Brady Hoke, they joined 300 other women in the all-day event that raised more than $100,000 for the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. Moseley, director of oral oncology at the Karmanos Cancer Center in the Detroit Medical Center, said, After the camp, I
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Board of Governors
N O M I N AT I O N F O R M
Looking for Leaders! Alumni Society Board of Governors
Heres your chance to make a difference. In September 2012, five persons will be elected to the School of Dentistrys Alumni Society Board of Governors. The group will include four dentists and one dental hygienist. All will serve a three-year term. If you are interested in serving, or if you would like to nominate someone, complete this form and mail or e-mail the information. If more than 10 individuals are nominated, the Boards nominating committee will select a representative slate. If you have any questions, please contact Carrie Towns (734) 764-6856 or by e-mail: clarkca@umich.edu. I nominate: ____________________________ Class Year(s): ___________________________ Address (if known): ______________________ 2nd name: _____________________________ Class Year(s): ___________________________ Address (if known): ______________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________
In Memoriam
40 Dr. L.W. Peterson October 14, 2011, Chesterfield, Missouri 43 Dr. Jane Slocum Hayward January 24, 2011 Naples, Florida 45 Dr. Edwin V. Wight September 2, 2011 Clinton, Michigan 53 Dr. Bruce W. Squiers March 9, 2011 Rohnert Park, California 55 Dr. John Jack M. Leitch July 16, 2011 Salem, South Carolina
Nominations will be published in the Spring & Summer 2012 issue of DentalUM. We request a brief biography (45 words or less) for each nominee. If you nominate yourself, please send your biography with your nomination. If you are nominating a colleague, we will contact the nominee to confirm the nomination and request a biography. NOTE: Due to space limitations, all biographies must be 45 words or less. CVs cannot be accepted. Mail or e-mail your information to: Carrie Towns (clarkca@umich.edu) Office of Alumni Relations University of Michigan School of Dentistry 540 E. Liberty, Suite 204 Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Nominations must be received at the School of Dentistry by January 13, 2012.
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