| | Dean's Message
Research and discovery are crucial to the health and longevity of dentistry. Iowa has long been a leader in dental, oral, and craniofacial research, producing groundbreaking discoveries that have fundamentally changed the way dentistry and various subfields are done. We are continuing that on-going legacy today. Our research success over the last few years has been remarkable, and we are poised for even greater success, and this is happening via a strong mix of established researchers and junior faculty, basic science and translational and clinical research. That is as it should be, and it speaks to the long-term health and vitality of our research and discovery enterprise, and thus to the health of dentistry more generally. Keep up the good work! ~Clark Stanford
| | | Updates for October 14, 2022–October 20, 2022 | | | | The Osteology Foundation awarded I-Ching Wang, associate professor of periodontics, an almost $30K Young Researcher Grant for her project, Ultrasound-based Imaging to Detect Early Changes of Hard and Soft tissue Around Immediately Placed Implants With or Without Soft Tissue Augmentation. | | | Sriram Ravindran gives research presentation Sriram Ravindran, associate professor of oral biology at the University of Illinois Chicago, gave a research presentation, “Engineering and Delivery of MSC Exosomes for Bone Repair" on October 11 at Iowa. Ravindran was hosted by Dean Stanford. Ravindran's bioengineering approach to bone repair is closely aligned with several on-going research initiatives at Iowa. | | | | Ranked #2 in the country for writing according the U.S. News and World Report, the University of Iowa is the writing university. Dentistry faculty, staff and
students are no strangers to communicating well—whether with patients or colleagues.
The College of Dentistry Creative Writing Contest is designed to encourage us to reflect on our experiences—whether in dentistry or elsewhere, to express
those experiences and ideas in writing, and to enjoy the creative process.
More details are available on the full flyer. Submissions may be made at any time before the submission deadline of November 6, 2022. Questions, comments, or submissions can be sent via email to Michael Tilley or Kate Newcomb. | | | The Iowa Mission of Mercy will be in Des Moines this year on November 4-5. Typically, the College of Dentistry provides a huge amount of support to the event on the Saturday, which will be Nov. 5.
This event is a major public health event for our state, and it is a great opportunity for our students to grow and learn as clinicians while connecting with dentists from all over the State of Iowa. Faculty participation is vital so that students are properly supervised, and it is also important to have dental assistants, hygienists, sterilization staff, dental lab techs, and other support staff. We especially need faculty to oversee dental students in the restorative section of IMOM. You won't regret this rewarding experience!
Anyone interested in volunteering will need to register on the Iowa Dental Association’s IMOM site. | | | |
Please join us in welcoming Ray Cohlmia, Executive Director of the American Dental Association, to the University of Iowa College of Dentistry on Wednesday, October 26th, 2022 for an open forum for all students, faculty, and staff from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Galagan auditoriums.
Cohlmia joined the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry faculty in 2009, serving in a variety of leadership positions. In 2011, he was named director of comprehensive care, and he served as assistant dean for patient care from 2013 until he was appointed dean in 2015. Prior to joining the University of Oklahoma, he ran a private dental practice for 26 years.
| | | The Working at Iowa Survey 2022 is open October 12-27. Make sure to check your inbox for the opportunity to let us know about your own experience working at Iowa. Results from the survey are used to improve the work environment in your unit and to support university and unit goals. | | | | The College of Dentistry welcomes Courtny Petsel Courtny Petsel is a new support service specialist in the Dental Business Office. She was born and raised on a farm about 7 miles outside of Washington, Iowa, and she currently lives in Lone Tree with her husband, Nick, and her three year old daughter, Elliot. Before joining the College of Dentistry, she worked at UIHC in the Customer Service/Patient Billing department (PFS Area) for 6 years. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with family, camping, and going on vacations with friends and family. Courtny said, "I’m excited to start my journey here at the College of Dentistry and see where it takes me." | | | The University of Iowa Dental Alumni Association and the College of Dentistry recognized Ann Synan’s contributions with the 2022 Honorary Recognition of the Year Award. On our Facebook post regarding this award, the congratulations for Ann and her work are pouring in. Well deserved! | | | | Scholtes M, Comnick C, Reynolds JC, Ingleshwar A, McKernan SC, Damiano PC. Dentist attitudes toward an annual benefit maximum in Iowa's adult Medicaid program. J Public Health Dent. 2022 Oct 11. doi: 10.1111/jphd.12543. PMID: 36221319.
The Dental Wellness Plan provides dental coverage for adult Medicaid recipients in Iowa. When this study was conducted, the plan has an annual maximum benefit of $1,000. This study examined the influence of the annual maximum benefit on how Iowa dentists perceive the Dental Wellness Plan. Although a slight majority of Iowa dentists had favorable impressions of having an annual maximum benefit in general, a slight majority also had negative impressions of the specific amount for the Dental Wellness Plan. Those who have favorable impressions of an annual maximum benefit in general and the $1,000 limit specifically also tended to have positive impressions of the Dental Wellness Plan. Somewhat surprisingly, the team found that there was no association between participation in the Dental Wellness Plan and positive or negative attitudes toward the annual maximum benefit or the Dental Wellness Plan. Note that the first author for this article is a dental student at Iowa who participates in the Dental Student Research Program. | | | Orthodontics patients have former UI College of Dentistry professor George F. Andreasen to thank for reducing their time in braces through the introduction of nitinol wire, also known as memory wire or shape memory alloy. This is one example of how innovation research at Iowa has transformed dentistry. | | Events
October 14, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
October 18, Bruno Lima, “Investigating Streptococcus gordonii surface protein regulation and biofilm formation," hosted by Cristina Vidal, Galagan B, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
October 21, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
October 28, CE Course: Pediatric Dentistry Legends in the Fall
October 29, Pregame Professional Program (Northwestern/University Homecoming)
October 29, Alumni Tailgate, Iowa v. Northwestern (University Homecoming)
November 4-5, Iowa Mission of Mercy, Des Moines
November 6, Last Day for Submissions for the College of Dentistry Creative Writing Contest, submit via email to Michael Tilley or Kate Newcomb.
November 8, Shillpa Naavaal, “Oral Health and Pregnancy: Role of Programs, Policies, and Practices in Supporting Women's Oral Health and Overall Health," hosted by Julie Reynolds, via Zoom only, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
November 11, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
November 11, CE Course: A Full Day Endodontic Experience
November 12, Pregame Professional Program (Wisconsin)
November 15, Pedro Sanchez, "Solving Rare Genetic Diseases, One Mutation at a Time: instructive examples from the clinic,” hosted by Shankar Rengasamy Venugopalan, Galagan B, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
November 16, Virtual Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
November 29, Paule Joseph, “Investigating the Chemical Senses (Taste, Smell, and Chemesthesis): Clinical Applications," hosted by Sukirth Ganesan, Galagan B, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
Notes and Resources
Lend a helping hand. Due to medical issues, Stacey Jones has exhausted her sick leave and vacation. If you would like to help Stacey by contributing vacation time, please go to the following website: CAT Leave, and click on “Catastrophic Leave Donation Form.”
M-R: 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; F: 7:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
The banner Hawkeye Smile image shows Herky with Austen Hawthorne, the revenue cycle manager in the dental business office. | | | |
