In this issue of the ACD News, you will see multiple references to “thriving.” As the submissions from different authors came in, it was a notably spontaneous theme. There are examples of thriving at every level of our organization.
Looking back, our first Giving Tuesday campaign was a heartening success as so many of you came forward in support of our mission programs and strategic plan. Closing out a recordbreaking nomination year with 445 nominations is also a notable example of the engagement and enthusiasm increasingly evident in our Fellowship, and an indicator of future thriving.
Most importantly, the College is hosting the Annual Meeting
and Convocation again this year, outside of the auspices of the ADA. We will still meet in Washington D.C. before the ADA meeting but based on a great deal of feedback we will be moving the meeting later in the week—Thursday afternoon through Friday—to better accommodate our Fellows who practice and teach and have reported to us the difficulties of meeting midweek. Our meeting will be at the JW Marriott on Pennsylvania Avenue, and we are looking forward to seeing many of you there, along with a robust class of new Fellows. The fact that we are able to make a historic change to our meeting is further evidence of thriving leadership and a model organization.
Dates to Remember
Last Day to Register for Spring Leadership Conference and Reserve a Room at La Cantera
April 4, 2025
News of Fellows and Section News for the May/June Issue of the ACD News Due
April 15, 2025
Spring Leadership Conference
May 8–10, 2025
San Antonio, Texas
Approved Fellowship Candidates Notified May 2025
Registration Opens for ACD 2025
June 2025
News of Fellows and Section News for the August/September Issue of the ACD News Due
July 15, 2025
ACD 2025 Annual Meeting and Convocation
October 23-24, 2025
Washington, D.C.
Giving Tuesday
December 2, 2025
Nominations for the 2026 Fellowship Cohort Due
February 15, 2026
2025 ACD PRESIDENT
Dr. Faiella is Co-Founder and Chief Dental Officer for 32Health, Inc., and maintains a private practice in Regenerative Periodontal and Dental Implant Surgery in Duxbury and Osterville, Massachusetts.
He is a Past President of the American Dental Association and currently serves as Director and Immediate Past President of the American Board of Periodontology. He is the Chair of the ADA Standards Committee on Dental Informatics WG 13.8 on Artificial and Augmented Intelligence and the Lead Designated Expert for the US ADA delegation to ISO Technical Committee 106 on Artificial Intelligence.
He is currently Chair of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine Board of Fellows. He received his graduate training in Periodontology as an NIH Post-Doctoral Fellow at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, a Master of Medical Science (MMSc) degree from Harvard Medical School, and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management.
Dr. Faiella received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 2013. He has also been invited to deliver the Commencement Address to eight Schools of Dental Medicine over the past 12 years. He is a former faculty in post-doctoral periodontics at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. He has lectured nationally and internationally on topics in periodontics and implant surgical techniques and has published on a variety of issues related to periodontal and implant surgical applications.
Dr. Faiella has served on the Board of Regents as an At Large Regent, Treasurer, Vice President, President Elect and now as President. His thoughtful, inclusive approach to leadership and expertise in business and technology have been the drivers of many operational updates and improvements.
The ACD 2025 President is Robert A. Faiella, DMD, MMSc, MBA.
Led by Communications Director Matthew Sheriff and Social Media Coordinator Tylor Davis, the ACD’s communications have grown exponentially. If you have a LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook account, please follow the ACD!
Additionally, the staff and many Section leaders are working to implement informative and timely email blasts to Fellows, and the overall 60% open rate in 2024 is an achievement. The national average for membership organizations is in the 40s. Thank you for engaging with us!
In 2024, a true annual report was created rather than leveraging the JACD for end of year reporting, which will mean additional content for readers. For 2025, a fourth issue of the ACD News is planned, and we look forward to bringing you more timely information about the College, interesting perspectives, and connections to the College and your colleagues.
CONTACT
ACD News is published by: American College of Dentists
103 North Adams Street, Rockville, MD 20850
301-977-3223 | 888-ACD-1920 | 301-977-3330 fax
suzan@acd.org | acd.org
Michael A. Graham, Executive Director
Suzan Pitman, Program Director
Matthew Sheriff, Communications Director
Tylor Davis, Social Media Coordinator
Social Media and the ACD Strategic Plan
Part of the ACD’s strategic plan has been to elevate the communication we have with our Fellows as well as expanding our outreach to dental professionals. To support this goal, our communications team has established and grown a presence on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Issuu. These efforts have allowed us to connect with ACD Fellows, dental students, and professional dental organizations. We have been able to share many of the ACD’s educational resources and provided updates on news and events happening within the ACD. If you have not already, be sure to follow our social media accounts and stay updated with what we do at the college.
Periodicals postage paid at Frederick, Maryland
Send address changes to: ACD News 103 North Adams Street, Rockville, MD 20850 or e-mail office@acd.org
Chart: Linkedin Highlighted activity throughout 2024.
A Reflection on 30 Years of Fellowship
The three Model Section Designations at the October 2024 ACD Annual Meeting went to:
Regency 1 (New England Section) and to Regency 8 (Washington and Colorado/Wyoming Sections).
The Model Section Designation is based on four areas: Membership, Section Projects, Foundation Support, Communication and Commitment. The Colorado Section, which also includes Wyoming, is thriving in all areas, but most notably in regard to our support of SPEA and all future oral healthcare professionals.
• The University of Colorado School of dentistry SPEA Chapter members held several national offices. One was the new SPEA National Director. Another assisted in the formation of a SPEA chapter at Creighton University School of Dentistry.
• For over thirty years an ACD hygiene award certificate has been given to a graduating student at the six hygiene schools located within the Section’s geographic boundaries. The ACD Mission statement was used to select them.
Paul Bottone, DDS Former ACD Colorado Section Chair
The Section Chair and Board chose me to attend the meeting to receive the acknowledgement of our designation as a Model Section. I have represented our section for over 20 years at the meeting as a past Chair and board member. This year was also the 30th anniversary of my ACD induction in New Orleans.
In addition, the Section is very proud of Fellow Brett Kessler who became the new ADA President.
Forty Fellows of Regency 8 attended a dinner hosted by Regent Robin Henderson and past Regent Lance Rucker. It was after our Regency 8 breakout session, which was very informative and further the orientation of new Fellows. The speakers at the luncheon and the convocation were exceptional, and also helped our incoming Fellows understand who we are, and why a thriving ACD is essential to the profession.
The Model Section Designation is a great measure of the health of a Section, and the acknowledgement at the annual meeting is an appreciated recognition.
ACD Spring Leadership Retreat
ENGAGE. ELEVATE. ENJOY!
MAY 8–10, 2025
LA CANTERA RESORT, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
Experience the peace of the Texas Hill Country, the vibrancy of San Antonio, and the company of other ACD leaders! Contribute your ideas and learn from others as the College advances its strategic plan.
This is an intimate gathering and space is limited. Register by April 4.
The purpose of the Spring Leadership Conference is to bring local and national leaders together to operationalize targeted strategies from the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan. Participants will engage in plenary sessions, rotate through breakouts in small groups, and enjoy social and free time. It is being held as part of the Section Leadership Initiative (SLI)—a 5-year program to expand leadership capacity where it matters most—at the local level. Topics will include the value of leadership, recognizing and acknowledging excellence, adding value to Section meetings, and becoming a Model Section with an opportunity to provide feedback on the in-progress revision of that program.
The registration fee is being underwritten by the ACD Foundation, and guests are welcome at the reception and conference dinner for $175. The ACD has negotiated a room rate of $299 and a greatly reduced resort fee of $10 per night. The resort fee includes, among other things, free shuttle service to nearby shopping, access to resort activities, golf bag storage, and complimentary use of golf practice facilities.
Please join us and plan to stay for the entire conference for the best experience. Room rates are good through Sunday night.
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Lunch 1:15 – 2:30 General Session C
SHIFTing the Future Together
“The breakthroughs we achieve tomorrow depend on the actions we take today.”
–Lance Rucker, Past Regent
The College and Foundation are working together to further our mission: to advance excellence, ethics, professionalism, and leadership in oral healthcare.
The SHIFT workshops and presentations are fostering a rapidly expanding awareness among the American College Fellowship. SHIFTing the future (SHIFT) workshops are spectacularly successful at facilitating leadership discoveries and creating energized collaboration between participants from around the globe. These 2-day sessions consist of a series of lectures and interactive discussion opportunities between workshop faculty and participants. These inspiring events are intentionally kept exclusive and small, with participants forging deep learning and meaningful friendships. Twenty-one of these events have taken place around the world since its inception.
SHIFT 5 was held November 8-10, 2024, at the Congo Palace Hotel, Athens, Greece. The registrants included health care professional leaders from a broad range of life and career backgrounds who gathered from ten different countries to time examining and developing their understanding of leadership, and expanding friendships with other professionals similarly inclined to make the world a better place. Several ACD
Fellows journeyed to Athens for the workshop—three were among the eight invited presenters, and several others had separately applied to become attendees.
SHIFT 5 was co-led by new ACD Regent Sreenivas Koka and organized by a Greek prosthodontist, Katarina Pantouli. Faculty members presented thought-provoking and carefully documented materials around which well-structured discussion sessions were built. Despite being compressed into only 2 days, the level of education was extraordinarily high, and the setting made it truly magical.
At the end of the first day of the workshop, course participants were treated to a private bus trip to visit the partially restored Temple of Poseidon, built during the 5th Century BC on Cape Sounion, south of Athens. The fortifications at Cape Sounion were an integral part of ancient Athens’ strategic coastal defenses.
Through Day 2, the workshop discussions intensified and were deeply enriched by the backgrounds and experience of the participants.
Leading change in our world requires compassion, passion, intention, and definite choices to lead, to be sure. But when leaders are intentionally connected to other leaders, the velocity of change can be accelerated.
Leadership is a living entity which can be cultivated and needs to be intentionally developed amongst our Fellowship if the College is to continue to achieve its mission.
It is significant that the ACD has become closely aligned with the presentation model established for these leadership programs. In addition to the programs in Rockville in the spring of 2024 and that scheduled for the spring of 2025, plans are also being made in several of the Regencies for incorporating SHIFT programs to support and further foster solid Section leadership during the coming two years. Support from the Paula Friedman Section Leadership initiative is helping to empower generations of College leaders to more effectively achieve the fundamental College mission.
There are a few spots available at SHIFT 7 in Rockville, April 4-6 and at SHIFT 8 in Indianapolis April 25-27. SHIFT sessions begin with an icebreaker and reception on Friday evening and end on Sunday afternoon. The tuition and most food are underwritten by the ACD Foundation, with travel costs paid by the participants. Please contact Suzan Pitman at suzan@acd.org for more information.
REGENT REFLECTION: GIVING TO THRIVE
Children’s and young adults’ fiction book author Gary David Schmidt once said, “We carry our childhood with us [as adults].” Author John Connolly expressed the same insight differently. He wrote, “For in every adult there dwells the child that was, and in every child there lies the adult that will be.” Indeed, I can trace my perspectives today about time, talent, and treasure to how I stewarded them in childhood.
In childhood, the priorities of completing homework assignments, studying for exams, and going to bed on time helped me to organize my time. During childhood, my time organization afforded me time to go roller skating and to the movies in addition to doing homework and participating in extracurricular activities. As a child, I aspired to do many new things. And I realized that if I wanted to become talented at these new activities such as jumping rope, playing jacks, or hop-scotch, I had to practice them. In childhood, my treasure lay in my piggy bank and grew as I saved my allowance and
earned money performing extra chores. But even as I was accumulating my treasure, I was spending it on things that aligned with my values. I used some of my treasure for gifts, to place an obligatory offering in the collection basket at Mass, and for leisure activities.
As Fellows, we have been elected in recognition of our history of service and gifts of time, talent and treasure to strengthen our profession. The ACD offers further opportunities to make contributions. I would wager that we can all trace our predilections on how we manage our time, talent, and treasure today back to our habits as children. For example, Section dinners and CE courses often follow a social hour. If we organize our time properly, we can arrive in time for the social hour and the gift of collegial exchange. We can also interact with colleagues at non-ACD dental events, affording us the opportunity to learn more about them. We have an opportunity to discern which colleagues may be eligible for Fellowship nomination. Then we must make
time to request their CV’s, study them, perhaps have follow-up conversations, complete the nomination forms, and identify seconders.
In clinical dentistry, the longer we practice and the more CE courses we take, the better clinicians we become. Some colleagues are born leaders. Some colleagues grow into leaders after they become dentists. Seeking out leadership training and leadership experiences. our leadership talents grow. ACD offers several opportunities for leadership training. Our Sections and Regencies sponsor opportunities. The ACD Office staff make leadership training convenient by offering it during the Annual Meetings, special Spring meetings, as well as online.
Giving of our treasure says a lot about our value systems. We must be responsible stewards of our finances. I have always added a donation to my membership dues because I figured that it is what I am supposed to do like making the obligatory offering at church. I was curious about why I make donations. I decided to ask Bing
Past President Steve Chan with Dr. Alston and Past President Robert Lamb
Dr. George Blue Spruce, 2024 Inductee, with Dr. Alston.
Pamela Alston, DDS, MPP
ACD At Large Regent
“The best part of life is not just surviving but thriving with passion and compassion and humor and style and generosity and kindness.”
–Maya Angelou
AI why people make donations to see if I could gain deeper insight into my behavior. Bing AI responded that giving money is often an innate trait. Many develop a sense of philanthropy in early childhood. Ah-ha! Placing coins in the collection basket because my mother made me do it gave me a sense of philanthropy before I had even heard of the word.
Giving money can bolster self-perception and reinforce our self-image. When making a donation, some people see it as repaying a gift. I attended the ACD SHIFT Leadership Program. Participants did not have to pay tuition or pay for breakfast, lunch and the Friday mixer. But somebody paid the costs of holding SHiFT. I learned that The Jerome B. Miller Leadership Fund and the Paula K. Friedman Section Leadership Development initiative underwrote the cost. My donation to
the Paula K. Friedman Section Leadership Development initiative is my way of repaying the gift of my gratis attendance.
Some people make donations out of peer pressure. Social influence plays a role. The names of donors that I recognized on the legacy walkway bricks at the ACD office in Rockville was my motivation to purchase a few bricks. Some people give when they connect with a personal story. I listened to ACD Past President Steven Chan’s personal story during his inaugural address. And I know stories from his leadership experiences because I was his Speaker Host when he shared them at the National Dental Association Convention. It is knowing Dr. Chan’s personal stories and knowing that he made a sizable contribution to the ACDF that motivated me to donate.
Finally, Bing AI stated that people who donate have a desire to
make a difference. Donors want their contributions to matter. We all want the time, talent, and treasure we donate to ACD to matter and make a difference.
It seems there are many motivations in our giving but whatever motivates us in contributing our time, talent or treasure to the ACD, it indeed makes a difference to the ACD. And it makes a difference to us. Contributing any measure of time, talent, and treasure to a higher good is feedback to ourselves that we are more than just surviving. On the contrary, we are thriving. The late poetess Maya Angelou calls it the best part of life. “The best part of life is not just surviving but thriving with passion and compassion and humor and style and generosity and kindness.” What was the child in you like that now thrives in you as a Fellow?
Pam Alston, Steve Chan, Norman Mineta, and Jack Connolly from the ACD 2016 Convocation.
Dr. Alston is the Past President of the National Dental Association.
Celebration, Fellowship, and Special Recognition for New Fellows
After nearly four years of pandemic caution had resulted in near complete loss of enthusiasm throughout North America and beyond for live gatherings, the American College of Dentists nonetheless boldly gathered in New Orleans in October 2024 to celebrate and recognize a large group of new Fellows. The 2024 ACD Convocation was highly charged with enthusiastic forays into new and renewed ways to introduce Fellows to understand their roles in the College’s professional and global societal missions.
One very special gem in the crown of the New Orleans convocation meeting was the ACD Regency 8 Fellowship Dinner held in the Breton Room of the Bourbon House in the French Quarter on the first evening of the meeting, immediately following the carefully organized and productive Regency Breakouts.
Organized by Regency 8 Regent Robin Henderson and PastRegent Lance Rucker, the private dining venue allowed for forty
guests. The dinner was publicized by Regent Henderson through Section leaders and then directly advertised throughout the Regency. New Fellow inductees and their nominators were especially encouraged to attend.
The dinner was fully subscribed within a few weeks of notification. Guests were given choices of starters, entrées, and a special bourbon tasting option one month prior to the event.
In addition to inclusion of Fellows from six of the seven Sections of the Regency, an honor list of VIPs attending included President Terri Dolan, Program Director Suzan Pitman, At-Large Regent Pamela Alston, and Past President Richard Jones. Several other College and Foundation leaders also dropped by following other evening obligations in order to join in the celebration.
Given the international reputation of the Bourbon House and its owner, Dickie Brennan (of the
famous Brennan restaurateur family), the evening’s dinner and celebration included an optional bourbon tasting which was guided by one of the restaurant’s master tasters. Fifteen of the guests chose to participate.
There was abundant camaraderie and a deep sense of Fellowship during the entire event, which underscored the observation by many participants independently that the dinner offered a “natural continuity” from the ACD Regency Breakout session just prior to the gathering at the Bourbon House.
Based on the success and very positive feedback for the Regency 8 Fellowship Dinner in New Orleans, I expect to see this format at future convocations, and we can certainly recommend it for all Regencies.
It is exciting to further expand our dimensions for Fellowship to promote ever-broader foundations for the crucial College mission work to thrive in the coming decades!
Robin Henderson, DDS Regent, Regency 8
Lance Rucker, DDS Past Regent, Regency 8
Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering
By Malcolm Gladwell
IDick Jones, DDS
Past
President
of the College
f you read Gladwell’s first book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference 25 years ago, this is a must read. Gladwell ponders why some ideas are widely adopted and some just fade away. He lays open the groundwork for social engineering. If little things can make a big difference, what if someone knew what the little thing was and how to control it? Gladwell states that, “the existence of tipping points creates an irresistible opportunity to engage in social engineering. It makes you want to tinker with the number of women on a corporate board.” Social trends are compared to viral epidemics—why do some viruses spread, and some don’t and why do some individuals spread COVID, and others do not. A plague of bank robberies in Los Angeles begins when one unique individual discovers an easy system to make money fast. Why does a unique school system have an extremely low vaccination rate? An idyllic community has an extraordinary teenage suicide rate. Social engineering can be used for evil purposes.
Social engineering can also be used for constructive purposes. A Denver study discovered that 5% of vehicles on the road produced 55% of automobile pollution. Is it necessary that all vehicles be tested for emissions? Aerosol scientists can predict who might be a super spreader. Could that information protect you from COVID? There is an overstory about a Cal-
ifornia narcotics bureau director concerned about the illegal distribution of legal drugs developing due to triplicate prescription forms. Physicians now must pause and think before they prescribe resulting in a tremendous reduction in deaths from overdose.
Several studies indicate a tipping point when 25 to 30% of a group changes. The single woman on the 10-member board is an outsider while the three women on the 10-member board cease to be distinct outliers and become more effective.
Can these concepts be applied to the Mission of the College? Can the initiatives of the Board be impacted by the insights of 25%? Can a Section be enhanced by the commitment of a fourth of their executive? Could the engagement of most of the College Fellows impact the level of professionalism in dentistry? The empowerment of the upper echelon of dentists can impact the large majority of dentists who wish to be ethical and provide good care. The small minority of students who belong to SPEA can create great influence on the future of dentistry.
Gladwell reveals some powerful tools to enhance our Mission: to advance excellence, ethics, professionalism, and leadership in oral healthcare.
If interested in submitting a book review, please contact Suzan Pitman at suzan@acd.org.
News of Fellows and Sections
The Nobel Laureate for Poetry in 1995, Seamus Heaney of Ireland has written, “If
you have the words, there is always a chance you will find the way.”
The words? E Pluribus Unum – One from Many. The ACD way?
Together, we Thrive. Our Fellows Embody the Highest Ideal
–John
Feeney, New Jersey
Dr. Feeney is a retired oral and maxillofacial surgeon who regularly contributes opening thoughts to the News of Fellows, highlighting philosophy and history and putting the Fellows’ unique contributions to the profession and society in a broader perspective.
The ACD New England Section was proud to support the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine SPEA event this past November with more than 60 student and faculty attendees. A stellar presentation was given by Guenter Jonke and Kevin Henner titled, “Code of Ethics: Your Roadmap to Professional Success,” and they shared how to solve commonly encountered ethical dilemmas by following our code.
In February, Pamela Alston and Cynthia Brattesani (Northern California) were featured at the UCSF Dental Alumni Association Lunch n’ Learn. UCFF SPEA and AAWD Chapters co-sponsored the event with the DAA.
Dr. Alston is a past president of the UCSF Dental Alumni Association, and her talk with Dr. Brattesani was in recognition of Dr. Brattesani as the newest recipient of the DAA’s Medal of Honor.
In late 2024, the ACD Florida Section presented the Lifetime Achievement medal to Robert Uchin. Dr. Uchin was accompanied by his daughter, Carol Alterman. It was attended by many of the clinical and administrative faculty of Nova. Dr. Uchin is the longest serving Dean for the College of Dental Medicine and was president of many dental associations, including the Florida Dental Association, and has been a member of the American College of Dentists for 50 years.
Many stories were shared by all of us, most of us having been invited to join the NSU CDM faculty by Dr. Uchin years ago—quite a legacy, surpassed only by the thousands of dental students, post-doctoral residents, and internationally trained dentists graduating under his leadership, instilling the Core Values of the American College of Dentists to all as an enthusiastic supporter of the ACD.
We were all happy, honored, and inspired to see him back at the school.
Colonel Pete Guevara with ADA President-Elect Dr. Richard Rosato at the 114th Army Dental Corps Birthday Ball. Dr. Rosato addressed a gathering of all the senior leaders of the US Army Dental Corps (Army Dental Corps Senior Leaders Forum). The Forum was held at Joint Base San Antonio Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Col. Guevara currently serves as the Commander of the Fort Carson Dental Health Academy and is the Vice President of the ACD.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is a recognition of a Fellow’s 50 years of membership in the College. Each year, ACD staff identify these Fellows and reach out to them and their Section Chairs in order to ensure their receipt of the award is as meaningful as possible and as desired.
For a complete list of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Medal recipients, please see the 2024 annual report.
President Bob Faiella, David Howdy, and Executive Director Mike Graham joined the Carolina Section at their Annual Meeting.
From left to right: Drs. Carmen Bonilla, Richard Singer, Micheal Siegel, Rafael Castellón, Audrey Levitt, Dean Dr. Steven Kaltman, Robert Uchin, David Boden, William Parker, Hal Lippman, Teri-Ross Icyda, and Joel Slingbaum.
Sewell McKinney, Lifetime Achievement Medal recipient, Tennessee Section.
Congratulations to Sophia Kim, a third-year dental student at Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, for receiving the 2024 Ozar-Hasegawa Dental Ethics Award. Her winning essay, Navigating the Meaning of the Social Contract in Dentistry as a Former Dental Staff and Current Dental Student, is a reflection on a timely ethical issue based on her personal experience. Ms. Kim’s essay will be published in the Journal of the American College of Dentists.
The Ozar-Hasegawa Ethics Award is an annual competition sponsored by the American Society for Dental Ethics (ASDE) and is named after Professor David Ozar (Loyala University) and the late Dr. Thomas Hasegawa Jr. (Baylor College of Dentistry), in recognition of their significant contributions to the scholarship, discussion and application of dental ethics.
ASDE is a non-geographic Section of the ACD and all Fellows are encouraged to add it as a second Section. For more information, please visit their website at societyfordentalethics.org.
Left to right: Dr. Drew Smith, Faculty advisor and ASDE Board member; Sophia Kim, award recipient and DDS3 student; and Dr. Carlos Quinonez, Vice Dean and Director, Schulich Dentistry.
SPEA Update
Nicholas Seago, SPEA Executive Chair University of Colorado, 2026
Fantastic food and football were not the only things worthy of celebration in New Orleans during the weekend of October 18th, 2024. SPEA annual 2024 was a milestone event as we hosted a record number of student attendees from across all seven North American regencies. The outgoing executive board worked tirelessly throughout the year to plan content which would foster open dialogue between attendees while providing them with real world experience in preparation for the reality of joining the dental profession.
Programming opened Friday morning with keynote speaker, and ADA president elect, Dr. Brett Kessler followed by a warm welcome from the American College of
Dentists President elect Dr. Robert Faiella. An impressive lineup of speakers who gave their time to speak to SPEA students continued throughout the weekend and included presentations by Dr. Pamela Zarkowski on malpractice, “What Really Matters in Life” by Dr. Sreenivas Koka, and conflict resolution by Dr. Erik Klintmalm. Interactive breakout sessions rounded out the session and engaged students in open discussion on a range of topics including imposter syndrome and the wide range of careers a dental license can provide.
Elections for the 2024-2025 national board concluded the session and saw nominees representing the vast majority of chapters in attendance.
The past year proved to be a year of growth for SPEA across the continent. Novel chapters were stood up at the University of Florida, the University of Maryland, the University of Pittsburgh, Creighton University, Temple University, and Midwestern University – Arizona. It is an exciting time for SPEA!
ACD 2025 | SAVE THE DATE
OCTOBER 23–24 WASHINGTON DC
WHERE
ROOM RATE
JW MARRIOTT HOTEL
Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C.
$359 per night with destination fee waived. (about the same price as the Roosevelt in New Orleans in 2024).
Please join your colleagues and friends as we welcome new Fellows, learn together, and celebrate our Fellowship!
Registration opens the first week in June.
Buy a Brick, Build a Legacy
The ACD/ACD Foundation Office, located in Rockville, Maryland, prominently features a brick walkway that ties into the 18th century brick sidewalks of the Montgomery Avenue Historic District.
Bricks purchased for our walkway exclusively benefit the Foundation and provide tangible reminders of the commitment of our Fellows to the highest ideals in oral healthcare.
