Dr. Michael Kowolik and Dean John Williams congratulate periodontics master's degree recipient Dr. Jason Au-Yeung
A new dental school reception for graduates and their families, a commencement address by the United States Navy’s top dental officer, and recognition of 224 members of the graduating classes were the highlights of Indiana University School of Dentistry’s 2012 two-day graduation celebration, held in Indianapolis May 12-13.
On Saturday, dental dean Dr. John N. Williams, Jr., hosted the first pre-graduation reception to be held at the school, giving IU’s dental faculty and staff an opportunity to meet the graduates’ families and friends, and giving the graduates a chance to show their guests the dental building, where students devote anywhere from one to eight years in pursuit of degrees and certificates in dentistry.
The graduates included 100 students enrolled in the Doctor of Dental Surgery program as well as 29 in dental assisting, 45 in dental hygiene, 11 in public health dental hygiene, and 39 in a variety of advanced dental programs.
The IU dental school’s classes of 2012 represent young professionals from 24 U.S. states and 15 countries. A total of 156 graduates are from Indiana hometowns, 49 come from other states in the U.S., and 19 are from other nations.
After the dental school reception the graduation party moved downtown to the Indiana Convention Center for the dental school’s pre-commencement ceremony.
Joining Dean Williams on the program was Charles R. Bantz, Ph.D., chancellor of IUPUI and executive vice president of Indiana University.
Rear Admiral Elaine C. Wagner, chief of the U.S. Navy Dental Corps, was invited back to her alma mater to give Dentistry’s pre-commencement address. Admiral Wagner, who also commands the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va., is a 1980 graduate of IU’s dental program and a 1982 graduate of IU’s pediatric dentistry program.
She wove her address around the theme of trust and the importance of each dental school graduate developing trust as a team leader, not only in one’s profession but also in one’s community, one’s country, and in all aspects of one’s life. “Trust is the one thing that is common to every individual, relationship, team, family, organization, nation, economy, and civilization throughout the world,” she said. She challenged the graduates to become adept at establishing, extending – and, if necessary, restoring – trust, and to build their lives around others who are trustworthy.
At the close of her address, Admiral Wagner swore in two of the school’s dental graduates as lieutenants in the U.S. Navy Dental Corps: Mark Anderko and Matthew R. Kanter.
Four of the graduates gave farewell remarks on behalf of their classes: Chelsee N. Ehrhardt, dental assisting president; Cari B. Willingham, dental hygiene president; Ali S. Sajadi, dentistry president; and Dr. Nawaf Y. Labban, Advanced Graduate Organization president.
Each graduate crossed the stage to receive his or her diploma or certificate, and graduates receiving the Doctor of Dental Surgery degree went through an additional hooding ceremony. Dental graduates were given the choice of being hooded by either an IU professor or a member of their own family holding a doctoral degree. Faculty members participating in the hooding were Drs. Steven E. Dixon, Vanchit John, Philip C. Rake, and Trevor E. Treasure.
Saturday’s pre-commencement was complemented on Sunday by a dental graduation awards program and breakfast, also held at the convention center. More than 100 honors and awards were bestowed on 53 students, including 17 men and women who were inducted at a previous ceremony into the national honor societies for Dentistry and Dental Hygiene.
From there, the graduates moved to the convention center’s main auditorium for IUPUI’s commencement, which celebrated the efforts of more than 6,500 IUPUI graduates who completed their studies in 2012.
Indiana University School of Dentistry 2012 Graduation Honors and Awards
HONORS
Candidates, Associate of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene
Highest Distinction
Morgan M. Flook
Chassi M. Lecher
High Distinction
BreAnn E. Thornburg
Kristen M. Fahringer
Distinction
Cari B. Willingham
Candidates, Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree
Highest Distinction
Amanda F. Kot
High Distinction
Diana C. Wu
Jonathan M. Dingeldein
Shellie A. Steffen
Katherine M. Hungate
Christopher W. Painton
Katarzyna Pycinska
Brian P. LaBlonde
Katie E. Wolz
Timothy J. Zigler
Theta Chapter, Sigma Phi Alpha Dental Hygiene Honor Society Alumni
Morgan M. Flook
Chassi M. Lecher
BreAnn E. Thornburg
Samantha N. Turner
Cari B. Willingham
Theta Theta Chapter, Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Honor Society Alumni
Lesa M. Allison
Jayme L. Beadle
Jonathan M. Dingeldein
Keith J. Harrison
Katherine M. Hungate
Amanda F. Kot *
Daniel P. O’Callaghan
Christopher W. Painton
Shellie A. Steffen
Katie E. Wolz
Diana C. Wu
Timothy J. Zigler
*OKU Outstanding Student
AWARDS
DENTAL ASSISTING
Rosemary L. Burskey
• Academic Achievement Award
• Procter & Gamble Best Clinician Award
Danielle J.-N. Tanner
• Clinical Achievement Award
DENTAL HYGIENE
Lauren M. Abbott
• Indiana University School of Dentistry Alumni Association Harriett F. Hine Award
Morgan M. Flook
• Rossya Kaufman Memorial Award
Ashantae B. Geringer
• Northeast Regional Board Scholarship
Kelsey L. Goodman
• A. Rebekah Fisk Memorial Award of the Indiana Dental Hygienists’ Association
Jennifer L. Iannotti
• Johnson Public Health Scholarship Award
Chassi M. Lecher
• Rossya Kaufman Memorial Award
• Dr. Tillman E. Miller Clinical Achievement Award in Dental Hygiene, 2nd place
Matti K. Lynn
• Johnson & Johnson Professional Excellence Award
Michelle K. Mogg
• American Association of Public Health Dentistry Award
Kaitlyn E. Moody
• Procter & Gamble Prevention Award
Melanie D. Smith
• Johnson Public Health Scholarship
• Colgate S.T.A.R. Award
• Student American Dental Hygienists’ Association Leadership Award
Michelle Soriano
• Hu-Friedy Award
Cari B. Willingham
• Dr. Tillman E. Miller Clinical Achievement Award in Dental Hygiene, 1st place
DENTISTRY
Joseph B. Adams
• American Association of Endodontists Student Achievement Award
Lesa M. Allison
• American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry Award
• James E. Humphrey, D.D.S. Memorial Scholarship Award
Jason A. Bayless
• Russell Winfield Lehman DDS Scholarship Award
• American College of Prosthodontists Award
Ross T. Bowen
• Indianapolis General Dentistry Study Club Award
Devanshu Chowdhary
• Indiana Society of Periodontists Award
Christopher M. Cummings
• American Academy of Periodontology Award
• American Student Dental Association Award
• Indiana Dental Association Award
Kara M. Czarkowski
• American Association of Oral Biologists Award
Jenna M. Davies
• James E. Humphrey, D.D.S. Memorial Scholarship Award
Darren M. Dean
• American Academy of Oral Medicine Certificate of Merit and Award
Jonathan M. Dingeldein
• Quintessence Publishing Company Award in Restorative Dentistry
• Whip Mix Hanau Best of the Best Prosthodontics Award
Chris S. Ha
• James L. Maus Memorial Scholarship Award
Keith J. Harrison
• American Dental Society of Anesthesiology Horace Wells Award
Katherine M. Hungate
• American Association of Orthodontists Award
• American College of Dentists Outstanding Student Leader Award
Olga Isyutina
• American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Award
• Research Honors Program—Certificate of Achievement
John P. Jansen
• Quintessence Publishing Company Award in Research
Brett Jones
• Dr. Charles E. and Janice B. Kem Award
Matthew R. Kanter
• Northeast Regional Board Scholarship
Patrick S. Kelly
• Glenn J. Pell Award
• American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Award
• Dental Lifeline Network Outstanding Student Award
Amanda F. Kot
• Alpha Omega Scholarship Award
• DENTSPLY Merit Award in Removable Prosthodontics
• John F. Johnston Award
• IU School of Dentistry’s Outstanding Student (presented at the IUPUI Chancellor’s Academic Honors Convocation)
Brian P. LaBlonde
• Academy of Operative Dentistry Award
Kevin H. Ludwig
• American Equilibration Society Achievement Award
• Indiana University School of Dentistry Alumni Association Maynard K. Hine Award
Jeremy I. Matis
• Certificate of Merit, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Award
Jeffrey M. McQuinn
• American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Dental Implant Award
• Academy of Osseointegration Outstanding Dental Student in Implant Dentistry Award
• Academy of General Dentistry Award
Patrick M. Murray
• International Congress of Oral Implantologists/Sullivan Schein Dental Achievement Award
• American Academy of Implant Dentistry Award
Daniel P. O’Callaghan
• Indiana Society of Pediatric Dentistry Award
Christopher W. Painton
• Quintessence Publishing Company Award in Periodontics
Katarzyna Pycinska
• Academy of Dental Materials Award
Ali S. Sajadi
• International College of Dentists Student Leadership Award
Kurush Savabi
• American Academy of Gold Foil Operators Award
• American Academy of Craniofacial Pain Award
• American Academy of Orofacial Pain – Outstanding Senior Award
Stephanie L. So
• American Association of Public Health Dentistry Award
• Delta Dental Fund Student Leadership Award
Shellie A. Steffen
• American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Award
Eric J. Westergard
• Pierre Fauchard Academy Award
Diana C. Wu
• American Association of Women Dentists Eleanor J. Bushee Award
• Research Honors Program—Certificate of Achievement
Timothy J. Zigler
• Dr. Tillman E. Miller Clinical Achievement Award in Dentistry
• Academy of General Dentistry Award
May 14, 2012
Rear Admiral Elaine Wagner
IUPUI Chancellor Charles Bantz
Dental graduates Jenna Davies, Laura Davila, and Darren Dean
Dental hygiene graduate Amanda Heath
Dental assisting
graduates Abigail Servies
and McKenzie Smith
Dental graduate Diana Wu with hooders Trevor Treasure (left), Steven Dixon, and Vanchit John
Dental graduates Mark Anderko and Matthew Kanter are sworn into the U.S. Navy Dental Corps as lieutenants by Admiral Wagner.
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