COMING UP

Indiana University School of Dentistry
Calendar of Events

July 2003

A Special Welcome to All New Dental Students,
Graduate Students, and Hospital Residents

Recognition Month for IUSD's
Dental Laboratory Technicians

STAYING POWER. For almost half of our dental school's 124-year history, Dr. Henry Swenson has been a part of the academic landscape.

When he first became employed at the IU School of Dentistry, our building was still close to brand-spanking new, a mere 10 years old. (Construction of the first of the school's two major additions was still decades away.) Franklin Roosevelt was president, Dr. William Crawford was IU's dean of dentistry, and it would be another year before Dr. Maynard Hine showed up on the school's doorstep to accept a faculty position that eventually led to his 23-year stint as IUSD's top administrator. Dentistry's Fall Dental Alumni Conference, now one of IU's longest-running events, was in its infancy as a 1-year-old.

In July 1943, Dr. Henry Swenson, now professor emeritus of periodontics, came to IU fresh out of a pathology fellowship he completed at the Medical College of Virginia after earning his dental degree from the University of Illinois in 1942.

Sixty years ago, he took his place among a small group of young, ambitious dreamers at IUSD who gave the school its shape, its substance, its direction, and, before long, its international reputation for excellence.

His dental school contemporaries from the 1940s are all gone now, but Dr. Swenson still comes out to the school once a week, to share his knowledge and his abiding enthusiasm for learning with everyone who works and studies here today.

[Note to first-year dental students and others who are new to IUSD this month: You probably haven't had an opportunity to meet this periodontist yet, but you may have already noticed his car in the dental school parking lot -- it's the one with the license plate identifying the driver as the TOP GUM.]

Originally hired as an instructor in the departments of oral diagnosis and histopathology, Dr. Swenson holds the record as the school's longest-serving teacher. Along the way, he helped Dean Hine create the Department of Periodontics, and he worked with the dean and others in the state to establish several of IU's allied dental programs.

He officially retired from his part-time faculty position in 1997, but only on paper. You can still find Dr. Swenson on the fourth floor of the dental school every Wednesday. (And when he isn't here, you can usually catch him at his private practice on North Keystone Avenue.)

He is one of the three founders of the Midwest Society of Periodontology. As a former president of the American Academy of Periodontology, he has received both of the AAP's most prestigious awards: the Gold Medal and the Presidential Award.

Henry Swenson, take a bow.

We are indebted to you for everything you've done in your lifetime to be a faithful friend to the IU School of Dentistry. You have tirelessly supported dental education in general, and your invaluable contributions have helped the IU dental school uphold its standards in particular. All that aside, you're just a great guy! Congratulations on your 60th anniversary with IUSD.

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The library's SPECIAL SUMMER HOURS continue this month: The library will be closed during the three-day holiday weekend (4-6) and the following weekend (12, 13), and will be open on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. through July 11.

ORIENTATION for new graduate students

CLASSES BEGIN for new graduate students

INDEPENDENCE DAY (school closed)

ORIENTATION for lst year dental students

CLASSES BEGIN for lst year dental students

Lunch Box Discussion ESTABLISHING HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS, by Dr. Larry Garetto, director of teacher training and development; noon-1 p.m. in DS S421. All faculty, staff, and students are welcome. No registration is required.

AMERICAN DENTAL ASSISTANTS ASSOCIATION annual conference, Nashville, Tenn.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE for Student Research Subcommittee's July 25th meeting

IUSD WHITE COAT CEREMONY for members of the incoming DDS Class of 2007, 1 p.m. in the University Place auditorium. During this program, now in its third year, students receive white coats as a symbol of the healthcare professions and to underscore the importance of ethics and the high standards of professionalism expected of healthcare providers. A reception for the students and their families follows.

CLASSES BEGIN for 2nd year dental students

REGULAR LIBRARY HOURS RESUME today, as follows:

Mon-Thurs: 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
Fri: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sat: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Sun: 1-5 p.m.

NATIONAL DENTAL BOARD, part I

STAFF COUNCIL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, 12:30 p.m. (room to be announced)

NATIONAL DENTAL HYGIENE BOARD retakes

STAFF COUNCIL, 12:15 p.m. (room to be announced)

ACADEMY OF GENERAL DENTISTRY annual meeting, Nashville

RESEARCH COMMITTEE, 8 a.m. in DS S421

CLASSES BEGIN for 3rd year dental students

Got a case of the ice-creaming meemies? Look no further than the basement lounge for your cure. The Staff Council has come up with a very cool (if not down-right freezing) idea -- to stage its first-ever ICE CREAM SALE. Come on down to the lounge today from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to sample the goodies offered by Schwan's at just a dollar a treat. Part of your buck will help fund council activities such as the fall staff conference.

Chocolate-covered ice-cream bars and lots of other traditional favorites will be available to cool you off, as well as fat- and sugar-free items. And hey, if we vigorously support this event, there's going to be another one in August! (The only thing better than ice cream now is the promise of more ice cream in the future.) So, feed your sweet tooth and nurture your philanthropic spirit all at once by supporting the council's mid-summer fund-raiser.

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

Annual business meeting of the Indiana Section of the AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR DENTAL RESEARCH, noon-1 p.m. in DS S116. The AADR welcomes anyone to this meeting who would like to know more about joining the organization.

CE course DENTAL HYGIENE REFRESHER PROGRAM, a hands-on review led by Nancy Young, associate professor and director of dental hygiene; and Elizabeth Hughes and Joyce Hudson, both clinical assistant professors of dental hygiene. Course to be held in the Center for Advanced Professional Studies at Walker Plaza. Friday-only registration also available. For more information, call 278-9000.

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT. Congratulations to Karen Wilber, who was recently awarded the Sigma Phi Alpha scholarship for first-year dental hygiene students. The scholarship is given by Theta Chapter of Sigma Phi Alpha honor dental hygiene society. Karen is a member of the Student American Dental Hygienists' Association and has been serving as the first-year student representative on the Dental Hygiene Admissions Committee. She has taken an active role in such events as Dental Day and the Dental Hygiene Open House. Karen begins her second year of studies in August.

IUPUI TEACHING AWARDS. At a June IUSD Faculty Council meeting the following professors were singled out as the dental school's most recent recipients of the annual IUPUI Teaching Awards: Patricia Capps, director of dental assisting; Lorinda Coan, clinical assistant professor of dental hygiene; Dr. Richard Gregory, professor of oral biology (School of Dentistry) and pathology and laboratory medicine (School of Medicine); Dr. Joseph Legan, clinical associate professor of endodontics; and Dr. Edwin Parks and Gail Williamson, both professors of dental diagnostic sciences. The awards are presented to faculty throughout campus at the end of each academic year in recognition of excellence in teaching.

IDA AWARD. Congratulations to part-time faculty member Dr. Mark Mallatt, professor of preventive and community dentistry and of dental hygiene, who was honored in June by the Indiana Dental Association for his "outstanding leadership in dental health services." Dr. Mallatt, who has served as director of the Division of Oral Health of the Indiana State Department of Health since 1999, was presented with a Charles W. Gish Award during ceremonies held at the IDA's annual meeting in Indianapolis. Dr. Mallatt was recognized for his impressive career in community and public health, which began a year after he earned his IU dental degree in 1975. Hired first as a teacher and researcher at the Oral Health Research Institute, he joined the ISDH in 1990. As head of the department's preventive dentistry section, he oversaw efforts to fluoridate water systems in many Hoosier communities. Dr. Mallatt has served as a clinical examiner, co-investigator, or principal investigator for more than 70 clinical trials. He currently chairs the IDA Council on Public Dental Health, and has continued over the years to play a valuable role on the IU dental school's part-time faculty.

Also during the IDA's awards program, part-time faculty member Dr. Suzanne Germain received the Rising Star Award for her "exceptional enthusiasm and dedication to organized dentistry." An IU graduate of both the dental hygiene and dental programs, Dr. Germain, a clinical assistant professor of operative dentistry, began teaching at the school in 1996, the year she earned her DDS degree. Earlier, she held positions at Riley Hospital and also at the ISDH, where she was instrumental in developing several major public health programs. Dr. Germain's career as a private practitioner is complemented by her dedicated service to organized dentistry, which has included membership on the Indianapolis District Dental Society board and duties as an IDA delegate and alternate delegate. She is the IDDS's liaison for the Indiana Dental Hygienists' Association. As a member of the IDA's newly formed committee for the American Dental Association's nationwide "Give Kids a Smile" program, Dr. Germain helped launch this highly successful community outreach effort for low-income children in the state of Indiana.

ACADEMY FOR LEADERS. IUSD librarian Jan Cox is one of 15 Marion County librarians to be accepted into the inaugural class of the Library Partners Academy for Leading Edge Librarians, an Indianapolis Marion County Public Library program supported by the Library Fund at the Indianapolis Foundation. Another IUPUI librarian, Robin Crumrin of the University Library, will also participate. The academy's mission, according to its brochure, is "to empower educator-librarians to provide leadership in and for learning environments in a manner which creates opportunities for library users to achieve an ever-rising level of information literacy." The librarians will participate in several intensive sessions during their one-year membership, with the first scheduled this month. Jan says that during the year, members will develop a field project, showcase the project to other groups, and package the project into a replication repository for use by other professionals. Jan recently returned from the Medical Library Association's annual conference in San Diego, Calif. She chairs the 2003-2004 membership committee for the MLA's Technical Services Section and continues as co-editor of the section's online newsletter, Technical Trends. She has also been elected to serve as the 2003-2004 newsletter editor of the Indiana Online Users Group, which entitles her to membership on the group's board.

SPECIAL SMILES. IUSD had a strong presence at this year's Indiana State Special Olympics, held in Terre Haute on June 7, with 2,500 athletes participating in the competition. Using the Seal Mobile as an on-site exam center, volunteers from the dental school and dental community turned the Olympics' annual Special Smiles program into a big success. "Dental hygiene students fitted 140 mouth guards for the athletes, and 157 participants were examined," says Dr. Karen Yoder, director of community dentistry.

The Special Smiles program was created to increase access to oral care for persons with mental retardation. "The Seal Mobile attracted a great deal of attention and allowed the examinations to be done in a pleasant and efficient environment," says Dr. Yoder.

Other volunteers, in addition to Dr. Yoder and Ann Farkas, coordinator of the Indiana Donated Dental Service program, were dental hygiene students Mandy Arvin, Mindy Byrd, Tamara Goff, Reneé Osmon, Erica Pontious, Deborah Scott, and Wendy Williams; staff dental assistants Hollie Flinta of oral pathology, medicine, and radiology, and Elvia Reyes-Martinez of oral facial development; and pediatric dentistry residents Drs. Mark Boone and Kimberly Porapaiboon. Faculty volunteers were Prof. Nancy Young, director of dental hygiene; Dr. Jeffrey Dean, acting chair of oral facial development; Joyce Hudson, clinical assistant professor of dental hygiene; and Dr. Patricia Clark, clinical assistant professor of endodontics. Lending a hand in addition to the IUSD group were practitioners Dr. James Foulkes of Terre Haute and Dr. Randy Long of Indianapolis as well as Hillary Brown, Jason Clark, and Jim Hiatt.

ONE FOR THE DENTAL TRIVA BOOKS. In its June 12, 2003, story announcing the death of legendary film star Gregory Peck, the Associated Press reported that Peck, who was originally a stage actor, decided to accept his first film role (in "Days of Glory") in part so he could use the money to pay his dental bills.

End July 2003 Calendar

Send items for August calendar by July 25: Indiana University School of Dentistry, Room DS B32, 1121 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis IN 46202-5186. Fax: (317) 274-7188. E-mail: smcrum@iupui.edu