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UNL
PAID
L to R:
Jeff Rector,
Nima Rohani,
& Jared
Schoettger
Non Profit
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New residents ready to start
Tightly Wired
See YOU in Hawaii!
For alumni and friends of the UNMC College of Dentistry’s Postgraduate Orthodontic Program
We are pleased to introduce the class that will start our program
on July 1, 2012. Jeffrey Rector is a native of Montana who
received two BA degrees at the University of Montana. He is
scheduled to earn his DDS from the University of the Pacific in
June 2012. Nima Rohani received a BS from the University of
Florida, graduated from Columbia University with a DDS in 2011
and has been a resident at Maimonides Medical Center in
Brooklyn since then. Jared Schoettger (son of Dr. Robert
Schoettger – a 1983 grad) attended UNL for a year after receiving
his BA from Nebraska Wesleyan University. He is scheduled to
earn his DDS in May 2012 from UNMC. All three are extremely
nice young men and we look forward to working with them.
After you’ve read about all the great
things happening at the
UNMC College of Dentistry...
help make it even greater.
Contributions may be sent to the address above.
To be properly credited to the program, please specify:
“Orthodontic Development Fund #1032”
Department of Growth and Development
Orthodontic Section
P.O. Box 830740
Lincoln NE 68583-0740
Susan Norby, Director of Development
1010 Lincoln Mall, Suite 300, Lincoln, NE 68508
402-458-1183, 800-432-3216, [email protected]
Dr. Premaraj,
orthodontic
program
director
Dear UNMC Orthodontic Alumni and Friends,
I want to update you on the activities in the
orthodontic program. Everyone has been
extremely busy since our last newsletter. One
group of wonderful residents graduated (see
photos) and has moved on to begin their professional lives while another terrific bunch was
“matched” to the program and will start on July 1.
Staff managed the transfer of patients seamlessly,
as usual, and the graduation banquet marked
another memorable moment filled with joy and
tears. I must commend each graduate for their
thoughtful, eloquent, and heartfelt speeches.
As a member of the AAO Professional Advocacy
Conference, Dr. Peter Spalding met with
Nebraska and Iowa federal legislators and their
health aides advocating for national oral and
craniofacial orthodontic health care in Washsee PREMARAJ pg 2
COLLEGE OF
DENTISTRY
If you have any questions about charitable gifts, donation,
options, pledges or bequests benefitting the orthodontic program,
please contact:
From the director
We hope to see
YOU at the
AAO Nebraska
Alumni Recpetion
Saturday, May 5, 2012, 2:45-4:30 pm
Hilton Hawaiian Village, Room: Kahili 1
2011 graduation banquet
PREMARAJ continued from page 1
A lovely time was had by all who
attended our recent graduation
banquet. On December 10, 2011, the
ortho staff and faculty, along with
graduates’ families and close friends,
congratulated Drs. Fouy Chau,
Vesna Ferrer, and Mark George for
successfully finishing the program.
“
The staff and graduates (L to R): Bev Simons, Judy Olsen, Melissa Willits,
Drs. Chau, George & Ferrer, Shannon Mally, Sandie Frank, Beth Cullinane,
and Donna Wilke.
The graduates and the “Bob” fathers: Drs. Bob Schoettger, Fouy Chau,
Vesna Ferrer, Mark George, and Bob Glenn.
Photos courtesy of Mr. Sang Chau
The graduates and current residents (L to R): Fouy Chau, Vesna Ferrer,
Mark George, Callie Owen, Corwyn Hopke, Tram Nguyen, Lizel Katzberg,
and Vivian Luong.
Department chair search is underway
I am pleased to announce that the search process for
the position of chair for the department of growth and
development is in progress. As you may know, the
department of growth and development includes the
orthodontic section, pediatric dentistry section, and
general practice residency.
A search committee consisting of the other department
chairs and Dr. Jeffrey Payne, associate dean for
research, was named by Dean Reinhardt in the fall and
Dr. Joan Sivers
ington in both January 2011 and 2012. In addition, he presented
lectures at the University of Kentucky and University of Tennessee
in March and April. Peterson’s Principles of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery (Third
Edition) was
I must commend each graduate published in
2011. Edited by
for their thoughtful, eloquent,
Michael Miloro
and heartfelt speeches.”
and published
by B.C. Decker
Inc., it contains a chapter titled “Craniofacial growth and development: Current understanding and clinical considerations” written
by Dr. Spalding.
Dr. Sheela Premaraj is now in charge of the pre-doctoral orthodontic program. She flavored her first semester teaching ORT576
– Orthodontic Concepts I, the first orthodontic course experience
for dental students, with her own vibrant style (not curry) and by
all reports, it has gone well. Students seem to enjoy the class and
are learning from it! She has made significant contributions to
three abstracts published this year in the Journal of Dental
Research, worked with a summer research fellowship student and,
most recently, received an AAOF orthodontic faculty development
fellowship award due, in part, to her research project entitled
“Changes in Species Composition of the Supragingival Plaque
Microbiome as a Risk Factor in Dental Caries.”
I continue to grow more comfortable in my role as program
director while maintaining my interests in research. I worked with
two summer research fellowship students this year, helped write
three published abstracts, mentored two masters' thesis students,
presented a paper at the 87th Congress of the European Orthodontic Society in Turkey, passed the ABO clinical exam to extend
my board certification and was admitted as a fellow by exam to
the FRCD(C), The Royal College of Dentists of Canada in June. In
March 2012, I received an AAOF Biomedical Research Award for a
research project titled, “Role of Parathyroid-Hormone-RelatedProtein (PTHrP) in Orthodontic Tooth Movement.”
I would like to let you know what a great pleasure it has been to
work with Interim Chair Dr. Joan Sivers this year. It has been a
rewarding year for all of us and I wish the same for all of you as
well. I look forward to seeing alumni I know and meeting those I
don’t at the AAO meeting in Hawaii and sincerely hope to see you
there! Go Huskers!
a national search was launched. Dr. David Shaw, chairman of the
department of oral biology, is serving as search committee chair. The
committee is in the process of reviewing applications and scheduling
interviews of the selected candidates with the departmental faculty and
others. Following those interviews, the committee will gather input and
provide feedback to the dean. I am enjoying working with the faculty,
staff, and residents of the department but I will gladly relinquish the
duties of my interim chair position and refocus on my duties as a faculty
member and assistant dean for clinics when we find a permanent chair!
Joan Sivers, Interim Chair
Prem
Tightly Wired
For information please contact: Ms. Beverly Simons,
Spring 2012 | No. 17 [email protected], (402) 472-4919, unmc.edu/dentistry