Little House on the Prairie, Big Dental School on Michigan Street:
What Do They Share?

IUSD Faculty Council members: Don’t forget to place your vote for the CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS during the first part of June. On May 27, Dr. Laura Romito reported that voting would remain open for 2 weeks. Log onto the IUSD Intranet to place your vote.

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED FOR INDIANA BLACK EXPO EVENTS COMING UP IN JULY. Dental screenings and oral health education will be offered to both children and adults through 2 important programs taking place next month in association with Indiana Black Expo’s 2009 Summer Celebration. Both programs are scheduled at the Indiana Convention Center in mid-July.

Pediatric dentistry Professor Melinda Meadows is seeking volunteers for the “Colgate Bright Smiles Bright Futures,” which is the children’s dental component of the Indiana Black Expo health fair. Licensed dentists and dental hygienists are needed to conduct oral screenings and IUSD students to record and complete the paperwork that will be given to the youngsters’ parents.

Please contact Meadows if you have questions or would like to participate in a 3-hour shift:

melmeado@iupui.edu; 274-5143.

Thursday, July 16: 5-8 p.m.
Friday, July 17: noon-5:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 18: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 19: noon-5 p.m.

Traci Adams-Wilson of Diversity Support Services is also seeking volunteers to participate in the Indiana State Department of Health’s INShape Indiana Black & Minority Health Fair, which the IU School of Dentistry is helping to sponsor. INShape’s goal is to raise public awareness of the health issues that disproportionately affect minorities. In the “Healthy Smiles Pavilion,” volunteers will screen adults and share with the fair’s participants information about good oral health habits. All types of dental professionals as well as others are needed to staff the pavilion, including licensed dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and IUSD students. Volunteers can sign up at http://www.in.gov/isdh/23411.htm for one of these time slots – please contact Adams-Wilson (tadams@iupui.edu) if you have questions:

Thursday, July 16: 5-8 p.m.
Friday, July 17: 1-4 p.m. or 4-8 p.m.
Saturday, July 18: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 2-6 p.m., or 6-8 p.m.
Sunday, July 19: 2-3 p.m. or 3-6 p.m.

1 (Mon.)
FACULTY ENRICHMENT, 1-5 p.m. for departmental activities. No classes, labs, or clinics this afternoon.

1-5 (Mon.-Fri.)
Second Semester ASSESSMENT WEEK for DDS Classes of 2011 and 2012 (semester ends on Friday)

1-19 (Mon-Fri.)
IUSD welcomes young participants of dental careers orientation programs: DENTAL SUMMER INSTITUTE for high school students (June 1-5) and college students (June 8-19), coordinated by Traci Adams-Wilson, Diversity Support Services; and RURAL DENTAL SUMMER INSTITUTE (June 2-5), coordinated by Pamela Clark, Student Affairs.

2 (Tues.)
Faculty and Adviser Training Series: CREATING THE ENVIRONMENT, 1:30-2:30 p.m. in DS S116. Presented by Donna Burkhardt, IU Bloomington Employee and Organizational Development. Faculty are strongly encouraged to attend. Register by emailing Elizabeth Hatcher, ehatcher@iupui.edu.

6 (Sat.)
SPECIAL OLYMPICS STATE GAMES, Terre Haute, Ind. IUSD dental hygiene faculty and students will once again participate in this annual event to provide free mouth guards to the athletes. Representatives of the dental school also typically provide oral screenings and individualized oral health instruction to hundreds of Olympians.

10 (Wed.)
IUSD's SEAL INDIANA program will be honored this evening as the recipient of the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) Education Award for 2009. The honor will be presented at the IRHA’s 12th annual conference, held at the Marriott Indianapolis East hotel.

Dr. Carole Kacius, assistant chair for Academic Programs and Alumni Services in the IU School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health (and formerly of IUSD’s Student Affairs office), nominated SEAL INDIANA for the much-deserved recognition. As the centerpiece of the IU dental school’s Community Dentistry program since 2003, SEAL INDIANA annually provides dental exams and sealants to thousands of children in need throughout the state of Indiana, including its rural areas, and also plays an integral role in the service-learning education of the school’s students. “The Indiana Rural Health Association is an 800-member organization representing hospitals, community health centers, Indiana Area Health Education Centers, and healthcare workers from Indiana’s rural counties,” says Community Dentistry director Dr. Karen Yoder, who has been invited to accept the award on behalf of the SEAL INDIANA team. You can read more about the IRHA at http://www.indianaruralhealth.org.

11-13 (Thurs.-Sat.)
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN DENTISTS annual conference, Hilton Head, South Carolina

11-14 (Thurs.-Sun.)
AMERICAN DENTAL ASSISTANTS ASSOCIATION annual symposium, Dallas

12 (Fri.)
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE for Student Research Subcommittee's June 26th meeting

15-19 (Mon.-Fri.)
Second Semester ASSESSMENT WEEK for DDS Class of 2010 (semester ends on Friday)

16 (Tues.)
Free jazz concert by the JOHN VANDER GHEYNST JAZZ QUINTET, noon at Ball Gardens (east of the Union Building); rain location is Riley Outpatient Center Atrium.

17-23 (Wed.-Tues.)
AMERICAN DENTAL HYGIENISTS’ ASSOCIATION annual session, Washington, D.C.

18 (Thurs.)
Staff Dental Assistant Lunch and Learn Series presents PERSONALITY TRAITS, by faculty member Sheri Alderson, Periodontics and Allied Dental Programs; noon-1 p.m. in DS S117.

19 (Fri.)
RESEARCH COMMITTEE, 9 a.m. in DS S421

24 (Wed.)
MODULE GRADES DUE to course directors, DDS Classes of 2010-2012

Indiana Section of the American Association for Dental Research presents THE SKELETAL EFFECTS OF BISPHOSPHONATES: A SCIENTIFIC DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, by Matthew Allen, PhD, assistant professor, Anatomy and Cell Biology, IU School of Medicine; noon-1 p.m. in DS S116. All welcome.

26 (Fri.)
STUDENT RESEARCH SUBCOMMITTEE, 8 a.m. in DS245

COURSE GRADES DUE to Records and Admissions office, DDS Classes of 2010-2012

29 (Mon.)
ORIENTATION for 2009-2010 incoming graduate students

30 (Tues.)
IUSD FACULTY COUNCIL, noon-1 p.m. (room TBA)

People, Places, and Things

DEAN GOLDBLATT RECEIVES IDA’S HIGHEST HONOR. Last month, Dean Lawrence Goldblatt was presented with the Indiana Dental Association’s Maynard K. Hine Award, the organization’s highest honor, for his national accomplishments in the dental profession. The award, which is named for IU’s dean of dentistry from 1945 to 1968, was bestowed during the IDA’s 151^st annual meeting, held in downtown Indianapolis. Goldblatt has served with excellence as dean of two U.S. dental schools. Prior to his appointment as IU’s dental dean in 1997, he served for three years as dean of the Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry. He is a fellow of the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists and a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. Goldblatt’s numerous achievements at the national level have included past service as Vice President for Deans of the American Dental Education Association, president of the Supreme Chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon, commissioner on the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation, and commissioner and chair of the ADA Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations.

DANIEL SHIN IS SWENSON HONOREE. Congratulations to third-year periodontics graduate student Dr. Daniel Shin, who is the 2009 recipient of the Henry M. Swenson Periodontics Scholarship. The award was presented at the periodontics graduation dinner, held April 30 at the Marina Restaurant on Geist Reservoir.

STEPHEN POWELL LEADS RESEARCH GROUP. Dental student Stephen Powell, Class of 2010, has been named president of the IUSD Student Research Group for the 2009-2010 academic year. His team of officers include Vice President: Heather Hirsch, DDS Class of 2011; and Secretary-Treasurer: David Wagner, DDS Class of 2010. Faculty adviser is Dr. Richard Gregory, Oral Biology.

KNOW YOUR COUNCIL REPS. Recent elections by the IUPUI Staff Council have resulted in a total of 7 School of Dentistry staff members being named to represent IUSD staff on the campus council. Serving through June 2010 are Pamela Clark, Student Affairs; Roxana Fuentes, Continuing Education; and Shane Hatchett, Orthodontics and Oral Facial Genetics. Four dental staffers will serve through June 2011: Yvonne Baynham, Periodontics and Allied Dental Programs; Kristy Chapman, Dental Education; Amanda Stanley, Pediatric Dentistry; and Terry Wilson, Dental Illustrations.

FOR SERVICE “ABOVE AND BEYOND.” Here’s your chance to nominate a worthy full-time IUSD faculty or staff member for an IUPUI Glenn W. Irwin, Jr., M.D. Recognition Award, which will be given this fall at the IUPUI Chancellor’s Employee Recognition Convocation. The awards honor faculty and staff for contributions to IU that are non-reimbursed and not specifically job-related. Any full-timer who has worked for the university at least 12 months is eligible. To review the guidelines and submit your nominations, go to http://www.hra.iupui.edu/IrwinAwardNomination.asp. Deadline is Aug. 7. Please contact IUPUI’s Human Resources Administration if you have questions: 274-4438; hratrng@iupui.edu.

KIMBERLY ROSS FEATURED IN HOME PAGES. To celebrate this year’s 16,901 graduates of Indiana University, IU’s Home Pages newspaper chose one student from each of IU’s 8 campuses to feature in its May 22 issue. The editors selected our own Dr. Kimberly Ross, DDS Class of 2009, to represent the IUPUI campus. Ross’s path to dentistry wasn’t a typical one: She began her dental studies in her mid-40s, surrounded by dental students who were about the same age as her own kids. But the former dental hygienist thrived in dental school, and is now in the process of returning to Salem, Ore., to join a longtime friend – another former hygienist who has earned a dental degree in Oregon – in private practice. You can see a photo of Ross and read the full feature at this link: http://www.homepages.indiana.edu/ (under “A Day in May” heading).

TRUSTEES TEACHING AWARDS. Congratulations to the dental faculty recipients of the newest Indiana University Trustees Teaching Awards, which were given in recognition of teaching excellence during the 2008-2009 academic year:

Patricia Capps
Clinical Associate Professor of Dental Assisting

Pamela Ford
Clinical Assistant Professor of Dental Assisting

Angeles Martínez-Mier
Associate Professor of Preventive and Community Dentistry

Gail Williamson
Professor of Dental Diagnostic Sciences

L. Jack Windsor
Associate Professor of Oral Biology

Phyllis Gibson (left), Jeffery Chandler, Marjorie Ellison, and Pamela Elliott of Clinical Affairs;
Herron students Gustavo Tovar and Rebecca Clune; Lori Pennington, Clinical Affairs; Adam Smith,
Auxiliary Services; and Midori Sartori, Clinical Affairs.

Herron Students “Screen” IU’s Dental Patients

Soon after renovations to the IU School of Dentistry’s Patient Admissions division were completed, the Clinical Affairs faculty and staff decided that the remodeled area could benefit from an additional element of privacy to further separate the bank of patient registration desks from the nearby reception seating. They went looking for a solution – and found it in the creative vision of students from the Herron School of Art and Design.

When the dental school turned to Herron for help with the project, it soon had two talented and enthusiastic young collaborators on board: The school commissioned Rebecca Clune, a graduate student in Printmaking from Ohio, and Gustavo Tovar Sr., a graduate student in Furniture Design from Venezuela. Together, they designed and constructed two large custom screens that were recently installed at the dental school.

The screens not only add an extra measure of privacy to the patient registration process; their unique shape, abstract design, and muted colors also lend a subdued, contemporary feel to the entire Patient Admissions area.

The project is believed to be the first major partnership between Herron and the dental school, and Dentistry is delighted by the results, says clinics administrator Pamela Elliott, who was one of the dental staff involved with the project. “We had previously looked at the design ideas of several local companies, but couldn’t find a perfect fit,” she says. “We were quite impressed with the Herron students, who were very thorough and professional. They were also excited to work on the proposal with us.”

“This was another great opportunity for Gustavo and me to take both of our creative visions and join them together,” says Clune, who has teamed up with Tovar on previous projects.

Patient Admissions presented the art students with an assortment of challenges: The screens needed to be both artwork – and workhorse. The floor space in the area is tight and the foot traffic heavy. On top of everything else, the stability of the tall screens needed to be realized without permanently fastening the structures to the ceiling.

After two months of brainstorming, first with the dental staff and then with one another, Clune and Tovar proposed two designs, one of which embodied the exact concept Clinical Affairs was striving for. “The students cleverly solved the stability problem by building benches into the bases of the screens,” says Rebecca Dixon of the dental school’s Financial Affairs office. “In addition to serving as sturdy anchors, the benches can be used to display brochures or other information of interest to patients.”

Clune says she is proud of the dental school’s new patient privacy screens, and she enjoyed the opportunity to create an original piece of art for another organization within the IUPUI community. “The best feeling was seeing Dentistry’s response to our design,” Clune says. “The most rewarding aspect of any site-specific project, such as this, is the excitement and the satisfaction of those that you made it for. Dentistry’s participation and support was fantastic.”

Dr. Carlson (far right) with, DDS Class of 2009 representatives, from left: Adrienne Ranly, Amber Leer,
Michael Flores, Joseph Wnek, Dan Aldulescu, Natalie Muir, Terrah Smith, and Ahmad Samadzai. Funds
from the class will be used to purchase a portable ADEC unit similar to the one shown above.

Leftover 2009 Class Funds to Aid International Service Learning

Members of the DDS Class of 2009 have started out their careers on a philanthropic note – and to the tune of $1,447.44.

That’s the amount of money remaining in the DDS ’09 class treasury, which the new graduates have decided to donate to the IU Foundation to assist in the purchase of equipment for International Service Learning. “I want to thank the Class of 2009 very much for the donation of class funds to help purchase equipment for our international dental programs,” says Dr. Timothy Carlson, who heads the volunteer group that travels to Ecuador each spring to provide oral healthcare services to populations in need. “$1,447 is about the right amount to purchase a new ADEC portable dental unit, like the type we take to Ecuador and Pimienta Cortez, Honduras. We are looking to purchase similar units for the Mexico volunteers.” (At other IUSD Service Learning sites, including those in Guatemala; Comayagua, Honduras; and Brazil, volunteers work out of existing dental clinics containing installed equipment.)

The Class of 2009’s generous donation is of enormous value to International Service Learning, which depends upon participating faculty and students to raise all the money needed to keep these on-site programs running. Faculty must pay their own way, the same as the students.

Monetary donations from IUSD faculty, staff, students, and alumni are welcome year-round, says Carlson. Donations are made through the IU Foundation to the International Dental Service Learning account. For more information, contact Pamela Lovejoy in the Development Office.

IUSD HAS A CONNECTION TO “LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE” AND OTHER AMERICAN FAVORITES OF THE SMALL SCREEN. Many of America’s best-loved television series of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s owe a small part of their success to an IU School of Dentistry graduate of the 1950s – Dr. B.W. Sandefur, a California-based alumnus who has been a highly successful TV writer and producer.

According to the Internet Movie Database, Sandefur, a 1957 IU dental graduate, produced or co-produced more than 30 episodes of “Little House on the Prairie,” and also wrote more than a dozen of them. His long association with Hollywood began with a small uncredited acting role in which he portrayed a high school student in a tough New York City school system in the critically acclaimed movie “Blackboard Jungle.” But Sandefur soon found a place for himself behind the scenes, writing stories for many popular series including, to name only a few, “Charlie’s Angels,” “Bonanza,” My Three Sons,” “Simon and Simon,” and “Barnaby Jones.”

He served as a producer or supervising producer for such shows as “Hawaii Five-O” and “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries.” In 1978, Sandefur was among a group of producers honored with an Emmy nomination for “Quincy, M.E.” in the category of Outstanding Drama Series.

Send News Items:
By June 25 for July calendar: 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

© All contents of Coming Up are protected by copyright. None of the contents, including digital images, may be removed from this publication or reused for other purposes without permission of the editor: smcrum@iupui.edu.