ORLANDO, Fla., March 18, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Dental Education Association (ADEA) President Leo E. Rouse, D.D.S., presented Presidential Citations to seven leaders who have demonstrated exceptional service to the Association and dental education. Awards were presented at the 2012 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition on March 18, 2012.
"I chose each of the 2012 ADEA Presidential Citation recipients for their dedication to dental education, says Dr. Rouse. "This is a group of extraordinary leaders who have made major contributions to both dental education and ADEA. I am proud to honor them with this award."
Citations were presented to:
L. Jackson Brown, D.D.S., M.Phil., Ph.D., Editor, Journal of Dental Education
Dr. Brown has served as the Editor of the Journal since March 2009. He brought a unique combination of policy and research expertise to the Journal of Dental Education. Under his direction, the manuscript submission process was significantly streamlined and now attracts 60% more submissions annually from more than 50 countries worldwide. He has been active in academic dentistry, organized dentistry, and dental research for 40 years.
W. David Brunson, D.D.S., Senior Director of Access, Diversity and Inclusion, ADEA
Dr. Brunson serves as the Senior Director of Access, Diversity and Inclusion at ADEA. Also, he serves as a Co-Deputy Director for the AAMC/ADEA Summer Medical and Dental Education Program and as Director for the ADEA/Gies Foundation/AADR Academic Dental Careers Fellowship Program. Prior to joining the ADEA staff in 2004, he served as the Assistant Dean for Predoctoral Education and a Clinical Professor in the Department of Diagnostic Sciences and General Dentistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There he managed the predoctoral admissions process, student services, and the predoctoral dental curriculum.
Robert S. Johns, Executive Director, National Dental Association
Mr. Johns is Executive Director of the National Dental Association (NDA). As Executive Director, a position he has held since 1991, he promotes the ideal that health care is a right for all, not a privilege for just a few. He is an ardent proponent of equal rights and equal access to health care, and he consistently advocates for increased diversity in dental student enrollment and dental school faculty. He has worked closely with ADEA's Minority Affairs Section to promote the recruitment of minority students and dental faculty. Through his efforts, programs for the minority faculty have also been incorporated into the programming of the NDA annual convention.
Linda C. Niessen, D.M.D., M.P.H., M.P.P, Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, DENTSPLY International, Inc.
Dr. Niessen serves as Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for Dentsply International, Inc. She is also a clinical professor in the department of restorative sciences at Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, Texas. Currently she is Vice President of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry and on the Board of Regents of the American College of Dentists and on the Board of Directors for Oral Health America. A noted lecturer, writer, and public health advocate, she authored the textbook Geriatric Dentistry: Aging and Oral Health. During her tenure as Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at Baylor College of Dentistry, she initiated advanced education programs in dental public health and geriatric dentistry as part of the Baylor partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.
Kathleen T. O'Loughlin, D.M.D., M.P.H., Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, American Dental Association
Dr. O'Loughlin is Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the American Dental Association. Prior to joining the ADA, she served as the Chief Dental Officer for United Health Group, and President and CEO of Delta Dental of Massachusetts. Also, she practiced dentistry for over 20 years, while serving as an assistant clinical professor at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. She currently serves as a Trustee of Tufts University and is a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Overseers for Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.
Cecile E. Skinner, D.D.S., Ph.D, M.S., Associate Dean for Academic & Student Affairs, Howard University College of Dentistry
Dr. Skinner joined the faculty at Howard University College of Dentistry as an Instructor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry. Upon completion of a Ph.D. in Anatomy she became a tenured professor in the Department of Fixed Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry, with a joint appointment in the Department of Anatomy at Howard University College of Medicine. Inspired and encouraged by visionary Dr. Jeanne Sinkford, she followed Dr. Sinkford's path and was appointed as Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs at the College of Dentistry in 2001. Since that appointment the school has been recognized for its academic excellence as a result of increased passing rates on the National Dental Board Exams and the restructuring of the curriculum to facilitate the learning styles of the "Millennium" generation which increased Scholarship and Research Awards and ultimately increased retention and graduation rates.
Marilyn W. Woolfolk, D.D.S., M.P.H., Assistant Dean for Student Services, University of Michigan School of Dentistry
Dr. Woolfolk is the Assistant Dean for Student Services at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry and the 2012 Annual Session Program Committee chair. Her scholarly activities, publications, and teaching have focused on documenting the oral health status of special populations and the effects of race and ethnicity on oral health-related quality of life. She has dedicated her career to increasing access to health professions education, coordinating and evaluating community-based education, and increasing the diversity of the health care work force.
About the American Dental Education Association
The American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is the voice of dental education. Its members include all U.S. and Canadian dental schools and many allied and postdoctoral dental education programs, corporations, faculty, and students. The mission of ADEA is to lead individuals and institutions of the dental education community to address contemporary issues influencing education, research, and the delivery of oral health care for the health of the public. ADEA's activities encompass a wide range of research, advocacy, faculty development, meetings, and communications like the esteemed Journal of Dental Education, as well as the dental school admissions services AADSAS, PASS, and CAAPID.
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