| | Dean's Message
As my second month back began this week, I wanted to take some time to express my appreciation to you. To our faculty, staff, residents, students, and alumni, you have been so welcoming and patient with me as I continue my “learning trip” back into your community. Each of you have traveled very interesting journeys, and I have appreciated hearing your stories. Thank you all for your warmth and welcome! Thank you for your support for our college! ~Clark Stanford
| | | Updates for May 6, 2022–May 12, 2022 | | | | A dozen years after first thinking seriously about being a dentist, Kobi Voshell graduates in June with his DDS. Voshell overcame academic malaise, changed careers, and balanced school and family life to realize his ambition to open his own practice in Iowa City. As he starts his career in private practice, his story is a testament to the importance of educating the whole person. | | | Alison Uhl begins at Graduate Program Director of General Practice Residency Program In June, Alison Uhl will begin as Graduate Program Director in the General Practice Residency (GPR) at UIHC. Uhl received both her Bachelor's degree in chemistry and a D.D.S. from the University of Iowa. In 2011, she completed the GPR program. Afterwards, she served western Iowa as a general dentist at the Siouxland Community Health Center in Sioux City, Iowa. While there, she has held adjunct faculty roles at the University of Nebraska, University of Missouri, and Creighton dental colleges.
An active volunteer and pet-lover, Uhl is interested in Junior League, Friends of Stone Park, and more. Please welcome Dr. Uhl when you see her in hospital clinics in June! | | | | William McBride ('10 DDS) is a private-practice dentist in Coralville, IA and he served as chair of the Iowa Dental Board during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He graciously answered questions about his experiences at a dental student researcher. | | | Ambassador's Club: Debbie Mazzocco For the last decade, Debra (Debbie) Mazzocco has been a dedicated manager and stabilizing force for the Faculty General Practice and clinic administration more generally. Whether its hiring, supervising, training, and organizing schedules for dental assistants and dental hygienists, or stepping up to the dental chair herself when unexpected absences occur, Debbie is a consistently dedicated servant leader. She ensures that her team is set up to succeed in a positive and inclusive environment that fosters an abiding commitment and pride in the patient care enterprise at the college. This tendency was no more evident than during the Spring 2020 pandemic lockdown when Debbie coordinated and supported her team as it worked in multiple locations to meet the immediate patient care needs in that high-pressure environment. Debbie is also a critical resource for coordinating care with the Admissions clinic staff, ensuring that patients with dental emergencies or urgent dental needs are seen and taken care of promptly at all times of the year. Debbie is a vital source of support and strength for her team and the entire clinic administration, and she inspires others to promote the wellbeing of our patients and our college. The College of Dentistry is honored to have Debbie Mazzocco as an ambassador for the college. | | | | Joe D'Souza Named 2022 D4 Adjunct Faculty of the Year For Iowa dental students, their fourth-year curriculum simulates aspects of a private practice environment. This experience prepares Iowa graduates to practice dentistry independently. This curriculum and our student's education depend on the approximately thirty adjunct faculty in Family Dentistry. From among this excellent group of adjunct faculty, the D4 class selected Joe D'souza ('83 DDS), who practiced in Davenport, as the adjunct faculty of the year. The D4 class said of D'Souza, "We love a supportive faculty who genuinely cares for the students! Thank you Dr. D'Souza." | | | Why Iowa: Clinical Experiences Dental students in their second-year perform "minor operative" clinical care in our operative clinics , and they also assist with more complicated cases. The complicated cases provide opportunities for our residents to instruct and help develop our dental students. In the case shown, the second-year dental student was able to assist with placing a post and temporary crown on a broken tooth. This early clinical experience is why Iowa graduates are recognized around the country for the skill and ability to practice dentistry immediately upon graduation. | | | | Please Welcome Jenna Becker to the Team! Jenna Becker is a new Support Services Specialist in Clinic Administration, and she will be working at the front desk in Family Dentistry. Previously, she worked in the UIHC Sports Medicine Clinic as a Clerk III. She is a recent graduate from the University of Iowa with a degree in Health Promotion. Some of her hobbies include reading, hiking, and running. She enjoys being with friends and spending weekends in the summer at the lake with her family. She is eager to get to know everyone and is excited to join the College of Dentistry team! | | | In response to the announcement that Ana Diaz-Arnold was the D4 faculty of the year, Philip Schmitt ('11 DDS) said of her, "Great teacher! I learned a lot from her when she was my group leader." | | | | Alade A, Ismail W, Nair R, Schweizer M, Awotoye W, Oladayo A, Ryckman K, Butali A. Periconceptional use of vitamin A and the risk of giving birth to a child with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts-A meta-analysis. Birth Defects Res. 2022 Mar 31. doi: 10.1002/bdr2.2005. PMID: 35357092.
Based on earlier research, public health advocates have recommended the use of vitamin supplements for those intending to give birth, particularly supplements containing folic acid. As a result, some researchers began studying whether these vitamin supplements reduce the prevalence of orofacial cleft lip or palate. Like those studies, this paper is a meta-analysis of studies on the use of vitamin A and its association with giving birth to a child with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts. The authors found that there may be a reduction in the prevalence of nonsyndromic orofacial clefts as a result of periconceptional use of vitamin A. The authors recommended additional prospective studies across multiple population groups as a next step for establishing this possible relationship. | | | Rogue Ledesma Justiniani (1913 DDS) graduated from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in 1913 with his D.D.S. He was from the Philippines, and he returned to Manila after graduation, and was one of four practicing dentists in Manila for a population of well over 200,000 (at the time). The October 1913 edition of the Iowa Alumnus indicated that Justiniana "returned home" to the "Philippine Islands" after graduation. The 1915 edition of the Iowa Alumnus confirmed this and contained a letter from Justiniani updating his classmates about his marriage and his dental practice in Manila, Philippines. In the letter, he attributed his success to being an "Iowa fellow." Justiniani may be the first dental graduate from Iowa who was of Asian or Pacific Islander descent. | | Events
May 6 and 13, Phase 2 Safe Zone Training, 12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.
May 10, Oral Science Graduate Program Celebration, W220A, 4:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m.
May 12, International Potluck, W220A/B, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
May 12, MS Thesis Defense: Manila Shinde, "Evaluation of performance of deep learning algorithms in detecting and diagnosing dental carious lesions using dental intraoral radiographic imaging: a systemic review and meta-analysis," mentored by Trishul Allareddy, N212, 8:00 a.m.
May 31, MS Thesis Defense: Olajide Obe, "Interaction of dental pulp stem cells with bacterial products modulates the protein expression of cathepsin B," mentored by Cristina Vidal, N212, 12:00 p.m.
June 2, Culturally Responsive Health Care Conferences at the University of Iowa, 8:00 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
August 5, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
August 11, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
August 26, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
September 8, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
September 15, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
September 23, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
October 3, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
October 14, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
October 21, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
November 11, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
November 16, Virtual Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students
Notes and Resources
M-R: 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; F: 7:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. | | | |
