School of Dentistry Announces New Appointments, Awards

Education
The Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry announces the following new appointments and awards:

* Robert “Bob” Johnson, D.M.D., was appointed chairman of the Department of Community Dentistry March 1. Johnson was appointed interim chairman a year ago when Russell Street Clinic founder David Rosenstein, D.M.D., announced his retirement and, subsequently, began reducing his time at the clinic. “We are very pleased with Dr. Johnson’s vision and leadership,” said School of Dentistry Dean Jack Clinton, D.M.D. “Under Dr. Johnson’s guidance, community dentistry is enjoying newfound stability and growth. The direction Dr. Johnson is taking community dentistry is an excellent match for the strategic planning under way at the School of Dentistry.” One critical component of the School of Dentistry’s strategic planning is to enhance the educational curriculum by boosting patient outreach. “It is our desire to give more dental students more hands-on oral health care experiences, while at the same time preserving our mission to help the underserved, and Dr. Johnson has been instrumental in not only seeking, but creating such outreach opportunities,” said Clinton.

* First-year oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) resident William Gray, D.M.D., has received a $2,000 Windent Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Resident National Scholarship. Windent, which provides management software for dental professionals, offers 10 OMS scholarships annually. Scholars are selected based on their understanding and perception of OMS and how changes in technology will affect their profession. Dr. Gray received his doctor of dental medicine from the University of Florida College of Dentistry in 2006 and is has been accepted as an OHSU medical student beginning September 2007.


* First-year dental students Allison Hallin and Sumir Mathur recently won AADR (American Association for Dental Research) awards. Hallin and Mathur were two of 19 winners nationwide and will each receive an initial $2,100 stipend. Hallin will study the “Effects of Clove Oil On In Vitro Induction of Anti-Inflammatory Markers in Gingival Fibroblasts” under the mentorship of Theresa Madden, D.D.S., Ph.D., associate professor of periodontology, and John Smith, Ph.D., director of continuing education. Mathur’s research is about “predicting residual stress in cured composites with computational micromechanics,” and Ronald Sakaguchi, D.D.S., Ph.D., professor of biomaterials and biomechanics, is his mentor. AADR research fellowships are designed to encourage dental students to consider careers in oral health research.



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