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M A G A Z I N E O F T H E T U F T S U N I V E R S I T Y D E N TA L A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N
OPEN
VOL. 12 NO. 2
SUMMER 2008
DENTAL MEDICINE
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2008
Mount Pleasant Country Club
369 Cross Street
Boylston, Massachusetts
Tufts Dental alumni, faculty, family,
and friends are invited to participate!
ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE DENTAL
ALUMNI STUDENT LOAN FUND.
For more information, call the Office of Dental Alumni
Relations at 617.636.6773 or email
[email protected].
If you are unable to play in this year’s tournament,
consider a $100 donation to help future students
of Tufts Dental and be listed as a tournament
sponsor in the Tufts Dental Medicine magazine.
PRACTICE IN WONDERLAND
Winthrop Harrington’s office, built on a rocky outcropping of the
200-acre family homestead in Lincoln, Mass., serves up an
eye-popping panorama of the best of nature. “I am happier here,”
he says, “than anyplace else.” Take a walk in the wild, page 8.
Please complete the registration form and enclose your
check, made payable to Tufts University Dental Alumni
Association, and mail to:
Office of Alumni Relations
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
136 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02111
PHOTO: MELODY KO
School of
Dental Medicine
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
■
GOLF AND TENNIS REGISTRATION
9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
■
GOLF TOURNAMENT
11:00 a.m. shotgun start
Lunch included
TENNIS TOURNAMENT
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
■
RECEPTION
4:00 p.m.
■
AWARDS DINNER
5:00 p.m.
REGISTRATION FEES
Golf Tournament
$350/player
$1,200/foursome if signed up together
Tennis Tournament
$200/player
PA I D
136 Harrison Avenue
Boston, ma 02111
BOSTON, MA
PERMIT NO. 1161
www.tufts.edu/dental
TUFTS UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF PUBLICATIONS 7740 08/08
■
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
MINDFUL
Getting inside your patient’s head
makes treatment easier, and better
P L U S : B A R E F O O T D E N T I S T RY
■
HOMEGROWN TEACHERS
■
REUNION 2008
2008 WIDE OPEN Tournament
SPORTS FOR SCHOLARSHIP
Registration Form
WIDE OPEN
BEAM ME UP
Come join the Tufts
University Dental Alumni
Association for the
The structural “topping-off” ceremony for the dental school’s five-story
expansion took place on July 17. The topping off marks a significant
milestone because it is the final piece of the steel framework—and
this one was installed three weeks ahead of schedule. Faculty, staff,
students, alumni, university administrators and the construction team
signed the steel beam as a commemorative piece of the expansion.
Following ancient Scandinavian tradition, an evergreen tree is mounted
on the last beam for a large construction project to symbolize growth
and bring luck. For more on the project, turn to page 48.
26 TH Annual WIDE OPEN Tournament
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2008
Mount Pleasant Country Club
369 Cross Street
Boylston, Massachusetts
Tufts Dental alumni, faculty, family,
and friends are invited to participate!
ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE DENTAL
ALUMNI STUDENT LOAN FUND.
Name______________________________________________
Graduation year or affiliation with Tufts Dental___________
Guest(s) name(s)____________________________________
Address____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Daytime phone______________________________________
E-mail______________________________________________
Cost includes lunch, tournament, reception, and awards
dinner.
GOLF TOURNAMENT
$350/player
$1,200/foursome if signed up together
For more information, call the Office of Dental Alumni
Relations at 617.636.6773 or email
[email protected].
My foursome will include:
If you are unable to play in this year’s tournament,
consider a $100 donation to help future students
of Tufts Dental and be listed as a tournament
sponsor in the Tufts Dental Medicine magazine.
3. _________________________________________________
Please complete the registration form and enclose your
check, made payable to Tufts University Dental Alumni
Association, and mail to:
Office of Alumni Relations
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
136 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02111
2. _________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________
❒ Please check here if you would
like to be placed in a foursome.
My handicap is______.
TENNIS TOURNAMENT
$200/player
RECEPTION & AWARDS DINNER
Cost is $75 for guests and non-competitors
PAYMENT :
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
■
GOLF AND TENNIS REGISTRATION
9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
■
GOLF TOURNAMENT
11:00 a.m. shotgun start
Lunch included
■
TENNIS TOURNAMENT
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
■
■
PHOTO: ALONSO NICHOLS
RECEPTION
4:00 p.m.
AWARDS DINNER
5:00 p.m.
_____ golfers
@ $__________ each = $_________
_____ tennis
@ $__________ each = $_________
_____ dinner only
@ $__________ each = $_________
_____ I will be unable to attend the 2008 WIDE OPEN,
but I’d be proud to be listed as a sponsor for my
$100 donation to the Student Loan Fund.
❒ My check for $__________ is enclosed.
❒ Please charge $__________ to my
❒ MasterCard
❒ VISA
❒ Discover
Card #______________________________________________
Exp.________
Signature___________________________________________
REGISTRATION FEES
TOTAL ENCLOSED
Golf Tournament
$350/player
$1,200/foursome if signed up together
Please mail this form and your check, payable to Tufts University Dental
Alumni Association, to Office of Alumni Relations, Tufts University School
of Dental Medicine, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111.
Tennis Tournament
$200/player
Registration confirmation and directions will be mailed to you prior
to the tournament.
$__________
CONTENTS
SUMMER
2008
I
VOLUME
12,
N O.
2
F E AT U R E S
8 Winty’s Garden
by Jacqueline Mitchell
What’s it like practicing dentistry in the middle
of 200 acres of lush woodlands populated by
all manner of flora and fauna? Heaven on earth,
says Winthrop Harrington, D60.
18 Homegrown Teachers
by Jacqueline Mitchell
The nationwide shortage of dental faculty
looms large as baby-boomers head for
retirement. Here’s one way to replenish
the ranks.
18
COVER STORY
12 Heads Up
by Julie Flaherty
If every mouth is different,
every brain is certainly
unique. A good understanding
of behavioral science may
be the key to happy patients
and a healthy practice.
ON THE COVER
Illustration by Leigh Wells
22 Lost City
Charles Rankin, D79, DG86, takes us on a
photographic tour of Machu Picchu.
72 Hub of the Dental Universe
by H. Martin Deranian
A Puritan minister, Paul Revere, George
Washington’s favorite dentist—all had a role
in the early days of dentistry in Boston.
D E PA R T M E N T S
2
3
4
28
30
48
53
54
71
Letters
From the Dean
Word of Mouth
University News
On Campus
Beyond Boundaries
Calendar of Events
Alumni News
Continuing Education
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 1
LETTERS
A MENTOR REMEMBERED
TUSKEGEE’S LEGACY
Thanks for the informative article about
Ralph Katz (“The Color of Research,” Winter 2008). He was my mentor in the late
1980s when I was doing epidemiological
research as part of the MPH program at the
University of Connecticut. His rapid-fire
brilliance was intimidating at first, I must
admit, but by the time I finished, I really
appreciated his vast knowledge of the field,
his dedication to his students and his wild
sense of humor. He was one of three or
four of the most memorable professors
I’ve ever known, and I wish I could have
studied with him for a much longer period
of time.
One minor point: I remember that
Ralph was interested in the Tuskegee study
in 1988 or ’89, and possibly earlier. I believe
he had planned to spend some time during
a sabbatical researching that tragic affair.
john w. stahl, d75
ledyard, conn.
I want to express my concern about the article “The Color of Research.” I would hope
that those who produce Tufts Dental Medicine and the university website [where the
story also appeared] realize the controversial
nature of such research. The impact of the
Tuskegee syphilis study has been tremendous in the African-American communities
across the United States. Most accredited
researchers would argue that the study continues to manifest in African-American perceptions of medicine, help-seeking behavior
and the willingness to participate in research.
Ralph Katz’s study perpetuates the ideology
that birthed the Tuskegee study in 1932.
I am not suggesting that we ignore Dr.
Katz’s contributions, but I am suggesting that
we publicize it in the context of more wellknown research. The way in which this article
was presented is one-sided and biased.
amanda richardson, a08
richmond, virginia
5
1
2
4
3
FOR THE RECORD
I think the 1950 clinic photograph that appeared in the article “Sky-High Aspirations”
(Winter 2008) actually was taken in either late 1959 or early 1960.
Being a camera buff at that time, I went around and took many of the candid pictures for the school yearbook. Although I didn’t take the one published in the magazine,
I do believe it was taken with my camera. That is probably why I am facing the photographer, even though my patient is sitting behind me.
I can identify some of the students in the photograph: 1) that’s me; 2) Marvin Pinn,
D60; 3) Wilbur Blackey, D60; 4) Glenn Perry, D60; and 5) Burton Altholz, D60.
stephen m. sheppard, d60
new york city
DENTAL MEDICINE
volume 12, no. 2 summer 2008
Executive Editor
Dr. Lonnie H. Norris, Dean
School of Dental Medicine
Editor
Karen Bailey
Alumni Editor
Dr. Vangel R. Zissi, D62, DG67
Design Director
Margot Grisar
Designer
Betsy Hayes
University Photographer
Melody Ko
Contributing Writers
H. Martin Deranian, Marjorie Howard,
Lauren Katims, Julie Flaherty, Jacqueline Mitchell
Contributing Editor
Leslie Macmillan
Editorial Advisors
Maria Tringale, Senior Director
Dental Development and Alumni Relations
Allison Norton, Director
Dental Fund and Alumni Relations
Mark Gonthier, Associate Dean
Admissions and Student Affairs
Mary-Ellen Marks, Faculty Secretary
Dental Alumni Association
President
Dr. John P. Ficarelli, D73, D10P
Vice President
Dr. Tofigh Raayai, DG77, DI82
Secretary
Dr. Lisa Vouras, D89
Assistant Secretary
Dr. Mostafa El-Sherif, DI95
Treasurer
Dr. Janis B. Moriarty, D94
Directors
Drs. Cherie Cahillane Bishop, D94; Peter A. Delli
Colli, A69, D73; Joseph P. Giordano, D79, DG84;
Catherine Hayes, D87; John J. Milette, D91;
Derek Wolkowicz, D97, DG00
Ex-Officio
Past Presidents: Drs. Robert B. Amato, D80, DG83;
Nicholas T. Papapetros II, D91; Lisa Vouras, D89
Dental M Club Chair
Dr. John P. Ficarelli, D73, D10P
Historian
Dr. Charles B. Millstein, D62, A10P
University Liaison
Dr. Thomas F. Winkler III, A62, D66, D10P
Chapter Presidents
Dr. Steven Dugoni, D79, A08P, A12P, California
Dr. EJ Bartolazo, D92, New York
Dr. William N. Pantazes, D90, DG08, Florida
Dr. John A. Vrotsos, DG82, Greece
Tufts Dental Medicine is published twice annually by
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, the Tufts
University Dental Alumni Association and the Tufts
University Office of Publications. The magazine is a
publication member of the American Association of
Dental Editors. Send correspondence to: Editor,
Tufts Dental Medicine, Tufts University Office of
Publications, 80 George St., Medford, MA 02155.
Telephone: 617.627.2126 Fax: 617.627.3549
Printed on recycled paper.
2 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
FROM THE DEAN
A boundless future
i am pleased to report that our d.m.d. program and advanced education
programs in general dentistry, endodontics, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry,
periodontology and prosthodontics have achieved a successful accreditation.
Following two years of internal review of the school’s educational programs, and
the preparation of a self-study document, an 18-member site visit team from the
American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation visited
Tufts this spring. In addition, our new Advanced Education in General Dentistry
program underwent a preliminary site visit approval.
ADA accreditation evaluation occurs
every seven years for the pre-doctoral programs and advanced education programs,
except oral and maxillofacial surgery, which
is on a five-year accreditation cycle. (That
program was fully accredited in July 2006.)
The entire Tufts Dental community—
staff, students and faculty—worked together
during the accreditation process to lay the
foundation that will enrich our school’s core
mission to provide an exceptional educational experience for our students; the best
care for our patients; a research enterprise
that will advance the boundaries of dental
medicine and robust community outreach
endeavors to serve those most in need of
oral health care.
During the accreditation review, all aspects
of the school’s admissions process, curriculum, operations and services were reviewed
according to competencies outlined in six
standards: Institutional Effectiveness, Educational Program, Faculty and Staff, Educational Support Services, Patient Care Services
and Research. Associate Dean for Academic
Affairs Nancy Arbree, DG96, and Associate
Dean for Clinical Affairs David Russell, D87,
MPH02, served as co-chairs of our Accreditation Steering Committee.
Medicine and behavioral science are valuable components of our curriculum, as you’ll
learn in this issue’s cover story, which begins
on page 12. Understanding unhealthy dietary
habits; promoting oral health and preventive
dentistry; managing medically compromised
and special needs patients and using a menu
of treatment options to address phobias, pain
and anxiety are essential to the delivery of
quality oral health care.
The body of evidence that oral health is a
sentinel of overall health continues to grow.
In a study reported in the June 2008 issue of
The Lancet Oncology, 14 percent of 48,375
men with periodontal disease were found to
have a higher risk for cancer than those with
no history of gum disease. The same study,
reported in the July 2008 issue of the Journal
of the American Dental Association, found
significant correlations between periodontal disease and lung, kidney, pancreatic and
hematologic cancers. Thus, behavioral science
encompasses a broad scope of patient management and behavior modification designed
to circumvent chronic disease.
In the behavioral sciences and in medicine, our faculty has been exceedingly productive. Arthur Weiner, D58, and Albert
Forgione are co-editors of the book Behavioral Dentistry. Carole Palmer edited the book
Diet and Nutrition in Oral Health, and Morton Rosenberg, D74, was a co-editor for Medical Emergencies in Dentistry. Noshir Mehta,
DG73, DI77, George Maloney, Dhirendra
Bana and Steven Scrivani are working on a
new book, Head, Face and Neck Pain. Due out
this fall is Kanchan Ganda’s book, A Dentist’s
Guide to Medical Conditions and Complications. The vigorous scholarly activities of our
faculty are showcased in the Faculty Notes
section, which begins on page 42.
In addition, our faculty mentors have
stimulated increased student interest in public service and research. Two students were
awarded Schweitzer Fellowships; two were
accepted to the NIH Summer Dental Student
Award Program, and Samantha Jordan, D10,
was the only dental student in the country
selected for the Howard Hughes Medical
Institute/NIH Research Scholars Program.
Finally, the school’s vertical expansion
project is on target for completion by
November 2009. You can track the evolution of the project by going to http://dental.tufts.edu and clicking on “View the
progress of the vertical expansion.” The
expansion will provide the needed space for
our school to fulfill its strategic goals of creating an environment in which faculty have
the opportunity to be the best educators,
students have exceptional experiences to support their transition to the next phases of
their careers, and patients receive high-quality, evidence-based care.
It is people who will sustain Tufts Dental
School as a leader in education. The high caliber of our pre-doctoral and postgraduate
students, a dedicated staff and faculty, a collaborative university and loyal alumni are
the true foundation of our bright future.
lonnie h. norris, d.m.d., m.p.h.
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 3
WORD OF MOUTH
A SCAN OF PEOPLE & EVENTS
Barefoot Dentistry
Doug Leung trains villagers to provide care in the poorest regions
of the world by Jacqueline Mitchell
give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. teach a man to fish
and you feed him for a lifetime. That’s the idea behind Medical Dental
Community Groups, a nonprofit that is creating a homegrown network
to provide basic oral health care to some of the world’s poorest people.
Founded in 2006 by Doug Leung, A78, D81, the group is teaching residents of impoverished regions of Southeast Asia how to perform simple
dental procedures. In turn, the trainees provide their neighbors with these
basic oral health services. By instituting a training continuum, Leung
hopes to establish a sustainable cadre of oral health-care providers
throughout the region.
“In my travels, I’ve been to a lot of places where you can really see how
underserved these people are,” says Leung. “The only way they can get
help is through the government or nonprofit organizations, and these are often
pretty sparse offerings.”
In 2004, the World Health Organization
(WHO) reported that dental caries, gingivitis and oral cancers—all preventable ailments—remain global health problems that
disproportionately affect the poor in industrialized and developing nations alike. In
Vietnam, the WHO found that more than
80 percent of six-year-olds suffer from tooth
decay, compared to about half of American
Doug Leung is establishing sustainable
oral health-care programs in underserved
regions of Southeast Asia.
4 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
PHOTO: MELODY KO
kids that age. A reason behind that statistic
could be that Asians are increasingly eating
western-style diets, high in refined sugars
and carbohydrates, without the benefit of
western-style oral health care. “You can see
when you travel that so many people in
their twenties have missing front teeth and
rampant caries,” says Leung.
So Leung is approaching the oral health
problem abroad using the same strategy
that public health officials employed in the
United States in the 1950s and 1960s. “We
already learned in the U.S. that prevention is
the best way,” says Leung. “In many parts of
the world people say, ‘My teeth don’t hurt, so
why do I need to go to the dentist?’ So we
don’t see them until they have a crisis event.”
Emphasizing education and
prevention, Leung developed a
three-day course to teach nondentist volunteers how to perform exams and cleanings, do
simple fillings, apply fluoride
and sealants and offer homecare instruction.
Using his basic curriculum,
Leung trained 22 Vietnamese
volunteers from two organizations—Love of Vietnam Expressed (LOVE) and the Da
Nang-based Street Children
Program, an NGO that works with that
city’s homeless children—in 2006 and 2007.
To make his project work in very rural
places, Leung pared down a dental tool kit to
just headlamps, some hand instruments,
composite material and a light curing wand.
He tinkered with jury-rigged headrests, but
these proved difficult to carry on the motorcycles commonly used to get around in Vietnam. In the end, school chairs and benches
cushioned with pillows worked just fine.
“We can do this in schools, churches, clinics—any place poor people go,” says Leung.
“We just need volunteers and local supplies.”
After several visits to Da Nang, Leung
says the program is up and running, though
in need of both funding and a permanent
local administrator.
By training locals, rather than visiting
volunteers, Leung’s group leaves a permanent legacy behind. And training locals
neatly avoids language barriers and cultural
Left: Medical Dental
Community Groups offers
locals the opportunity
“to have leadership over
the program and their
destiny,” says Leung.
Bottom: Doug Leung,
A78, D81, left, trains
volunteers from the Street
Children Program, an
NGO based in Da Nang,
Vietnam, in the basics of
oral health care.
“You can see when
you travel that so
many people in their
twenties have missing
front teeth and
rampant caries.”
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF DOUG LEUNG
—DOUG LEUNG
misunderstandings. It offers a better model
than most foreign aid, he says. “When we
hear about natural disasters, people go in to
help,” says Leung. “But the need persists
after the outside aid stops. I want the locals
to continue to have leadership over the program and their destiny.”
Leung grew up poor in Somerville, Mass.,
in the shadow of the university he would
one day attend as an undergraduate. Always
good at science, he knew he wanted to help
people and decided to become a dentist
while he was still in high school. After graduating from Tufts Dental School in 1981, he
set up a general dentistry practice in Brookline, Mass., where he lives and works today.
But, as a religious Christian, he’s looking to
broaden his impact. “My kids are grown
now, so I have time to go out and do what’s
really needed,” he says.
Right now he believes he’s really needed in
the Philippines, where he has been invited to
establish two more homegrown dental-care
programs in Bacolod City and Mindanao,
places far from the capital, Manila, where
people often live on top of garbage mounds
on infertile land. Working with International
Care Ministries (ICM), an aid organization
already established in the Philippines, Leung
hopes to bring a group of volunteers from a
Vancouver church group to the island nation
in January 2009. He would also like to get
programs up and running in Haiti, Cambodia and Myanmar. Aid groups in China have
also expressed an interest in having Leung
train locals to take care of their neighbors.
“I would go wherever there are poor
people,” he says. “We just want to help as
many people as we can.”
For more information about Medical
Dental Community Groups, visit
www.mdcg.org or email Doug Leung at
[email protected].
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 5
WORD OF MOUTH
A SCAN OF PEOPLE & EVENTS
Oral piercing creates
a whole lot of trouble
by Jacqueline Mitchell
he lizardman, as he calls
himself, has spent more than 10
years and $250,000 transforming
his appearance from human to
reptile. A former philosophy student and
current sideshow attraction, the 34-year-old
Lizardman has embarked on a lifelong body
modification project involving extensive tattoos on his face and body, Teflon horns
implanted above his eyebrows, multiple piercings, a surgically bifurcated tongue and four
front teeth filed into sharp points.
Though the Lizardman may be an
extreme case, dentists are seeing more and
more patients with piercings of the tongue,
lips or face. These patients present special
problems that oral health-care providers
may need to address, from systemic disease to excess wear on the teeth and gums.
“These modifications are now culturally
acceptable,” says Paul J. Vankevich, D81,
T
assistant professor of general dentistry, “but
they are inconsistent with optimal oral
health.”
The side effects of oral piercing range
from ludicrous—drooling, spitting while
speaking, difficulty pronouncing words
clearly—to life-threatening infections and
blood-borne illnesses. The human mouth is
home to 600 species of bacteria, and each
square millimeter of the tongue’s surface
contains 108 of the little buggers.
Piercing the tongue or lips (normally
done without benefit of anesthetic) gives
these pathogens easy entry into the bloodstream, which may cause local or systemic
infection. This is especially dangerous with
respect to infective endocarditis, an infection
that may occur when bacteria in the bloodstream lodge in the heart. Before performing
oral surgery, dentists often prescribe antibiotics to patients at risk for the condition.
A 2008 study published in the Journal of
Adolescent Health found that among the 51
percent of U.S. college students who have
body piercings, 19 percent reported medical
complications, including infections ranging from common bacteria like staphylococcus and streptococcus—both of which
can be deadly if left untreated—to viruses
like hepatitis and HIV.
Oral piercing also poses a risk for nerve
damage, a buildup of scar tissue and an
OVERHEARD
ROOTING OUT
DECAY
Adding a touch of licorice root to
toothpaste and other dental products
may help prevent dental caries, according
to researchers at the University of California.
In Finland, researchers arrived at similar results.
According to Eva Söderling of the Institute of Dentistry
at the University of Turku, the sugar in licorice extract
cancels out the beneficial effects, but using the
chemicals found in licorice root, which is used to make
licorice, in dental products would make sense.
6 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
Some patients
“aren’t happy until their
teeth look like a
porcelain toilet bowl,”
when actually, the rule
of thumb is that your
teeth should be no
brighter than the
whites of your eyes.
MARTY ZASE, D71, PAST PRESENT OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY
OF COSMETIC DENTISTRY, IN A BOSTON GLOBE STORY ON
AMERICANS’ OBSESSION WITH TEETH WHITENING
ILLUSTRATION (OPPOSITE PAGE): USED WITH PERMISSION OF P.F. ANDERSON, THE UNIVERSITY
OF MICHIGAN LIBRARIES AND THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
allergic reaction to the metal jewelry. The
jewelry itself can cause myriad problems.
People who wear barbells—a double-ended
piece of jewelry worn through the midline of
the tongue—often tap or rub the metal ball
against the teeth, causing excess wear to the
enamel. This behavior can also irritate the
gums and cause them to recede.
Moreover, patients might bite down on
the barbell accidentally, especially while
chewing or sleeping. Vankevich estimates up
to 80 percent of patients with a tongue barbell will crack or break a tooth.
One study found a link between body
piercing and other risky behaviors such as
smoking, drinking and recreational drug
use. Just as dentists routinely advise patients
to avoid smoking and chewing tobacco,
dentists should warn their younger patients
about the dangers of oral piercing.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if someone preemptively told them not to do it?” asks Vankevich,
who overheard his own son’s pediatrician
advise the boy against body piercing.
However, not all health-care providers
take the same stand against these modifications. In the Lizardman’s case, an oral surgeon split his tongue, and another dentist
filed his otherwise-healthy teeth into sharp
points. “Is it professionally and ethically
appropriate for dentists to do this? I don’t
think so,” says Vankevich.
Still, the bulk of oral piercings are not
done by dentists or physicians but by lay
people who are often self-taught or who
informally apprentice in tattoo and piercing
studios. A 2003 survey found that 35 states
regulated tattoo and piercing studios. These
regulations vary widely; some enforce only a
minimum age for piercing, while others
emphasize business practices over hygiene
and safety. Only Massachusetts and Alaska
require knowledge of anatomy and physiology. Only Texas and Florida prohibit the
practice of tongue splitting.
Vankevich wonders if professional piercers
all practice state-of-the art infection control —
particularly with respect to infective endocarditis—and if they are qualified to handle
intra- or post-operative complications.
The American Dental Association has officially opposed intraoral piercing and tongue
splitting since 1998. But that doesn’t mean
dentists can ignore the trend. “One way or
another,” says Vankevich, “these patients are
going to end up on our doorstep.”
WHO KNEW?
The first book devoted entirely
to dentistry, the Little Medicinal
Book for All Kinds of Diseases
and Infirmities of the Teeth, by
Artzney Buchlein, was published
in 1530 in Germany. Written for
anyone who treated the mouth,
it covered practical topics such
as oral hygiene, tooth extraction,
drilling teeth and the placement
of gold fillings.
Puff Stuff
Question: If you start smoking a pack a day at age 18, how many
teeth will you lose by age 35? Answer: between four and five.
In addition to all the other health risks smokers face, a packa-day habit can cost you at least two teeth every 10 years (actually
2.9 teeth for men and 1.5 teeth for women), according to two
30-year studies done by Tufts nutrition researchers.
Smoking unleashes a chain of events—plaque buildup, tartar
buildup, gingivitis and then periodontal disease—that leads to
tooth loss.
“The good news is that the risk of tooth loss decreases after
you quit smoking,” says Fred Magaziner of the Academy of General
Dentistry. “But the bad news is that tooth loss was still
higher among the quitters than among those who never smoked.”
ILLUSTRATION: TRAVIS FOSTER
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 7
8 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
winty’s
garden
Embraced by the twitter of bluebirds and a profusion of forsythia,
rhododendron, roses and berries, Winthrop Harrington lives—
and practices—in paradise
it’s lunchtime at winthrop harrington’s dental clinic
bluebirds, that is. A hygienist flings
open a window and calls to the birds as she dumps
—lunchtime for the
mealworms into a feeder suction-cupped to the outside of the
operatory’s glass wall. Overlooking more than 200 acres of
New England woodland, Harrington’s home-based
office in Lincoln, Mass., may offer the best natural panorama
From the dental chair, a
of any dental clinic in the world.
■
patient might spy a bright red
cardinal perched in
pine boughs or a heron stalking fish in the stream that
flows behind the clinic. Outside, just past the chicken coop, a
water fountain trickles into a man-made
frog pond
where patients often picnic and sometimes swim after visiting
the dentist. “Everybody’s amazed” the first time they come for
treatment, says Harrington, D60, whom everyone calls “Winty.”
■
“Number one, it’s just a big piece of property,” he says.
“Most people have an acre or so. I’m just fortunate to have more
than that.”
■
Winty inherited this parcel of
land from his
father and his love of birds from his mother.
BY JACQUELINE MITCHELL
PHOTOS BY MELODY KO
Winty Harrington chats with a
patient in his home office with
a mega-view. Below and right,
the houses he built for his beloved
bluebirds; the “deckhouse,”
lapped by the broad leaves of
petasite, also known as
bog rhubarb; a statue Harrington’s
wife, Andrea, sculpted 20 years
ago overlooks a stand of iris;
and Biscuit, one of the couple’s
two Pomeranians.
the
harrington
family
has deep roots in this part of the
world, just 20 miles west of Boston. A
descendant of Jonathan Harrington, the first man killed in the
Battle of Lexington in 1775, Harrington grew up near the house where
his patriot-ancestor died. His father practiced medicine in an office
next door. His sister, Nancy, still owns those buildings.
Harrington thought about following his father into medicine—
though his mother encouraged him to become a veterinarian—and
he took his pre-medical courses as an undergraduate at Stanford University. But a loose filling changed the course of his life when the dentist who treated him asked if he was good with his hands. A veteran
builder of birdhouses, Winty replied that he was. After shadowing the
dentist in his office for a few days, Harrington decided to head back
east to attend Tufts. “It was the best thing I ever did,” he says. “Tufts
was just perfect for me.”
During dental school, a visiting lecturer from Colorado told Harrington’s class that they should practice where they want to live. He
showed slides of his practice and its view of Pike’s Peak. Harrington
thought about the rocky outcropping on his family homestead,
where he first considered building a house when he was just 12
years old. The “deckhouse,” as he calls his home and office, was custom-built in 1964 as soon as he completed a two-year stint with the
Army. He served as a dentist at Fort Gordon in Georgia, where he met
10 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
his wife, Andrea, then a hygienist. He has lived and practiced
in the deckhouse ever since. “I
am happier in my office,” he
says, “than anyplace else.”
Walking out back behind
the home he shares with
Andrea—orbited by the couple’s Pomeranians, Biscuit and Pepper, and a Westie named Daisy—
Winty points out deer tracks in the mud and picks up sticks
scattered about by the beavers that have a dam under construction
on the far side of the stream. Like the beavers, Winty has also built
dams in the stream, and he carefully monitors their levels, opening
and closing the dams as necessary to make impoundment ponds for
the birds. Though he calls in professional help from time to time, he
likes to do most of the landscaping and upkeep himself. Transforming the backyard’s rocky terrain into a waterfall and frog pond
was a 12-year endeavor. “It’s all sort of seat-of-the-pants,” he says.
“It’s not manicured like lots of places in Newton and Wellesley. It’s
more rough-cut.”
Spring, when everything comes alive again, is Harrington’s favorite
time of year. He’s planted banks of forsythia, rhododendron, roses and
blueberries so something is in bloom from April to August. In stark
contrast, a blackened dead tree
reaches into the azure summer
sky. “I left it there for the birds
to sit in,” he says.
Birds were his first interest,
and he has been participating
in the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count—
a volunteer-run census of North
America’s birds first done in
1900—since he was just eight
years old. Today, he coordinates
the Bird Count for the town of
Lincoln’s volunteers, and the group reports to his house to tally up
their results. These days, the numbers are dwindling. Off the top of his
head, Winty lists a half-dozen birds he sees fewer of each year: peewees, small flycatchers, warblers, Ovenbirds. “Probably others, too,” he
says. “A lot of things slip away without you noticing it.”
A self-described conservationist, Harrington builds houses for the
Eastern Bluebird, his favorite, a native New Englander forced to
compete for housing with the invasive European house sparrow. He
avoids using chemical pesticides on his land, opting instead for
plant-based repellents. He recently sold more than 50 acres to the
Lincoln Conservation Commission. He could have made a bundle
if he sold it to a developer, but “I don’t want to see it built up too
much around here,” he says.
But Harrington is pleased with one recent addition to the neighborhood, the house his daughter, Wendy, built using wood culled
from this very land. It’s a spacious tree house of sorts, perched
above the house she grew up in. There’s another plot of land reserved
for her sister, who has not yet begun construction. Wendy and her
newborn daughter, Eden, drive up the long driveway in the late afternoon. Standing in the sun’s long rays, Winty waves at his offspring
and hoots a hello, sounding something like a bird himself.
Last winter, Harrington hired a new associate, Lisa Elder, to help
him with his busy practice. She joined a staff of three hygienists and
three assistants, some of whom have worked there for 25 years. (And
feeding the birds, laughs Maureen, the office manager, from behind
the front desk, “is in all of our job descriptions.”) Winty has patients
who have been coming for that long, too, and some travel from as far
away as Germany to see him. It’s his skill and his kindness—and
maybe even the view—that keep them, like the bluebirds, coming back
year after year. TDM
Jacqueline Mitchell is a senior health sciences writer in Tufts’ Office of
Publications. She can be reached at [email protected].
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 11
12 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
Heads
The way to your
patient’s mouth is
through his mind
UP
it’s 10 a.m. in the dental school’s third floor clinic, and arthur
Weiner, D58, is called in to assist on an emergency case. Not a dental crisis,
but an emotional one.
■
The patient, a woman in her 40s, wants a cosmetic
fix for a recently broken incisor. Following established treatment protocol
to address periodontal health before doing restorative work, the student
dentist assigned to her says that having her teeth scaled is more vital to her
oral health and should be done first.
■
Weiner quickly steps in. He listens
to the patient, who tells him that she is out of work and can’t find
employment with a cracked smile. “She wanted to go look for a job,” Weiner
says. “It’s what motivated her to come to the clinic.” He changes the protocol to make the front tooth the priority, knowing that he’s taking a step
toward gaining the patient’s trust.
BY JULIE FLAHERTY
I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y L E I G H W E L L S
■
“You can’t
just look a patient in the mouth and look for a
filling,” says Weiner, a professor of general den-
tistry who teaches a two-part seminar on patient behavior to all thirdyear students and routinely advises them on the clinic floor. “That
mouth is inside a whole person who has physical needs, psychological
needs. You have to treat the whole patient.”
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 13
understanding why patients act and
react the way they do is part of the field
known as behavioral science. It is about more
than coping with “difficult” patients or helping a phobic overcome his fear of the drill
(although those are both part of it). If every
mouth is different, every brain is certainly
unique. Yet dentists who would never drill
without first taking an X-ray routinely neglect to get a snapshot of what’s going on
inside the patient’s mind. Doing so can be the
key to a successful dental procedure, a practice with a full appointment book, and even
avoiding malpractice lawsuits.
“A good understanding of a few behavioral science theories can enhance our ability
to assess and treat our patients,” says Ronald
Kulich, an attending psychologist at the
Craniofacial Pain Center who lectures in the
general dentistry department. While medicine has incorporated behavioral science for
decades, only in recent years has dentistry
begun to embrace the full scope of its applications, he says. At Tufts, behavioral science
principles are taught throughout the four
years of the dental school curriculum. In
addition to Weiner’s seminar, classes on
nutrition, oral health promotion, ethics and
professionalism, medicine, the clinical experience, pediatric dentistry, practice management, anesthesiology and pharmacology, and
geriatric dentistry all emphasize pieces of
the patient-doctor relationship.
No, it’s not just common sense, or just
something that comes naturally, says Elaine
Davis, an associate professor at the University
at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and
councilor for the behavioral sciences section of
the American Dental Education Association.
“These are skills, communication skills,
and being skills, they can be taught,” she says.
“Patients can’t judge the quality of your
restorations. They’re going to judge you by the
way you treat them, and if you treat them well,
they will come back.”
Today, all U.S. dental schools are required
to have a behavioral science program to maintain their accreditation. Part II of the National
Board Dental Examination, a graduation
requirement, is peppered with behavior science problems and has a portion on patient
management. At Tufts, every clinical area has
a behavioral competency question on its student assessment, so whether the student is
doing a filling or a root canal, he is critiqued
14 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
on his chair-side manner. Through a questionnaire Weiner developed, clinic patients
also have the chance to evaluate the student
dentists on things like whether they listened to
their concerns and encouraged questions or
mumbled and left them sitting for long periods of time without explanation.
“ALL
THE FANCY
EQUIPMENT,
ALL THE
MODALITIES—
they’re all useless
if you can’t get
the patient
in the chair.”
—ARTHUR WEINER
Understanding a patient’s needs and goals
not only puts the patient at ease, Weiner says,
it inevitably makes the treatment easier for the
dentist. It also means the patient will make
future appointments—and keep them.
“All the fancy equipment, all the modalities—they’re all useless if you can’t get the
patient in the chair,” he says.
TECHNIQUE—AND MORE
When Weiner was a young dentist, a successful practice could be based strictly on
technical virtuosity. “Dentists in those days
did not have to be overly concerned about
whether a patient developed a relationship
or whether a patient followed post-op
instructions and good oral hygiene,” he says.
Being a good dentist meant putting in a
good restoration, doing no harm and not
overcharging. “And if you did that you were
home free,” he says.
Today, the profession expects more from its
practitioners. The key, Weiner says, is communication and more specifically, asking questions. With each new patient in the clinic, the
student dentists go through a nine-page list of
questions covering everything from the medications patients take to the recreational drugs
they may have abused. Something as simple as
whether a person gets her flu shot each year
may hint at whether she tends to follow
through on doctor’s orders.
“We ask them a ton of questions,” Weiner
says. “Most of them have nothing to do
with dentistry, but they let me know who I
can build a trusting relationship with. Does
this person diet a lot? Is there alcoholism?
Does he like his physician? Does he take the
drugs that the physician prescribes? I want
to know.”
Weiner became interested in patient
behavior some three decades ago, when he
noticed patients in his waiting room suddenly jump up and flee the office. Since
then, he has conducted many studies on
fear and anxiety and become an expert on
agoraphobia. He has published several
papers on the topic, perhaps most notably
ones on differentiating panic disorders,
which may require medication, from psychological dental anxiety.
Anxiety of all kinds abounds in the dental
office. In a survey of patients at the general
dentistry clinic at Tufts, Weiner found 65
percent had high levels of dental fear. He
also found five scenarios that most often
aggravate that fear: when the dentist seems
rushed; when the patient feels uninformed;
when the patient worries that the anesthetic
will be ineffective; when the patient thinks
the office and instruments have not been
properly disinfected; and when the patient
thinks his feelings are being neglected.
“Then we began to think, gee it’s not just
the sound of the drill and the smell of the
office,” Weiner says.
Albert Forgione, a psychologist, professor
and head of the clinical research section at
the Craniofacial Pain Center, has studied the
role of behavior in clinical practice for
nearly three decades and is co-editor of the
book Behavioral Dentistry. He has worked
with hundreds of phobic patients, be it for
fear of flying, fear of public speaking or
fear of the dentist. Phobics are generally
“very astute, highly imaginative people,” he
says. In fact it is that imagination that leads
to the sweating palms, palpating heart and
heavy breathing. “If they can get the images
in their mind, the body will act as if that
were happening,” he says.
There are many behavioral techniques for
treating a frightened or anxious patient,
including minimizing cues (hiding the dental
hardware), positive reinforcement (praising
the patient during simple procedures like
cleaning), learning by attribution and
appraisal (talking the patient through every
step of the procedure), distraction (how about
those Red Sox?), systematic desensitization
(getting the patient to look at the needle, sit
next to the needle, hold the needle) and promoting relaxation. Forgione is a pioneer in the
use of biofeedback, where patients are hooked
up to electronic instruments that measure
changes in heart rate, breathing, muscle movements, etc., and alert the patient through
sounds or other signals. By working with a
dentist or psychologist, a patient can learn to
slow his heart rate and relax certain muscles,
in turn gaining a sense of control, which
seems to alleviate anxiety and even pain.
Many dentists have successfully used hypnosis with their anxious patients. Forgione
recalls a case of a mail carrier whose fear of the
The whole point of behavioral science,
says Arthur Weiner, D58, is to have your
patients feel at home, understood and
unafraid when they come in for treatment.
dentist had kept him away from treatment his
whole life, leaving his mouth full of blackened,
broken teeth, some of which he had tried to
extract himself.“His pain was so bad he would
bang his head against the postal truck,” Forgione says. Yet the man was very receptive to
hypnosis, and after a few sessions, became
such a compliant patient that the dentist who
finally got to work on his teeth declared the
man was “not phobic at all.”
Yet Forgione is less interested in miraculous
cures than he is in dentists who exacerbate a
patient’s anxiety. “It’s the negative that I’m
concerned about,” he says. He relates a common scenario of the dentist who is chatting
with his assistant about the day’s events or
weekend plans, “and the patient is out of the
picture.” Just talking to the patient makes her
part of the treatment, and can lessen anxiety.
A dentist can care for frightened patients
in other simple ways, such as not scheduling
a phobic patient late in the day, when he
might be running late. “A significant portion
of people are going to have peaks of anxiety
while waiting,” he says. Body language can
also do a lot to set a patient at ease.
While a dentist can do many things to
help the panic-stricken, psychologists stress
that a patient doesn’t have to have a diagnosed
phobia to warrant a dentist’s sensitivity. “All
patients are anxious sometimes,” Kulich says.
SUBTLE CLUES, SERIOUS ISSUES
Over the years, some of Weiner’s patients have
had bizarre ideas about why their teeth are in
disrepair. One blamed an allergy to strawberries. One said God was punishing him for
his sins by making his teeth fall out. “I’ve had
someone come in and tell me his last dentist
put a microphone in his filling so he could
hear his telephone conversations,” Weiner
says. In such cases, a referral to a psychologist
takes precedence over the filling.
But few cases are that overt, so dentists-intraining must learn the subtle signs that a
patient has depression, narcissism, obsession or a somatic delusion.
Depression, for example, plays tricks on a
person’s perception, which means a depressed
patient may have an unduly downbeat
impression of what the dental visit will entail.
“They begin to lose faith in their dentist;
they begin to interfere with the dentist, and
they try to direct treatment,” Weiner says.
“And soon you’re wondering, who’s the boss
PHOTO: MELODY KO
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 15
Provide a well-lit, private,
comfortable place to talk.
Keep your eyes focused
on her face and eyes.
Keep your shoulders and legs
turned toward him.
Lean into the conversation
(about 20 degrees).
Focus on the content
of what the patient
is saying, even if
anxiety or a speech
defect mean he has
trouble saying it.
Interrupt the patient. Instead, give him
time to formulate his thoughts.
Distract the patient by tapping a pencil,
playing with something on the desk, or
glancing at your wristwatch while he talks.
Stand closer than three feet to the patient,
which may seem intrusive, or farther than
four feet, which implies you are not interested.
Ignore the patient’s tone
of voice or body actions.
Overlook off-hand remarks
and by-the-ways, which
may reveal a lot
about the patient’s
true feelings.
HOW TO TALK
TO YOUR PATIENT
here? You have to know how to set limits
and define the terms of treatment.”
A person with a somatic over-concern may
obsess over a tiny flaw, like a misaligned bite.
Kulich tells of a patient who complained of
chronic tooth pain, although nothing seemed
wrong with her teeth. She underwent a series
of root canals, and eventually had all her teeth
removed. It wasn’t until the patient was
referred to Tufts’ Craniofacial Pain Center
that Kulich found that psychosocial factors
were influencing her behavior.“By doing a full
medical history, the dentist can pick up on
these patients and not just send them to have
three more root canals,” he says.
THE LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS
To prepare dental students for the challenges
they eventually will face in practice, Weiner
shows them a video with a variety of patient
scenarios. “Let’s say a patient says, ‘I thought
you were the very best dentist around here so
I spent all my savings and let you make my
dentures, and I’m not happy, and I’m not satisfied.’ What would you say to the patient?”
“You have to ask yourself, can I meet this
patient’s goals? Everybody has limits. You
don’t want to finish the procedure and have
the patient unhappy. They may end up chang-
16 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
ing dentists; they may end up suing you.”
Kulich has seen dentists who ignore the
warning signs of a patient’s irregular behavior
run into malpractice issues.“Dentists are being
increasingly bound from a medical-legal
standpoint to follow the same standards as
physicians,” he says.“That includes identifying
at-risk patients. Dentists who fail to recognize
personality coping issues and establish boundaries, those dentists have run into trouble.”
Kulich offers the case of a dentist whose
new patient had nothing but praise for him.
Flattering him all the while, she asked for special favors, like setting last-minute appointments at her convenience and writing
prescriptions for pain medication to save her
a trip to her physician’s office. Claiming financial woes, she asked if she could do some
work for him to pay her bill, which he agreed
to. But when he could no longer keep up with
her requests and need for attention, she
became increasingly angry.
The dentist might have prevented the situation, Kulich says, by setting limits on favors,
asking his colleagues for another opinion, and
conducting a comprehensive assessment of
the patient early on, which would have revealed
that her relationships with past dentists were
equally problematic. Kulich emphasizes that all
patients, even those who appear difficult,
deserve the best of care, but had the dentist better understood the manner of the patient’s
distress, he could have managed better.
As powerful as a thorough patient interview can be, Kulich still finds that many dentists are reluctant to ask the most important
questions.“They don’t want to ask about anxiety; they definitely don’t want to ask about
depression, and few clinicians ever ask about
alcohol use, which is amazing because chronic
alcohol use can be one of the best predictors of
a bad outcome with dental and medical procedures,” he says.
In many cases, the dentist is in a much better position than the patient’s primary physician to screen for many of these symptoms,
because he sees the dentist more frequently.
“The patient is not going to tell you everything,” Kulich says. “That doesn’t mean you’re
not obliged to ask. That doesn’t mean that you
shouldn’t document the patient’s behavior.”
Knowing a patient’s psychosocial history
can prepare a dentist for the erratic behavior
he may encounter. But the dentist shouldn’t
assume the patient will be difficult to handle.
In his most recent article, published in the
May issue of the Journal of the Massachusetts
Dental Society, Weiner reports that patients
ILLUSTRATION: Adapted from The Difficult Patient: A Guide to Understanding and Managing Dental Anxiety, by Arthur A. Weiner
who take antidepressant drugs for their psychological disorders are usually less anxious
and more receptive to dental visits than they
were before treatment.
WHAT THE PATIENT TAKES AWAY
When you ask a student why he applied to
dental school, he inevitably says he wants to
help people. “They say I’m good with my
hands, and I’m good with people,” says Carole
Palmer, a professor in the department of public health and community service. “I think
they do understand it’s a people business.
They don’t necessarily understand the depth
or breadth of the communication skills necessary to be effective.”
Most young dentists assume that when
they ask a patient to do something, he will
do it. Yet about 50 percent of patients who
leave a clinician’s office don’t follow doctor’s
orders. Getting someone to change his
habits outside the dental office takes some
behavioral science in the chair. Palmer talks
about behavior modification as part of her
class in oral health promotion. Getting people to brush their teeth, for example, takes
more than commanding it.
“You don’t ask people who never brush
their teeth to start brushing ten times a day,”
she says. “Start small but be targeted, personalized. Find out what motivates the patient. If
his problem is cavities, ask wouldn’t it be nice
to not have any more? He may say yes, of
course I don’t want any more cavities. Or yes,
of course I don’t want to keep paying you
more money. Psychology tells us that when
they make a verbal commitment, they are
much more likely to follow through.”
“Ask him to brush his teeth, and see what
he’s doing right and what he’s doing wrong,”
she says. “You always ask the patient to come
up with the solution; that’s called clientcentered non-directive counseling. How
could you do better, without making it too
difficult for you?”
“There is not just one way to do something
when it comes to behavioral change,” Palmer
says. “You work with the patient to decide
whether a fixed or removable dental appliance
would be better, whether an implant or a denture would be better for him. And then you
make sure you have educated the patient on
what causes his disease—not anyone’s disease, his disease—so he understands what’s
happening in his mouth.”
Palmer points out that behavioral science
applies to public health endeavors as well.
How do you get a whole population to brush
their teeth if you don’t understand motivation?
How can you convince legislators that the
public needs toothbrushes if you don’t understand their attitudes toward oral health?
“Many students don’t think beyond the
patient,” Palmer says. “It is important for their
success to be involved in the community, to be
seen as an ally, to be a supportive community
member. It works on many levels. How do you
deal with your community leaders on issues
related to dental health financing? How do you
deal effectively with the legislature? Your dental society has to have good communication
skills in order to have any power or authority
rather than to be considered an opponent.”
MORE THAN “GOOD HANDS”
“Working with your hands is easy,” says John
Lee, D08. “The hard part is dealing with
patients.”
“In the beginning, it’s kind of awkward
because it seems really personal,” he says.
But it is important, he says, because the
social, psychological and physical elements
interrelate. “If you can’t analyze the patient in
the beginning, most likely it’s not going to
work out too well,” Lee says.
Michelle Ray, D08, found Weiner’s patient
questionnaire a good starting point. “You can
get people talking a lot during that. You can tell
when people want to be interested. You can tell
how they speak; you can pick up clues. You can
see how they react to certain situations.”
Ray may have an advantage in her chairside manner, having studied psychology as an
undergraduate. She didn’t know how handy
those skills would be in dentistry until she
started working with patients in the Tufts
clinics. Other students are surprised, too.
She says that students may excel in the lab or
pre-clin, but if they don’t know how to work
with a patient, their craftsmanship may not
be fully appreciated.
“The patients don’t care if you have good
hands. They can’t really tell what you’re
doing in their mouth,” Ray says. “How you
speak to them and how you interact is all
they base it off of.”
With one patient, who has bipolar disorder, she learned to talk through the steps of
each procedure, and always make requests,
not demands, such as “could you please open
your mouth now?” With another patient, a
recovering drug addict, she found it better
not to give a running account of the dental
treatment, but to distract him with other
conversation.
Sometimes both the dentist and the patient
need to overcome their anxieties. Min Kim,
D08, was truly frightened of her first bipolar
patient, an elderly man who didn’t smile, who
seemed decidedly unfriendly and stand-offish.
He was anxious as well. “I had no idea how to
talk to him,” she says. But he needed both
upper and lower dentures, which meant they
would be spending some time together.“It was
a nightmare for me,” she says. But she soon got
him talking about his family, and they both
opened their minds a little. “Then I noticed as
long as I can explain to him what I’m going to
do, then he’s OK with that,” she says. In the
end, she says, “he was great, and he was satisfied with the dentures.”
The point, Weiner says, is that dentists
should take the extra five minutes to find out
what mental baggage the patient is bringing
to the office. “You also have to know yourself,” he says. “Do you have the patience?
And the willingness to take the time to
understand the patient? And be empathetic
to their problems? It’s going to impact
whether or not you can restore teeth.”
“We’re trying to teach the dentist to recognize all these things,” Weiner says. “We do
this everyday in life; we psychoanalyze our
friends, our colleagues. You don’t have to be a
psychology major. I’m not. All my experience
is on-the-job training.”
With dentists in such demand, do they
really need to know so much about each and
every patient?
“Oh, I hope so,” Weiner says. “I would hate
for anyone to look at me as a machine. To put
in a good filling, that’s what you’re being
paid for…. But to have the patients say
thanks, you made me feel at home, you
understood me, I’m not afraid to come here.
That’s the real thing. That’s what I want the
students to understand. You’re dealing with a
human being. The effort has always been to
make dentistry a kinder and more gentle
profession than it was when I found it as a
student some 50 odd years ago.” TDM
Julie Flaherty is a senior health sciences writer
in Tufts’ Office of Publications. She can be
reached at [email protected].
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 17
HOMEGROWN
Here’s one way to solve the shortage of dentists in academia
after “open wide,” the most important words in tufts’ dental
clinics might be these: “Let me help.” This summer, volunteer third-year
dental students took to the clinic floors to impart their hard-won
knowledge to the anxious second-years working with patients for the
first time. And this fall, new postdocs in periodontology embark on a
different kind of mentoring program designed to foster a cooperative
spirit among residents.
This emphasis on mentoring and teaching is one way that Tufts is
confronting the nationwide shortage of dental faculty that looms
large as the baby-boom generation heads toward retirement. But the
pre-doctoral teaching assistant and postdoctoral mentoring programs
have more immediate benefits as well.
“In the pre-clin courses, there are 165 students in one room at the
same time, and they all could use some help at some point,” says
Michael Thompson, associate professor of general dentistry. He
established the teaching assistant (TA) program seven years ago as a
way to keep students who meet their clinical requirements for graduation early engaged with the school and with learning new things.
That first year, Thompson paired two students with less-experienced peers in the clinic and let the TAs “stand next to them and
watch them step by step.” Today, thanks to popular demand by faculty
and students alike, some 50 third-year students are helping the
D10s, who are caring for patients for the first time, get their bearings.
“I remember when I first started in the clinic I was scared and
clueless when it came to the correct clinical procedure,” says Whitney
Carraway, D09, now a TA in radiology and in one of the school’s
group practices. “I remember bombarding the TAs with questions,
and they always had time to help me.”
Students intern as TAs over the summer. Then, once they demonstrate their interest and ability, they may become full, paid TAs in the
fall. Responsibilities vary by department, depending on the needs of
the faculty the TAs assist. Their domain is not limited to the clinic;
Terrence Griffin,
chair of periodontology,
and periodontology
residents in the clinic.
18 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
TAs help out in the classroom, too. Thompson challenges student
teachers to teach in the classroom and encourages other professors
to do the same. Morton Rosenberg, D74, professor of oral and
maxillofacial surgery, had his TAs lecture for the first time this year.
“The beauty of it is by teaching, you figure out what you yourself
don’t know,” says Thompson.
N TEACHERS
BY JACQUELINE MITCHELL PHOTOS BY JOHN SOARES
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 19
Or in some cases, the student teachers discover strengths they didn’t
know they had. “This experience has taught me that I know more than
I think I know,” Eric G. Piascik, D09, wrote to Thompson. “I said to
myself,‘Wow, I am thinking and acting like a doctor.’ I guess I didn’t see
my potential until I was teaching.”
One goal of the program is that at least some of the TAs will get bitten by the teaching bug. According to a 2005 survey by the American
Dental Education Association (ADEA), there were close to 300 vacant
faculty positions at U.S. dental schools, most of them in clinical disciplines. An older ADEA report found that fewer than 2 percent of fourthyear dental students were interested in teaching, a rate too low to replace
older faculty as they retire.
Though it’s too early to know how many former pre-doctoral TAs
have gone into academia, anecdotal evidence suggests the program is
planting seeds that will bear fruit in coming years. After graduating next
spring, Carraway wants to return to her hometown, Greenville, N.C.,
where her undergraduate alma mater, East Carolina University, plans to
open a dental school in a few years. She’s already considering teaching
part-time in the clinic there some day. Piascik echoes that goal: “I never
thought of myself as being a teacher, but after this experience,” he says,
“I will not hesitate at the thought of teaching at Tufts after I graduate.”
Whether they go into teaching careers or not, the TA program has
already changed the way students think about dental education. All current Tufts dental students have “grown up in this system, so they were
helped, and now they want to help,” says Thompson. “The experience
brings the school together. It means more people are working toward a
common goal. It’s part of what makes Tufts unique as a school.”
A POSTDOCTORAL FAMILY
“We run a different kind of program here. We are the Tufts Periodontal Family,” Terrence J. Griffin, D71, DG75, chair of periodontology and director of the postdoctoral program, says of the
four-year-old mentoring program that prepares postdocs for private
practice and grooms them to become ambassadors for the profession.
“We stress cooperation right off the bat.”
Tufts’ three-year postgraduate program in periodontology enrolls
six to eight students each year. Since 2004, each first-year has been
paired with a third-year mentor, who helps the new student get his or
her feet wet in the clinic during patient exams and surgical procedures.
The benefits to the first-years are obvious, but to maintain high-quality mentoring relationships, Griffin and Timothy J. Hempton, associate clinical professor, agreed they had to make explicit to the
third-years what they get out of it, too.
“We recognize that our postgraduates arrive here from competitive
environments, but once they get here, they are in a cooperative one,”
says Hempton, who details the success of the perio mentoring program in an article published in the May 2008 issue of the Journal of
Dental Education. His co-authors were Griffin, Paul A. Levi Jr., D66,
“Wow, I am thinking
I didn’t see my potential
Above: Michael Thompson, associate
professor of general dentistry, observes
students’ work in the Simulation Clinic;
center: Timothy Hempton reviews a case
with periodontology residents; opposite
page: Sarah Stipho, D08, consults on
an X-ray with faculty members James
Hanley and Paul Levi Jr.
20 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
DG71, associate clinical professor of periodontology, and James B.
Hanley, D75A, DG79, associate dean for clinical affairs. “You can work
toward a goal without competing with each other, which is the way
science moves forward,” Hempton says.
The son of a salesman who accompanied his father on sales calls as
a boy, Hempton suspected the business world might offer lessons that
could apply to academia. Influenced especially by the Dale Carnegie
classic How to Win Friends and Influence People, Ken Blanchard’s series
on leadership and James Collins’ Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, Hempton developed a seminar on mentoring and
leadership. At the initial lecture, first- and second-year residents learn
about the symbiotic benefits of a successful mentor/mentee relationship.
Those upsides have become obvious to third-year resident Eduardo
Marcuschamer: To teach others,“you have to have all the concepts fresh
in your mind all the time. And you get the opportunity to study cases
you’re not working on personally.”
In addition to first-year/third-year mentoring, perio residents also
interact with pre-doctoral students who attend mandatory oneweek rotations in the periodontology clinic. Pre-docs working in
Tufts’ clinics also frequently consult with residents on perio cases.
With the mantra “cooperative is synonymous with profitable,”
Hempton and Griffin encourage their residents to treat all predocs as future colleagues and potential referring dentists. “We mirror a private-practice scenario,” says Griffin. “The better the students
interact with colleagues, the more cases and referrals they get.”
Perio residents also work with pre-doctoral students in Griffin’s Periodontal Study Club, an informal bimonthly meeting at which predocs and residents pair up to present a clinical case to their peers. The
club simulates the professional meetings and conferences Griffin and
Hempton encourage their residents to attend. “We accepted them
into the program to become leaders,” says Hempton.
Through their mentoring program, Griffin and Hempton hope
to inspire their postdocs to consider academic careers. Even those graduates who
become full-time clinicians can serve as
diplomats for the profession, they say.
But Hempton recognizes that mentoring
—ERIC G. PIASCIK, D09
and teaching may not come naturally to
everyone. That’s something he keeps in
mind when he’s teaching. “I try to explain concepts on two levels—first,
how to understand it themselves, and second, how to explain it to the
pre-docs.” That’s been useful to Maria Leticia Rodriguez-Varo, another
third-year resident, who confesses she once thought of teaching as a bit
of a chore.“Without noticing, I became involved in it,” she says.“I never
thought about being a teacher before, but maybe now I will.”
Though the periodontology mentoring program is still an infant,
the numbers are already trending in the right direction. “It started with
a problem,” says Hempton. In their course evaluations, pre-doctoral
students were vociferous about the lack of instruction they were getting from the perio residents. In 2003, the number of negative comments exceeded the positive ones, 2 to 1, prompting Griffin and
Hempton to launch the mentoring program the following year. By the
end of the 2006–07 school year, the positive comments outweighed the
negative, 10 to 1.
What does this encouraging turnaround mean for dental education?
The sample size is small, but the numbers are still promising. The perio
classes that graduated between 1997 and 2003 yielded just two part-time
teachers, but the classes of 2004 through 2007 produced two full-time
teachers at Tufts and six part-time teachers at other dental schools.
Hempton is pleased with the early results. “We felt the disengagement,
which has now become engagement,” he says. “The desire to share is
more compelling now.” TDM
and acting like a doctor. I guess
until I was teaching.”
Jacqueline Mitchell is a senior health sciences writer in Tufts’ Office of
Publications. She can be reached at [email protected].
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 21
Lost City
A dental mission team encounters the wonders of Peru
BY JULIE FLAHERTY PHOTOS BY CHARLES RANKIN
22 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
THE INCAN CITY of Machu Picchu was built around
1450 and abandoned a century later, remaining largely
forgotten until American explorer Hiram Bingham brought
it to worldwide attention in 1911. Its terraced farms,
temples and fountains are constructed on a narrow ridge
between two mountains above the Urubamba Valley.
THE ORPHANAGE IN LIMATAMBO, where
the Tufts dental team set up a temporary clinic, was built
recently. You can see where children pressed their hands
into the fresh cement where they’re sitting, underneath
this stairwell. The equipment the dentists found was less
contemporary. The one portable dental unit had a broken
light and a malfunctioning chair and had to be jury-rigged
to a compressor outside the building. “But it kept us going
for four days,” Rankin says, during which they performed
cleanings, extractions, restorations and pulpotomies on
infected baby teeth.
I
n april, aidee n. herman, a tufts periodontist, led a group of 22 dentists, students
and other volunteers on a humanitarian trip to Limatambo, Peru, sponsored by the School
of Dental Medicine’s Hispanic Dental Association. They were based at the orphanage of Casa
del Aguila, where they provided dental care to the orphans and the villagers, mostly children,
who trekked in from the surrounding mountains. Some of the 240 patients they treated
walked for hours to have a tooth extracted or a filling put in—and then walked hours more for the
return trip home. As memorable as the mission work the Tufts volunteers did was their visit to the
spellbinding site of Machu Picchu, the legendary lost city of the Incas. Charles Rankin, D79, DG86,
D08P, a professor of endodontics and a compulsive photographer with more than 80 photo albums
to his name, documented their journey. “I hope it wasn’t a once-in-a-lifetime trip,” he says.
24 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
CHARLES RANKIN,
left, and seven of the dental
students decided to hike the
steep trail to Huayna Picchu,
which overlooks the ancient
city. It was a heart-racing
climb to 8,922 feet. Although
his perch looks precarious,
a terrace 10 feet below would
have truncated his fall. More
imposing was the switch-back
highway, to the left, which
carries tour buses to the
Incan city. “The bus ride up,
with no guard rails—that was
really scary,” Rankin says.
Below, the tapered tower of
The Temple of the Sun, one
of several ceremonial sites in
Machu Picchu, is indicative
of the careful, mortar-free
stonework of the Incas. This
building honored Inti, the Sun,
an important deity.
AMONG THE 140
edifices in Machu Picchu are
houses that were once covered with thatched roofs.
Based on the number of residences, some experts estimate
the regular population to have been about 300 people,
growing to 1,000 when the emperor was in town.
A MOTHER and her two children in Cusco, once the
ancient Incan capital. “The people are just the salt of the
earth,” Rankin says.
THIS FLAT CARVED ROCK
on the floor of the
Temple of the Condor is said to resemble South America’s
largest bird, with its bald head and collar of white feathers.
Two natural stone formations which sweep up and out
behind the photo give the appearance of wings.
THE DOORS and windows
throughout Machu Picchu slant
in at the top, maximizing stability,
which may help explain why
the city has survived for centuries
in the earthquake-prone Andes.
The trapezoidal shape also
creates a perfect frame for the
view of Huayna Picchu. As the
archeologist Richard Burger
describes it, the Incas were
“connoisseurs of highland
panoramas,” and the emperor
well may have created this
place as “the Inca equivalent
to Camp David.”
UNIVERSITY NEWS
THE WIDER WORLD OF TUFTS
In the Public Interest
Loan repayment assistance program helps alums
who help others by Marjorie Howard
second-year dental student julie cooper grew up in a very rural
community in the Adirondack Mountains where oral health care was just
not available to the majority of people she knew. “When I went away to
college and saw that this lack of access to dental health services was not
the norm, and that the suffering caused by dental disease was completely
preventable, I decided I wanted to become a dentist so I could be part of
the solution to this problem,” she says. “Ultimately, I would like to end up
practicing in a rural community, in a clinic if one is already established
there, or build my own practice there if not.”
Now, thanks to a program believed to be the first of its kind in the
country, Cooper may be able to pursue that dream without worrying
about onerous student loan debt. Tufts University has launched a new
initiative that will help all undergraduates, graduate students and those
with professional degrees pay off their loans if they work in public service or at a nonprofit organization after graduation.
The Tufts Loan Repayment Assistance Program, known as LRAP, is
aimed at encouraging alumni to pursue careers that may not necessarily be lucrative but will serve the public good. Graduates in fields such as
teaching, health care in regions lacking medical resources and social work
would be eligible.
Julie Cooper, D11
28 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
“Of course, no matter how much you
want to be in a position to help people who
really need it, you still need to keep your
own financial situation in mind and make
sure that your career will allow you to meet
your own basic needs and responsibilities,”
says Cooper, who estimates she will have
amassed $300,000 in loans by the time she
graduates from dental school. “Having some
of the burden of my debt lifted would make
it much more feasible for me to work in a
clinic or an underserved area right out of
dental school.”
“Every student who graduates with a
loan worries about how to pay it off,” says
Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow. “We
would like alumni to be able to pursue their
passions—to do what they really want to
do—without being unduly focused on the
need to retire a student loan. It is especially
appropriate for Tufts to make this commitment, since as an institution we seek to
encourage a spirit of public service in our
students.”
“Without a program like this, I might
need to wait years for my loans to be paid off
before I could afford to go into public service,”
says Cooper, who earned her undergraduate
degrees in biology and geography from the
State University of New York at Oneonta.
The number of awards will depend on
the total number of applicants to the program and the funding that is available, as
well as an individual’s income and level of
indebtedness. The program is being funded
annually with $500,000 from the OmidyarTufts Microfinance Fund, which was established with a $100 million gift from Pierre
Omidyar, A88, the founder of eBay, and his
wife, Pamela Omidyar, J89.
Alumni will need to reapply each year for
assistance. They must complete an application and provide other documentation,
including a pay stub and tax return. Application materials and other information are
available at http://activecitizen.tufts.edu/
LRAP. Alumni must currently be repaying
education loans or be in a grace period.
The goal of the program is not to cover
the entire debt for a small group but to
help as many alumni as possible with a
portion of their loans. Debt for graduates of
Tufts Dental School averages $175,000.
PHOTO: NATALIE STULTZ
Frank C. Doble tests his
invention, the Doble Safety Portable
Telephone system, circa 1920.
A legacy of innovation
Tufts receives $136 million, the largest gift in university history,
from charitable trust established by alumnus
n act of philanthropy by
Boston technology pioneer and
Tufts alumnus Frank C. Doble
more than 40 years ago has
resulted in a gift of $136 million, the largest
in Tufts’ history. Doble’s generosity will allow
the university to begin development of an
interdisciplinary laboratory that will advance
research and collaboration in biology and
engineering, while also supporting financial
aid, faculty and other critical needs.
Doble, who earned a degree in electrical
engineering from Tufts in 1911 and founded
Doble Engineering Co. in 1920, died in 1969.
His legacy included generous trusts that will
now yield approximately $272 million,
divided equally between Tufts and Lesley
University, where he served as a trustee for
two decades.
“Frank Doble was a true innovator who
foresaw the potential of the electric power
industry when it was still in its infancy.
A
The technologies that he developed made
the industry safer and more productive,”
said Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow. “In
founding Doble Engineering, Frank Doble
pushed the boundaries of science and technology, just as our faculty and students do
today. We are grateful that his legacy will
help future generations to attend Tufts and
enable us to create a new laboratory, named
in his honor, to advance collaboration
among our biologists and engineers.”
The new integrated laboratory, planned
for Tufts-owned property on Boston Avenue
in Medford, will allow scientists from the
School of Engineering and the biology
department in the School of Arts and Sciences to pursue cooperative research.
“New laboratories are needed in order to
recruit the best faculty and enable them to
thrive at Tufts as teachers and scholars,”
Provost and Senior Vice President Jamshed
Bharucha said. Tufts has not constructed a
new laboratory building on the Medford/
Somerville campus in almost 20 years. “A
new facility will also provide expanded
opportunities for our students to get involved
in research,” Bharucha said.
Putting biologists and engineers in the
same building will also spark multidisciplinary collaboration. “The pace of development today is so rapid that inquiry should
not be limited by department and school
boundaries,” said Bharucha.
Doble Engineering Co’s. high-end diagnostic test solutions for the electric utility
industry were designed to enhance the safety
and reliability of power systems. Currently
based in Watertown, Mass., the company
leased its former Medford, Mass., headquarters from Tufts from 1925 to 1947, and
Doble and his enterprise were closely connected with the university for many years.
Doble was born in South Paris, Maine, in
1886, as the age of electricity was dawning.
Westinghouse Electric Co. was founded in the
same year, and General Electric emerged six
years later. He entered Tufts in 1907 and
financed his education by installing a new
telephone system at the college.
Doble regularly invited Tufts engineering
students to tour his plant and sought out
Tufts graduates for his company. Tufts Professor Amos L. Dolbear, inventor of the
condenser microphone; Alvin Howell, chair
of Tufts’ electrical engineering department;
and Tufts presidents Leonard Mead and
Nils Y. Wessell were among those with
whom Doble and his company maintained
close relationships. A staunch supporter of
education, Doble also developed close ties
with Lesley University and its founder, Edith
Lesley Wolfard.
In addition to engineering and education, Doble’s passions included the works of
William Shakespeare. In 1962, Tufts awarded
Doble an honorary doctor of science degree.
Doble died on December 30, 1969. He
had named Tufts and Lesley in his estate
plans in 1960. The two universities were the
primary beneficiaries of two irrevocable
trusts that together owned 87 percent of
Doble Engineering. In November 2007,
ESCO Technologies of St. Louis purchased
Doble Engineering. The trusts have been
dissolved and the assets distributed.
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 29
ON CAMPUS
DENTAL SCHOOL NEWS
The distance degree
graduates, clockwise
from far left: David
Peters, Jamison Spencer,
Nino Fraulini, Sandesh
Mayekar, Peter Currie,
Jean-Guy Violette and
Bill Pantazes, D90.
From India to Indiana,
a smooth commute
by Julie Flaherty
jamison spencer’s thesis defense for his master’s degree followed
convention. He wore the expected jacket and tie. He adroitly answered the
questions put to him by his thesis committee. But at the point when, traditionally, the student is asked to leave the room while the committee makes
its decision, the faculty thought it best if they stepped outside instead.
“We didn’t want to lose the connection,” explains Dara Mehta, the
school’s coordinator of dental distance education, who stayed and chatted
with Spencer—or rather, his image—on a videoconferencing system. The
real Spencer was 2,260 miles away, in Idaho, where he lives and practices.
Spencer was one of seven students—now graduates—from around
the world who this spring successfully completed the inaugural Tufts
Dental Distance Learning Master of Science Program, which began in
September 2005. For many of them, enrolling in a more traditional master’s program would have meant selling their practices and uprooting
their families. For Spencer, a father of six (the two youngest born during the master’s program) with an established practice, it would have
been more than a little impractical.
Although Spencer, the president-elect of the American Academy of
Craniofacial Pain, has worked on some small research projects before, he
credits the Tufts program with giving him important research skills, from
conducting scientific literature reviews to compiling data. “That’s not
30 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
something we learned in our dental school
training,” he says. The course work was timeconsuming, perhaps even more than he
anticipated. “I would spend hours and hours
and hours on those statistics problems,” he
says. He also took away some “clinical pearls”
that he has already incorporated into his
practice, such as checking the thickness of a
patient’s bite guard, which he learned can
affect neck pain.
Defending his thesis by videoconference
was Spencer’s idea. Yes, there was the time
difference to deal with, but taking questions
at 6:30 a.m. Boise-time was a small price to
pay for avoiding a cross-country flight. And
after three years of long-distance course work
and email-based class discussions, he thought
a defense-by-video was only fitting.
Sandesh Mayekar, who has been practicing in Mumbai, India, for 25 years, enrolled
in the program not so much to further his
PHOTO: DAVID CARMACK
own career as to share current knowledge on
craniofacial pain treatment with his colleagues in India.
“There is no education on this subject in
India—none at all,” he says. “Dentists don’t
know anything about it.” Yet in research he
conducted for his thesis, he found that 54
percent of patients experience symptoms
of temporomandibular joint disorders. To
spread the word back home, he plans to
lecture on the topic, and perhaps even start
a public awareness campaign. “This will
solve a major problem in India,” he says.
Having the flexibility of completing his
course work on his own schedule was useful,
but it was still a challenge. There were nights
he slept only two hours. No matter where
you are in the world, he says, there are still
only 24 hours in a day.
Distance learning was the only master’s
degree option for Dave Peters, who practices
in Michigan City, Ind., a long drive from the
nearest dental school in Chicago. “This was
the only chance I had to ever do anything
like this,” said the father of five, who would
often do his course work on his laptop from
the passenger seat while his wife drove the
family on errands. His thesis research looked
at the ways gender, anxiety and occlusion
affect facial pain. Anxious women with a
bad bite have the highest risk, he found.
By all accounts, the distance-learning
technology worked flawlessly. (The students
were issued laptops loaded with everything
they needed to use interactive web course
work and lectures on CD.) But one student
in Florida did have the distance-learning
equivalent of “the dog ate my homework”
when a hurricane roared through his city.
“He said, ‘I’m going to be a little late getting my work in because they’re evacuating
us,’ ” Mehta says.
Despite the distance between them, and
the handful of weeks they spent together in
Boston during the program, the dentists
came to bond as a class. Although it wasn’t a
requirement, all seven graduates came to
Tufts’ commencement on May 18 to receive
their diplomas.
As for the next class, which starts in September, the school had more than 100 applicants, Mehta says. Two of the 11 who were
accepted are in their late 50s.
NOTEWORTHY
Marjan Askari, D09, presented a
poster from her summer research
project on understanding the cellular
basis for osteoclast formation in bone
remodeling during a Yankee Dental
session featuring postgraduates,
dental students and dental hygienists
from the Boston area. Her poster was
selected as tops in the dental student
category, besting entries from the New
England dental schools. She received
a plaque and a $500 prize. Other Tufts
contributors to Askari’s poster, titled
“Development of Antibodies in Chickens
to Elucidate the Complex Role of WW45
in Rankl-induced Osteoclast Differentiation,” were Paul Leavis, a lecturer in
the department of occupational therapy,
and Paloma Valverde, assistant
professor of general dentistry.
Marjana Braho, dispensar y assistant,
and Christine Robertson, administrative assistant to Executive Associate
Dean Joe Castellana, were chosen by
their colleagues to receive this year’s
Golden Crown Award for outstanding
per formance by a staff member. The
criteria for the award, now in its 13th
year, includes expertise, exceptional
interaction with others, continuous
improvement, resourcefulness and
results and leadership. The dental
school and its satellite facilities
employ about 200 non-faculty staff
members. About 100 staff members
attended the Golden Crown luncheon
on June 27 in the Becker Alumni
Center.
Benjamin Goldstein, D11, and Hubert
Park, D11, were recipients of the 2008
NIDCR Summer Dental Student Award
and spent the summer conducting
research at the National Institutes of
Health in Bethesda, Md. The awards
are designed to give talented dental
students hands-on research experience
and exposure to the latest advances in
oral health research.
Michael Hull, president of the Class
of 2008, received the American
College of Dentists’ Outstanding
Student Leader Award at its luncheon
February 2, held during the Yankee
Dental Congress in Boston.
Nancy Johnson, a hygienist with the
Tufts Dental Facilities for Persons
with Special Needs, was named a
Massachusetts Oral Health Hero
during a ceremony at the State House
in Boston in February.
All five third-year postgraduate
prosthodontics residents successfully
passed part 4 of the American Board
of Prosthodontics exam, which assesses candidates’ knowledge of complete
dentures. It is the final step in a
resident’s progression toward
achieving diplomate status. The
milestone was reached by Hamilton
Le, D05, Maria Chartzoulakis, D04,
Athanasios Stratos, Hyejin Kwak,
D05, and Moftah El-Ghadi.
William Stuart McKenzie, D10, and
Elizabeth Escarria, D10, were selected
to receive American Dental Association
Foundation Minority Dental Student
Scholarships.
Liz Turner, D11, won the women’s
division at the Smuttynose 5K road
race on June 22 in Newmarket, N.H.
A former standout runner at York High
School in Maine and at Colby College,
Turner clocked a time of 20 minutes
and 27 seconds, even though she was
coming off a nagging foot injury. She
is scheduled to compete in her first
marathon, in Chicago, in October.
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 31
ON CAMPUS
DENTAL SCHOOL NEWS
Clockwise from top:
Min Kim, D10, with
Hilde Tillman, D49,
professor of public
health and community
service; keynote
speaker Harry Selker;
Wai Cheung, assistant
professor of periodontology; and Peter Shin,
D10, at the annual
Bates-Andrews
Research Day.
Bench to Bedside
Tufts joins NIH push to put research into practice by Jacqueline Mitchell
moving innovations from the lab to the doctor’s office is the
future of medical research. That’s the message from the National Institutes of Health, and Tufts is ready to take advantage of it, Harry P. Selker
told an audience in March at the dental school’s Bates-Andrews Day, an
annual student research fair.
Referring to the increasing emphasis on bringing advances in biomedical science out of the lab and into the clinic, Selker, a professor of
medicine at Tufts and director of the clinical research program at the
Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, said the NIH “wants
to leverage its spending to really make an impact on people’s health.” It
is, he added, “a total change in focus of the NIH. This is a very different message than we’ve ever heard before.”
The NIH’s definition of research historically did not include studies like assessments of best clinical practices. But as federal funding for
medical research has leveled off over the past several years, and as the
public and Congress increasingly have been looking for a return on
their large investment (about $30 billion to fund biomedical research),
the NIH leadership has recognized that “what has been learned in the
research setting often is not implemented into daily clinical practice,”
said Selker, who studies factors that affect clinical care and its outcomes,
including socioeconomic status and gender.
Recent studies have shown that research often does not translate into
32 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
clinical applications. For instance, a study
by John P.A. Ioannidis, an adjunct professor
of medicine at Tufts, noted that of 101
research publications promising such applications, just five had come to fruition after
20 years. This kind of insight led the NIH to
establish the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA), intended, by 2012, to
support up to 60 academic health-care centers in streamlining the process of turning
laboratory discoveries into real-world treatments for patients.
Tufts University and Tufts Medical Center
were awarded a $20 million CTSA grant in
May that will provide funding over five years
for the new Tufts Clinical and Translational
Science Institute. Selker, a cardiologist, is the
principal investigator for the Tufts institute.
With the institute as a resource, researchers from across the university will work with
health-care organizations, community groups
and medical companies to translate scien-
tific breakthroughs into widely used drugs,
therapies and good clinical practices.
The institute will “have an impact on
the future of every dental student and
faculty member interested in research,”
says Jonathan Garlick, director of the
dental school’s Division of Cancer Biology and Tissue Engineering. He is already
collaborating with scientists at Tufts
School of Engineering.
The Tufts institute will serve as a “virtual home,” where scientists can get help
with their research, as well as an education program for the next generation of
biomedical scientists. “If we’re going to
change the way research is done, we have
to, in fact, transform the way we train
researchers,” Selker says.
Part of that training involves collaboration. In addition to the School of Dental
Medicine, the institute will assist researchers
at Tufts’ other health sciences schools: the
School of Medicine, the Sackler School
of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, the
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. The School of
Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering and the Jonathan M. Tisch College
of Citizenship and Public Service are also
included in the award.
The institute has also partnered with
eight other Tufts-affiliated hospitals, two
health plans, a score of community and
academic organizations (from the Framingham Heart Study to the Boston
Museum of Science) and a handful of private-sector companies, including Pfizer
Inc. and Millennium Pharmaceuticals.
Tufts’ history of working across disciplines and with local communities—
“we’re much more the extrovert,” Selker
says—makes it stand out among the other
CTSA recipients.
“We can be innovative in pulling
together researchers from different
schools, from different affiliated hospitals,
and draw in people from other institutions outside of Tufts,” says Provost and
Senior Vice President Jamshed Bharucha.
Bates Day Science
From work with survivors of domestic violence, to fluoride studies
in Ethiopia, to growing pulp cells, students learn the ropes of research
by Jacqueline Mitchell
rowing up in saudi arabia,
Daliah Salem, D10, always knew
she wanted to go into health
care. A biology major at St. Louis
University in Missouri, she did some basic
research. But it wasn’t until she spent a year
after college at the University of Illinois at
Chicago’s College of Dentistry that she found
the process of doing research “fascinating.” At
Chicago, Salem analyzed videotapes documenting dental students’ interactions with
their patients, assessing the impact of the
students’ demeanor (the pitch of the voice,
the amount of eye contact) on their patients’
compliance. “These things are subjective, but
I made it as objective as possible,” she says.
When she arrived at Tufts, Salem knew
she wanted to do more research. A lecture
by Kanchan Ganda, a professor of public
health and community service, about treating victims of domestic violence, inspired
G
Salem’s Bates-Andrews research project.
She wanted to find out if patients with a
history of domestic violence are any less
likely to keep appointments and return
phone calls than those in the general population. Ganda and Paul Stark, an associate
professor, were her mentors.
Salem dug in, combing through hundreds of dental records from the Tufts clinics.
Some of her findings surprised her. For one
thing, she found no statistically significant
difference in compliance between the domestic violence group and the general population. “That means students here know how
to treat these patients,” she concludes. “Careful and sensitive students are less likely to
trigger some painful past memories, which
could stop patients from coming to their
appointments.”
Salem did discover, however, that domestic violence survivors did have more oral
Daliah Salem, D10, found
that “careful and sensitive”
treatment promotes
compliance among survivors
of domestic violence.
Senior health sciences writer Julie Flaherty
also contributed to this story.
PHOTOS: ALONSO NICHOLS
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 33
ON CAMPUS
DENTAL SCHOOL NEWS
health complaints than the general population, and she’d like to do a follow-up study to
find out why. She won the third-place award
for her pre-doctoral table clinic, “A Comparative Assessment of Oral Health Status of
Non-Compliant Domestic Violence Patients.”
Juggling her Bates Day research project
and her duties as co-chair of the Muslim
Student Association’s continental conference,
which drew students from the
United States and Canada to
Chicago in the summer of
2007, wasn’t always easy. But
Salem urges other students
considering research to “go
ahead and start something
right now. It was an awesome
experience.”
A FUTURE FOR
LAB-GROWN TEETH
Dean Tiboris, D09, comes
from a long line of dentists.
Knowing that he wanted to
go into the family business,
he studied mouse teeth as a
zoology student at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. That project foreshadowed what was to
come. One of the first class of Dean’s
Research Honor Scholars—five incoming
students who commit to doing research while
at Tufts—Tiboris worked with human teeth
in the lab of former full-time faculty member
Petros Damoulis, DG91, D05.
Often working seven days a week in the
lab, Tiboris extracted human pulp cells and
grew them on three-dimensional silk scaffolds
under different conditions. Though other
researchers have run similar experiments,
Tiboris’s was unique in its use of the 3D
scaffolding. “That’s important,” he says,
“because that’s how cells grow in real life.”
Tiboris’s project sought to understand
the “genetic cascade” involved in cell growth
and differentiation, but his ultimate goal was
to contribute to current research efforts to
grow whole human teeth in the lab. In all,
Tiboris examined 14 specific genes and identified “a few genes of interest” related to cell
differentiation and mineralization.
His six-week-long experiments didn’t
always turn out the way he anticipated. “But
34 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
the unexpected is still useful,” he says,
“because you can tweak your next experiment
based on what you found.” Still, he amassed
so much data that he’s working on publishing
not one, but two scientific articles from his
project. He also received the Omicron Kappa
Upsilon (OKU) Hilde Tillman Award for his
project,“Dental Pulp Cell Gene Expression in
Three-Dimensional Mineralizing Cultures.”
While he plans to go into clinical practice—oral surgery is a possibility—Tiboris
believes his experience in the lab has honed
his ability to think critically and pay attention to detail. He encourages other dental
students to follow in his footsteps. “Your
project doesn’t have to be profound, but
you’ll gain an appreciation for the thought
process.”
Dean Tiboris, D09,
is working on two
scientific articles
based on his Bates
Day research, which
could contribute to
efforts to grow human
teeth in the lab.
Mestire Solomon,
D10, tried to figure
out a way to reduce
excessive levels of
naturally occurring
fluoride in the drinking
water in her native
Ethiopia.
PHOTOS: ALONSO NICHOLS
A DOWNSIDE OF FLUORIDE
You can have too much of a good thing.
While the benefits of fluoride are well
known, high levels of the naturally occurring mineral can damage and discolor the
teeth. The condition, known as fluorosis, is
characterized by white spots or brown
streaks on the teeth. Beyond the cosmetic,
fluorosis can weaken the teeth, making them
prone to decay.
In the town of Nazareth, Ethiopia, naturally high levels of fluoride in the drinking
water mean fluorosis is an all-too-common
condition. Mestire Solomon, D10, a native of
Ethiopia, wanted to know how much her
countrymen know about fluorosis and how
much the condition bothers them.
Working with a professor at Addis Ababa
University in Ethiopia’s capital, Solomon
assessed the prevalence of fluorosis in
Nazareth and people’s attitudes about their
oral health and how their teeth looked. She
found that nearly a third of her 215 study
subjects suffered from severe fluorosis. And
women were disproportionately affected,
although she cannot determine why.
Despite the prevalence of the condition,
Solomon found that most people don’t know
what causes it. “That shows we have a big
educational barrier to get through,” she says.
Most people were tolerant of the cosmetic
downsides of fluorosis and reported overall
satisfaction with their appearance. However,
Solomon found that younger men and
women, between the ages of 16 and 25, were
the most self-conscious about the discoloration fluorosis causes. She theorizes that’s
because this age group is the most concerned
with dating.
Now Solomon is interested in finding
ways to lower the fluoride content in
Nazareth’s drinking water. In the 1960s, public health officials mounted an effort to filter
the water through bone meal, which is effective in reducing fluoride levels. But the
process made the water taste bad. Now she is
investigating storing drinking water in pots
made of a kind of clay that would lower fluoride levels to a therapeutic dose of less than
1 milligram per liter. Her Bates Day project
was titled “Fluorosis: Knowledge, Perception
and Attitude of Populations Living in High
Fluoride Regions of Ethiopia.”
SKILLED SCIENTISTS
The winning projects for the 2008 edition of
Bates-Andrews Day were:
First-Place Award for Oral Presentation
by an M.S. student: Naif Bindayel,
“The Association between Temporomandibular Disorders and Anterior
Facial Height in Saudi Population.”
Second-Place Award for Oral Presentation by an M.S. student: Mohammed
Raghid Alolabi, “Accuracy of Photogrammetry in 3D Reconstruction of Teeth.”
Best Postgraduate Poster Presentation
(tie): Khalid Al-Hezaimi (periodontics),
“Clinical Evaluation of Novel Buccoadhesive Film Containing Ketorolac in
Periodontal Surgery Pain Management,”
and Wesam Damanhouri (pediatric
dentistry), “Evaluation of Microleakage
between Partially Set Mineral Trioxide
Aggregate (MTA) and Different
Restorative Materials.”
Best Scientific Research Presentation
by a Senior (Andrews Society Award):
David Joey Chang, D08, “Effects of
Mandibular Retro-Positioning, with
or without Maxillary Advancement,
on Oro-Naso-Pharyngeal Airway and
the Development of Sleep-related
Breathing Disorders.”
ADA/Dentsply Student Clinician Award
for Best Overall Pre-doctoral Table
Clinic: Todd Walker, D10, “Effect of
Adhesive System and Composite
Type on Dentin Bonds,” with faculty
mentor Gerard Kugel.
Second-Place Award for Pre-doctoral
Table Clinic (cash prize donated by
Jess Kane, David Tesini and Nancy Jo
Soporowski): Samantha Jordan, D10,
“A Role for Ralb in E-Cadherin-deficient
Cells during Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Progression,” with faculty mentor
Jonathan Garlick.
Third-Place Award for Pre-doctoral Table
Clinic (cash prize donated by Jess Kane,
David Tesini and Nancy Jo Soporowski):
Daliah Salem, D10, “A Comparative
Assessment of Oral Health Status of
Non-compliant Domestic Violence
Patients,” done with faculty mentors
Kanchan Ganda and Paul Stark.
Research Committee Award for Basic
Science Research: Paul Ala, D10, “3-D
Chemical Cross-Linking Map of Yeast
Cleavage/Polyadenylate Complex,” with
faculty mentor Andrew Bohm, associate
professor of biochemistry, Tufts School
of Medicine.
Massachusetts Dental Society and
ASDA Public Health Award: Amanda
Jones, D09, “A Comparative
Assessment of Nutrition Risk Scores
of Patients with Intimate Partner
Violence History,” with faculty mentor
Gulsun Gul.
Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) Hilde
Tillman Award: Dean Tiboris, D09,
“Dental Pulp Cell Gene Expression
in Three-dimensional Mineralizing
Cultures,” done with faculty
mentor Petros Damoulis.
Procter & Gamble Traveling Fellowship
Award: Matthew Wimmer, D09, “Shear
Strength of Dental Composite versus
Mineralized Silk-based Biomaterial,”
with faculty mentor Gerard Kugel.
Dr. Chad Anderson Family Award for
Innovative Methodology and Research
Design: Richard Dickinson, D09, and
Sarah Stipho, D08, “Compressive
Modulus Testing of Mineralized
Silk-based Biomaterial,” with faculty
mentor Gerard Kugel.
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 35
ON CAMPUS
DENTAL SCHOOL NEWS
Above: Michael Winkelman gives his first
shot of local anesthesia to fellow student
Kyungsuk Yoo. At left: James Murphy, D09,
injects his “patient,” Marc Tully, D10, under
the watchful eyes of Ann Elizabeth Thompson,
D10; Courtney Rubin, D10; and Monica
Rancourt, D10.
Booster Shots
Students give their first injections of local anesthetic—
to each other by Julie Flaherty
o one likes a shot in the mouth, but can it be harder
to give than to receive? Each January, second-year students
at the School of Dental Medicine take a gentle stab at
injecting their first local anesthetic, facing what Professor
Morton Rosenberg calls the “most fearful procedure in dentistry.” The
upside? They practice these injections on the most empathetic guinea
pigs—each other.
N
36 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
This singular rite of passage marks the
students’ transition from classroom courses
to hands-on clinical training, which means
it is the final hurdle before treating real
patients. It can be a first in other ways, as
well. “For maybe 30 percent of students,
they have never had a local anesthetic, their
teeth are so perfect,” says Rosenberg, D74,
who has directed the local anesthesia clinic
for eight years.
As the Class of 2010 takes its turn, you
might expect the clinic to be so quiet you
could hear a needle drop. But the fifth floor
of the dental school hums with nervous
laughter and words of encouragement, an
advantage of trying out newfound skills
on a pal’s mouth. When one injection falls
short of its mark, the “patient,” Courtney
Rubin, D10, urges her classmate to try
again. “Get back on the horse,” she says.
“Just do it, seriously. I have a high pain
threshold.”
Pablo Gonzalez, D10, is determined to
be extra tactful with his clinic partner, Laleh
Sotoodeh, D10. “She knows where I live,” he
says. She later gives him high marks.
Assistant Professor David Paul, D89,
appreciates their apprehension, remembering the first local injection he gave as a
student, on this same floor, some two
decades ago. “You’re doing it to your
friend,” he says, adding, “You hope they’re
your friend.”
PHOTOS: ALONSO NICHOLS
Rosenberg is grateful for the dozen
teaching assistants who help guide the 70
sophomores in the session through the
task, which is more than just pushing a
plunger. The slower the injection, the less
the patient will feel it. But hover too long
with the needle, and the patient gets
unnerved. As one student starts his injection, teaching assistant Gregory Pette,
D08, suggests some patient distraction:
“Now would be a good time to talk about
how the Patriots are going to do.”
Students learn there is more than one
way to give a shot. Should you bend the
needle a little first to make the approach
easier? Should you close the mouth
slightly and aim high, or keep the mouth
open and aim lower? Because each mouth
is different, no one method necessarily
works for every patient, says Yoon Kang,
D08, a teaching assistant. “During my
two years in clinic, I sort of developed my
own method,” he says. “I can show them
that, and they can have it as part of their
arsenal.”
Paul Trombly, D85, an associate clinical professor, says the second-year students receive understanding guidance
from the teaching assistants, and the
fourth-year students get a confidence
boost. “You don’t know how much you’ve
learned until you try to teach something,”
he says.
The school’s head of infection control, Shannon Balletto, is also on hand to
reinforce safety precautions, like gloves
and face protection. What better moment
to teach safety than when students are
learning to recap needles without sticking
themselves?
Some claim to sweat bullets. Some are
stoic. The one thing they have in common
is the fervent desire not to be the one
who needs 20 tries to get it right.
Teaching assistant Jennifer Blair, D08,
later says the students were shaking a little, but once they had given and gotten
their allotment of Carbocaine, the dental
anesthesia of choice, they were happy to
find it had been a fairly simple procedure. Even so, she says, “they were embarrassed to smile because they thought their
lips were drooping.”
EMPLOYEES OF DISTINCTION
PRESIDENT LAWRENCE S. BACOW HOSTED THE INAUGURAL TUFTS DISTINCTION AWARDS
ceremony at the Granoff Music Center on the Medford/Somerville campus on
June 3 to honor exceptional members
Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow
and Aidee N. Herman
of the Tufts community.
More than 200 nominations were
received, and 13 awards were given in
four categories. Four members of the
Tufts Dental community were recognized: Aidee N. Herman, associate
clinical professor of periodontology,
received the Bridge Builder Award,
for bringing out the best in others;
the Extra Mile Award, for exceptional
customer service, went to Mark Gonthier, associate dean for admissions
and student affairs, and Robin Graham, dental practice administrator;
and Danny Dicicco, senior IT support specialist, received the Unsung Hero
Award, for accomplishing the extraordinary, every day.
Charles Rankin, D79, DG86, D08P, professor of endodontics, represented
the dental school on the Awards Committee.
Back On Campus
Catch up on the latest
news from your school
and Tufts University in
the Tufts Journal,
the online publication
for the university
community.
We’re keeping
you informed at
tuftsjournal.tufts.edu.
You’ll also find more
news and events at
news.tufts.edu.
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 37
ON CAMPUS
DENTAL SCHOOL NEWS
Lifesaver
“We have to do better at finding it early,”
says Kahn. “Eva suffered so much, mostly
because of the delayed diagnosis. Every
month that clicked by, that cancer was growThe importance of oral cancer screening can’t be
ing bigger, deeper and spreading.” Annual
emphasized enough, says a survivor by Jacqueline Mitchell
dental screenings, says Kahn, should include
a visual and physical exam of the entire
y the time eva grayzel got an accurate diagnosis of
mouth, as well as checking the lymph nodes
oral cancer, she had a 15 percent chance of survival. Over
in the neck for any abnormality or swelling.
the course of two years, a general dentist, two oral surgeons
One possible reason Grayzel’s dentist
and an ear specialist all failed to recognize the painful,
missed her diagnosis is that she didn’t fit the
recurring lesion on Grayzel’s tongue as a deadly cancer. Following hartraditional profile of an oral cancer patient.
rowing surgeries and radiation therapy that sapped her will to live,
Tobacco use—either in the form of cigaGrayzel overcame the disease and has been
rettes or chewing tobacco —is
cancer-free for 10 years.
a clear risk factor for oral canNow she is on a mission to tell her story,
cer, especially when combined
particularly to dental students and practicing
with alcohol use. Grayzel diddentists, and this spring took her message to
n’t smoke and was only a light
the School of Dental Medicine. Screen everydrinker. Most patients are over
body who comes though the door for signs of
age 40; Grayzel was 31 when
cancer, she says, and you might save a life.
she first complained of sympThree Americans are diagnosed with oral
toms. Men are disproportioncancer each hour, and one dies of the disease
ately affected by the disease
every day. Global rates are even higher, espe—though women seem to be
cially in countries where tobacco use is percatching up—as are African
vasive. Of the 27,000 patients in this country
Americans.
diagnosed annually with oral cancer, only
Still, the biopsy ordered
half will live five years. While not as common
originally by Grayzel’s oral suras breast or lung cancer, oral cancer’s death
geon came back clean. What
toll “is like a small plane going down every
went wrong? “The problem is
day,” a direct result of late diagnoses, says
too many biopsies never make
“I had no idea this was potentially
Michael Kahn, professor and chair of oral
it to oral pathologists, who are
dangerous,” Eva Grayzel says of
and maxillofacial pathology.
much more likely to accurately
the small bump in her mouth that
Grayzel first noticed a slight sore on the
diagnose oral cancer early in
eventually was diagnosed as cancer.
side of her tongue in 1996. A busy 31-year-old
the game,” says Kahn.
working mother with two small children, she didn’t get to her local denGrayzel, a professional storyteller, spoke
tist in Bethlehem, Pa., until six weeks later. That dentist sent her to an
to Kahn’s second-year oral pathology class
oral surgeon, who told her the lesion didn’t look like anything to
last year, and “tons of students went up to
worry about. He removed the small bump to relieve her discomfort. A
her and profusely thanked her and said it
week later, Grayzel got a phone call telling her the biopsy had come back
would really make a difference in their
clean. The call came as something of a surprise. “I had no idea this was
careers,” he says. This year he scheduled
potentially dangerous,” she says.
her for a lunchtime lecture and opened it to
Two years later, the sore came back. The oral surgeon told her it was
the entire dental school community.
just a callous. Rinse with salt, he suggested. But the ulceration refused to
“It really hit home,” says Laleh Sotoodeh,
clear up. Soon the sore on her tongue interfered with her speech. After
D10, whose childhood friend’s life was
bouncing back and forth between the oral surgeon and dentist, her consaved when a savvy dentist diagnosed her
dition only worsened. She called a family friend, a plastic surgeon, who
aplastic anemia. Grayzel’s take-home mesurged her to seek help at a medical center. Three weeks later, a doctor at
sage, that it’s important to do careful
Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan felt her lymph nodes, looked
screening of all patients, was not new to
at the ulcer on her tongue, performed another biopsy and told Grayzel she
Sotoodeh. That lesson already has been
had stage IV oral cancer.
ingrained in her by her Tufts professors, but
“The shock alone could have killed me,” she says. “Why didn’t [my
she says, Grayzel’s story is one she “won’t
dentist and oral surgeon] know what they were looking at?”
ever forget.”
B
38 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
PHOTO: MELODY KO
THIRD-YEAR DENTAL STUDENT
NAMED NIH RESEARCH SCHOLAR
Tufts Dental
Class of 2012
WHO THEY ARE
SAMANTHA JORDAN, A06, D10, IS ONE OF 110 HEALTH SCIENCES STUDENTS IN THE COUNTRY
Applications
4,344
who will get the chance to conduct biomedical research full time for a year as part
Interviewed
456
of a $4 million venture by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).
Accepted
323
Total GPA
3.43
Science GPA
3.37
Men
50%
Women
50%
Jordan is the only dental student among the 42 students—from 26 medical
schools, three veterinary schools and an osteopathic school—who will take part
in the HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Program, which brings top health sciences
students to the National Institutes of Health campus to conduct hands-on biomedical research. Students in the program are also known as Cloister Scholars
because they live at a refurbished cloister on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md.
They will visit several NIH labs before choosing the research project they will pursue with an NIH mentor. Cedar Fowler, a second-year student at Tufts School of
Medicine, also has been selected as a Cloister Scholar.
TOP FEEDER SCHOOLS
Tufts University
Boston University
Adelphi University
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
Boston College
“I am thinking of doing a public health program once I graduate, so I would
Brandeis University
like to work in an epidemiology lab,” says Jordan, who earned her undergraduate
Cornell University
degree in biochemistry from Tufts. “One of the great things about the research
Northeastern University
program is that you can do almost anything that interests you.”
University of Florida
In a separate HHMI program, another 68 students have been awarded
University of
Massachusetts–Amherst
Research Training Fellowships for Medical Students, which allow them to work
University of Washington
at a lab anywhere in the United States, except the NIH.
Arizona State University
“These students will one day be on the frontlines between biomedical research
and the public,” says Peter J. Bruns, HHMI’s vice president for grants and special
programs. “We want them to have a strong background in research and then pur-
College of the Holy Cross
Providence College
University of New Hampshire
University of South Florida
sue it as a career.”
University of Virginia
As an undergraduate, Jordan worked in the lab of Larry Feig, a professor of
biochemistry at Tufts School of Medicine and director of the biochemistry program
at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences. She studied the Ras
protein, which communicates with other cells, and its relation to cancer
WHERE THEY COME FROM
4%
Mountain
States
progression, looking specifically at how cells convert from their pre-cancerous
7% Midwest
state to malignant, invasive cancer cells.
8% South
Jordan continued her work with the Ras protein last summer, in collaboration
6% Florida
4% International
39%
New England
with Jonathan Garlick, director of the dental school’s Division of Cancer Biology
and Tissue Engineering. “Dr. Garlick’s lab had developed a 3-D tissue model that
allowed us to study the Ras protein in 3-D, letting us look at the protein from a
whole new perspective,” she says.
—Kaitlin Melanson
12%
West Coast
20%
Mid Atlantic
SOURCE: OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS AND
STUDENT AFFAIRS
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 39
ON CAMPUS
DENTAL SCHOOL NEWS
Senior Awards
MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 2008 RECEIVED 67 NATIONAL AND
alumni awards during the Graduation Awards Dinner, held
on May 9 at the Westin Copley Place. Of the 168 graduating
seniors, 156 attended the event. The annual dinner, sponsored
by the Tufts Dental Alumni Association, continues to increase
in popularity, with more than 450 students, faculty, staff and
guests attending this year. Two students in the Class of 2009
also received awards.
BASIC SCIENCES
Association of Tufts Alumnae
Senior Award: Nancy Perkins
Machemer
Jack Frommer Award
for Excellence in the
Morphological Sciences:
Jordan Ross Lissauer
Class of D2002 Endowed
Prize Fund for Peer Support
and Leadership: Rebecca
Elizabeth Seppala
ENDODONTICS
American Academy of Dental
Practice Administration and
AADPA Endowment &
Memorial Foundation 18th
Annual Award in
Four-Handed Dentistry:
Jonathan D. Albaugh
Alumni Clinical Excellence
Award in Endodontics:
Amanda Blood Kopacz Peer
American Association of
Endodontists Student
Achievement Award:
Jordan Ross Lissauer
Lester P. Goldsmith Endowed
Prize Fund in Endodontics:
Winna E. Goldman
GENERAL DENTISTRY
Alumni Clinical Excellence
Award in General Dentistry:
Kerith Rankin
ETHICS,
PROFESSIONALISM
AND CITIZENSHIP
Presidential Award for
Citizenship and Public Service:
Allan Y. Pang
Dr. Justin Lee Altshuler, D46,
and Bernice Lee Altshuler
Family Prize Fund for
Community Service:
Susana Yessenia Verbis
Alumni Clinical Excellence
Award in Geriatric Dentistry:
Heidi Sarah Birnbaum
Academy of General Dentistry
Senior Student Dental Award:
Janice Ming San Choi
American Academy of Oral and
Maxillofacial Radiology
Achievement Award:
Ann T. Hua
Dr. Justin Lee Altshuler, D46,
and Bernice Lee Altshuler
Family Prize Fund for Ethics:
Melissa M. Dennison
American Academy of Orofacial Pain Outstanding Senior
Award:
Joffre Martin
Dr. S. Walter Askinas
Endowed Prize Fund for
Integrity and Citizenship:
Timothy Michael Johnson
American Academy of
Craniofacial Pain Award:
Michael Allen Hull
40 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
Gentle Dental Senior Endowed
Prize Fund for Exceptional
Chair-side Manner: Rebecca
Elizabeth Seppala
Dean’s Award for
Distinguished Performance
in Pharmacology:
Gregory Asher Pette
American Equilibration
Society Senior Award:
Susannah Martha Cornelia
Mitchell
IMPLANTOLOGY
American Association of Oral
and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Dental Implant Student Award:
David Joey Chang
International Congress of Oral
Implantologists ICOI/SullivanSchein Dental Pre-doctoral
Achievement Award:
Miles Reed Cone
ORAL AND
MAXILLOFACIAL
SURGERY
Alumni Clinical
Excellence Award in Oral
and Maxillofacial Surgery:
David Joey Chang
American Association of Oral
and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Dental Student Award:
Michelle K. Roberts
American Dental Society of
Anesthesiology Horace Wells
Senior Student Award:
Jordan Ross Lissauer
Robert E. O’Neil, D51,
Prize in Oral Surgery:
Dilshan N. Gunawardena
ORAL PATHOLOGY
Alumni Clinical Excellence
Award in Oral Pathology:
Alison E. Gomes
American Academy of
Implant Dentistry
Dental Student Award:
Kelly Sara Wojcicki
American Academy of Oral
and Maxillofacial Pathology
Senior Student Award:
Claudia E. Maiolo
Academy of Osseointegration
Outstanding Dental Student
in Implant Dentistry Award:
Anthony John Palumbo
American Academy of
Oral Medicine Certificate
of Merit and Award:
Timothy Michael Johnson
LEADERSHIP
ORTHODONTICS
American Association of
Women Dentists
Dr. Eleanor J. Bushee
Senior Dental Student Award:
Joyce Soinda Gitangu
American Association
of Orthodontists Award:
Cindy Leung
American Student Dental
Association Award for
Excellence:
Jenny L. Liang
Pierre Fauchard Academy
Senior Student Award:
Teresa Silva Moniz
American College of Dentists
Award: Michael Allen Hull
Everett Shapiro, DG49,
Endowed Prize Fund in Orthodontics: Michelle K. Roberts
PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY
Alumni Clinical Excellence
Award in Pediatric Dentistry:
Katayoon Dorosti
American Academy of Pediatric
Dentistry Certificate of Merit
Pre-doctoral Student Award:
Jennifer R. Blair
Dean Lonnie H. Norris, left and
Mark Gonthier, associate dean
for admissions and student affairs,
right, with senior class officers at
commencement, from left: Timothy
Johnson, vice president; Dilshan N.
Gunawardena, treasurer; Michael A.
Hull, president of D08; Rebecca E.
Seppala, secretary; and Ameeta
Sachdev, president of DI08.
PERIODONTOLOGY
Alumni Clinical Excellence
Award in Periodontology:
Kelly A. Dezura
American Academy of
Periodontology Dental
Student Achievement Award:
Amanda Blood Kopacz Peer
Quintessence Award for
Clinical Achievement in
Periodontics: Theresia
Sianita Laksmana
Northeastern Society of
Periodontists Award:
Marjorie Baptiste
PERSONAL AND
PROFESSIONAL
GROWTH
Alpha Omega Graduating
Senior Student Award:
Amanda Blood Kopacz Peer
Dean Lonnie H. Norris, DG80,
and Dr. Donna M. Norris
Senior Endowed Prize Fund for
Achievement, Professionalism
and Strength of Character:
Matthew Scott Mower
Delta Sigma Delta Dental
Senior Award for Academic
Achievement: Jade-Lin Mew
Sun Wong
PHOTO: J.D. SLOAN
Dr. Frank Susi, DG67,
Endowed Prize Fund:
Yoon H. Kang
Dr. Frederick A. Romberg,
D29, Endowed Prize Fund
Recognizing Outstanding
Personal and Professional
Growth during the Four Years
of Dental Education:
Guimy Cesar
International College of
Dentists Student Leadership
Award: Rebecca Elizabeth
Seppala
PUBLIC HEALTH
DENTISTRY
Academy of Dentistry
for Persons with Disabilities
Student Award:
Britta E. Magnuson
Alumni Clinical Excellence
Award in Public Health Dentistry: Uchenna Lena Nweze
American Association of
Public Health Dentistry Dental
Student Recognition Award
for Achievement in Community
Dentistry and Dental Public
Health: Franklin Antonio
Cordero
Dr. Esther Kaplan Colchamiro,
D42, and Ralph Colchamiro
Endowed Prize Fund for
Community and Public Health:
Allan Y. Pang and Parita J.
Patel
RESEARCH
Dr. Harold Berk Endowed
Prize Fund for Excellence in
Research: Winna E. Goldman
Erling Johansen, D49,
Senior Student Research
Endowed Prize Fund:
Lauren Catherine Gulka
Quintessence Award for
Research Achievement:
Brian M. Green
Academy of Operative
Dentistry Award:
Nicholas Edward Miller
American Academy of
Esthetic Dentistry Student
Award of Merit: Eunis Choi
Rudolph Hanau Award for
Excellence in Prosthodontics:
Jin Koo Kim
A. Albert Yurkstas, D49,
Endowed Prize Fund in
Complete Denture
Prosthodontics:
Gaganpreet S. Gill
Dr. and Mrs. Albert J. Kazis
Endowed Prize Fund in
Crown and Bridge: John Lee
and Nastela Babo
American Association of Oral
Biologists Award:
Dong Jin Lee
Joseph R. Evans Endowed
Prize Fund in Clinical
Operative Dentistry:
Mark Allen Larsen
RESTORATIVE
DENTISTRY
Quintessence Award for
Clinical Achievement in
Restorative Dentistry:
Shivani H. Patel
Alumni Clinical Excellence
Award in Restorative
Dentistry: Paul Brooks Noland
Academy of Dental Materials
Annual Student Award:
Kyle Ryan Griffith
Dr. Joseph E. Primack, D42,
Endowed Prize Fund in
Prosthodontics: Sophana Hem
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 41
ON CAMPUS
ENDODONTICS
Virginia Karapanou, DG94, DI01,
DG07, associate professor
Publications:
■ “Interleukin-8 Is Increased
in Gingival Crevicular Fluid from
Patients with Acute Pulpitis,”
Virginia Karapanou, Duraisamy
Kempuraj and Theoharis C.
Theoharides, Journal of
Endodontics, February 2008.
■ “Tridimensional Response
of Human Dental Follicular
Stem Cells onto a Synthetic
Hydroxyapatite Scaffold,”
Filiberto Mastrangelo, Elena
Nargi, Luigi Carone, Marco Dolcia,
Francesco Caciagli, Renata
Ciccarelli, Maria Anna De Lutiis,
Virginia Karapanou, Basha Y.
Shaik, Pio Conti and Stefano Tete,
Journal of Health Sciences, 54(2),
1–8, 2008.
■ “Autogenous Attachment
Technique with Esthetics in Mind:
A Trauma Management Case
Report,” Virginia Karapanou and
Ekaterini Antonellou, Journal of
the Massachusetts Dental
Society, Winter 2008.
FACULTY NOTES
stem cells and tissue engineering.
The program, which Garlick
arranged with the Gann Academy
in Waltham, Mass., gives seniors
an opportunity to experience a
research lab environment. They
are assigned projects in tissue
engineering, tissue culture and
cancer biology. Garlick, who
mentored the students, was
assisted on the project by his
postdoctoral associate, Mark
Carlson. Garlick is serving as a
scientific adviser to the Pioneer
Valley Life Sciences Institute in
Springfield, Mass., and the Boston
Biological Research Institute in
Watertown, Mass. He is also an
affiliated faculty member with the
Institute for Clinical Research and
Health Policy Studies at Tufts
Medical Center. Olivier Etienne,
an assistant professor at Louis
Pasteur University’s School of
Dentistry in Strasbourg, France,
has joined Garlick’s lab for three
months to work on the development of hybrid biomaterials for
dentistry.
Presentations:
“Stem Cells and the Future of
Dentistry,” New York Chapter of the
Tufts Dental Alumni Association,
New York City, March 19.
■ “The Many Microenvironments
of Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Progression,” Timberline Symposium of Cancer, Stem Cells and
the Microenvironment, Oregon,
February 2008.
■ “Engineered Human 3D Tissue
Platforms for Drug and Product
Screening,” New York Skin Club,
Columbia University, November
29, 2007.
■
GENERAL DENTISTRY
Leopoldo P. Correa, assistant professor, gave a lecture on “Dental
Sleep Medicine: The Use of Oral
Appliances for the Treatment of
Obstructive Sleep Apnea” at the
University of Florida on May 10.
PROMOTION
Steven Scrivani to professor of
general dentistry in the Craniofacial Pain Center
ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL
PATHOLOGY
Christophe Egles, assistant
professor, has been appointed
academic editor of the journal
PLoS ONE.
Jonathan Garlick, professor and
head of the Division of Cancer
Biology and Tissue Engineering,
had seven high school students
in his research lab for a onemonth externship experience in
42 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
DIVISION OF CANCER
BIOLOGY PRESENTATIONS:
■ “Into the Third Dimension:
Identifying Potential Targets for
Cancer Therapy in 3D, Human
Tissue Models of Squamous Cell
Carcinoma,” A. Alt-Holland, first
annual International Association
for Biological and Medical
Research Symposium, the Forsyth
Institute, Boston, June 7.
summer 2008
■
“Abrogation of E-cadherin
and Loss of Cell-cell Adhesion
Directs the Transition to Individual
Carcinoma Cell Invasion through
Activation of FAK and Src
kinases,” poster presentation
by A. Alt-Holland, Y. Szwec-Levine,
T.M. DesRochers, Y. Shamis,
D. Green and J.A. Garlick, fourth
annual International Association
for Biological and Medical
Research (IABMR) Symposium,
Boston, December 2007.
(The presentation won second
place in the IABMR awards
competition, for excellence in
scientific study presentation.)
■ “A Role for RalB in E-cadherindeficient Cells during Squamous
Cell Carcinoma Progression,”
a poster presentation by
Samantha Jordan, Addy AltHolland, Adam Sowalsky, Yonit
Szwec-Levine, Larry Feig and
Jonathan Garlick, Tufts University
School of Dental Medicine,
Bates-Andrews Research Day,
March 12. (The presentation
won second place for pre-doctoral
table clinic.)
■ “RalA Suppresses Invasion by
Ras-transformed Keratinocytes
in a Bioengineered Human
Tissue Model of Squamous Cell
Carcinoma,” a poster presentation by Adam Sowalsky, Addy
Alt-Holland, Jonathan Garlick
and Larry Feig, Tufts University,
Charlton Poster Competition,
May 2008. (Poster received a
second-place award.)
■ “RalB Loss in E-cadherindeficient Tumor Cells Promotes
3D Tissue Hyperproliferation,”
a poster presentation by
Samantha Jordan, Addy
Alt-Holland, Adam Sowalsky,
Yonit Szwec-Levine, Larry Feig
and Jonathan Garlick, International Association for Dental
Research 86th general session,
Toronto, Canada, July 2008.
■ “RalA Suppresses Invasion
by Ras-transformed Keratinocytes
in a Bioengineered Human
Tissue Model of Squamous Cell
Carcinoma,” a poster presentation by Adam Sowalsky, Addy
Alt-Holland, Jonathan Garlick
and Larr y Feig, FASEB Summer
Research Conference, Saxton
River, Vt., July 2008.
DIVISION OF CANCER
BIOLOGY PUBLICATIONS:
■ “E-cadherin Suppression Directs
Cytoskeletal Rearrangement and
Intraepithelial Tumor Cell Migration
in 3D Human Skin Equivalents,”
A. Alt-Holland, Y. Shamis,
K.M. Riley, T.M. DesRochers,
N.E. Fusenig, I.M. Herman and
J.A. Garlick, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, June 5, 2008.
■ “Denatured Collagen
Modulates the Phenotype of
Normal and Wounded Human Skin
Equivalents,” C. Egles, Y. Shamis,
J. Mauney, V. Volloch, D. Kaplan
and J. Garlick, Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 128(7):
1830–1837, 2008.
■ “The Basement Membrane
Microenvironment Directs the
Normalization and Survival of
Bioengineered Human Skin
Equivalents,” N. Segal,
F. Andriani, L. Pfeiffer, P. Kamath,
N. Lin, K. Satyamurthy, C. Egles
and J. Garlick, Matrix Biology,
27(3): 163–170, 2008.
■ “Self-assembling Peptide
Nanofiber Scaffolds Accelerate
Wound Healing,” A. Schneider,
J.A. Garlick and C. Egles, PLoS
ONE, 3(1): e1410, 2008.
■ “Denatured Collagen Prevents
Aging of Primary Human Fibroblasts Resulting in Accelerated
Wound Closure in Human Skin
Equivalents,” C. Egles, Y. Shamis,
J.R. Mauney, V. Volloch,
D.L. Kaplan and J.A. Garlick,
Journal of Investigative
Dermatology (in press).
■ “Three-dimensional Tissue
Models of Normal and Diseased
Skin,” M.W. Carlson, A. AltHolland, C. Egles and J.A. Garlick,
Current Protocols in Cell Biology
(in press).
Michael A. Kahn, professor
and chair, was appointed a full
professor in the pathology
department of Tufts University
■ Toothbrush and lip balm
disposal, Men’s Health,
April 2008.
■ “Dental Calamities That
Can Truly Hurt—Oral Cancer,”
New York Times, May 13.
HEAVY MEDAL
DEAN LONNIE H. NORRIS, DG80, FRONT, STANDS
awash in applause after learning that he was
the recipient of a Tufts University Provost’s
Medal, presented on May 3 in recognition of
his embodiment of many of the values the
university seeks to instill in its students—
leadership, humanitarianism and compassion. Behind the dean are Jess Kane, left,
D74, DG76, DG79, D04P, DG06P, and Tufts
President Lawrence S. Bacow.
The medal presentation caught the dean
by surprise during Reunion Weekend. His
wife, Donna Norris, flew in from a medical
conference she was attending in Washington,
D.C., and their children, Marlaina, M99, and
Michael, A01, found “excuses” to be in
Boston that weekend.
Norris joined the dental school faculty in
1977 as a postgraduate resident in oral and
School of Medicine on January 1.
He was the first oral pathologist
to give a lecture to Tufts medical
students in the second-year
gastrointestinal system course
titled “Oral Pathology for the
Family Physician” on March 3.
Kahn attended the National Board
Dental Examination Part 1 Test
Construction Committee meeting
for the Microbiology–Pathology
PHOTO: ALONSO NICHOLS
maxillofacial surgery. He served as interim
dean in 1995 and has been dean since 1996.
The Provost’s Medal certificate reads,
in part: “Dr. Norris has distinguished himself
through his deep personal commitment to
the university. Under his administration,
the dental school has achieved sound
management and outstanding fundraising
achievement. Dr. Norris addressed the
challenges facing dental education, ushered
the school to the forefront of clinical training
and implemented programs critical to ser ve
those most in need of oral health care.
The current Vertical Expansion Initiative,
a physical transformation of the school that
ensures that Tufts’ leadership in dental
education will endure, is a direct result of
Dr. Norris’ tireless efforts and careful
leadership.”
Section in Chicago June 11–13.
He published part 2 of the basic
human pathology course as part
of the Tufts OpenCourseWare
project, which provides free access
to course content for everyone
online (http://ocw.tufts.edu).
Regional Technical School,
Medfield, Mass., April 12.
■ Special Olympics Special Smiles
Dental Health Program, Harvard
University, Cambridge, Mass.,
June 14.
Community Outreach:
■ Oral Cancer Screening, Elder
Dental Program, Blue Hills
■
Media Interviews:
“Oral Cancer,” Australian
Broadcasting Corporation, “The
Health Report,” February 2008.
Presentations:
■ “The Case of the Bitten Cheek:
Mock Malpractice Trial (Oral
Cancer),” Yankee Dental Congress,
Boston, January 31.
■ “Thinking and Doing Oral
Pathology,” a workshop, Yankee
Dental Congress, Boston,
February 1.
■ “Treating Fever Blisters and
Canker Sores,” Yankee Dental
Congress, Boston, February 2.
■ “Screening and Early Detection
of Oral Cancer,” Craniofacial Pain
Center, Tufts School of Dental
Medicine, February 13.
■ “Histological Diagnostic Pitfalls
and Dilemmas of Oral and
Maxillofacial Pathology,” co-presented with Craig Fowler, United
States and Canadian Academy of
Pathology annual meeting,
Denver, Colo., March 6.
■ “Faculty Perspectives on
Teaching with Audience Response
Systems in the Health Sciences,”
Health Sciences Mini-Symposium,
Boston, March 6.
■ “The Benefits of Comprehensive
Oral Cancer Screening,” LockeOber Restaurant, Boston, April 9.
■ “Short Stories and Tales of
Oral Pathology,” Tufts University
School of Dental Medicine,
April 30.
■ “Oral Cancer Screening and
Early Adjunctive Detection
Devices,” TriCounty Study Club,
Boston, Mass., May 1.
■ “Oral Cancer and Pre-malignancy
Screening,” Massachusetts
Dental Society, Southborough,
Mass., May 8.
■ “The Use of Audience Response
System in Oral Pathology,”
UIT Summer Institute, Medford,
Mass., May 21.
■ “Update on Etiologic Factors,
Proper Conventional Oral Examination, Pre-malignant Lesions
and Suggested Follow-up Protocol”
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 43
ON CAMPUS
FACULTY NOTES
and “Liquid-based Brush Cytology,”
third annual Oral Cancer Symposium, Boston, May 21.
■ “Current Topics in Oral
Pathology,” a guest editorial,
Alpha Omegan, 100(4):174–175.
Publications:
■ Your Pocket-Size Dental
Drug Reference, 13th edition,
January 2008.
■ “Dental Management and
Therapeutic Considerations in
Patients with Specific Oral
Conditions and Other Medicine
Topics,” Drug Information
Handbook for Dentistry, 13th
edition, Lexi-Comp Inc.
Pamela C. Yelick, G89, has been
promoted to professor, with tenure.
She also has been appointed to
the board of directors for the journal Tissue Engineering for a term
that ends in December 2011.
ORAL AND
MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY
Constantinos Laskarides, DG03,
assistant professor
Lynn W. Solomon has been
promoted to associate professor
in the department. She was one
of 14 faculty fellows who this year
participated in the Tufts University
Center for the Enhancement of
Learning and Teaching (CELT)
program, a 45-hour seminar
series designed to strengthen
teaching skills. She also served
as the scientific editor for the
December 2007 oral pathology
issue of the Alpha Omegan,
the journal of Alpha Omega
International dental fraternity.
Presentations:
■ “Systemic Influences on Oral
Health,” Pioneer Valley Dental
Society, Holyoke, Mass., April 16.
■ “Immunology of Oral Mucosal
Lesions,” European Research
Group of Oral Biology meeting,
Fislisbach, Switzerland, May 31.
Publications:
■ “Chronic Ulcerative Stomatitis,”
Oral Diseases, 14:383–389,
2008.
■ “A Clinico-Pathologic Correlation:
Sebaceous Lymphadenoma,”
R.A. Abdool, L.W. Solomon and
M.A. Papageorge, Journal of the
Massachusetts Dental Society,
Spring 2008.
■ “Ewing’s Sarcoma of the
Mandibular Condyle: Multidisciplinary Management Optimizes
Outcome,” L.W. Solomon,
J. Frustino, T. Loree, M.L. Brecher
and M. Sullivan, Head & Neck,
30(3):405–410, 2008.
44 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
Presentations:
■ “Bisphosphonate-related
Osteonecrosis of the Jaws,”
Metro-North Dental District,
Peabody, Mass., November 2007.
■ “Non-invasive Facial Cosmetic
Procedures,” South Shore Dental
District, Randolph Mass.,
December 2007.
■ “Management of Medically
Compromised Patients,” a
lecture for Tufts postgraduate
prosthodontic students, January
10 and January 17.
■ “Odontogenic Cysts” and
“Facial Skeletal Surgery,” lectures
for the otolaryngology departments
at Tufts and Boston University,
March 2008.
Paul Marino, A55, associate
clinical professor, notes that his
son, Joseph Marino, D88, DG92,
is the immediate past president
of the Massachusetts Society of
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
(MSOMS). A former MSOMS
president himself, Paul Marino
says they are the only father and
son to have led the organization.
Amir Naimi, DG08, chief resident,
traveled to Darward, India, for
a three-week rotation at the
Sri Dharmatsala Manjunath
Eswara (SDME) College of Dental
Sciences.
Lonnie H. Norris, DG80, dean and
professor, received a crystal award
from Young-Chel Park, dean of the
Yonsei University College of Den-
summer 2008
tistry in Seoul, South Korea, on
May 23 for his participation
in the eighth Yonsei International
Symposium, held in commemoration of the 93rd anniversary of
Yonsei Clinical Dentistry and the
40th anniversary of Yonsei University College of Dentistry.
Maria Papageorge, D82, DG86,
G89, professor and chair, gave
three presentations at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil in May:
“Reconstruction of the Edentulous
Maxilla with Zygoma Implants,”
“Orthognathic Surgery” and
“Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Residency Programs in the USA.”
Morton Rosenberg, D74, professor and director of anesthesia
and pain control, along with three
other members of the Anesthesia
Research Foundation, was
awarded a $100,000 grant from
the American Dental Association
Foundation to develop an emergency airway course for dental
providers of moderate sedation.
Presentations:
■ “Sedation for the Special Needs
Patient,” a two-day course, New
York State Department of Mental
Retardation and Disabilities,
Albany, N.Y., January 2008.
■ “Anesthesia Potpourri, Politics
and Pediatrics,” Kentucky State
Society of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgeons and Kentucky Dental
Society of Anesthesiology,
Louisville, Ky., January 2008.
■ “Preparing Your Office for a
Medical Emergency,” South Shore
District Dental Society. Randolph,
Mass., January 2008.
■ “High Fidelity Human Simulation:
Respiratory and Cardiovascular
Emergencies,” “Practical, Effective
and Safe Enteral Sedation for
Dentistry” and “Extremes of Age:
Pediatric and Geriatric Considerations: Anesthesia/Sedation
Assistant’s Course,” American
Dental Society of Anesthesiology,
Las Vegas, Nev., February 2008.
■ “Medical and Sedative
Emergencies for the Dental
Assistant,” Florida Dental Society
of Anesthesiology, Orlando, Fla.,
February 2008.
■ “Pediatric Sedative Emergencies
Using High Fidelity Human
Simulation,” American Academy
of Pediatric Dentistry, Cincinnati,
Ohio, February 2008.
■ “Ambulatory Anesthesia Issues
and Answers,” Maryland Society
of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
and Maryland Society of Dental
Anesthesiology, Baltimore, Md.,
March 2008.
■ “Anesthesia for the Ambulatory
Patient,” Delaware Society of Oral
and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Valley
Forge, Pa., March 2008.
■ “Practical, Effective and Safe
Enteral Sedation for the General
Dentist” and “The Team Approach
to Treating Medical Emergencies:
Advanced Dental Assistant’s
Course,” American Dental Society
of Anesthesiology, Puerto Rico,
April 2008.
Publications:
■ “What Every Dentist Should
Know about Malignant Hyperthermia,” A. Nami, K. Shastri and
M.B. Rosenberg, Journal of the
Massachusetts Dental Society,
55:4, 34–36, 2007.
■ “The 2007 American Heart
Association Guidelines for the
Prescription of Antibiotic Prophylaxis: A Brief Overview,”
R. Khader and M. Rosenberg,
Journal of the Massachusetts
Dental Society, 56:3, 34–36,
2007.
■ “What Every Dentist Should
Know about the Z-Sedatives,”
S. McKenzie and M. Rosenberg,
Journal of the Massachusetts
Dental Society, 56:3, 44–45,
2007.
Kalpakam Shastri, DG05,
assistant professor, lectured on
“Management of the Head and
Neck Cancer Patient” at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil in May.
Departmental Presentations:
and Skeletal Changes
following SARPE,” A. Naimi,
■ “Dental
M. Papageorge and K. Shastri,
International Association of Oral
and Maxillofacial Surgeons,
Bangalore, India, November
2007.
■ “The Effects of Mandibular
Retropositioning with or without
Maxillary Advancement on the
Oro-Naso-Pharyngeal Airway
and the Development of Sleeprelated Breathing Disorders,”
N. Demetriades, combined Grand
Rounds for Tufts, Massachusetts
General Hospital and Boston
University, January 2008.
■ “Zygoma Implants for
Reconstruction of the Severely
Atrophic Maxilla,” N. Demetriades,
A. Stratos, R. Chapman and
M.B. Papageorge, 23rd annual
meeting of the Academy of
Osseointegration, Boston,
February 2008.
■ “Retrospective Analysis of
Implant Success in Irradiated
Patients,” D. Oreadi, K. Shastri
and M.B. Papageorge, 23rd
annual meeting of the Academy
of Osseointegration, Boston,
February 2008.
■ “Alternative Bone Expansion
Technique for Implant Placement
in Atrophic Edentulous Maxilla
and Mandible,” N. Demetriades,
C. Laskarides, M. Papageorge,
L. Rissin and D. Park, 23rd
annual meeting of the Academy
of Osseointegration, Boston,
February 2008.
Departmental Publications:
■ “Clinico-pathologic Correlation
(Sebaceous Lymphadenoma),”
R.A. Abdool, L. Solomon and
M.B. Papageorge, Journal of
the Massachusetts Dental Society,
57(1):36–37, 2008.
■ “Vesiculo-bullous Disease
Suggestive of Pemphigus
Vulgaris,” M. Singh, N.
Demetriades, A. Papas and
E. Gagari, Journal of the
Massachusetts Dental Society,
56(4):42–44, 2008.
ORTHODONTICS
Barry Briss, D66, DG70, professor
and chair, gave a presentation
titled “An Update on Technology”
at the Thomas Graber Leadership
Conference at a meeting of the
American Association of Orthodontists in Denver in May. He was a
contributing author for a new orthodontic textbook, the 2008 Mosby’s
Orthodontic Review.
His topic was “Thirty-five Years of
Change in a Pre-doctoral Orthodontics Program.”
Publications:
Assisted Rapid
Palatal Expansion: A Literature
Review,” L. Suri and P. Taneja,
American Journal of Orthodontics
and Dentofacial Orthopedics,
133(2):290–302, February 2008.
■ “Eruption Disturbances of the
Maxillary Incisors: A Literature
Review,” K.L. Huber, L. Suri and
P. Taneja, Journal of Clinical
Pediatric Dentistry, 32(3):221–30,
2008.
■ “Long-term Stability of Maxillary
Expansion,” S.D. Marshall,
J. English, G.J. Huang, M.L.
Messersmith, H. Nah, M.L. Riolo,
B. Shroff, T.E. Southard, L. Suri
and D.L. Turpin, American Journal
of Orthodontics and Dentofacial
Orthopedics, 133(6):780–1,
June 2008.
Laura Camacho-Castro, DG83,
associate professor and director
of the postdoctoral program in
pediatric dentistry, and Virginia
Burns, pediatric hygienist,
organized Give Kids A Smile
Day in February for 100 children
who attend a child-care center
and school in Boston’s Chinatown
neighborhood. Pre-doctoral and
postdoctoral dental students
gave an oral health presentation,
and the children received
“dental goody bags.” In April,
Camacho-Castro and Burns
gave oral health workshops for
43 teens who received dental
care through the Massachusetts
Dental Society mobile dental van,
which spent four days at Youth
Essential Ser vices on Harrison
Avenue in Boston. Also in April,
pediatric dentistr y postdoctoral
residents participated in the
Wang YMCA Health Fair, where
they gave oral health presentations to parents and children.
In May, David Tesini, D75, DG77,
G79, associate clinical professor
of public health and community
ser vice, Camacho-Castro, Burns
and pediatric dentistr y postdoctoral residents per formed dental
screenings on children, teens and
adults who have PKU (phenylketonuria), a genetic disorder that
can cause problems with brain
development, leading to mental
retardation and seizures. The
screenings were done in cooperation with a PKU conference and
Tufts Floating Hospital for
Children. Camacho-Castro lectured on “Dental Management
of Children with Autism” at the
Second International Dental Congress at King Abdulaziz University
in Saudi Arabia on March 13.
PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY
Stanley Alexander, D75A, professor and chair, gave a presentation
at the Alumni Dinner Meeting at
Stony Brook University on May 17.
Meletia Laskou, DG95, DI01,
associate clinical professor,
has achieved diplomate status
with the American Board of
Pediatric Dentistry.
Vassiliki Cartsos, DG94,
assistant professor, was co-author
of “Bisphosphonate Use and the
Risk of Adverse Jaw Outcomes: A
Medical Claims Study of 714,217
People,” which was the cover story
in the Journal of the American
Dental Association, 139(1):23–30,
2008. Cartsos is the recipient of
the 2008 Faculty Fellowship Award
from the American Association of
Orthodontists.
Lokesh Suri, DI01, DG03, DG04,
assistant professor and director
of pre-doctoral orthodontics,
received the 2008 Anthony A.
Gianelly Teaching Fellowship Award
from the American Association of
Orthodontists Foundation.
■ “Surgically
PERIODONTOLOGY
Wai Cheung, DG02, DI06,
assistant professor, received
the Faculty Award from the American Academy of Periodontology
Foundation in May.
Terrence J. Griffin, D71, DG75,
associate professor and chair
Presentations:
■ “Periodontal Plastic Surgery,”
South Shore Dental Hygiene
Society, Norwood, Mass.,
February 5.
■ “New Advances in Periodontics
and Implantology,” Midwest
Society of Periodontists, Chicago,
Ill., February 23.
■ “New Developments in
Periodontal Plastic Surgery,”
Burlington Periodontal and Implant
Study Club, Burlington, Mass.,
February 27.
■ “Ridge Preservation Using a
Flapless Technique with the
Membrane Exposed,” J. Kim,
T. Griffin and W. Cheung, American
Association for Dental Research
annual session, Dallas, Texas,
March 2008.
■ “New Advances in Periodontal
Plastic Surgery” and “Surgical
Principles to Enhance Esthetics
in Implantology,” Saudi Arabian
Dental Society/King Abdulaziz
University Faculty of Dentistry
Symposium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,
March 11.
■ “New Developments in
Periodontal Plastic Surgery” and
“Surgical Procedures to Enhance
Esthetics in Implantology,” Kuwait
Dental Society, Kuwait City,
Kuwait, March 16–18.
■ “New Developments in Regeneration and Implant Therapy,”
“Recent Advances in Esthetic
Periodontal Surgery” and “Suture
Materials and Techniques: Lecture
and Hands-on Workshop,” King
Faisal University Symposium,
Dammam, Saudi Arabia, May 7–8.
■ “Surgical Principles to Enhance
Esthetics in Implantology,” Korea
University, Seoul, Korea, May 24.
■ “Surgical Procedures to Enhance
Esthetics in Implantology” and
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 45
ON CAMPUS
FACULTY NOTES
“Recent Advances in Esthetic
Periodontal Surgery,” International
College of Oral Implantology Symposium, Cheungju, Korea, May 25.
■ “Advanced Surgical Implant
Therapy,” University of Rome, Italy,
June 13.
Publications:
■ “Preservacion del reborde
alveolar. Por que y cuandro,”
J. Nart, E. Marcushamer,
J. Rumeu, A. Santos and
T.J. Griffin, Periodoncia y
Osteointegracion, 11:229-237,
2007.
■ “Nahtmaterialen im Vergleich:
Eigenshaften und Anwendugsbereiche,” D. Engler-Hamm and
T. Griffin, Dental Kompakt,
508-511, 2008.
Rory O'Neill, associate clinical
professor
Timothy J. Hempton,
associate clinical professor and
assistant director of postdoctoral
periodontology
Presentations:
■ “The Periodontal Co-therapist,”
Rocky Mountain Dental Convention, Denver, Colo., January 2008.
■ “Crown Lengthening Workshop,”
given with James Hanratty, DG88,
Yankee Dental Congress, Boston,
February 2008.
■ “Implant Therapy and the RDH,”
Star of the North Meeting,
Minneapolis, Minn., May 2008.
■ “Implant Therapy and the RDH”
and “Crown Lengthening
Workshop,” Texas Dental
Association annual meeting,
San Antonio, Texas, May 2008.
Publication:
■ “Strategies for Developing a
Culture of Mentoring in Postdoctoral Periodontology,” Timothy
J. Hempton, Dimitrios Drakos,
Vikram Likhari, James B. Hanley,
Lonnie Johnson, Paul Levi and
Terrence J. Griffin, Journal of
Dental Education, May 2008.
Aidee Nieto Herman, associate
clinical professor, was a judge
for the Health Careers Academy
12th annual Science Fair, held
46 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
on Februar y 4 at Northeastern
University. The academy is a
college preparator y high school
for Boston students exploring
careers in the health professions
and related fields. Herman
judged four posters of the 170
posters that were presented by
students in grades 9 to 12.
Presentations:
■ “Occlusion ... What to Know
and What to Do,” Yankee Dental
Congress, Boston, February 2008.
■ “Interdisciplinary Treatment
Planning,” University College Cork
Dental School and Hospital,
Ireland, March 2008.
■ “When to Refer to the Periodontist,” Southeastern Branch,
Irish Dental Association, Kilkenny,
Ireland, March 2008.
■ “Periodontal Diseases...
Occlusion and Implants,”
Portuguese First Annual Interdisciplinary Dental Congress,
Lisbon, Portugal, April 2.
■ “Implant Interface ... Soft
and Hard Tissues and Occlusion,”
Colombian Regional Periodontal
Society, Medellin, Colombia,
April 19.
Publication:
■ “Bisphosphonates and
Osteonecrosis of the Jaws:
A Primer for Physicians for
Management and Risk Identification,” Rory O'Neill and Jonell
Hopeck, J01, senior resident in
periodontology, Irish Medical
Journal, March 2008.
Esther M. Wilkins, D49, DG66,
clinical professor
Presentations:
■ “Rethinking Dental Caries,”
Utah Dental Society, Salt Lake
City, February 15.
■ “New Research about Dental
Caries,” Rhapsody Dental
Conference, Banff, Alberta,
Canada, March 14.
■ “Rethinking Dental Caries:
summer 2008
New Terminology,” Texas Dental
Hygienists Association, Austin
and Dallas, Texas, March 29
and April 11.
■ “Rethinking Dental Caries:
Research and Clinical
Applications for Practice,”
University of North Carolina,
12th annual Dental Hygiene
Lecture, Chapel Hill, N.C., April 25.
■ “Reminiscences: History of
Tufts University School of Dental
Medicine and the Forsyth School
for Dental Hygienists,” annual
meeting of the American Academy
of the History of Dentistry,
Boston, May 1.
Publications:
■ Clinical Practice of the Dental
Hygienist, 10th edition (Wolters
Kluwer: Lippincott Williams &
Wilkins, 2008).
■ Student Workbook for Clinical
Practice of the Dental Hygienist,
2nd edition, Charlotte J. Wyche
and Esther M. Wilkins (Wolters
Kluwer: Lippincott Williams &
Wilkins, 2008).
PROSTHODONTICS AND
OPERATIVE DENTISTRY
Robert J. Chapman, A63, D67,
DG74, professor and chair,
participated in the 8th Yonsei
International Symposium on May
23, held in commemoration of
the 93rd anniversary of Yonsei
Clinical Dentistry and the 40th
anniversary of Yonsei University
College of Dentistry. He presented
a lecture on “Implant Esthetics
and Oral Health-related Quality of
Life” at the symposium.
Hiroshi Hirayama, DG90, DI93,
DG94, professor and director
of postgraduate prosthodontics,
was a site visit consultant for the
University of Southern California
Graduate Prosthodontics Program
on April 8–9.
Presentations:
of Esthetic and
Function: Anterior Tooth Position,”
University of Connecticut Health
Science Center Graduate
■ “Integration
Prosthodontics Program,
Farmington, Conn., March 14.
■ “Failures: Guide to Success”
and “Fixed Prosthodontics: How
to Prevent Functional and
Aesthetic Failures,” 16th annual
symposium of the Hellenic Society
of Odontostomatological Research,
Athens, Greece, May 17.
■ “Interface between Esthetic
Dentistry and Implant Dentistry:
Integration of Esthetic and
Function for Successful Treatment
Outcome,” Catalonian Dental
College, Barcelona, Spain,
June 6–7.
Publications:
■ “The Effect of Different
Investment Techniques on
the Surface Roughness and
Irregularities of Gold Palladium
Alloy Castings,” A. Bedi,
K.X. Michalakis, H. Hirayama
and P.C. Stark, Journal of
Prosthetic Dentistry,
99(4):282–6, April 2008.
■ “Effect of Relining Method on
Dimensional Accuracy of Posterior
Palatal Seal: An in vitro Study,”
Y. Kim, K.X. Michalakis,
H. Hirayama, Journal of Prosthodontics, 17(3):211–8, April 2008.
Gerard Kugel, D85, MG93,
associate dean for research and
professor, was named Clinician
of the Year at the Massachusetts
Dental Society's Presidential
Awards Ceremony and Reception
on January 30. This award is
given to an MDS-member dentist
who volunteers for the Yankee
Dental Congress, not only as a
speaker but in other roles.
Presentations:
■ Two-day, hands-on esthetic
dentistry course, California Dental
Association, May 2–3.
■ “Esthetic Dentistry Update,”
Connecticut Dental Society, May 9.
■ “Digital Impressioning: In Vitro
Experiments/In Vivo Experience,”
3M Global Symposium, May 20.
■ “Esthetic Materials &
Techniques,” Saratoga Dental
Congress,” May 24.
■ “All Ceramic Crowns & Digital
Impressioning,” Montreal Dental
Meeting, May 26.
Publications/AADR Abstracts:
■ 1119: “Comparison of Digital
vs. Conventional Impression
Systems for Marginal Accuracy,”
G. Kugel, N. Chaimattayompol,
R. Perry, S. Ferreira, S. Sharma,
J. Towers and P. Stark.
■ 0545: “Shear Strength of
Dental Composite Versus
Mineralized Silk-based
Biomaterial,” M.R. Wimmer,
J.R. Plourde, R.A. Dickinson,
G. Kugel, E.H. Doherty, S.
Ferreira and D. Kaplan.
■ 0371: “Selected Mechanical
Properties of Temporary Crown
and Bridge,” a study that examined an experimental provisional
material, V. Babcic, R. Perry and
G. Kugel.
■ 1107: “Flow under Pressure
of Fifteen Impression Materials,”
a study comparing flow of 15
different impression materials
using a shark-fin apparatus,
E.H. Doherty, G. Chao, G. Kugel
and P. Stark.
■ 0215: “Comparison Study
between Two Different Mixing
Ratios of Polyethers,” K. Aurbach,
R. Perry and G. Kugel.
■ 1085: “Two-year Clinical
Evaluation of Zirconia Bridges,”
R. Perry, S. Sharma, S. Ferreira,
G. Kugel and J. Orfanidis.
■ 1019: “Photoelastic Stress
Comparison of Three Different
Post Systems,” S. Sharma, G.
Kugel, G. Greystone and P. Stark.
■ 0684: “Microleakage in Class V
Restorations In Vitro,” Q.N.T. Bui,
R. Perry and G. Kugel.
Amit Sachdeo, assistant professor, spoke at an international
dental meeting in Florence, Italy,
May 9–10, when he gave a
presentation on “Biofilm
Formation in the Edentulous Oral
Cavity.” His manuscript of the
same title was published in the
March 2008 issue of the Journal
of Prosthodontics; co-authors
were Anne D. Haffajee and
Sigmund S. Socransky of the
Forsyth Institute. Sachdeo was
selected as a manuscript
reviewer for the Journal of Dental
Research, the journal of the
International and American
Associations for Dental Research.
Anthony Silvestri, E69, clinical
professor, was honored for
teaching excellence by the Class
of D11 on March 14. In addition,
he was interviewed for articles on
wisdom teeth by U.S. News &
World Report (February 25) and
National Geographic (March).
Marcelo Suzuki, assistant
professor
Presentations:
■ “The Effect of Implant Bulk
Design on Bone Healing at Early
Implantation Times: A Study in
Dogs,” P.G. Coelho, M.V.M.
Guimaraes, R.J. Miller, M.C.
Bottino and M. Suzuki, Academy
of Osseointegration annual
meeting, Boston, March 2008.
■ “Histomorphologic/Histomorphometric Evaluation of 37
Retrieved Plateau Design Root
Form Implants,” M. Suzuki and
P.G. Coelho, Academy of Osseointegration annual meeting,
Boston, March 2008.
■ “Histomorphometric Evaluation
of Alumina-blasted/Acid-etched
and Nanotite TM Sur faces at
Early Implantation Times: An
Experimental Study in Dogs,”
M. Suzuki, M.V.M. Guimaraes,
M.C. Bottino and P.G. Coelho,
Academy of Osseointegration
annual meeting, Boston, March
2008.
■ “In Vivo Evaluation of Implant
Length and Sur face Physico
/Chemistry Characteristics
in Biomechanical Anchorage in
Plateau Root Form Implants:
An Experimental Study in Beagle
Dogs,” R. Granato, C. Marin, M.
Suzuki, J.N. Gil and P.G. Coelho,
Academy of Osseointegration
annual meeting, Boston, March
2008.
Publications:
■ “Early Healing of Nanothickness
Bioceramic Coatings Dental
Implants: An Experimental
Study in Dogs,” P.G. Coelho,
G. Cardaropoli, M. Suzuki and
J.E. Lemons, Journal of Biomedical
Materials Research, April 2008.
■ “Characterization and In Vivo
Studies of Nanothickness Caand P-based Coatings,” P.G.
Coelho, M. Suzuki, C.A.O.
Fernandes and G. Cardaropoli,
Key Engineering Materials, Vols.
361–363, pp. 649–652, 2008.
Roya Zandparsa, DI04, associate
professor, wrote a chapter on
“Dental Biomaterials” in the
Standard Handbook of Biomedical
Engineering & Design, 2nd edition,
edited by Myer Kutz and published
by McGraw-Hill. Zandparsa gave
a presentation on “Implant
Dentistry, Development and
Current Focus” at Yankee Dental
Congress 33 in Boston in February.
PROMOTIONS
Ronald Perry, DG99, to clinical
professor
Frank Shin to associate clinical
professor.
PUBLIC HEALTH AND
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Carole Palmer, N69, G69,
professor and head of the Division
of Nutrition and Oral Health, has
been appointed by the governor to
the New Hampshire Board of
Licensed Dietitians.
Nutrition and Oral Health
Connections from the Very
Youngest to the Very Oldest,”
Massachusetts Dietetic
Association, March 28.
■ “Nutrition Implications in
Aging,” Boston Area Joint
Dietetic Internship Class Day on
Geriatrics, November 26, 2007.
Medha Singh, DG04, DG05,
assistant professor
Presentations:
■ “The Effect of an Omega-3
Supplement on Dry Mouth and
Dry Eye in Sjögren's Patients,”
62nd American Academy of Oral
Medicine annual meeting,
Scottsdale, Ariz., April 2008.
■ “Effect of Sialagogues on the
Periodontal Status in Sjögren's
Patients,” 37th American
Association for Dental Research
annual meeting, Dallas, Texas,
April 2008.
Publication:
■ “Effect of Sialagogues on the
Periodontal Status in Sjögren's
Patients,” M. Singh, P. Stark and
A.S. Papas, Journal of Dental
Research, 87 (Special Issue A):
Presentation #551, 2008.
■ “Nutrition
Wanda G. Wright has been
appointed an assistant professor
in the department and leads the
Division of Education, Outreach
and Advocacy, overseeing all
community outreach and education
activities. She is a diplomate of
the American Board of Dental
Public Health and has expertise in
health disparities and quality-of-life
research.
Presentations:
■ “Are You Missing Something?
Presentations:
Water Fluoridation,”
Partners for a Healthier
Community, Springfield, Mass.,
March 27.
■ “Evaluation of the BEST Oral
Health Project,” National Oral
Health Conference, Miami, Fla.,
April 29, and Better Oral Health
for Massachusetts, Sturbridge,
Mass., June 4.
Book Chapters:
in Sjögren’s
Syndrome,” C. Palmer and M.
Singh, in Nutrition and Rheumatic
Disease (Humana Press, Totawa
N.J., 2008).
■ “Nutrition in the Plaque
Diseases,” C. Palmer and
L. Boyd, in Primary Preventive
Dentistry, 7th edition (Appleton
and Lange, in press).
■ “Community
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 47
BEYOND BOUNDARIES
PROVIDING THE MEANS FOR EXCELLENCE
Boston High–Rise
Upward goes the dental school
expansion project by Lauren Katims
Opposite page: Steel beams
for the addition rise in the
Boston skyline. This page,
clockwise from left: A
beacon signaling the official
start of construction is
hoisted to the roof of One
Kneeland Street; Richard
Chin, a leader in Boston’s
Chinatown community;
and guests sign a banner
that will hang outside the
school during construction.
he school of dental medicine’s vertical expansion project
had its official liftoff at a “skybreaking” ceremony on May 2 at
One Kneeland Street, where five stories will
be added to the 10-story building over the
next two years.
“We are standing here at one of the finest
dental schools in the world,” Provost and
Senior Vice President Jamshed Bharucha
told 80 guests, including students, alumni
and faculty from all the Tufts schools, university trustees, overseers and representatives from the Chinatown community. “Let’s
celebrate the expansion, not just for the
dental school, but for the university.”
Dean Lonnie H. Norris, DG80, spoke
enthusiastically of these exciting times for
the school. “We’ve become a school that is
renowned internationally and nationally,”
he said. “I am extremely proud to be in
this leadership position at this time in the
T
PHOTOS: ALONSO NICHOLS AND MELODY KO
school’s history.” He said the $65 million
project, $16 million of which will be funded
through private philanthropy, will have positive corollaries in the community, the City
of Boston and the New England region.
In keeping with the dental school’s longstanding commitment to provide oral health
care to the underserved, the expansion will
add 71 new treatment areas to the school
clinics to better serve the 18,000 patients,
many of whom either have MassHealth or
no dental insurance, treated each year.
John Palmieri, director of the Boston
Redevelopment Authority, speaking on
behalf of Mayor Thomas M. Menino, praised
the school’s dedication to the community.
“This has been a great working relationship,
and we’re happy that with this new project,
Tufts is bringing a number of benefits to
the surrounding community,” he said.
The five-floor addition will create more
teaching and research space, a continuing
education suite and offices and meeting
rooms. The existing building opened in 1972.
“This is the beginning of a new era for the
dental school,” said Kathleen M. O’Loughlin,
D81, a university trustee. “We have worldclass people, but now we will have a worldclass facility to host them in.”
When the speeches ended, guests donned
hardhats and signed a banner that will be
displayed on the front of the building
throughout the construction. Norris then
“lit” a blue beacon that was raised to the roof
by a crane. In Chinese culture, the dean
noted, a crane (the bird) in the clouds represents longevity, wisdom and nobility. “It is
our hope that our ‘crane’ in the clouds brings
these gifts to our community,” he said.
(Besides signaling the official start of the
expansion project, the beacon has a more
utilitarian job: alerting planes taking off and
landing at Logan Airport to steer clear of the
high-rise construction crane.)
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 49
BEYOND BOUNDARIES
PROVIDING THE MEANS FOR EXCELLENCE
Louis Fiore at the Boston Red
Sox spring training facility in
Fort Myers, Fla., where
the Dental Alumni Association
hosts an annual gathering.
A DECADE OF COMMITMENT
THE DEAN’S INNER CIRCLE, CREATED IN 1998, IS A GIVING LEVEL OF
the Dental M Club composed of alumni, friends and students
who show a special level of generosity through their annual
support of the School of Dental Medicine. Gifts from alumni
at this level represent $100 x the number of years since
graduation. Because these gifts grow each year, they help
Tufts keep pace with the rising cost of a dental education.
Listed here are those who have been members of the
Dean’s Inner Circle since its inception 10 years ago. The
school is grateful for their continued support.
Nancy S. Arbree, DG96
Marc S. Lemchen, D70
M. Christine Benoit, D77,
D09P
Durwin Y. Libby, D90
William B. Chan, D75A,
DG82, D10P
Ira D. Cheifetz, D74,
Steven P. Chung, D74, A07P
Carolyn Cottrell, D.D.S.
Peter A. Delli Colli, A69, D73
Mary C. DeMello, D86
Chris Doku, D58, DG60, J84P
James F. Drew, D88
Mostafa H. El-Sherif, DI95
Perfect Pitch
Alumnus Louis Fiore supports school expansion
ever since the seventh grade, louis fiore, d62, wanted to be a
dentist. He saved money for dental school by playing the saxophone
in a polka band and later hit the nightclub circuit, playing “anything
and everything” he could to set aside some cash.
Combined with his mother’s wages from the carpet mill where she
worked near Fiore’s hometown of Thompsonville, Conn., the money
he earned from his music and from painting houses during the summer was enough to get him through two years at Tufts Dental School.
Then the money ran out. “When I realized I couldn’t pay for school
any longer and would have to drop out, I went to see some people in
the financial aid office,” Fiore recalls. “They helped me get a scholarship and find some good loans so that I could complete my studies.
With all that in mind, how could I not give back to Tufts?”
With his wife, Jean, Fiore has made a significant donation for the
expansion project that will add five floors to the dental school. The
couple’s gift will name the dean’s suite on the 15th floor.
“It has always been my ambition to give something back to Tufts as
a token of appreciation for the opportunity that the school gave me,”
says Fiore. He ran a private practice for 20 years in Old Lyme, Conn.,
before retiring after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
The morning after he made his gift to Tufts, he told his wife, “I feel
really good today.”
50 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
Howard I. Lieb, D73, M04P
Peiman Mahdavi, D91, DG94
Patricia P. Mahoney, D80
George M. Mantikas, D89
Robert N. Marshall, D79
Richard J. McNulty, D79
Noshir R. Mehta, DG73,
DI77, J01P, A07P
John J. Millette, D91
Janis B. Moriarty, D94
Richard M. Farina, D83
Lonnie H. Norris, DG80,
M99P, A01P
John P. Ficarelli, D73, D10P
Kathleen M. O’Loughlin, D81
Timothy M. Gabe, D83, DG85
Carole A. Palmer, G69, N69
Lisa M. Giarrusso, J86, D90,
DG92
Nicholas T. Papapetros II,
D91
Joseph P. Giordano, D79,
DG84
Seth C. Paparian, D86
Bruce D. Gouin, D78, D09P
Helyne Hander Hamelburg,
D91
Stephen M. Hamelburg, D91
Richard P. Harrison, D77,
A06P, D12P, M12P
David B. Harte, A75, D78,
A02P
Rachel A. Perlitsh, J87, D91,
DG94
Tofigh Raayai, DG77, DI82
Richard M. Rothstein, D75
Martin P. Sachs, D56
Nicholas P. Senzamici, D74
Samuel M. Shames, D75
R. Scott Smith, D76, DG79
Jeffrey C. Hoos, D78
David P. Solomon, D79, D10P
Stephen S. Hsu, DI89
Joseph W. Solomon, D96
James F. Kane, D74, DG76,
G78, DG79, D04P, DG06P
Alan C. Tan, D90, DG92
Barbara Clark Kay, D71,
D10P
J. Steven Tonelli, D80, A04P,
A06P, A10P
Ian Turner, DG93
David San-Te Ko, DI80, D11P
Lisa Vouras, D89
Edward C. Larkin, D73
Tina Lee Wang, D86
John B. Lem, A77, D80,
DG84
Thomas F. Winkler III, A62,
D66, D10P
PHOTO: ALEX BOERNER
“I hope that my annual gifts help
students attain their dream of
becoming dentists. My continued
participation has also inspired
other graduates to join
the Dean’s Inner Circle.”
“I was raised on the belief that education
should be a right, not a privilege.
By giving to Tufts, I hope to give that right
to someone who has worked hard for it.”
RICHARD MCNNULTY, D 79, WELLESLEY, MASS .
STEVE HSU, DI 89, WINDHAM , N . H .
10
“I walked away from Tufts with
great memories and friends,
and a career that has been
wonderful to me! Giving back
is the natural thing to do.”
years,
reasons
To commemorate the tenth anniversary
of the Dean’s Inner Circle, 10 individuals
who have been members since the giving
club’s inception say why they continue
to support Tufts School of Dental
Medicine every year.
ALAN TAN , D 90, DG 92, ROSEVILLE , CALIF.
“Our patients
know our Tufts
education is top
quality. It is our
responsibility
and an honor
to support Tufts
so the next
generation of
dentists can
receive that
same gift.”
STEPHEN AND HELYNE
HAMELBURG , D 91,
MARBLEHEAD, MASS
“It all began with Tufts.
I believe we all must give back.
“Being a member
of the Dean’s Inner
Circle is just
another sign of
my appreciation
and gratitude
for what Tufts
has done for me.”
MARTIN SACHS , D 56, WESTPORT, CONN .
“When Georgetown’s dental school closed, I adopted
Tufts as my dental school, and it has been so good to me.
I enjoy coming to work each day and, in turn, enjoy giving
something back every year.”
DAVID SOLOMON , D 79, D 10 P,
NANCY ARBREE , DG 96, ASSOCIATE DEAN ,
LYNNFIELD, MASS .
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS TUFTS SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE
”It is my duty to help leave the school
stronger and better for my young
colleagues—tomorrow’s leaders.”
NOSHIR R . MEHTA , DG 73, DI 77, JO 1 P, AO 7 P PROFESSOR AND
CHAIR OF GENERAL DENTISTRY AND DIRECTOR , CRANIOFACIAL
PAIN CENTER , TUFTS SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE
“Tufts Dental provided me with
the education I needed for
, 83,
, . .
achieving success.”
RICHARD FARINA D
“When interviewing during the
admissions process, “I was told, ‘If
you come to Tufts, we will work as
hard as we can to make you successful as a person and as a dentist. If you
are successful, we will be, too.’ And
they did just that. I thank Tufts every
day for four great years of education.”
MARC LEMCHEN , D 70, NEW YORK , N . Y.
BARRINGTON N H
Thank you!
Tufts Dental School would not be what it is today
without you and your support.
More than 2,150 alumni, parents, friends, and students gave $1,395,652 between
July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008, making this the best year yet for the Tufts Dental Fund.
C O M M U N I T Y. C A R I N G . C O M M I T M E N T.
s u m m e r 2 0 0 8 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
51
BEYOND BOUNDARIES
PROVIDING THE MEANS FOR EXCELLENCE
MARGOLIS LECTURE
At the Margolis Lecture, from left: Dean Lonnie H. Norris, DG80; James A.
McNamara, this year’s lecturer; Eleanor Holman, Margolis’ daughter; Paul
Sawyier, Margolis’ great-grandson; family friend Evelyn Malkin; Ralph W.
Galen, DG54, a former student of Margolis; and Barry S. Briss, D66, DG70,
D95P, DG97P, professor and chair of orthodontics at Tufts.
james a. mcnamara, a researcher at the university of
Michigan’s Center for Human Growth and Development and the
Thomas M. and Doris Graber Endowed Professor of Dentistry,
gave the fourth annual Herbert I. Margolis Lecture in Orthodontics on April 12. His topic was “The Changing Face of Growth
Modification: An Evidence-based Approach to Treatment Timing.”
More than 75 Tufts orthodontic faculty and residents and orthodontists attended. Ralph W. Galen, DG54, talked about Margolis’s
leadership and achievements in orthodontics.
The endowed lecture is named for Tufts’ first chair of orthodontics; Margolis died in 1984. He had the vision of making
orthodontic treatment available to all. His research led to the
development of the Margolis Cephalostat, an instrument used to
diagnose malocclusion, and he also designed original orthodontic
procedures that shortened treatment time. Even before Medicaid,
Margolis established standards and means for Massachusetts to
provide dental treatment to the disadvantaged.
Paying It Forward
The Class of 2008 dedicated
its legacy to future dental
students by using its class
gift to start a scholarship for
fourth-year students. The
Dental Alumni Association
and the administration each
matched the contribution of
the graduating class, and,
along with $500 from the
class activities fund, the total
gift came to $5,350.
The eight practice groups
within the senior class competed for the highest participation
rate. Practice Group Five won
the challenge.
Class officers Michael Hull,
Timothy Johnson, Becky
Seppala, Dilshan Gunawardena
and Ameeta Sachdev presented
the class gift to Dean Lonnie
H. Norris at the Seniors Awards
Dinner on May 9.
52 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
Practice Group 5, the winners of the
class gift participation challenge, at the
Senior Awards Dinner on May 9.
summer 2008
PHOTO: J.D. SLOAN
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 8
MAY 1–3, 2009
Alumni reception in conjunction
with the annual meeting of
the American Academy
of Periodontology
Grand Hyatt Seattle
Seattle, Washington
6–7:30 p.m.
Dental Homecoming
and Reunion Weekend
Tufts School of Dental Medicine
and Langham Hotel
Boston, Massachusetts
MAY 1–5, 2009
Alumni reception in conjunction
with the annual session of
the American Association
of Orthodontists
Boston, Massachusetts
SEPTEMBER 12
Alumni reception in conjunction
with the annual meeting of the
New England Society of
Orthodontists
Westin Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
6:15–7:15 p.m.
SEPTEMBER 12
Alumni reception in conjunction
with the fall meeting of the
California Dental Association
Marriott San Francisco
San Francisco, California
5–7 p.m.
SEPTEMBER 18
Alumni reception in conjunction
with the annual meeting of the
American Association of Oral
and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Seattle Sheraton
Seattle, Washington
6–7:30 p.m.
OCTOBER 17
MARCH 14–18, 2009
Alumni reception in conjunction
with the annual meeting of
the American Dental Association
Hyatt Regency
San Antonio, Texas
5:30–7 p.m.
Alumni reception in conjunction
with the annual meeting of
the American Dental
Education Association
Phoenix, Arizona
MAY 17, 2009
Tufts University’s 153rd
Commencement
Academic Quad
Medford/Somerville campus
9 a.m.
APRIL 29–MAY 2, 2009
OCTOBER 30
Alumni reception in conjunction
with the annual meeting of
the American College
of Prosthodontists
Gaylord Opryland
Nashville, Tennessee
6:30–8 p.m.
Alumni reception in conjunction
with the annual session of
the American Association
of Endodontists
Orlando, Florida
For more information on
these and other events,
contact the Office of
Dental Alumni Relations
at 617.636.6773 or email:
[email protected].
DECEMBER 2
Alumni reception in conjunction
with the annual Greater
New York Dental Meeting
New York City
SEPTEMBER 22
Dental Alumni Association’s
26th annual Wide Open Golf
and Tennis Tournament
Mount Pleasant Country Club
Boylston, Massachusetts
11 a.m. shotgun start; tennis
tournament, 2 p.m.; reception,
4 p.m.; dinner, 5 p.m.
JANUARY 30, 2009
Alumni reception in conjunction
with Yankee Dental Congress 34
Westin Waterfront
Boston, Massachusetts
5:30–7 p.m.
JANUARY 30, 2009
GLBT alumni reception
in conjunction with
Yankee Dental Congress 34
Westin Waterfront
Boston, Massachusetts
7–8:30 p.m.
PHOTO: ALONSO NICHOLS
Elizabeth Lee, D08, celebrates
receiving her D.M.D.
Commencement 2009 is on May 17.
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t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 53
ALUMNI NEWS
STAYING CONNECTED
Adding value to your dental degree
i am writing to you as the 2008‒09 president
of the Tufts University Dental Alumni Association. I want to thank all past officers and
directors of the alumni association who have
provided such dedicated leadership and
enthusiasm. Alumni participation is the
lifeblood of our organization.
It is a very exciting time for the dental
school. The steel is being put in place for five
new floors at One Kneeland Street, which will
provide plenty of space for us to continue to grow Tufts’ reputation.
There will be additional undergraduate clinic space, relocated and
improved postgraduate clinics, expanded facilities for continuing education and much-needed offices and meeting rooms for students and
faculty. The additional space is allowing Tufts to increase enrollment by
61 undergraduate, advanced standing and postgraduate students
between 2007 and 2012, and add 11 new faculty members. The target
date for completion of the project is late 2009. Be sure to visit!
The dental school had a very successful seven-year accreditation
review. This level of excellence only enhances your already-prestigious
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine degree. Our undergraduate
students continue to arrive with higher GPAs and board scores than ever
before, and the school had another record year in the number of applications for admission.
Our alumni association is a vital part of
the level of excellence our school has
achieved. I encourage all of you to participate in alumni events such as the Wide
Open Golf and Tennis Tournament (on
Monday, September 22, at Mount Pleasant
Country Club), the Tufts reception at the
Yankee Dental Congress, and of course,
Reunion Weekend in May 2009.
I am honored to be president of your
alumni association and look forward to
another exciting and successful year for Tufts
Dental School.
Yours truly,
John Ficarelli, D73
President, Tufts University
Dental Alumni Association
LOOKING FOR AN ASSOCIATE?
THE TUFTS ALUMNI ASSOCIATES PROGRAM (TAAP)
assists recent dental school graduates in finding
associateships with practicing alumni/ae. A continuing
effort of the Dental Alumni Association and the Alumni
Office, the program is a unique way to continue the
Tufts experience for both job-seekers and dental
alumni/ae practitioners. As one of the many benefits
of attending Tufts University School of Dental Medicine,
the alumni/ae network serves as a means of introduction and communication with alumni/ae who are
looking for associates. Those who have been involved
recognize that this program creates mutually beneficial
relationships.
PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY
Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Year of Graduation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mailing Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
City/State/Zip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. I am seeking a Tufts dental alum to work in my office:
part-time
3. Additional comments: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
the Tufts University Dental Alumni Association, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111. For more
information, contact the Office of Dental Alumni Relations at 617.636.6773 or fax 617.636.4052.
summer 2008
full-time
2. What is the nature of your practice (e.g., general practice, mostly adults,
prosthodontics)?
........................................................
To place a Tufts graduate in your office, fill out the form above and mail it to
54 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mail to:
Tufts University
Dental Alumni Association
136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111
PHOTO: TRAVIS DOVE
1
At Yankee Dental,
(1) Dean Lonnie Norris,
DG80, Vicktor Senat,
D05, Joseph Nelson,
D04, and Robert
Chapman, A63, D67,
DG74; (2) Dara Chira,
J89, D93, Grace
Dickinson Branon, D02,
and Lynn Dickinson,
D02P, D09P; (3) Robert
Guen, D77, DG78,
and Lily Guen
2
YANKEE DENTAL RECEPTION
DRAWS 1,000 ALUMS
nearly 6,500 dentists were among the
9,000 participants at Yankee Dental Congress
33, which took place January 31 through
February 2 in Boston. The annual dental
meeting is New England’s largest. Dean Lonnie H. Norris, DG80, and Nicholas Papapetros, D91, president of the Tufts University
Dental Alumni Association, welcomed nearly
1,000 alumni at the Tufts
reception on February 1 at the
Westin Waterfront.
A wonderful addition to
Yankee this year was the Tufts
Alumni Lounge on the exhibit
hall floor. The venue provided
alumni with a place to relax,
chat with classmates and grab a 3
PHOTOS: J.D. SLOAN; ALONSO NICHOLS
snack between courses. The lounge was also
the site for two presentations by A. Joseph
Castellana, executive associate dean, on the
project that will add five floors to the One
Kneeland Street building.
The 2009 Yankee Dental Congress will
take place at the Boston Convention and
Exhibition Center from January 28 to February 1. You can register and
make your hotel reservations
beginning September 24 at
noon. For more information,
go to www.yankeedental.com.
The Tufts dental alumni reception will be held on Friday, January 30, at the Westin
Waterfront.
PROMOTED Lauren Kane,
a coordinator with the Dental
Development and Alumni Relations
team, has been promoted to assistant director of the Tufts Dental
Fund. She holds
a B.A. in communications from
the University of
Maryland and a
master’s degree
in higher education administration from the University of Massachusetts. In her new
role, Lauren is working with alumni
volunteers, developing new initiatives for recent graduates, leading
the senior class gift campaign and
is involved with all aspects of the
annual fund.
NEW DIRECTOR Derek
Wolkowicz, D97, DG00, has been
elected the newest director on the
Executive Council of the Tufts University Dental Alumni Association. He
earned his undergraduate degree
from Providence
College and his
D.M.D. and postgraduate certificate in orthodontics from Tufts. He is a partner with
Orthodontic Specialists of Southeastern Massachusetts, which has
offices in New Bedford and Mattapoisett. In addition to his memberships in the American Association
of Orthodontists, Massachusetts
Association of Orthodontists and
American Dental Association, he is
a Southeastern District delegate for
the Massachusetts Dental Society.
Wolkowicz is a member of the Dental M Club Executive Committee
and also serves on the dental
school committee for the university’s
ongoing Beyond Boundaries capital
campaign. He lives in Lakeville,
Mass., with his wife Candace, D98,
and their daughter, Brooke.
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 55
ALUMNI NEWS
STAYING CONNECTED
4
3
1
5
Alumni networkers (1) Steve Rubin, D75; (2) Natalie Jeong, D97,
DG00, Ronit Smolyar, DI99, DG02, and Tofigh Raayai, DG77, DI82;
(3) Mary Jane Hanlon-Rogers, D97; (4) some hallway career
advice; and (5) Cherie Bishop, D94, Mary Jane Hanlon-Rogers,
D97, Joy Kasparian-Federico, J92, D97, DG01; Steve Rubin, D75,
and Sam Shames, D75, standing at right.
2
Dental Careers 101
so, you’re on the road to getting your dental
degree. Then what?
How do you go about landing that first job? What do
you need to know about furthering your career? And then
there’s the money… what does it take to run a successful
dental practice?
Tufts dental students got the answers to these questions
and more from those in the know—alumni who once
walked in their shoes—during the ninth annual Student/Alumni Networking Session, sponsored in March by
the Tufts University Dental Alumni Association.
Twenty-five Tufts alumni working in private practice,
56 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
academia, organized dentistry and public service jobs
offered their best advice to students about how to launch
their own dental careers. The program also featured
experts on practice management, financial nuts and bolts
and running a business.
The annual event is an “opportunity to connect alumni
and students to share personal and professional experiences that cannot be taught in the classroom,” says Dr.
Nicholas Papapetros, D91, immediate past president of the
alumni association. “It is this kind of experience that fosters a spirit of community among Tufts School of Dental
Medicine, our students and the alumni association.”
PHOTOS: ALONSO NICHOLS
out&about
BIG APPLE LEADERS
Jonathan Garlick, director of the Division of
Cancer Biology and Tissue Engineering, was
the keynote speaker at a meeting of the Greater
New York Dental Alumni Chapter at the Penn
Club in New York City on March 19. His topic
was “Embryonic Stem Cells and the Future of
Dentistry.” The chapter also introduced its new
leadership: President E.J. Bartolazo, D92; Vice
President Hiroshi Kimura, D93, DG95; Secretary
Anita Omidi, D94; Treasurer Michael Dill, D88;
and Young Alumni Chair Victor Grazina, DG06.
Secretary
Anita Omidi and
President E.J.
Bartolazo
SPRING SOX
One hundred Tufts Dental
alumni, family and friends
watched the Red Sox take on
the Florida Marlins during a
spring training game on March 8
in Fort Myers, Fla. Attendees
enjoyed a picnic cookout before
watching the World Champions
in a sold-out game during which
the Marlins beat the Sox, 5–2.
Left: Addrian and Lilly Correa, D11P
Top: Linda Segelman, Allyn
Segelman, D73, DG77, and Dean
Lonnie H. Norris, DG80, M99P, A01P
PAR TNERS
IN SEOUL
At the dinner hosted by the Tufts Alumni Study Club, front row from left: Yongjeong Kim, DG97,
DI03, associate professor of prosthodontics; Robert Chapman, A63, D67, DG74, professor of
prosthodontics; Dara Mehta, Noshir Mehta, Dean Norris and Donna Norris; middle row, from
left: Euibin Im, DG00; Mijeong Kim, DG02; Jeongwon Shin, DG03; Eunsook Kim, D11P;
Heekyung Kim, DG05; Yonsoo Shim, DG91; Myungho Maeng, DG04; Terrence Griffin, D71,
DG75, chair of periodontology; and Kyuho Lee, former Tufts Dental faculty member; back row
from left: Jeongtae Yoon, DG94; Wanhoi Koo, DG04; Il Cho, DG06; Hyunki Cho, DG03; Sunhong
Hwang, DG01; Younghoon Woo, D01; and Eungkyung Cho, D02.
Dean Lonnie H. Norris, DG80; Noshir Mehta,
DG73, DI77, assistant dean for international
relations; and faculty members Robert
Chapman, A63, D67, DG74, and Terrence
Griffin, D71, DG75, traveled to Seoul, South
Korea, in late May to execute a memorandum
of understanding with Yonsei University
College of Dentistry that will pave the way for
student exchanges, continuing education and
research collaborations between the two
institutions. Mehta notes that this is the third
collaboration agreement between Tufts and
dental schools overseas (the other two are
with dental schools in India and China).
While in Seoul, the Tufts Alumni Study Club,
a group of graduates from Tufts’ postdoctoral
programs who practice and teach in South
Korea, hosted a dinner for the Tufts visitors,
during which the dean updated them on the
expansion of One Kneeland Street as well as
the school’s international outreach efforts.
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 57
ALUMNI NEWS
REUNION
A time to remember
the 2008 edition of reunion and homecoming weekend opened
with a “Time Flies” party at the Boston Harbor Hotel on May 2, featuring
themed décor from decades past and a jazz trio that reconnected old friends
and classmates who graduated in years ending in 3 and 8. More than 550
alumni and their guests enjoyed a weekend of fun and reminiscing, which
included a tour of Fenway Park and a cooking class on brunch favorites.
During the continuing education program, Kanchan Ganda, J00P,
M04P, professor of public health and community service, lectured on
“Medical Updates for Dentistry: Antibiotics and Pre-medication Prophylaxis,” and Teri-Ross Icyda, D78, J01P, A04P, D11P, gave a presentation on
“Advanced Comprehensive Dentistry: Lessons I Wish I Had Learned Earlier.”
Highlights came on Saturday, at the luncheon with a presentation by
ADA President Mark Feldman, D73, and at the leadership reception,
when Dean Lonnie H. Norris, DG80, received the Tufts University
Provost’s Medal for exemplifying the values Tufts seeks to instill in its
students: leadership, humanitarianism and passion. (See story, page 43.)
The reunioners enjoyed individual class dinners and dancing on Saturday night at the Langham Hotel.
1
Each year, 30 percent of the gifts made to
the Tufts Dental Fund come from reunion
classes. This year was no exception: Reunion
gifts to the Tufts Dental Fund totaled more
than $385,000 this year, and since their last
reunion in 2003, this group of alumni has
donated $1.35 million.
The 25th reunion class, D83, won both
the Cusp of Excellence and Golden Crown
awards for their achievements in reunion
giving to the Tufts Dental Fund and cumulative giving over the past five years. The
Porcelain Bridge Award for the highest rate
of participation among all reunion classes
went to the Class of D73; 48 percent contributed to the 35th reunion class gift. New
reunion giving records were set by the 35th
(D73) and 50th (D58) reunion classes.
2
3
(1) Celebrating their 60th reunion,
Arthur Fantaci, D48, DG53,
Francine Reed, D48, Alfred Peters, D48,
and Kenneth Fried, D48, A51,
DG51, A75P, D78P, DG80P;
(2) Thomas Montemurno, D03, DG05,
Alexander Athanasiou, D03, DG05,
Lee Willis Thach, D98, and
Caterina Athanasiou, D03;
(3) Gerilyn Alfe, J89, D93,
Hiroshi Kimura, D93, DG95,
Anna Berik, D93, Danielle Stratton, D93,
Winnie Yu, D93, and Eric Prechtel
58 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
PHOTOS: J.D. SLOAN
(4) Thirty-fifth reunioners
Richard Brown, D73,
Mark Feldman, D73, Myron
Fishbein, D73, Robert
Harelick, E69, D73, A05P,
D10P, Leonard Schiffman,
D73, D11P, and Peter
Delli Colli, A69, D73;
(5) Philip Solomon, D53,
D79P, D96P, D10GP,
celebrating his 55th
reunion, and David
Solomon, D79, D10P;
(6) Jim Lonborg, D83,
Rosemary Lonborg, Karen
Capraro, A07P, and John
Gentuso, A80, D83, A07P;
(7) Grace Odimayo, DI03,
Timi Odimayo, Suzanne
Baaqee, D78, and Mikal
Baaqee; (8) Lisa Levesque,
Faith Cornick, Peter
Cornick, D88, Michael Dill,
D88, Matthew Boynton,
D88, and Belinda Forbes,
D88, and front, Robert
Levesque, D88
4
5
7
6
8
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 59
ALUMNI NEWS
REUNION
Lifetimes of service
THE TUFTS DENTAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION HONORED
two alumni—David B. Harte and Robert
Hunter—and Lee Ann Gant, associate
director of student services, during its
annual meeting at the Langham Hotel
on May 3. Nicholas Papapetros, D91,
president of the alumni association,
presented the awards, which recognized
the recipients’ aggregate 97 years of service to Tufts, the dental school and the profession.
Harte, A75, D78, A02P, founded
and serves as national spokesman for the
Comprehensive Masonic Child Identification Program (CHIP), which uses a tooth
print,
a simple dental impression, to help identify missing children. “Through publications,
presentations and years of hard work,
Dr. Harte has been a tireless advocate for
missing and exploited children,” his award
citation reads. Harte is a member of the
Dental M Club executive committee and
co-chair of his class reunion committee.
Mary Catherine Talmo, D10, the
second-year student who is the top
academic achiever in the basic sciences,
received a cash prize, given in Harte’s
name, from the alumni association.
Hunter, D63, a longtime member of
the dental school’s Board of Overseers,
“has set a standard that is an inspiration
for our current and future alumni,” his citation reads. He co-chairs his class reunion
committee and is a leadership-level donor
to the school. The former president and
CEO of DentaQuest Ventures Inc., Hunter
was instrumental in securing corporate
funding for the school from Delta Dental of
Massachusetts. He and his sister, Ruth
since 1985, initially as a registration and
financial aid assistant. Two years ago,
she was promoted to associate director
of student records and services. She is a
member of the Student Promotions Committee and provides administrative leadership
From left, Dean Lonnie Norris, Robert Hunter,
David Harte, Lee Ann Gant and Nicholas Papapetros
Gould, created a scholarship for dental
students in need of financial assistance.
Jordan Lissauer, D08, the top student
in the fourth-year class, received a cash
award, given in Hunter’s name, during
commencement ceremonies on May 18.
Gant has worked at the dental school
to the Tufts chapter of the Student National
Dental Association. Gant’s “energy and
enthusiasm inspire fellow staff and
colleagues… [and she] works diligently
to promote community at the School of
Dental Medicine,” her citation reads.
DEAN’S MEDAL
MARK FELDMAN, D73, FAR LEFT, PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION,
received the school’s highest honor, the Dean’s Medal, during Reunion and
Homecoming Weekend. Dean Lonnie H. Norris, DG80, right, presented the
medal in recognition of Feldman’s embodiment of the ideals Tufts seeks to
instill in its students. When Feldman began his tenure last fall as the ADA’s
144th president, he identified access to care as the top priority for the
organization. The Dean’s Medal citation reads, in part: “His passion for the
dental profession is matched by his passion for Tufts… Many individuals have
been, and will be, the beneficiaries of his leadership, commitment and passion.”
60 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
PHOTOS: J.D. SLOAN
REUNION ALBUM
D58
FRONT ROW:
Gerard Kass, Henry
Diversi, Tony Benison,
Arthur Weiner, Herbert
Hoddess, Stuart Abrams
MIDDLE ROW:
Bernard MacDonald,
Richard Brown, Paul
Canney, Donald Lynch,
Bernie Schwartz,
Stanley Weiss,
Paul Thomas
BACK ROW:
William Leavitt, George
Biron, Stefan Wittner,
Chris Doku, Robert
Edlund, A. William
Buckley Jr.
FRONT ROW:
Bill Patterson, Art
Hotchkiss, Bob Hunter,
Francis Scimone, Bob
Pelosi, Jerry Shapiro
D63
BACK ROW:
Andre St. Germain,
Donald Oasis, Jason
Tanzer, Harold Kaplan,
Don Johnson,
Paul Desmarais,
Jerry Sheehan,
Ron Resnick
D68
PHOTOS: FAYPHOTO
Lawrence Devore,
John Coakley, Peter Cyr,
Ron Weiner
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 61
ALUMNI NEWS
REUNION ALBUM
D73
Marc Zauderer, Peter Delli Colli, Robert Ray, William Myones, John Ficarelli,
Bob Harelick, Tomas Frankel, Harvey Cohen
FRONT ROW:
MIDDLE ROW: Richard Brown, Ugy Horowitz, Howard Lieb, Myron Fishbein, Leonard Schiffman,
Mark Feldman, Bruce Wyman, Mitchell Block, Allyn Segelman, Ken Morris, Harold Seplowitz
Jeffrey Stevens, Stuart Merle, Stephen Zonies, Richard Varnerin, Len Radin,
Michael Stein, Ron Burakoff, Steven Tunick, Robert Aronoff, Paul Epstein, Brian Fitzgerald
BACK ROW:
D78
FRONT ROW:
Paul Sheeran, Kevin
Sullivan, Paul DiCamillo,
Teri-Ross Icyda, Gary
Mikels, Susanne Baaqee,
Andrea Richman
MIDDLE ROW:
Charles Ruff, Jim Royer,
Paul Heller, Brian Homer,
Joseph Feinsod, Warren
Woods
BACK ROW:
Bert Rouleau, Richard
Brown, Stuart Cushner,
Bruce Gouin, David Harte
62 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
D83
Marcia Stern Greb, Carol Sandquist, Janet Levine, Rhonda Friedmann, Karen Ablow,
Vicki Spanos-Kyriakos, Helen Chiu, Nancy Hamburger Starr, Janet Allaire, Joy O’Keeffe
FRONT ROW:
MIDDLE ROW: Tom Mohr, Bruce Sims, Brad Watterworth, Tim Gabe, John Gentuso, John Ricci,
Tom Russo, John Annese, Marc Greer, Ron Chenette
Angelo Guerrera, Joseph Nelson, Bruce Houghton, Carl Levy, Steve Kerr, Walter Loh,
Frank McCarthy, Don Theriault, Richard Neal, William Hardee, Kevin Coughlin, Michael Arrigo,
Jay Knoller, Dan Adler, Jim Lonborg, Michael Boschetti
BACK ROW:
D88
FRONT ROW:
Roshanak Ghazinouri,
Lisa Wendell, Diane
Bonanni, Robert
Levesque, Dorothy
Rooney, Peggy
Lessig, Barbara
Preussner-Bryant
MIDDLE ROW:
Peter Cornick, Nina
Giambro, Gary Williams,
Rob Passloff, Belinda
Forbes, Joanne Marian,
Patty Regan, Lisa Tiberi,
J.R. Courtman, Terry
Rumas, Rob Brookings
BACK ROW:
Richard Simons,
John Tam, Chi-Yun Sham,
Shih Ming Tang,
Tracy Maloney, Matthew
Boynton, Michael Dill,
Patti Carolan, Sue Rodis
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 63
ALUMNI NEWS
REUNION ALBUM
D93
FRONT ROW:
Danielle Stratton,
Gerilyn Alfe, Anna
Berik, Kahkshan Ali,
Dara Chira, Ema
Cabral Burke, Jennifer
Muldorf Klein, Sydney
Frasca
MIDDLE ROW:
Rennie Cheung, Hiroshi
Kimura, Victor Ho,
Gerard Centrella, David
Ochola, Peter Veale
BACK ROW:
Tony Bellucci,
Patrick Calalang
FRONT ROW:
Elke Cheung Tatum,
Hilary Dalton-Cubillos,
Candace Wolkowicz,
Tara Plansky, Kimberly
Lin, Amrita Grover,
Ruhi Khanna
D98
BACK ROW:
Donald Johnson,
Andrew Marcus,
Lee Wills Thach
D03
FRONT ROW:
Grace Odimayo,
Satoko Ono, Caterina
Athanasiou, Anokhi
Bock, Julie Beasley,
Shandra Lee, Diana
Pardo, Siema Hassan
BACK ROW:
Thomas Montemurno,
Ancy Verdier, Heidi
Sichelman, Alexander
Athanasiou, Laurie
Brown, Derek Bock,
Anthony Elgohary,
Matthew Fox,
Nathan Smith
64 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
CLASS NOTES
Howard Glazer is
retired and living in
University Park, Fla.
D48
John E. Horton
received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from
the Advanced Training Program
in Periodontics at the Baylor
College of Dentistry at Texas
A&M University Health Science
Center. Horton was cited for his
“remarkable career as an educator, clinician and researcher.”
D57
His research established a role
for cell-mediated reactions in
the pathophysiology of periodontal disease and provided initial
clinical and histological evidence on the use of ultrasonic
instrumentation in bone surgery. Horton is the former head
of periodontics and professor
emeritus at Ohio State University College of Dentistry. He is
also a retired colonel in the
U.S. Army Dental Corps. He
lives in Columbus, Ohio.
ALUMNI NEWS
Bob Segal is retired after
practicing periodontics in
Belmont, Mass., for 42 years.
He and his wife, Jan, live in
Sarasota, Fla., where he volunteers at the Senior Friendship
Dental Clinic. The couple has
one son who is a mechanical
engineer and lives in Boston.
Herbert Hodess
divides his time
between living in West Palm
Beach, Fla., for six months of
D58
the year and in Quincy, Mass.,
for the rest of the year.
Robert E. Howard practiced
general dentistr y in Manchester, Mass., where he also
lives, since graduating from
dental school. He retired in
2000. Howard and his wife,
Jo, have enjoyed a fulfilling life
with their three children and
seven grandchildren, including
many visits to Christmas Cove,
Maine. They are sorr y to have
Alumnus honored for distinguished service
Tufts Alumni Admissions Program and is an emeritus member
of Dental Medicine for a half-century, was among the seven
of the Tufts University Alumni Association. For the Tufts Dental
university graduates to receive a 2008 Distinguished Service
Alumni Association, he served as a director from 1983 to 1988
Award, the highest honor of the Tufts University Alumni Associand president in 1989. He has co-chaired all of his class
ation. They were honored on April 12 at an
reunions and has been a member of the
awards dinner on the Medford/Somerville
Dental M Club for more than 30 years. Zissi
campus.
and his wife of 32 years, Barbara, have two
The annual awards recognize alumni who
sons, Jonathan, A02, and Christopher.
have demonstrated outstanding service to
The other Distinguished Service Award
Tufts, their professions or their communities.
recipients were: Lawrence K. Altman, M62,
Zissi, D62, DG67, A02P, enrolled at the
a member of the science news staff at
dental school in 1958. He remains a devoted
the New York Times since 1969 and one
of few physicians working as a full-time
faculty member and generous supporter of
daily newspaper reporter; Bruce M. Male,
the school. He received his D.M.D. in 1962.
A63, A94P, chair of Tufts’ International
Following his service in the U.S. Navy, includBoard of Overseers and a former university
ing a tour in Vietnam, he was a member of
trustee; Elizabeth H. Prodromou, J81, F83,
the first class to complete the two-year postassociate director of the Institute on
graduate program in endodontics in 1967.
Culture, Regional and World Affairs and
Today he is a clinical professor of endodonassistant director of international affairs at
tics, director of continuing education, alumni
Boston University; John C. Richmond, M76,
editor for Tufts Dental Medicine and a valued
mentor to postgraduate endodontic students.
an orthopedist who specializes in treating
Since 1966, Zissi has been a principal in
athletic injuries and is on the faculties of
a Boston-area group practice, Limited to Vangel R. Zissi accepts his
Tufts schools of Medicine and Engineering;
Distinguished Service Award.
Endodontics. He is a fellow and past presiand Diane M. Wilcox, J82, residential coundent of the International College of Dentists (ICD), USA Section,
selor for Communities for People in Somerville, Mass., and an
and is currently deputy secretary general of ICD. His honors
independent living adviser for the Threshold Program of Lesley
include the ICD’s Spark Plug of the Year Award and the DistinUniversity. Eric J. Brum, A99, V04, received the Young Alumni
guished Alumni Achievement Award from Tufts University School of
Achievement Award for his work as the chief technical adviser
Dental Medicine.
for a Tufts team working in Indonesia on a United Nations avian
Zissi has interviewed prospective students as part of the
influenza control project.
VANGEL R. ZISSI, AN ALUMNUS WHO HAS BEEN A FIXTURE AT TUFTS SCHOOL
PHOTO: ALONSO NICHOLS
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 65
ALUMNI NEWS
CLASS NOTES
missed Reunion 2008, which
was Howard’s 50th reunion.
D66
Arthur Weiner is a professor,
director of behavioral sciences
and a clinic practice coordinator
at Tufts School of Dental Medicine. He is the current secretar y/treasurer of Omicron
Kappa Upsilon, the national
dental honor society, and is a
former president of OKU. He
and his wife recently celebrated
their 51st wedding anniversar y.
Melvin Goldfine
retired from the
practice of general dentistry
in March 2008. He says he
is ready to enjoy winters in
Florida.
D65
Shepard S.
Goldstein
completed his term as
president of the American
Association of Endodontists
this past spring. He has been
active in the association for
more than two decades and
ser ved on the editorial board
of the Journal of Endodontics
from 1987 to 1991. “The association does more than represent endodontists across the
world,” he says. “We have an
obligation to provide the latest
in research, education and
leadership to the dental community. Without that knowledgesharing, we cannot continue
to thrive as a specialty.”
Goldstein has been a diplomate of the American Board
of Endodontics since 1976.
He is also a member of the
American Dental Association,
Metropolitan District Dental
Society, Massachusetts
Association of Endodontists
and the Massachusetts
Dental Society, for which he
ser ved as president from
2002–03. He maintains
full-time practices limited to
endodontics in Framingham
and Marlboro, Mass.
Steward Perlow
is an adjunct
faculty member in the
department of cariology and
restorative dentistry at Nova
Southeastern University’s
College of Dental Medicine
in Davie, Fla.
D68
REUNION 2009, MAY 1–3
Burt Sackett has
retired from the
practice of prosthetic dentistry.
D69
Robert Harelick
and his wife
enjoy traveling, playing hard
and working. Their son, Dave,
graduated from MIT’s Sloan
School of Management and
is a senior vice president at
CRIC Capitol in Boston (and
still single). Son Scott, A05,
is a second-year student at
Tufts Dental and really loves it.
He met classmate Natalie at
orientation, and it was love at
first sight. Scott’s “big brother”
at Tufts is Doug Delli Colli,
D09, the nephew of Peter
Delli Colli, A69, D73, and his
D73
T R AV E L T O E X T R AO R D I N A R Y P L AC E S W I T H E XC E P T I O N A L P E O P L E
TRAVEL-LEARN
Available
ONLINE:
our exciting new
line-up of 2009
destinations!
From the Baltic to Bora Bora, from Greece to Peru, our journeys feature intellectual inquiry with lectures and exploration.
There’s a perfect trip for every taste! Call Usha Sellers, Program Director, at 800-843-2586 for our brochure or visit our
website for itineraries.
66 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
w w w. t u f t s . e d u / a l u m n i / e d - t ra v e l - l e a r n . h t m l
summer 2008
“little brother” is Michael
Schiffman, D11, the son of
Leonard Schiffman, D73.
“Life is great,” Robert writes.
“Call me if you’re in the
Dartmouth /Fairhaven area.”
Allyn Segelman married Linda
Shoulberg of Wellington, Fla., on
November 11, 2007. She is a
graduate of Brooklyn College and
is the educational/disabilities
coordinator for the Palm Beach
County Early Head Start.
Marc Zauderer writes, “You
know, the usual. Amazed that
I’ve been doing this for 35 years
(a young guy like me) and still
enjoying the dentistry, still
playing basketball and tennis.
Rachel is finishing her junior
year at Clark University and
looking toward a master’s in
education, and Joel is swimming
and ‘cello-ing’ his way through
tenth grade. Joan, a recovering
(recovered?) attorney, teaches
writing, among other things, at
Bentley College.”
Harris Contos
says he regrets
that he was unable to attend
his 30th reunion in May. He
was busy urging voters to
support fluoridation for the
town of Yarmouth, Mass. Harris
writes, “I have been following
this issue since Januar y 2007,
when I was first astonished to
find out that Yarmouth was not
fluoridated, then dumbfounded
to learn that none of the other
14 towns on the Cape is fluoridated either … In my last year
at Tufts, I was involved, albeit
in a small way, in the effort to
get what was then the MDC
fluoridated. I never thought that
thirty years later I’d again be
involved, only much more
deeply. So that is how I will
D78
be obser ving my 30th reunion,
somewhat where I left off
thirty years prior. Who would
have figured? We have a website: www.moresmilesaroundyarmouth.org. Your interest and
support would be much appreciated.” (Editor’s note:
Yarmouth overwhelmingly
rejected the fluoridation measure by a vote of 4,891 to
1,599 on May 6. Under Massachusetts law, the question
cannot be brought before voters again for two more years.)
D82
Lisa Emirzian,
see D07.
Vincent Mariano, DG84,
see D07.
Kevin Coughlin
has presented
several seminars on practice
management at Tufts School
of Dental Medicine.
D83
Timothy Gabe is happily
married to his wife, Deborah.
They have two daughters,
Jenna (18 years old, accepted
to George Washington University) and Mara (16 years old,
Swampscott High School).
Gabe specializes in endodontics
and practices in Boston and
Lynnfield. He is a member of
the American Dental Association, American Association of
Endodontists, North Shore
Perio-Pros Study Club and the
American Academy of Dental
Sciences. He has lectured at
various study clubs as well as
at Yankee Dental on “Surgical
Endodontics: The New Success
Rate.” In his spare time, Gabe
enjoys karate, skiing and Zen
gardening. He says he enjoys
dentistry because he is able
to provide “immediate pain
relief and painless treatment
to all my patients and implement cutting-edge techniques.”
Mark Whalen writes, “Can’t talk
my sons into dental school, so
my ‘solo’ practice will remain
just that. We live in Downey,
Calif. I teach part time at the
University of Southern California
and continue to brag about my
Tufts education and experiences. Keep smiling!”
Steven Frimtzis
writes that
his wife, Mia, has completed
her third master’s degree,
in psychology, and is scheduled
to complete her Ph.D. in
psychology in May 2009.
D87
Diane Bonanni
has moved her
private practice to a state-ofthe-art facility at 2 Main St.,
Suite 210, in Stoneham,
Mass. She is a member of the
American Dental Association,
the Autism Support Center and
the Arc of East Middlesex and
the North Shore Arc, both of
which provide ser vices and
support to people with developmental disabilities and their
families. In addition to working
as a family and cosmetic
dentist, she promotes dental
care for the autistic population.
D88
Bob Levesque writes, “My two
girls are now seven and ten
years of age, Catherine and
Hayley. My wife and I celebrated
twenty years in April 2007; she
is working at Fidelity Investments. We have three dogs
(Labs), one of every color, and
we live in Foxboro, Mass.
(Go Pats!)”
Lisa Giarrusso,
J86, DG92,
and Gregory Livanos, DG95,
announced the birth of their
son, Peter Gregory, who was
born on June 12 at Memorial
Hospital in Worcester, Mass.
D90
William Pantazes graduated
with the first dental distance
education class at Tufts School
of Dental Medicine in May with
an M.S. in craniofacial pain
management. (See story,
page 30.)
Kelly ScanlonChase has opened
a new general dentistry practice
in Wilbraham, Mass.
D91
Gerilyn Alfe
moved to Chicago
in 2004 and established
Chicago Smile Spa. She also
teaches in the Hornbrook Group,
which provides continuing
education for cosmetic dentists,
and is a board member of the
Academy of Comprehensive
Esthetics. She was a speaker
at the 2008 session of the
American Academy of Cosmetic
Dentistry in New Orleans.
D93
Anthony Bellucci of West
Haven, Conn., reports being
busy with his free-maze rock
band, Chewing Glass, and
working on their latest CD,
“On Camera.” His solo practice
celebrated five years in June.
He practices Bikram yoga
and travels “all around the
world all the time.”
Jinny (Bang)
Bender and
husband Tom announced the
birth of their daughter, Isabella
Dale, on February 25, 2008.
She weighed 7 pounds, 6
ounces, and was 21 inches
D95
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 67
ALUMNI NEWS
CLASS NOTES
long. She joins older sister,
Allyson, 4. Jinny practices in
her hometown of Tustin, Calif.,
and Tom works for Canon USA,
selling HD lenses to the
broadcast TV and motion
picture industry.
Elana, have a daughter,
Sigalle, 91⁄2, and three sons,
Betzalel, 8, Arishye, 5, and
Azriel, 2. He has a thriving
perio practice with an associate and works four days a
week. “Obviously the last
ten years have been busy
and productive!,” Ari writes.
Hector Prieto and his wife are
proud parents of a baby boy,
Constantinos Hector Prieto,
who was born on Februar y 6,
2008. He is their third child,
joining Nicholas and Sophia.
Noelle Wong and her husband,
Ron Chen, announced the birth
of their second child, Tyler
Aidan, on August 24, 2007.
After 12 years as a dental
surgeon associate with Dental
Ser vice Centre Ltd. in Hong
Kong, Noelle joined another
practice in Hong Kong in May.
Ari Moskowitz
is a boardcertified periodontist in
Baltimore. He and his wife,
D98
Tara (Fiorello) Plansky is living
in New Jersey with her husband
and two daughters, Madelyn and
Jordan. She has joined a group
practice, the Randolph Center
for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery,
in Randolph, N.J.
REUNION 2009, MAY 1–3
Leonard Tau
and his wife,
Risa, announced the birth of
their first child, Aidan Ilan, on
May 8, 2007.
D99
D03
Kristi Crispin,
see D04.
Anthony Elgohary married
Dina Farouk Elgohary in 2005,
and moved to Suffolk, Va. He
has owned a private practice
since October 2006.
Maria Ferriol completed her
residency in periodontology
at Tufts in 2006 and then
moved back to San Juan,
Puerto Rico, where she is the
staff periodontist at the VA
Caribbean Healthcare System
and also works in private practice. “Hope all is well, D03!”
Alan Pan has acquired the
practice of Thomas P. Kelleher,
D.M.D., in Portsmouth, N.H.
Kevin Silva and Kristen
Zitterell welcomed a son,
Dylan James Silva, on November
13, 2007. The baby weighed 6
pounds, 13 ounces, and looks
just like his mom! The couple
relocated from Columbus,
Ohio, to North Smithfield, R.I.,
in September 2007.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Have you opened a practice? Gotten married?
Changed jobs? Fulfilled a lifelong dream?
Keep your fellow alumni/ae up to date by
filling out this form.
CHECK HERE IF ADDRESS IS NEW.
Send to:
Natalie Chassaigne
Tufts Dental Alumni Relations
136 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02111
email: [email protected]
fax: 617.636.4052
Name
Class
Street
City
State
Zip
Email addres
68 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
REUNION 2009, MAY 1–3
Monica Garnache
relocated to San
Diego in June 2007. She is
looking for a practice to
purchase while working as an
associate. She is finishing an
esthetics program at Esthetics
Professionals in Tarzana, Calif.,
taught by Bruce and Kristi
Crispin, D03. Monica says she
highly recommends the program: “Many thanks to Kristi
for her continued support and
mentorship!”
D04
Laura Randazzo and Romey
Sabnani, DG07, were married
on October 26, 2007, on Long
Island, New York. Many Tufts
Dental classmates attended.
Laura is in a pediatric dental
residency program at St. Joseph
Hospital in Providence, R.I.,
and will be graduating in June
2009. Romey completed his
orthodontic residency at Tufts
in June 2007, and is an orthodontic associate at Orthodontic
Partners in Rhode Island.
David Merrill
and Jill Merrill
welcomed their first child,
Evelyn Rose, who was born in
December 2007, and weighed
9 pounds, 3 ounces. They are
completing their naval assignment in North Chicago and
preparing to move to Virginia.
D07
Renee Osofsky has returned
to her hometown of East
Longmeadow, Mass., joining
Lisa Emirzian, D82, and
Vincent Mariano, D82, DG84,
at EM&A Dental of East
Longmeadow.
OBITUARIES
ERLING JOHANSEN, D49
TUFTS’ LONGEST-SERVING DENTAL DEAN
since the six-year-old dental building at One Kneeland Street
September 26 for Erling Johansen, D49, the longest-serving
had been designed for a three-year program. Johansen noted
dean of Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, who died on
that with the three-year program, “research more or less disapFebruary 29 in his native Norway after a long illness. He was 84.
peared.”
The services will take place at 3 p.m. in the dental school’s
A prodigious fundraiser, Johansen embarked on a campaign
Merritt Auditorium on the seventh floor of One Kneeland Street.
to elevate the dental school to the high level of clinical and
Johansen was teaching high school in his native Overhalla,
experimental research for which it was known from the midNorway, in 1945, when Tufts invited 22 Norwegians to enroll
1940s through the mid-1960s.
at the dental school after the Nazis had closed the Norwegian
Under his leadership, the dental school established an
universities during World War II. In his younger years, Johansen
impressive array of new specialty clinics and laboratories, includhad been active in Norway’s underground Nazi resistance
ing the Harold Gelb Craniomandibular Pain Center; the Lawrence
movement. After graduating cum laude from Tufts in 1949
J. and Anne Cable Rubenstein Oral Health Clinic, which specialand ser ving for a year as a lieutenant in the
ized in caring for patients with serious medical
Nor wegian Armed Forces Dental Corps in the
conditions; the Herbert Margolis Clinical
Allied occupation army in Germany, Johansen
Research Laboratory for orthodontics; the Harold
was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue
Berk Dental Health Research Laboratory for
doctoral studies at the University of Rochester
pediatric dentistry; the Rudel Clinical Research
School of Medicine and Dentistry. Johansen was
Laboratory for patient care; the Anthony L. Clark
appointed chair of Rochester’s department of
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Research Laboratodentistry and dental research after he completed
ry; the Dr. J. Murray Gavel Center for Restorative
his Ph.D. in pathology in January 1955. In 1966,
Dental Research; the Maury Massler Geriatric
Rochester appointed him the Margaret and Cy
Clinic; the Philip Williams Library in prosthodonWelcher Professor of Dental Research.
tics; the Everett Shapiro Library in orthodontics;
His pioneering research in preventive dena refurbished Irving Glickman Library for periodontistry led to the development of an oral health
tics and the Dr. H. Martin Deranian Museum of
management system for cancer patients. Head
Dental History on the seventh floor.
Dean Emeritus Erling Johansen
and neck cancer patients and others around the
With expanded space and the infusion of new
world benefited from his dental remineralizing solution and
funding, Johansen recruited talented scientists who helped raise
other research. Johansen published extensively in professional
the dental school’s research profile.
journals, and he edited the Journal of Dental Education from
He also believed that alumni were critical to achieving the
1974 to 1976.
school’s mission. In recognition of the generosity of alumni who
When Tufts sought a successor to retiring dental school
enabled the school’s strong growth, the school dedicated the
Dean Robert B. Shira, H81, the university was intent on hiring
Dr. Edward Becker, D34, Alumni Center on the seventh floor of
a top-flight researcher who could reinvigorate the dental school’s
the dental school on April 28, 1989. Johansen was named a
research enterprise. The natural choice was Johansen, who,
Distinguished Professor in 1994, the same year he received the
during his 24 years on the Rochester faculty, had supervised
Tufts University Alumni Association’s highest honor, the Distinthe training of more dental researchers than anyone else in the
guished Service Award. That year also saw Johansen honored
country. He became dean of Tufts School of Dental Medicine on
by Becker, the alumnus who established the school’s first
January 1, 1979.
endowed faculty chair, the Dr. Erling Johansen, D49, Endowed
“When I graduated from this school in 1949, I didn’t
Professorship in Dental Research, in honor of his friend.
believe in my wildest dreams that I’d ever come back as
When Johansen retired on July 1, 1995, he had been at the
dean,” Johansen said in a 1995 inter view published in the
dental school’s helm for 16 1 ⁄ 2 years—still the longest tenure of
any dean in the school’s 140-year history. His retirement came
university newspaper, the Tufts Journal. “When I did, I found
six or seven of my classmates on the faculty. It was like
exactly 50 years to the day he arrived at Tufts as a first-year
coming back to my family.”
dental student. He was named dean emeritus and professor
One of his first tasks as dean was to engineer the switch
of general dentistry emeritus.
Continued on next page
from a three-year to a four-year curriculum, a tricky proposition
MEMORIAL SERVICES WILL BE HELD ON THE BOSTON CAMPUS ON
PHOTO: MARK MORELLI
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 69
ALUMNI NEWS
OBITUARIES
JOHANSEN, continued from previous page
At the time of his retirement, nearly half of the dental
school’s 6,000 living alumni had attended Tufts while Johansen
was dean. “I really do believe in the power of education,” he said
at the time. “And I think a dental education is about the best
anyone can get.” Johansen was passionate about dental students and their success. He met often with students to hear
their thoughts about what the school could do to support their
studies and professional success.
Johansen traveled extensively thoughout his career and
was typically accompanied by his wife, Inger, and often his
three sons when they were young. He lectured and consulted
for both active and developing dental programs in Asia, the
Middle East and South America. He was a consultant for the
AMA Council on Drugs, the U.S. Public Health Service, the
National Institute of Dental Research, King Abdulaziz University
in Saudi Arabia and the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health, among
others. The Dental Society of Norway, the Korean Dental
Association and other professional organizations honored his
contributions to the profession.
Though primarily a dental researcher, Johansen decided to
obtain his dental license later in his career because he believed
it was important since licensure was the goal of many Tufts Dental students.
Johansen was a member of many professional organizations,
including the Massachusetts Dental Society, American Dental
Association, International Association of Dental Research,
American Association for the Advancement of Science, American
Association of Dental Schools, American College of Dentists and
the Pierre Fauchard Dental Honor Society, among others. He
served in leadership positions and on committees for many of
those organizations.
An avid fisherman throughout his life, Johansen enjoyed
trolling for lake and rainbow trout, walleye and land-locked
salmon on the Finger Lakes in upstate New York, and fishing
for salmon and halibut in Alaska. He treasured his time fishing
on Europe’s famous salmon river, the Namsen, which flows
through Overhalla, Norway. He also enjoyed downhill and
cross-country skiing, photography and historical research,
especially European and World War II history.
In retirement, Johansen was active in a number of community
causes. As president of the board of directors and chief fundraiser for the Scandinavian Charitable Society of Greater Boston, he
was instrumental in the establishment of the Scandinavian Living
Center, a retirement home and Scandinavian cultural center in
West Newton, Mass. He was a member of the Norumbega Lodge
3-506 of the Sons of Norway, and in 2004, he received the Sons
of Norway District 3 Leif Erikson Day Citation in recognition of a
lifetime of achievement.
Johansen is survived by his wife of 55 years, Inger; three
sons, Erling T. Johansen of Alaska, Erik B. Johansen of Australia
and Steven D. Johansen of Norway; three grandchildren, Elias
and ElliAnne of Alaska and Erik of Norway; and his sisters, Laila
Voie of Norway and Randi Jakobsen of Sweden.
IN MEMORIAM
T. Way McDonald, D39
January 2, 2008
Tenants Harbor, Maine
Philip J. Boyne, D47
June 9, 2008
Loma Linda, California
Sidney Shernin, D50
February 1, 2008
Malden, Massachusetts
Elliot D. Winograd, D60
September 17, 2007
York, Maine
Spencer C. Taylor, A34, D39
January 15, 2008
Palm Coast, Florida
John S. Coughlan, D47
May 20, 2008
East Longmeadow,
Massachusetts
Charles Jenkins, D51, DG62
March 29, 2008
Tucson, Arizona
James W. Brown, D62
May 7, 2008
Barnet, Vermont
Alexander Colt, D54, DG56
March 31, 2008
Belmont, Massachusetts
Marcus Arthur, D70
March 3, 2008
Henry N. Iacovelli, D41
March 6, 2008
Milford, Massachusetts
Gerald Rogers, D44
April 19, 2008
Middletown, Rhode Island
Horace Brayshaw, DG47
March 23, 2007
Denver, Colorado
Salvatore Oddo, D47
March 28, 2008
Bakersfield, California
Sebastian Bruno, D48
March 31, 2008
Scarsdale, New York
James E. Cassidy, D48
January 26, 2008
Boston, Massachusetts
Leonard Cushner, A47,
D48, DG51
June 12, 2008
Brookline, Massachusetts
70 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
Gilberto Rivera, D55
April 12, 2008
DeFuniak Springs, Florida
John Hayes Topham, D55
June 6, 2008
Dover, New Hampshire
Marvin Pinn, D60
May 8, 2008
Newark, New Jersey
Douglas Greenlaw, D74
May 23, 2008
Glastonbury, Connecticut
David Knight, D78
November 24, 2007
Nelson, New Hampshire
Yimin Sung, D88
2007
Fort Lee, New Jersey
CONTINUING EDUCATION
SEPTEMBER 17
OCTOBER 18
NOVEMBER 7–8
DECEMBER 5–7
Taking In or Becoming an
Associate or Partner
Dr. Bernard B. Fink
New Advances in Implant
Overdentures: Happiness
through Simplification
Dr. Allen L. Schneider
Nitrous Oxide
Certification Course
Dr. Morton B. Rosenberg,
Dr. C.S. Maller,
Dr. William A. MacDonnell
Orthodontics, Reconnecting
the Old with the New
Dr. Marcel Korn
SEPTEMBER 19
Lasers in Periodontal Therapy
Dr. Raymond A. Yukna
SEPTEMBER 24
The Triad Approach to Diagnosis
and Treatment of TM Disorders:
The Missing Link
Dr. Harold Gelb
OCTOBER 24
Pediatric Dentistry:
An Overview of Selected Topics
Dr. Steven M. Adair
OCTOBER 25
Bone Grafting: Sockets, Ridges,
Sinuses…and More
Dr. Dennis Thompson
SEPTEMBER 27
Crown Lengthening Workshop
Dr. Emilio Arguello,
Dr. Catherine Moshirfar
OCTOBER 3
Clinical Success from A to Z
(Adhesives to Zirconium)
Dr. Robert G. Ritter
OCTOBER 4
Increase Your Endodontic
Efficiency and Profitability
Dr. Richard E. Mounce
OCTOBER 8
Dental Update for the Entire
Team: Medical Emergencies
Dr. Morton B. Rosenberg
Optimize the Application of
Preventive Dentistry in
Your Everyday Dental Practice
Dr. Paul J. Vankevich
OCTOBER 17
The Phantom of the Opera-tory:
Let Your Pharmacology Inner
Voice Guide You to Great Patient
Management! An Overview and
Update in Pharmacology for
Dental Professionals
Thomas Viola
Are You Prepared for a New
Associate? What You Should
Know About Their Information
Technology Expectations as
They Relate to Patient Care
Dr. David A. Russell,
Dr. James B. Hanley,
Kevin O’Dea
OCTOBER 29
Management of Common
Soft Tissue Oral Lesions
Dr. Michael A. Kahn,
Dr. Lynn W. Solomon
Direct Posterior Composites:
The Next Level (lecture)
Dr. Simone Deliperi,
Dr. David N. Bardwell
Dental Update: Medical
Emergencies and the Prevention
and Management of Surgical
Complications for the Non-oral
Surgeon in the General Office
Dr. Morton B. Rosenberg,
Dr. Kalpakam Shastri
NOVEMBER 7
I’m About to Retire… Now
What? Smart Ways to
Handle Your Money
Dr. James B. Jackson
DECEMBER 13
Lasers in Periodontics
and Restorative Dentistry
Dr. Robert A. Convissar
NOVEMBER 15
NobelGuide™: Computer-based
Guided Surgery with Software
and Model Workshops
Dr. Robert M. Bagoff
DIVISION OF
CONTINUING EDUCATION
TUFTS UNIVERSITY
NOVEMBER 14
The Restorative Dentist’s Role
in Implant Prosthodontics/
Team Approach
Dr. Allen L. Schneider
NOVEMBER 1
Direct Posterior Composites:
The Next Level (workshop)
Dr. Simone Deliperi,
Dr. David N. Bardwell
Surgical vs. Non-surgical
Management of Hard and
Soft Tissue Defects
Dr. Mario Gatti
All Continuing Education
courses are held on Tufts
University School of Dental
Medicine’s Boston campus,
unless otherwise noted.
For more information about
these and other upcoming
courses, contact:
OCTOBER 31
NOVEMBER 5
OCTOBER 15
NOVEMBER 12
DECEMBER 6
SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE
One Kneeland Street
Boston, MA 02111
Telephone: 617.636.6629
Fax: 617.636.0800
Email: [email protected]
NOVEMBER 19
Complications of
Dentoalveolar Surgery:
Recognizing, Managing
and Most Importantly,
Avoiding Problems
Dr. Stuart E. Lieblich
NOVEMBER 21–22
Enteral (Oral) Sedation for
the General Practitioner
Dr. Morton B. Rosenberg,
Dr. C.S. Maller,
Dr. William A. MacDonnell,
Carol A. Coakley
DECEMBER 3
How to Avoid Meeting Your
State Dental Board
“Up Close and Personal”
Dr. Robert DeFrancesco,
Dr. David A. Russell
summer 2008
t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e 71
E S S AY
Hub of the dental universe
by H. Martin Deranian
although it was not until 1867‒68 that formal academic dental
education was established in Boston, the city’s rich dental history goes back
to 1630, when three barber-surgeons were sent to Plymouth Colony.
One, William Dinly, is known more for his misfortune than his clinical
skills. He died on an errand of mercy during a violent snowstorm on
December 15, 1638, as he was traveling to Roxbury to relieve a colonist of
a toothache. He goes down in history as the first American “dental martyr.”
Treatment in those days was rendered by craftsmen such as ivory
turners, wigmakers, clocksmiths, goldsmiths, silversmiths and blacksmiths, who applied their manual dexterity to dentistry. The well-known
Puritan minister Cotton Mather even broached the subject of dental
treatment in his book, The Angel of Bethesda: “A Thigh-bone of a Toad,
applied unto an aking Tooth, rarely fail of easing the Pain.”
Even Paul Revere practiced dentistry. He was trained by John Baker,
described as the earliest medically trained dentist to practice in America.
When Baker left Boston, he entrusted
Revere with the care of his patients.
Revere is also remembered as a pioneer in forensic dentistry. He was able
to identify, by means of a dental appliance he had made for him, the body
of Dr. Joseph Warren, who had been
killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
It wasn’t until around 1760 that
European-trained dentists arrived in
the colony. Around that time, two of Paul Revere’s neighbors in Boston’s
North End, Isaac Greenwood Sr. and Josiah Flagg, established dental
dynasties that were to influence the course of American dentistry. Four of
Greenwood’s sons became dentists. The most famous was John Greenwood,
who was George Washington’s favorite dentist.
Flagg’s son, Josiah Jr., is remembered as a pioneering oral surgeon. His
son, Josiah Foster Flagg, an 1821 graduate of Harvard Medical School, published a book, The Family Dentist, in 1822. Flagg and his book are said to
mark the turning point when dentistry “passed from a tangle of colonial
conjecture” to an actual science.
Another early practitioner, Nathan Cooley Keep, began his dental
career in 1821, and thereafter labored constantly to establish dentistry as
a specialty of medicine. He was one of the first manufacturers of porcelain teeth in America, and in 1846 he attained considerable notoriety in
connection with the infamous Webster-Parkman murder case. His identification of Dr. George Parkman’s remains, by means of the dentures that
he had made, sealed the fate of Harvard chemistry professor John White
Webster, who was hanged in 1850 for killing Parkman, reportedly to avoid
repaying a loan.
In 1820, there were no more than 100 dentists in the entire country.
During the depression of the 1830s, however, many unemployed mechanics took up dentistry, doubling the number of practitioners. By 1860, the
number of dentists in the U.S. had swelled to 6,000. “Thousands of rude,
ignorant men,” Harvard President Charles
Elliot lamented, “called themselves dentists at
the time of the Civil War.”
In the waning years of the Civil War, however, the dental profession took a dramatic
upswing with the establishment of the Harvard Dental School and the Massachusetts
Dental Society by 1864. A second dental
school, Boston Dental College, opened in
1868. At the annual meeting of the state dental society in 1866, it was resolved that dentists
should no longer receive apprentices for less
than two years and then only if the student
would agree to be graduated from a dental
school. This was the first decisive step away
“Thousands of rude, ignorant
men called themselves
dentists at the time of
the Civil War.”
72 t u f t s d e n ta l m e d i c i n e
summer 2008
—CHARLES ELLIOT
from the ancient guild or apprentice type of
training in Massachusetts.
In 1899, the Boston Dental College, under
a special act of the Massachusetts legislature,
became Tufts College Dental School, awarding the Doctor of Dental Medicine degree
after three years. (The school was renamed
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
in 1955). Thus came into being two outstanding schools, the Harvard Dental School,
allied to an older institution and emphasizing theory, and the other, the Tufts College
Dental School, emphasizing the practical,
each with its place in the development of
dental education and in the history of dentistry in Boston.
H. Martin Deranian taught dental history
at Tufts School of Dental Medicine for more
than four decades. This article is based on
a talk he gave at the annual meeting of
the American Academy of the History of
Dentistry.