Dean's Message

After recognizing so many accomplishments and milestones over the last several weeks, many of us are getting a much needed opportunity to catch our breath. We work hard and push ourselves for most of the year, then we celebrate and appreciate what we've accomplished whether it is treating your first patient, graduating, or receiving one of our numerous student and faculty awards. But after celebrating your accomplishments, it is also important to rest and recover. I hope that you will take some time to do just that! ~Clark Stanford

Updates for June 3, 2022–June 17, 2022

NIH awards Semprini Training Grant for Oral Cancer Project

Jason Semprini, a T90 trainee in Iowa Institute of Oral Health Research and a Ph.D. student in the College of Public Health, was awarded a F31 grant—a training grant for mentored dissertation research for his project, Evaluating the Impact of Medicaid Dental Coverage on Early-Stage Oral Cancer Detection.

Always a Hawkeye: "It's a busy life for dentist-actor-soldier-dad-filmmaker" Patrick Brambert ('17 DDS)

"Addison dentist and actor Patrick Brambert, a husband and father of two, was completing his Army National Guard basic training in Oklahoma last year when he wrote the screenplay for his comedic short film screening next week at a prestigious film festival at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood...

"I'm just kind of all over the place," admits Brambert, 30, who got his doctor of dental surgery degree from the University of Iowa but also did acting training at Chicago's Second City and MA School of Acting, as well as London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art."

Iowa well represented at the joint American Academy of Cariology and AAPD Meeting

The American Academy of Cariology (AAC) held its 6th Annual Conference, "Caries Prevention in a Modern World: Infants, Children, Adolescents and Special Health Care Needs Population," in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Several faculty presented their research and Sandra Guzman-Armstrong was elected president of the AAC.

Curriculum Review Retreat

The Curriculum Committee's Curriculum Review Retreat was held on June 8 at the Kirkwood Regional Center. Dean Stanford and five students joined the committee for a portion of the retreat. The purpose of the retreat was to identify curriculum synergies and determine appropriate course sequencing to support synergy, review the entire curriculum sequence, and recommend changes to better support student learning. The committee also discussed and approved departmental and collegiate recommendations based on departmental curriculum reviews, which were analyzed by subgroups of the committee. The committee will present recommendations to the Executive Committee and faculty in the near future.

The College of Dentistry welcomes Mataya McClish

We are happy to announce the addition of Mataya McClish as an HR Associate to Dental Human Resources and Dental Administration. She is a recent graduate of Iowa State University with a B.S. in Business Management. Mataya started on May 18, and one of her primary responsibilities is covering the front desk in the HR office. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, thrifting, golfing, and hanging out with friends. Please stop by and welcome Mataya!

Why Iowa: Why Iowa City!

As a vibrant Big 10 college town, Iowa City has the amenities of a much larger city but with the small-town feel of a more intimate community. Our students, faculty, staff, and alumni have long recognized this.    

Kudos to you!

N.C. Weber said of Hawkeye Oral Surgery: "I had to have my wisdom teeth pulled. I was shaking i was so nervous. But the doctors and nurses were so helpful and caring. It was quick and efficient and I'm glad I got it done. Thank you Hawkeye Oral Surgery for making it as stress-free and painless as possible. I give them 5 stars. Keep up the great work. Will definitely recommend to others."

In response to reading Sara Stuefen's ('10 DDS) article about having it all by practicing in a rural community close to a larger urban area, Ana Diaz-Arnold said, "Loved teaching her and then teaching with her. [She is a] great adjunct instruction and role model for our students."

Collaborative and innovative research

Hu J, Wang Z, Miszuk JM, Zeng E, Sun H. High Molecular Weight Poly(glutamic acid) to Improve BMP2-Induced Osteogenic Differentiation. Mol Pharm. 2022 Jun 8. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00141. PMID: 35675584.

The Sun lab focuses their research on developing novel bone regeneration strategies using bioengineered solutions. The authors of this study examined the use of poly(glutamic acid) (pGlu) regarding BMP2 use. BMP2 is an FDA-approved bone morphogenetic protein 2 that significantly improves osteoblastic differentiation and enhances bone regeneration. However, BMP2 tends to require a high dose that results in serious side effects. Use of heparin can stabilize BMP2 and improve its functionality, but it has the side effect of reducing blood clotting, which can also be dangerous. pGlu was shown to increase BMP2 osteoblastic differentation markers with a single dose of BMP2, which indicated that it can reduce the required dose of BMP2 to accomplish similar effects as a double-dose of BMP2. pGlu is an exciting new alternative to heparin for improving BMP2 use, since it does not reduce blood clotting like heparin does. 

Iowa Trailblazers: Gay Liberation Front in 1970

The Gay Liberation Front at the University of Iowa was the first approved LGBTQ+ student organization at a state university. The student organization began in 1970, and with various name changes over the years, it remains in existence today. The image is from the 1970 Homecoming where the Gay Liberation Front had a table.

Events

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 9, CE Course: Olin Family Visiting Lectureship, Peter Nordland, Utilization of Periodontal Plastic Surgery to Assist in the Esthetic Outcome.

September 10, Pregame Professional Program, Iowa v. Iowa State.

September 15, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students

September 16, Alumni Reunion Weekend Reunion and CE-Classes Ending in 2s and 7s (details forthcoming)

September 17, Pregame Professional Program, Iowa v. Nevada (University Family Weekend)

September 17, Alumni Weekend Tailgate, Iowa v. Nevada

September 23, Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students

September 30, CE Course: Elevating Patient-Centered Restorative Care: Integrating Technology and Biology to Optimize Outcomes

October 1, Pregame Professional Program (Michigan)

October 1, Alumni Tailgate, Iowa v Michigan

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

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 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 16, Virtual Fall 2022 Interview Day for Prospective DDS Students

Notes and Resources 

Filling Station Menu

M-F: 7:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.