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December 2002 Calendar

COMING UP

Indiana University School of Dentistry
Calendar of Events

December 2002

Happy Holidays, Everyone -- May 2003 bring you

Good Health, a Bounty of Time with your Loved Ones,

and a Horizon Rich with Opportunities

 

To look up and not down,

To look forward and not back,

To look out and not in, and

To lend a hard.

  â€"Edward Everett Hale
      (1822-1909)

December is the time for holiday cheer -- and it's also the time when all full- and part-time IUSD employees must enroll in an OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE session. Dr. Jack Schaaf, chair of the Infection Control Committee, has arranged 6 one-hour sessions to choose from this year, including an evening course for those who can't make one of the noon classes. Registration is not required. The only employees who don't have to participate are those who have already taken an update required for hospital privileges or for private practice. Dates are listed throughout the calendar.

2 (Mon)

NATIONAL DENTAL BOARD EXAMINATION, Part I

LAST DAY TO REGISTER for the 3rd annual Holiday Door Contest. Registration forms go to Hazel Edmundson in Service and Supply, DS B22, 278-2260.

2,3 (Mon, Tues)

NATIONAL DENTAL BOARD EXAMINATION, Part II

3 (Tues)

NATIONAL DENTAL HYGIENE BOARD EXAMINATION

4 (Wed)

STAFF COUNCIL, noon in DS115

5 (Thurs)

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE session, noon-1 p.m. in DS S116

STATE OF THE CAMPUS ADDRESS for IUPUI Faculty Council and Faculty Body, 3-5:30 p.m. in IH 100

6 (Fri)

LAST DAY OF FALL SEMESTER CLASSES

LAST DAY TO DECORATE for the Holiday Door Contest

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE session, noon-1 p.m. in DS S116

8 (Sun)

Last day to submit a nomination for the IUPUI EXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY AWARDS. The IUPUI Chancellor's Diversity Cabinet is seeking nominations and applications from students, staff, faculty, and community members for these awards, which honor IUPUI academic and support programs, events, and policies for exemplary achievements in 1) recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups, 2) diverse campus climate, and 3) innovative academic activities. To print a nomination form, go to http://diversity.iupui.edu

9 (Mon)

Judging for the HOLIDAY DOOR CONTEST takes place this morning.

DENTAL FACULTY PRIVATE PRACTICE board of directors meeting, 8 a.m. in the Dean's Office

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE session, noon-1 p.m. in DS S117

Please join Dean Lawrence Goldblatt and some special guests for the school's traditional HOLIDAY PARTY, 3-5 p.m. in the IUSD basement lounge. Take a few minutes this afternoon to get together with your friends and colleagues to wish them the best for the holidays and the year ahead. All faculty, staff, and students are invited to participate in this annual celebration. Let's share some good food, good company, and good times.

9-13 (Mon-Fri)

ASSESSMENT WEEK for dental students and FINAL EXAMINATION WEEK for dental assisting, dental hygiene, and graduate students

10 (Tues)

Take advantage of this opportunity to PARTICIPATE IN THE SELECTION OF THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY, 10:45-11:45 a.m. in room 132 of the University Place Conference Center. The meeting has been scheduled to give dental school faculty and staff a chance to discuss the selection process with some of the people who are leading this effort, including 3 members of the IU Board of Trustees and the IUPUI members of the search and screen committee. All faculty and staff are welcome -- please participate if you can.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE session, noon-1 p.m. in DS S117

STAFF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL TRAINING FOR SUPERVISORS (faculty and staff responsible for making staff performance appraisals), by Elizabeth Hatcher, director of staff development and support; 2:30-3:30 p.m. in DS S116. Register by contacting Katherine English by e-mail or by phone, 274-7758.

11 (Wed)

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE sessions, noon-1 p.m. in DS S116 or 5:15-6:15 p.m. in DS S116

12 (Thurs)

STAFF COUNCIL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, noon in DS S119

13 (Fri)

RESEARCH COMMITTEE, 8 a.m. in DS S421

FALL SEMESTER ENDS 5 p.m.

14 (Sat)

The IUSD LIBRARY'S SPECIAL HOLIDAY SCHEDULE BEGINS TODAY. The library will be closed on the following weekends: Dec. 14-15, 21-22, and 28-29, and Jan. 4-5. From Dec. 16 through Jan. 3, the library will be open on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for Christmas day and New Year's day, when the library will be closed. Regular library hours resume on Monday, Jan. 6.

18 (Wed)

ALL DENTAL STUDENT GRADES DUE TO THE STUDENT OFFICE by 9 a.m.

19 (Thurs)

PROGRESS COMMITTEE meeting to discuss first- and second-year DDS students, 8 a.m. in DS S421

20 (Fri)

STUDENT RESEARCH SUBCOMMITTEE, 8 a.m. in DS S421

PROGRESS COMMITTEE meeting to discuss third- and fourth-year DDS students, noon in DS S421

23-Jan 3 (Mon-Fri)

CLINICS CLOSED

25 (Wed)

CHRISTMAS (school closed)

25-Jan 1 (Wed-Wed)

ALPHA OMEGA INTERNATIONAL DENTAL FRATERNITY annual meeting, Washington, D.C.

Jan 1 (Wed)

NEW YEAR'S DAY (school closed)

 

Jan 6 (Mon)

CLINICS REOPEN and SPRING SEMESTER BEGINS for all IUSD students

 

People, Places & Things

MARK YOUR SPRING SEMESTER CALENDARS. IU's Human Resource Services has created a training series exclusively for IUSD's faculty and staff to provide us with the type of information that can help us enhance our communication skills. Training consultants have set up 4 courses this spring, and participants must register for all 4 sessions so please plan ahead. Each course will be held at Walker Plaza on a Wednesday afternoon. Register with Katherine English, 274-7758. Save these dates:

Jan. 29: Basics in Communication, 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Feb. 26: Body Talk: Understanding Non-Verbal Communication, 1:30-4:30 p.m.

March 26: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), 1-4:30 p.m.

April 30: Building Bridges, 1:30-4:30 p.m.

 

ADA NEWSBRIEF. An article on periodontics written for the Journal of the Indiana Dental Association by Drs. Vanchit John and Michael Gossweiler caught the eye of the editors of an American Dental Association publication, Dental Editor's Digest, which is produced by the ADA Department of Professional Communications. In their article, which the Digest summarized in its November 2002 issue, Dr. John, assistant professor of periodontics, and Dr. Gossweiler, part-time clinical assistant professor of periodontics, discuss the wide variety of surgical treatment options available today and new non-surgical advances in the specialty aimed at helping patients fight periodontal disease. Topics they raised include DNA tests that allow both the type and quantity of periodontal pathogens to be determined, and a genetic test (PST) that assesses periodontal disease risk. The article was one of 5 that composed the JIDA's summer 2002 theme issue on periodontics, for which Dr. John served as guest editor. Dental editors around the country are welcome to reprint Digest items in their own publications.

 

SALUTING FELLOWSHIP. In October, 3 IUSD faculty members were inducted into the American College of Dentists during the college's annual convocation, held this year in New Orleans, La., in conjunction with the ADA's annual session. New fellows installed at the meeting are Dr. Timothy Carlson, professor of operative dentistry; Dr. Robert Stokes, part-time clinical assistant professor of operative dentistry; and Dr. Domenick Zero, associate dean for research and chair of the Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry. Also taken into the Indiana Section of Regency 4 are the following IUSD alumni: Drs. Bernard Asdell and Martin Szakaly of South Bend (Dr. Szakaly is second-year dental student Brian Szakaly's dad), Michael Stronczek and Dennis Zent of Fort Wayne, Desiree Dimond of Indianapolis, and Timothy Gossweiler of Carmel. Dr. George Willis, associate dean for clinical affairs, is currently serving as chair of the Indiana section.

 

THE "SEAL MOBILE" to Serve Low-Income Children. What is the most common childhood disease? You might say asthma, chicken pox, or the common cold, but according to a U.S. Surgeon General's report, the answer is tooth decay.

The IU School of Dentistry and the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) hope to help combat this problem in Indiana by building a mobile unit that will carry dental staff across the state to apply sealants on the teeth of children enrolled at Title I schools, which serve students from the lowest-income families, and at community health centers. Exams and education will also be provided to children in Head Start programs.

Construction of the 40-foot custom-built mobile dental unit, recently named the Seal Mobile, has been made possible with funding obtained from the ISDH and IUPUI. The IUSD Mobile Dental Sealant Program -- also known as SEAL INDIANA -- will be not-for-profit, and must become self-sustaining through reimbursement it will receive from Medicaid, Hoosier Healthwise, and a sliding fee schedule for the working poor.

Indiana falls far short of the Healthy People 2010 National Health Objective of having sealants on the teeth of 50 percent of all children. The problem is even worse in children who are poor. According to the Surgeon General's 2000 Report on Oral Health in America, children from poor families are more susceptible to tooth decay and are more likely to have the problem untreated.

Dr. Karen Yoder, director of the school's Division of Community Dentistry, is SEAL INDIANA's program director.

"The numbers typically used to describe the extent of decayed teeth among dentally underserved children cannot adequately describe the pain and suffering experienced by children who wake up at night with a toothache," says Dr. Yoder. "Tooth decay is the number one preventable childhood disease, but in order for some children to receive preventive services, the services must be taken to them."

"The Mobile Dental Sealant Program will work with existing community health centers in areas of Indiana where the demand for dentists is not met by the low number of dental providers," said Joni Albright, assistant commissioner for the ISDH. "The program will go to the areas most in need."

Dental case managers will be employed to assure that children in need of care find dental "homes." Local dentists will also be involved in the planning process to ensure that children with dental care needs other than sealants are referred to dentists in their communities.

Set to begin operating in January 2003, the Seal Mobile will have two stationary dental chairs and treatment areas inside the unit and 4 portable units for setting up additional treatment sites within a school or other community facility. The unit will be staffed with a dental team, and IUSD's dental and dental hygiene students will be assigned to the program through service-learning rotations. Students from the regional campuses will also be invited to participate. The program will operate about 160 days a year, and it's expected that more than 5,000 sealants will be placed annually on the teeth of about 1,200 children.

The Seal Mobile will also be used to conduct research through IUSD's Oral Health Research Institute. Emphasis will be placed on making IUSD researchers, faculty, and facilities more accessible to dentists throughout Indiana.

LEADING THE SEARCH. Just as dental materials faculty member Dr. Keith Moore's responsibilities as a member of the search committee for a new IUPUI chancellor begin to wind down, similar responsibilities for Katherine English are picking up.

On Nov. 1, the Indiana University Board of Trustees appointed a 17-member committee to lead the search for a new IU president, and one of those members is our own Kathy English, senior administrative secretary in the dental school's Academic Affairs office. An IUSD employee since July 2000, Kathy is the only staff member serving on this committee, which is composed of prominent members of the Hoosier community (such as Judge Sarah Evans Barker of the United States District Court) and representatives from IU's faculty, trustees, student body, alumni, and administration.

It's a small group of people, but the duty they've been charged with is enormous. Kathy is humbled by being named to the committee -- and intent on doing whatever she can to help the group narrow down the field of applicants and identify the best possible candidates for the IU presidency.

"I feel very honored to have been chosen to serve on the committee," says Kathy, who adds that she welcomes suggestions and ideas from everyone at our school. You can stop by to see her in room DS102, or get in touch by phone (274-7758) or e-mail (kjenglis@iupui.edu)

Current IU President Myles Brand will leave his position at the end of 2002 to become head of the National Collegiate Athletics Association. Gerald Bepko, chancellor of IUPUI, will serve as acting president while the search for a new administrator is under way.

THE HDA HAS PLENTY TO OFFER -- TAKE MY "PALABRA" FOR IT. If you've mastered "hola" and "adiÛs" but haven't a clue how to fill in the middle part of the conversations that you'd like to have with your Spanish-speaking friends -- and that you need to have with some of your dental patients -- then you, dear amigos, should learn more about the Indiana Chapter of the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA).

Although the Indiana Chapter is still very young -- it made its debut only about 18 months ago -- the group is growing and its members are making their presence known throughout the community by providing some much-needed assistance as Spanish-speaking dental professionals and as teachers of higher education with valuable knowledge of the Hispanic culture to share with other educators.

Current officers of the chapter are Dr. Angeles Martinez-Mier, assistant professor of preventive and community dentistry, president; postdoctoral student Dr. Marta Alvarez-Scott, treasurer; and Dr. Ana Gossweiler, part-time clinical assistant professor of periodontics, president-elect. Dr. Margherita Fontana, assistant professor of preventive and community dentistry, served as the chapter's first president last year.

Drs. Martinez-Mier and Gossweiler both attended the HDA's annual session in November in San Diego, Calif., as did HDA member Dr. Carlos Gonz·lez-Cabezas, assistant professor of preventive and community dentistry. Dr. Gonz·lez-Cabezas presented two research papers at the meeting -- "The Fluoride Varnish Effect on Secondary Caries Progression" and "Microbial Evaluation of a Caries Risk Impression Material."

Back here at home, the HDA membership has been busy participating in a wide variety of activities, including high school career days, community health fairs, a community summit focusing on issues relevant to the Hispanic population, dental screenings organized by Marion County and IUSD, and an elective course offered by the IU medical school on the topics of health disparities in the community and cultural competency. The HDA also participated in a conference organized by IUPUI to recruit Hispanic youngsters into college and professional careers.

During the current semester, Dr. Ana Gossweiler has been leading the HDA's first elective Spanish course for students and others at IUSD to help them enhance their ability to communicate with the school's growing population of Spanish-speaking patients. Several HDA members have been teaching the course, and they will offer it again next fall.

The chapter is proud to announce that this spring it will present the state's first Spanish continuing education course for Indiana's dental practitioners, their staffs, and others with an interest in learning the Spanish words for dental terminology. The CE course will be taught in 4 Saturday sessions in April (12th, 26th) and May (17th, 31st). Faculty, staff, and students are welcome to enroll, but will be assessed the same course fee as everyone else. For course registration information, contact Roxana Fuentes, Center for Advanced Professional Studies, 615-0002.

Who may join the HDA? Anyone! You don't have to be Hispanic. You don't have to have any prior knowledge of the Spanish language. If you've got an interest in Hispanic culture and in oral health issues that are pertinent to the Hispanic population, then the HDA is interested in you and the ways you can help Indiana meet the needs of Spanish-speaking members of our community.

To learn more about the "AsociaciÛn Dental Hispana," visit the national Website ( http://www.hdassoc.org ) or have a chat with any of the HDA members mentioned above. They're excited and enthusiastic about their organization, and they're always searching for new ways the HDA can help chip away at the language barrier between English-speaking dental professionals and Spanish-speaking dental patients.

End December 2002 Calendar

Send items for January calendar by Dec. 20: Indiana University School of Dentistry, Room B32, 1121 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis IN 46202-5186. Fax: (317) 274-7188. E-mail: smcrum@iupui.edu

1121 West Michigan St. | Indianapolis, IN 46202 | Tel. 317-274-7957 | Fax 317-274-2419 | Patient Fax 317-278-6958
Disclaimer | Last Updated Date: 12/1/2007  | IUPUI