Eastman Institute Celebrates Class of 2024
“When you move to the next chapter in your career, I encourage you to think about the challenges many patients face in accessing dental care, especially those with complex medical conditions,” EIOH Director Dr. Eli Eliav told the EIOH Class of 2024. “What sets you apart, as an Eastman Institute for Oral Health graduate, is that you are uniquely prepared to treat these patients without compromise.”
“Take all the new knowledge that you gained and participate in organized dentistry, participate in research and in academic dentistry” he urged. “I encourage you to do anything you can beyond the things that dentists used to do traditionally in the past.”
Dr. Emile Rossouw, chair of EIOH’s Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics Department, provided the convocation address.
“Education provided me with a conduit that has taken me places one can only dream about,” said Dr. Rossouw, who reflected on his own experiences and those of notable figures and athletes, highlighting the qualities that set them up for success – courage, tenacity, and integrity.
“I hope that in years to come, when you reflect on all your contributions, that the world will indeed have changed, and I hope for the better!” he said.
“We learn at Eastman that it does not matter about one’s culture, ethnic heritage, language, size, or gender,” Dr. Rossouw added. “What matters is the size of your heart! We come from all over the world and after having spent time at EIOH in a tremendous environment, with great mentors and superb education, you are ready to change the world.”
AWARD PRESENTATIONS
Dr. Louis Cianca won the Part-Time Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, recognizing his high quality clinical supervision and mentorship, leadership and his overall positive impact on student learning.
Faculty and residents describe Dr. Cianca as an exceptional clinician and teacher. Serving a full day in General Dentistry and a half day in Howitt Urgent Care Clinic every week, his dedication to the profession, the educational process, and to the welfare in patients is evident. His genuine concern and interest in residents’ success gives him a remarkable ability to guide and support them. He generously shares his knowledge, expertise, and skills and has earned widespread appreciation and respect.
Periodontics resident Dr. Michael Pham won the Basil Bibby Fellowship Award, established to help early investigators grow into productive and meaningful careers in academia and research.
For his project, he is collaborating with faculty from Periodontics and the Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences to explore the effect of antidepressant medication on bone metabolism, focusing on the alveolar bone and the bone around dental implants.
Named after dedicated staff members Clare Schaeffer and Jane Devries, the Schaeffer-Devries Award recognizes staff who demonstrate excellence in operations, employee and patient interaction, are very knowledgeable, demonstrate high standard of ethics, and are respected by all. Two winners this year include:
Debbie Burke works diligently to keep the Howitt Urgent Care Clinic running smoothly while helping staff, residents, and faculty. Her exceptional leadership and communication skills allow her to handle difficult situations very professionally. She maintains strong focus on enhancing patient satisfaction and managing issues in a supportive manner.
Jackie Dieffenbacher, an outstanding finance professional, demonstrates her knowledge and her commitment to helping others. She approaches every interaction with warmth and empathy and is especially patient with training staff on budget processes. She leads by example and teamwork and works to develop solutions that have helped streamline and improve clinical operations.
Dr. Nasser Assery was given the Jack G. Caton Graduate Fellowship Award, established to encourage young faculty to stay in academics through recognition and a cash award. Described as an outstanding young academic periodontist, Dr. Assery (Perio ’22, MS ’22) is a dedicated teacher and excellent clinician.
The 2024 conference for the Rochester chapter of the American Association of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research included 18 verbal presentations and 27 poster presentations.
The Basil G. Bibby Award, given for outstanding scientific merit among oral and poster presentations by non-degree candidates was presented to Dr. Zain Ahmed for poster presentation “HPV Vaccination and Dental Visits among Adolescents in United States” and Dr. Taha Khan for poster presentation “Preventative Dental Care Utilization After OR in Children with ASD”.
The Michael G. Buonocore Award, given for outstanding scientific merit among oral and poster presentations by degree candidates was presented to Dr. Megha Sheth for poster presentation “Pain Relief and Satisfaction with Non-Opioid Analgesics After Dental Surgery”, Dr. Dina Yousif for oral presentation “Anti-Cariogenic Effects of S. cerevisiae and S. boulardii in S. Mutans-C. albicans Cross-Kingdom In Vitro Models”, and Dr. Nora Alomeir for oral presentation “Bacterial-fungal Interactions at Oral Mucosa under Cariogenic Environment”.
The William H. Bowen Award, given for outstanding scientific merit among oral and poster presentations by candidates in postdoctoral programs was presented to Dr. Ting Li for oral presentation “Effect of probiotic on Streptococcus mutans-Candida albicans in mucosal model”.
The Gerald N. Graser Award, recognizing outstanding clinical case series and/or case reports that describe original, innovative and/or evidence-based clinical treatments was given to Dr. Lucy Johnson for “A Case Report of Periodontally Accelerated Osteogenic Orthodontics with Invisalign”.
Dr. Noha Rashwan received the Judge’s award for 3-minute thesis presentation “Artificial Intelligence-powered dental plaque detection” and Dr. Sanjana Santhosh Kumar received the People’s choice award for 3-minute thesis presentation “Alveolar Bone Defects with Non-extraction Clear Aligner Therapy in Adults”.
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