Welcome to the second edition of eImages electronic newsletter for Marquette Dental School alumni. The plan is to come to you via email three times a year with news and updates – and a final printed version of Dental Images will arrive in your mailboxes in late fall.
Since the last issue, we’ve celebrated the Commencement of our Class of 2021. These graduates completed their education during the pandemic, so there were unanticipated challenges during their last year, but they carried on and accomplished their goals as every graduating class has before them — to leave as well-trained, competent graduates. We are proud of them all and wish them well as they venture into the dental profession. Read about the modifications we made in the graduation celebrations below.
We hope you enjoy this new form of communication that many requested. We’re still building our email list, so if you know of alumni who are not receiving this newsletter yet, please reply to this email with their information so that we can add them to the list.
I wish you all the best!
Dr. William Lobb
Dean and Professor of Developmental Sciences
Marquette School of Dentistry
A modified, all-in-one celebration this year
As you may know, typical graduation events at Marquette Dental School span several days of honors and celebration, but this year due to COVID-19, it all took place on Friday, May 21, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. — with live-streaming to more than 500 family and friends.
“This year, what was normally three separate events we accomplished all in one night,” explains Dr. Lisa Koenig, associate dean for Academic Affairs, who served as master of ceremonies. “There was a 135-person limit, so no guests were allowed to ensure we could social distance to protect everyone’s health.”
The evening celebration began with awards — including honor society inductees, awards from specialty organizations recognizing students who had excelled in specific fields of dentistry and academic honors. The award for the highest academic average went to Maggie Mueller.
Members of the Class of 2021 participated in the program: a welcome to the class by Ashley Chen, the National Anthem sung by Nadia Hatoum, the dentist’s pledge led by Grant Mickesh, and closing remarks offered by Turner Schmidt. Emily Schuler, the class president, shared some heartfelt comments with her class and reflected on some challenges the COVID pandemic presented.
The hooding ceremony, which is very meaningful to students, was a little different this year. Due to COVID restrictions, the tradition of having mentors or family members with a dental degree hood the students was not possible. The class of 2021 chose two faculty members, Dr. Jeffrey Janosik and Dr. William Toburen to don their doctoral hoods.
Other highlights of the evening included an address and conferral of degrees by Dean William Lobb, a Military Promotion ceremony for five members of the class, a class blessing, and the class photo (one with and one without masks).
“Although this was not how the school had planned to celebrate,“ notes Dr. Koenig, “we are grateful we were able to gather together and recognize the Class of 2021 who we trust will have fond memories of the all-inclusive event.”
View the graduation program here.
Watch the graduation video below
To maintain clinical operations and management, some changes were made to the administrative team.
Dr. Conrad Nenn now serves the role of associate dean for Clinical Affairs. Dr. Nenn will be responsible for the administrative oversight and planning related to all clinical operations and programming within the dental school.
Dr. Hank Rossi now holds the position of clinic director and chair of Clinical Services.
Dr. Michael Vitense has joined the administrative team full time as comprehensive patient management group leader to replace the position Dr. Rossi previously served.
Dr. Brian Hodgson, Dent ’87, was recently appointed director of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. In 2010, he began serving as a consultant to the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, assisting in the oral board examination activities. In 2015, he became a member of the Oral Clinical Examination Committee of the ABPD, where he continues to serve today as the OCE Part A Leader.
Dr. Hodgson is currently a full-time professor at Marquette University School of Dentistry and recently accepted the position of dental director of the Gardetto Family Dental Clinic at St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care in Milwaukee, which serves only adults and children with special health care needs.
Graduates of the Program in Orthodontics Dr. Jamie Martin, Dent '19, Dr. Shiloh Golden, Dent '20, Dr. Tara Groen, Dent '20, and Dr. Jared Holloway, Dent '20, all successfully challenged the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) clinical exam in February 2021 and became ABO-certified orthodontists.
Dr. Joe Flask, H Sci '10, Dent '13, Grad '21, (former full-time MUSoD faculty member) graduated from the Dental Biomaterials Master of Science program in May 2021. As part of his program requirement, his research on translucent zirconia was recently accepted by the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry (Flask JD, Thompson GA, Singh M, Berzins DW. Edge chipping of translucent zirconia. J Prosthet Dent. 2021 Feb 11:S0022-3913(20)30801-5. Doi 10.1016/j.prosdent.2020.12.009
Dr. Ana Bedran-Russo is the recipient of the 2021 Way Klingler Fellowship award. The Way Klingler Faculty Development Program is a series of awards intended to advance research and scholarship, made possible through an $18 million donation from Helen Way Klingler in 2004. The Way Klingler Fellowship provides well-established researchers $25,000 to advance their research. Dr. Bedran-Russo will use the funds to study how teeth age. This is the first time a faculty member in the School of Dentistry has received this prestigious award.
Mitchell Piacsek, H Sci '20, dental student, is the recipient of the 2021 Ralph Phillips Student Research Award. This competitive student award from the Academy of Operative Dentistry will provide funds for Piacsek to carry out a research project entitled “Pulpal Stem Cells Differentiation and Dentin Formation Mediated by Plant Biopolymers,” and present the results as a Clinic Table at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Academy in Chicago in February 2022. Dr. Ana Bedran-Russo is his mentor.
Dr. Thomas Forecki, Dent '77, and Dr. Don Novakovic, Dent '66, won the Part-Time Faculty Excellence in Teaching Awards. They received support from a variety of student and non-student nominators, who provided many excellent reasons why they were very worthy recipients of this recognition.
The following faculty and staff have retired in the last year and a half. We thank them for their service and dedication to Marquette University School of Dentistry and send our best wishes for a happy and healthy retirement.
Full-Time Faculty
Staff
Part-Time Faculty
With restrictions in 2020, the reunions for classes ending in 0 or 5 were postponed and will take place the same weekend as the scheduled 2021 reunions. Classes ending in 0 or 5 will meet on Friday, September 17, and those classes ending in 1 or 6 will celebrate on Saturday, September 18.
In addition, a CE Program Breathing/Sleep Disorders: Stay Awake for Life will be offered on Friday morning, tours of the school will be available Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, and a Dean’s Circle event will take place on Sunday, September 19.
If you are in one of these graduating classes and have not received registration information or you would like to register by phone, please call (414) 288-3093.
If you’re practicing dentistry in Wisconsin, license renewal is due by September 30, 2021. We have a wide variety of courses available, both online and in person, to assist you with your CE requirement. This includes a free online course that satisfies the requirement for two hours on responsible prescribing of controlled substances. See all our continuing education offerings here.
Dr. Monica Hebl, Dent '85, Dr. Tammy Boudry, H Sci '99, Dent '06, and Dr. Wendy AuClair Clark, Dent '07, were the recipients of the 2021 School of Dentistry Alumni Awards. Congratulations to all three deserving award winners!
Do you know someone who should be nominated for a future award? We accept online nominations here.
Dr. Emily A. Hahn, H Sci '09, Dent '12, received the Greater St. Louis Dental Society’s Award of Merit at the Society’s Annual Installation of Officers and Awards Ceremony on Sunday, April 11, 2021, at the Piazza Messina in Cottleville, Missouri.
Dr. Hahn was also honored as a 10 Under 10 Award Winner by the ADA, which honors dentistry’s rising stars: dentists who are making an impact on the profession less than 10 years after graduating from dental school. The 2021 winners drive dentistry forward and inspire their colleagues through their work in science, research and education, practice excellence, philanthropy, leadership and advocacy. Find the full story here.
Dr. Jim Flatley, Dent ’74, (left) and Dr. Mark Larson, Dent '74, met up recently for lunch and reminisced about their close MUSoD family connections. Both now reside in Central Florida and are both retired Navy Captains. Dr. Larson is enjoying retirement in the Ocala area and Dr. Flatley continues in part-time practice in the Orlando area.
Their Marquette history goes way back. Mark’s father, Dr. Gil Larson II, Dent '42, was also a retired Navy Captain who later entered private practice in Menomonee Falls, Wis., and served as a prosthodontics instructor at Marquette. Mark’s brother, Dr. Gil Larson III, Dent '69, is a retired Captain in the Navy Reserve and also retired as the VA Director of Dental Programs in Honolulu. Mark’s mother, Mil Larsen, Dent Hy ‘40, was also an MUSoD graduate, .
Jim’s father, L. James Flatley Jr., Dent '45, and grandfather, Leo J. Flatley Sr., Dent 1917, practiced together for many years in Kenosha, Wis. Jim’s wife, Pam, (Hauge) Flatley, Dent Hy ’72, and his sister, Jeanne (Flatley) Bohman, Dent Hy ’79, also are Marquette grads. Jim’s sister, Rosemary, was a dental assistant in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for many years and assisted Jim during his Wisconsin state board exam at Marquette in 1974.
As fate would have it, Mark’s father and Jim’s mother passed away within weeks of one another. Two years later, Dr. L. James Flatley married Ms. Mil Larson. Their MUSoD connection was one of many commonalities. They were happily married for 15 years before passing away several years ago.
Sixteen members of the MUSoD Class of 1981 gathered on May 15 and 16, 2021, at the cottage of Dr. Robert Klement, Dent '81, on Whitesand Lake in Lac du Flambeau, Wis. The weekend consisted of robust days of continuing education, professional camaraderie, honring the memory of Dr. Richard (Dick) Reilly, Dent '81, and reminiscing about the good old days when the school was located on N. 16th Street and Wisconsin Avenue.
Tucson, Ariz., friends and neighbors recently discovered that all four of them were Marquette University graduates and coincidently live on the intersection of Golden Eagle Drive. Left to right: Dr. Greg Samuels, Dent ’72, Susie (Grimes) Samuels, Dent Hy ’70, Lois Fisher, Med Tech ’58, and Dr. Terry Fisher, Arts '58, Med '62, Marquette University High School, 1954.
The dental school's museum received two vintage dentoforms from the families of Dr. McCormick, Dent '52, and Dr. Robert Karczewski, Dent '57. The museum appreciates displaying these treasured dental school projects that enhance the museum's story telling of past school curriculum.
Thank you to both families for your generous donations.
Many thanks to Dr. Paul Mahn, Dent '84, who practices in West Allis, Wis., for gifting three hand-colored, whimsical dental-themed signed prints to the dental school's art committee. Dr. Mahn originally purchased the three art pieces from the artist at an ADA convention. The fun aspect of the art reflects Dr. Mahn's people-centered approach to providing dental care. The comic-book-style prints will now bring big smiles to patients at the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic at Marquette.
Thanks for reading the first issue of eImages newsletter from Marquette School of Dentistry. If you have achievements or ideas for topics you would like us to share in the next edition, please reach out to us at dentalimages2@marquette.edu.
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