Results: 219 news stories
Meet the Faculty: Dr. Charles 'Chuck' Powell
On September 1, 2020, the Department of Periodontics welcomed Charles A. Powell, DDS, MS back to campus as a member of its faculty. Born and raised in Dallas, Dr. Powell earned his DDS from the UT Health Science Center at Houston and, while receiving his periodontics training at Lackland Air Force Base, he earned his MS in periodontics right here at UT Health San Antonio. A six-week course focused on periodontics is what first attracted him to the specialty. “In many ways it was a brief residency where I discovered many new therapies such as regenerative therapy and dental implants,” Dr.
Senior dental student honored with the Dorothy R. and Vick F. Williams Endowment scholarship
At the end of August, the UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry awarded over $250,000 in scholarships to support sixty-eight dental and dental hygiene students with their tuition and other education-related expenses. Funding for scholarships comes to the school courtesy of gracious donors and professional associations invested in supporting students who are in pursuit of their Doctor of Dental Science degree or their Bachelor’s in Dental Hygiene degree. Vick F.
Remembering Dr. John Littlefield
On Sunday, September 6, 2020, a colleague and dear friend of the School of Dentistry, John H. Littlefield, PhD, passed away peacefully with his wife, Dr. Benda Talley Littlefield, by his side. A valued education consultant for over 40 years, Dr. Littlefield joined the UT Health San Antonio in 1976. He served the institution as director of the division of Educational Research and Development, as well as director for the Academic Center for Excellence in Teaching.
Meet the Faculty: Dr. Andrea Bordoy
Since 2018, Andrea Bordoy, DDS, has acquainted herself rather well with the UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry as she completed both an observership and an internship within the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Effective September 1, 2020, Dr. Bordoy steps into a new role and joins the department’s faculty as an assistant professor. Dr. Bordoy grew up in Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas and earned her dental degree in 2009 at Santa María University.
BDA survey recognizes Dr. Hargreaves’ role in most influential endodontics textbook of the past century
The British Dental Association (BDA) has shared the results of a survey its members participated in to select the most influential dental textbooks from the past 100 years. Among the 8 categories evaluated, “Cohen’s Pathways of the Pulp” won the endodontics category with a substantial 77.8% vote. Originally published in 1976, the 12th edition of the text has been edited by Kenneth M. Hargreaves, DDS, PhD, professor and chair of the department of endodontics at the UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry, and Louis H. Berman, DDS, FACD.
Meet the Faculty: Dr. Lea El Hachem
The School of Dentistry would like to welcome Lea El Hachem, DDS, CAGS, MSd, a newly appointed faculty member in the department of periodontics. Dr. Hachem, as she prefers to be called, earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at the Université Saint-Joseph in Beirut, Lebanon and completed a post-doctoral program in periodontics at Boston University, earning her Master of Science in Oral Biology and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Periodontics. She is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. Drawn to academia early on, Dr.
Welcome to the 2020 - 2021 Academic Year
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:
I would like to extend a very warm greeting to our campus community and welcome you to the 2020-2021 academic year at the UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry! Although we begin the term operating in an untraditional fashion, we continue to work together to educate the next generation of outstanding oral health professionals, treat the communities that need us most, and advance science to prevent and manage oral diseases and their sequalae.
DS4 takes first place at 2020 Humanitarian Health Conference for interprofessional outreach experience presentation
This June, Luke Seiler, DS4, won first place for his poster, entitled “Upstream Preventative Interprofessional Team Approach for an Ethiopian Outreach”, at the virtual 2020 Humanitarian Health Conference, an Institute for International Medicine event. The poster highlighted clinic protocol and baseline data collected during a dental and medical outreach trip to Ethiopia in June of 2019. The Ethiopian Outreach Last summer, Luke Seiler, DS4, Keith Usry, DS4, Claudia Samaniego, DS4, Michelle Zhou, DS3, and Moshtagh Farokhi, DDS, MPH, a clinical associate professor in the department of comprehe
Delta Dental foundation awards $30K grant for pediatric dental care
The Delta Dental Community Care Foundation has awarded a $30,000 grant to support the care efforts of the UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry’s high risk pediatric dental patients. Since 2011, the Delta Dental Insurance Company’s philanthropic arm, The Delta Dental Community Care Foundation, has partnered with local communities to increase access to care, support dental education, and fund research that advances oral health. The grant will be halved to support the school’s pediatric dental specialty programs at the Ricardo Salinas Clinic and at the dental health clinic located within t
2020 - 2021 Student Leadership Announced
Leadership at all levels is highly valued at the School of Dentistry, especially student leadership.
2020 Commencement Ceremony
The UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry conducted its 2020 Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 28th through a virtual platform in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ceremony was broadcast live from the Holly Auditorium where administrative leadership, supportive faculty and staff safely gathered to cheer on the Class of 2020. All graduates and their guests viewed the ceremony from the comfort of their homes around the globe. Peter M.
2020 Senior Awards
Eighty-five awards and honors were presented to the School of Dentistry’s Class of 2020 on Monday, May 18, 2020.
Bridging the gap to offer Continuing Dental Education courses
In Texas, all active dentists and dental hygienists are required by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners to accrue up to 24 hours of continuing education (CE) biennially. During a time in our history when dental professionals are not permitted to gather for live courses, Scott Stafford, D.D.S., M.B.A., and his team have quickly changed tactics to make sure their office bridges that gap. Dr. Stafford, director of the Office of Continuing Dental Education, began by utilizing Canvas Conferences to host Grand Rounds on April 3, 2020.
A Founding Father Retires after 49 Years
Every dental student the School of Dentistry has trained over the last 49 years has been educated by Glenn R. Walters, D.D.S., an associate professor in the department of endodontics since 1971. Dr. Walters packed away his endodontic ruler on Friday, May 1, 2020, officially retiring from the UT Health San Antonio. “Glenn was the founding chair of our department”, says Ken Hargreaves, D.D.S., Ph.D., chair of the department of endodontics. “He was instrumental in creating an environment where education was a priority and a pleasure.
Hispanic Center of Excellence Awarded 8th Year of Funding
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provided notice of award to the School of Dentistry's Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE) on Thursday, May 7, 2020. The nearly $700K award marks the start of the HCOE's 8th year under the direction of Juanita Lozano-Pineda, D.D.S., M.P.H., associate professor in the department of comprehensive dentistry and associate dean for external affairs. The Center provides for educational opportunities in dentistry for current and prospective dental students.
Ending Dental School under COVID-19: Bending with the Wind
Earlier today, I entered the COHCR one final time as a student for my last clinic check-out. After turning in my things, cleaning out my bay, and saying my goodbyes, I had to stop by UT Police to turn in my UT Health San Antonio I.D. badge. I couldn’t help but be a little wistful as I did so. If you saw me on campus at any point over the last four years, I was wearing that I.D. badge around my neck on a blue silk lanyard. I was asked to write about the dental student experience under new social distancing protocols regarding COVID-19.
The Academic Front Line
Front line is a term used to describe the position closest to an area of conflict. Conflict was certainly heading towards us in early March when the coronavirus was spreading across the nation. Academic deans assembled in formation and agreed that virtual delivery of didactic coursework was necessary to keep faculty and students safe, while sustaining our educational missions. At face value, it might not seem like a difficult task to transition didactic or pre-clinical courses from a traditional setting to a virtual platform.
2020 AAE President's Awardee, Dr. Ken Hargreaves
The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) announced this month that Kenneth M. Hargreaves, D.D.S., Ph.D., professor and chair of the department of endodontics, has received their esteemed 2020 President’s Award. This prestigious nod from the association celebrates Dr. Hargreaves’ contributions as “an outstanding member whose efforts to promote and advance the Association go above and beyond”, the announcement says. With a deep commitment to patient experience, much of Dr. Hargreaves’ research revolves around discovering safer pain management practices for acute and chronic conditions.
A Note of Gratitude
San Antonio may not have yet seen the peak of coronavirus, but I am humbled by the activity from all units and departments in the School of Dentistry as they respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. Thank you to our staff members at all campuses who are disinfecting high traffic surfaces, effectively safeguarding our caregivers and patients. Thank you for being flexible as your duties shift throughout this process of modified operations. Thank you to our dental and dental hygiene students who have suddenly found themselves in virtual classrooms.
Oral Medicine, the 11th specialty
In a letter to the board of trustees and academy membership, The American Academy of Oral Medicine (AAOM), announced that the board of the National Commission on the Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards voted in favor of recognizing Oral Medicine as a specialty at its March meeting. This announcement makes Oral Medicine the 11th recognized dental specialty of the American Dental Association, along with dental anesthesiology, dental public health, endodontics, oral & maxillofacial pathology, oral & maxillofacial radiology, oral & maxillofacial surgery orthodontics