Spring 2013 Newsletter - UTHealth School of Dentistry

S P R I N G
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Family and Friends Association
The University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston
Contents
Letter from the President...Page 2
Letter from the Dean……..Page 3
Membership Form………..Page 4
Psi Omega Fraternity…….Page 5
SNDA………………………Page 6
Dental Prom 2012
The annual holiday party, also called Dental Prom, was held at Nouveau
Antique Bar in December. It’s a way to unwind after finals and is put on
by the Student Council. The Family & Friends Association also
contributes money for the occasion. Pictured above are Dustin Cargill,
Bryan Anyanwu, Josh Park, Chris Thorburn, and Richard Lam. Below are
prom-goers from the Class of 2015.
DDS Class of 2016……….Page 7
DDS Class of 2015………Page 8
DDS Class of 2014………Page 9
DH Class of 2013………..Page 10
DDS Class of 2013……...Page 11
Letter from the President
Dear Family and Friends of UTSD,
What a great year it has been for the students at UTSD. “Change” has been the order of the day with the new building
as well as all the equipment in the labs and clinics, and even the curriculum for the first-year students. Everyone has
adapted well and, as you can see from the articles submitted by the students, they have found time for social activities.
There are still many events and activities coming up this semester, including the Dental School Olympics, Board exams
and graduation for the 4th-year dental students and the 2nd-year dental hygiene students.
Through all of this, we have continued to support the students with financial assistance for the Freshman Orientation
Barbecue, the White Coat Ceremonies, the Holiday Party/Dental Prom, and provided snacks during finals in December (and
will do so again in May). We will also be supporting the Dental School Olympics and the Senior Awards Banquet this year. I
would like to thank our board members, Gayle Kruse and Pam Sowa, as well as Meg Thorburn and Dorothy Copeland for
their invaluable assistance, especially in providing snacks, without which none of this would be possible. We also thank
Tiff’s Treats for generously donating loads of fresh baked cookies for the students during finals.
Lastly, I would ask that you continue to support this association, both with your annual dues, and with your active
participation if possible. We really need new board members, but will gladly accept any assistance you can provide. The
time commitment is really small, with 2-3 meetings per year. Attached is a membership/renewal form and we are looking
forward to hearing from you. Feel free to contact me anytime at my email address, brucesdr@sbcglobal.net, or cell phone,
713-306-7451, if you have any questions or suggestions, or would like to help.
Thanks,
Bruce S. Smith, DDS
President, UTSD Family & Friends Association
Save the Date: Graduation, May 24, 2013
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Letter from the Dean
Dear UTSD Family & Friends,
Greetings from the School of Dentistry! I’m pleased to have this opportunity to tell you about a new, free service we hope
will make a difference in our students’ lives for years to come.
This past September, UT School of Dentistry opened the “Professional Resource Center” (PRC) staffed by two of our
alumni: Dr. Boyd Shepherd, a dentist/attorney, and Dr. Jerry Long, who retired recently after 43 years in dental practice.
Together, they can provide a wide range of professional services, such as reviewing employment contracts, helping to draft
resumes, and answering questions about associate opportunities or a practice purchase. The PRC can also help if the bank
has requested a business plan along with your application for a practice loan. And the PRC can offer guidance on
transitioning from being an associate dentist to purchasing a practice.
We envision the PRC as a repository of information and/or advice on dental practice opportunities, including private
practices for sale and associate positions. It will also be a resource for students and alumni seeking careers in education,
research, the uniformed services, public health, and government.
We’ve also introduced career planning to first-year students and residents, covering such topics as managing student debt
and transitioning into a career in dentistry. These courses will be offered annually and will remain available to all alumni, at
no charge, throughout their careers.
In a nutshell, the PRC’s mission is to counsel and help equip dental, dental hygiene and postdoctoral students and
residents with the business and leadership skills they’ll need to complement their clinical knowledge and training. Even
after graduation, the PRC will continue to advise and consult UTSD alumni at various mileposts in their professional career
tracks.
The Professional Resource Center is available to alumni and students by appointment at 713-486-4431, and both Dr.
Shepherd and Dr. Long are in the UTHealth email directory. Please help us spread the word about this wonderful new
service and our open-ended commitment to helping our students succeed!
Sincerely,
John A. Valenza, DDS, Dean
William N. Finnegan III Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Dental Sciences
The University of Texas School of Dentistry
Learn more about the Professional Resource Center
http://go.uth.edu/PRC
University of Texas School of Dentistry-Houston Family & Friends Association
Membership and Support Form
2012-2013
Dear UTSD Supporter:
The University of Texas School of Dentistry Family and Friends Association, formerly the Parents’
Association, is an organization of dental and dental hygiene parents, plus students, families and friends, who play
a supportive role in student activities, programs and projects. We welcome new members and active participation
if possible.
Your donations provide assistance for:
Annual Open House and White Coat Ceremony
School of Dentistry Holiday Dance
Cookies, brownies, snacks, etc. during final exams
Orientation barbecue for Freshmen
Upkeep of the Student Lounge
Dental School Olympics
Emergency Student Loans
I wish to become a member of: School of Dentistry Family & Friends Assoc.
$20 per person $40 per family
I wish to become a member of: The Century Club
$100-249
I wish to become a member of: The Chairman’s Council
$250-499
I wish to become a member of: The President’s Club
$500-999
I wish to become a member of: The Dean’s Circle
$1000 or more
Please consider the following:
I would like to serve on the Board of the Family and Friends Association
I have a talent/interest/would be willing to help with: computer work, graphics, etc.
I am willing to help when/where needed.
Name(s)
Address
City/State/Zip
Telephone (Home)
My Student
_(office)
DDS______DH______Class Level_______
My e-mail address
Enclosed is my check for
Your support is greatly appreciated!! Please make checks payable to:
Dental Branch Family & Friends Association.
Please mail to:
UTSD Family & Friends Assoc.
Office of Student Alumni & Affairs
7500 Cambridge, Ste. 4120
Houston, Texas 77054
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Psi Omega Dental Fraternity
The fall semester started off with a bang for the Delta Upsilon chapter of Psi Omega. The opening of a new building for
the dental school, new equipment, and the start of new dental students in the chapter had everyone excited about the
upcoming year.
To recruit new members, we held a social event at Brian O’Neil’s. This event allowed the first-years and potential
pledges to meet the upperclassmen and the other students they’ll be spending the next four years with. It was a joyful
time before we have to buckle down and
start school again.
Most of the students in Delta Upsilon
are “True Texans.” In September we
kicked off our first official event at Wild
West in Houston. It gave us all a chance to
show off our two-stepping skills and teach
those who are from out-of-state how we
dance in Texas! It was great to
see everyone out of scrubs and in cowboy
boots and plaid shirts.
In October, Psi Omega teamed up with the
Texas Association of Women Dentists
(TAWD) in a fundraising event called
“Race for the Cure®.” The money raised
through the race will fund vital education,
screening and treatment programs for
underserved women in the community
and support the national search for a cure of breast cancer. Several members volunteered their Saturday morning to join
the 5K walk and run.
The month of October would not have been
complete without our famous Halloween party!
Instead of renting a location to ourselves this year,
we decided to rent out a portion of a local bar, Big
Woodrow’s. We had a great turn out and everyone
had creative and exciting costumes.
This year, Psi Omega and the American Student
Dental Association (ASDA) teamed up to create an
event that raised money to donate to Movember’s
Health Initiatives, including Prostate Cancer
Foundation and LIVESTRONG. To help draw a
crowd, our own dean, Dr. John Valenza and his
colleagues agreed to donate their beards for
conversion to mustaches via professional straight
razor shave. Psi Omega served Frito-Chili pie to
spectators and those who donated.
PSI-O members at our “Movember” fundraiser.
It was an amazing first semester in the new school and we hope to continue that excitement in the spring semester.
Student National Dental Association
This semester was definitely exciting and productive for the SNDA family. We hosted quite a few events, including
some highlighted in this newsletter.
The TSU Pre-Dental Workshop was held at the Dental
School on September 15. The turnout was
excellent, with an attendance of 10-15 pre-dental
students. With the help of various dental students, the
pre-dental students learned the basics of waxing up
various forms of teeth and drilling operative preps into
dentoform teeth on the benchtop.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the hands-on
experience and left the workshop even more enthused
about their future dental careers.
On November 8, SNDA also held a pre-dental luncheon to provide
students an opportunity to meet with the Associate Dean for
Student and Alumni Affairs, Dr. Phil Pierpont. The students were
given an opportunity to discuss the protocol for admission into
dental school, entrance exams, and the general vision of UT
School of Dentistry for its students. This was a great chance for
minority students to get an insider’s perspective on what is truly
important to an interviewer/admission’s committee.
On November 10, SNDA participated in a community health fair in
Houston. The dental students conducted oral screenings and provided community members with oral health care
instructions. While 1st- and 2nd-year dental students primarily focused on reminding parents and children how to brush
and floss properly in order to prevent cavities, 3rd- and 4th-years used various tongue depressors and dental lights to
perform brief oral health checks, looking for any peculiar conditions or cavities that might have been present. Dr.
Johnson, SNDA’s faculty representative, was also in attendance to help guide the students’ analysis.
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DDS Class of 2016
Friends & Family,
As we begin the spring semester, it is astonishing to look at the many firsts we have experienced as a class. Since the
White Coat Ceremony in August, we have been greeted with a new building, signifying our entrance into a field, which,
for many of us, has been a life-long dream. A new curriculum greeted us as well, focusing on systems-based learning and
evidenced-based dentistry. We have all been very excited by the way classes have been combined and scheduled to
complement one another and maximize our learning.
We have also begun to work on our hand skills as we entered Dental Anatomy Lab. While the work has been hard, our
class has bonded in a way that will form lasting relationships even after the completion of our time at UTSD. In addition,
there are even more friendships that have the potential to form due to the increase in our class size to 103! We are all
incredibly grateful for the donations that went to make this and the new building possible. We have arrived in a state-ofthe-art environment in which we can excel.
As spring semester kicks
off, it holds many exciting
opportunities. We will be
able to study Head &
Neck Gross Anatomy.
While the course will be
challenging, we plan to
honor the memory of
those who have donated
themselves to science by
fully applying ourselves
to learning the intricacies
of the human body.
Yet dental school isn’t
just about studying,
we’ve discovered many
of Houston’s hotspots
and bonded during a number of activities, including the recent end-of-the-year party affectionately called Dental Prom.
Many of us have also joined one or more of the clubs and associations UTSD has to offer, including the Psi Omega and
Delta Sigma Delta dental fraternities, the Texas Association of Women Dentists, the Hispanic Student Dental Association,
American Student Dental Association and the newly formed Alpha Omega dental fraternity.
Our class would like to say “thank you” to the family and friends who have helped us to succeed as we adjust to life in a
new dental school. Your love and support push us to excel and make UTSD the wonderful new home it has become.
—Class of 2016 Officers
DDS Class of 2015
Second year has been a very challenging, yet rewarding, experience. We welcomed four international transfer students
to our second-year class, who contributed their clinical skills and knowledge. Through all the stress, heartache and
mental breakdowns, we all survived
what has been deemed the toughest
semester in dental school.
Not only did we take Pharmacology,
Anesthesia, Biomaterials, Operative,
Single unit, Removable Prosthodontics,
Pedodontics and Periodontics, we
spent countless hours refining our hand
skills.
As horrible as all of this sounds, some
students found the time to enjoy the
fall semester by going to various socials
and staying involved in organizations.
Through the semester’s ups and
downs, we have all grown to be a true
family.
As we journey through our spring
semester, we are excited to enter clinic
and treat our first patients. We will use
all the previous information we have
obtained in the past semesters to give
our patients the best of our
capabilities.
This semester we also prepare for our
National Board Part 1 exams. We are
nervous, anxious, yet eager to conquer
this examination so we can focus on
treating patients.
Without our friends and family’s
support we know that this journey may
have been intolerable. We are so
grateful to have such an amazing UT
Family and cannot express our
gratitude.
—Class of 2015 Officers
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DDS Class of 2014
Ask any ceil-blue clad 3rd-year dental student about the past year of her/his progress through the School of
Dentistry, and you will likely hear a variety of impressions, but a common theme. A breathless and dynamic span, the past
12 months have seen our induction into the clinic, our passage of Part I of the board exam, and of course our move to a
bright, new facility.
The biggest changes, though, are less apparent though more profound: the timid hand that last January performed
a shaky first injection on a student partner now operates with the ease of an ever-growing confidence. We have also seen
what our rapidly developing knowledge can mean to our grateful patients, whose generosity of time and body make our
education possible every day. Dentistry has become a live venture for us, filled with responsibility and excitement.
Any 3rd-year student is also sure to report that the last year has been, above all, fun. At UT we consider ourselves
family, and various events throughout the year have been instrumental to nurturing the friendships that will remain strong
for a lifetime. Our class was recently able to hold a chili cook-off, where students displayed previously undreamt-of
culinary skills. Several faculty members even ventured to serve as judges; one blue ribbon was awarded, and everyone
who attended came away as winners.
As we look with great excitement toward the coming year, we remain grateful to the Family and Friends
Association for your generous contribution to our dental student experience. Thank you!!
Dental Hygiene Class of 2013
It feels just like yesterday:
the stress, the sleepless
nights, the multiple Red
Bulls and making Starbucks
rich. The first semester of
our dental hygiene
education has been a long
one, but now, as we enjoy
our last winter break as
students, we start to worry
about the end of our
journey. The two-year
program has flown by so
fast that most of us are still
dazed and cannot believe
we are approaching our last
semester here —
prospective graduates of
the Class of 2013.
Seated from left: Molly Eastman, Minh Ngo, Nancy Wachira, Nickie Vu, Thai Nguyen,
BichVan Nguyen, Katie Oakley, Andrea Mohs, Leslie James, and Nadia Garza.
Standing from left: Alfa Capitillo, Kim Nguyen, Fouzia Mohammed, Terri Ramsey,
Cornelia Gagos, Elizabeth Alvarado, Monica Sanchez, Danny Ruiz and Brittany
Swearengin.
The challenges we faced
from the first semester
cannot be matched with
anything we know, yet
because of all the hardship the class has been through together, we have formed strong friendships that will surely last
for years to come. Each semester brought different challenges, both didactic and clinical. Worrying about Oral
Pathology was one thing, but who would’ve thought our worst nightmare would be Pharmacology? All that can be said
is that … well … everyone can finally breathe again now that the course is over and we all made it!
Clinic this past semester is our most intense session, due to the competences and expectations. The clinic session in the
spring semester will allow room for us to focus more on studying for our National Boards and WREB.
Although only one semester is left, it will take even more sleepless nights, Red Bulls and more Starbucks to get everyone
over our last hurdle – the National Boards. With many projects and activities lined up for the spring semester, the
seniors of the Class of 2013 are ready to tackle whatever comes our way.
The memories, dramas, laughs, arguments, and friends will never be forgotten. This is not just another school year or
another bachelor’s degree to be tucked under our belts; this is where our careers begin, where we become true working
adults. And although this may not be the end of the academic journey for some classmates, it will definitely open new
doors for new opportunities in graduate programs.
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DDS Class of 2013
There was a buzz of excitement in the interview lunchroom. Bright faces filled with anxious anticipation smiled eagerly
as the interviewees sought to learn what it’s like to be a proud student at The University of Texas School of Dentistry in
Houston. My fellow dental students and I answered their questions and explained the life of a dental student as best as
we could. But how can one describe experiences that are so unique? They will never understand the confluence of
emotions felt upon seeing a cadaver for the first time, until they experience it themselves. They haven’t struggled
through memorizing an endless list of drugs and all of the associated pharmacology, dosing, drug interactions, side
effects, and contraindications. They have not carried jars of teeth in their backpacks, stored human skulls in their lockers,
nor burned themselves with wax.
They’re in for an exceptional adventure. And as with most adventures worth telling, there will be tough times. Arthur
Golden aptly wrote, “Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that
afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be.” This was especially true in dental
school, because one will inevitably experience harsh winds that will shake one’s foundations.
However, dental school does not end as a tale of surrender or defeat. It can be a great story of discovery and learning.
Lifelong friendships and memories of laughter in the lab are some of the things I’ll always cherish. Winston Churchill
once said “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” A person’s success can
never be evaluated based on grades or clinical production. It’s in the resolve to work diligently even when it doesn’t pay
off, the determination to maintain compassion even when it’s not appreciated, and the firmness to uphold one’s
integrity even when nobody is watching. These are the things that count in the long run. Dental school is a refining
process that teaches one to pick up the pieces when things fall apart and apply the motto that hard work overcomes
hard luck.
As a fourth-year student with the promise of graduation tantalizingly close, I have many things I wish to impart on the
interviewees. I want to warn them against pride. I want to caution them to overcome laziness. But these are things that
one can only learn from experience, and I can only hope they will maintain their diligence, integrity, and compassion
through the difficult times. These are the principles I carry with me to graduation. I face tomorrow with hope, knowing
that the light that guided me through dental school will continue to lead me to larger discoveries and greater dreams
after graduation.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION
SPRING 2013
Questions or Comments?
This newsletter was made possible thanks to the contributions
of class and organization officers, as well as the help of UTSD
Communications Manager Rhonda Whitmeyer. Please
send comments or suggestions to Dr. Bruce Smith at
Bruce.S.Smith@uth.tmc.edu. If you’re interested in
becoming a Family and Friends Association member, please
print and send the form on Page 4.
Thanks!
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