Word of Mouth, August 2018, UIC College of Dentistry

WORD of MOUTH Three Dental Students Chosen for Schweitzer Fellowships The Chicago Area Albert necessary to address unmet Schweitzer Fellowship Program, health needs. which provides yearlong Fry wants to conduct health fellowships to graduate health education sessions for seniors students for public service with the theme of establishing projects, awarded fellowships consistent routines to maintain to College of Dentistry students their overall well-being.

Evan Fry, Bhavik Lakhani, and “These sessions will be Viveka Patel. integrated with screenings Now in its 22nd year, the of chronic conditions and Chicago Area oral health in Schweitzer order to ensure Fellows Program the seniors’ is the local health needs chapter of the are being met Boston, MAand positively based Albert impacted through Schweitzer the incorporation Fellowship. The of healthy program also is habits,” Fry supported and said. “I will lead administered by these programs Albert Schweitzer Fellows (left to right) Viveka Patel, Bhavik Lakhani, at senior living the Chicagoand Evan Fry. based Health communities and & Medicine senior centers Policy Research in underserved Group, an independent policy areas on Chicago’s West Side center that conducts research, through a partnership with educates, and collaborates the Rush University Center for with other groups to advocate Health and Aging.” policies and impact health Fry hopes that seniors will systems to improve people’s feel more empowered about health status. managing their existing chronic The Chicago Area conditions through his program.

Schweitzer Fellows Program is “Seniors are frequently dedicated to developing a corps overloaded with health of emerging health professionals information that is not who enter the workforce with presented in a patient-friendly the skills and commitment way,” Fry said. “This program

August 2018, Vol. 15, No. 3

ADEA HONORS—The College’s chapter of the American Dental Education Association earlier this year was awarded the Silver Level and Outstanding Membership and Communication Chapter Awards from the ADEA Council of Students, Residents, and Fellows. This was only the chapter’s second year as a registered organization at the College. It tripled in size in its first year, introduced a peer mentoring program, and had some fun events.

aims to break down the complex concept of managing systemic diseases into small actionable steps patients can take that will measurably improve their well-being.”

He also feels that “tying oral and systemic health around the common theme of managing chronic conditions would be a great experience for me to learn about treating the whole patient.”

Fry noted that the Schweitzer Fellowship “allows me to spend time with a variety of other health professionals and to gain from their perspectives. Additionally, it gives me the opportunity to develop and lead an initiative while in dental school.”

Lakhani proposes to create the Manu Project, in which he will organize and teach a series of oral health seminars at the Indian American Medical Association Charitable Foundation (IAMACF) at 2645 W. Peterson Ave. in Chicago for the South Asian immigrant population.

“Through my project, I hope to raise awareness about the importance of oral healthcare and address the factors limiting the immigrant population in seeking continuous oral healthcare services,” Lakhani said. “My host site solely

Word of Mouth University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry (MC 621) Room 404-A 801 South Paulina Street Chicago, Illinois 60612-7211 Phone (312) 996-8495 Fax (312) 413-2927 billbike@uic.edu

sees patients for primary medical care reasons and I hope to introduce the importance of oral health in managing various systemic diseases.”

Lakhani noted that as a child of immigrant parents, he did not see the dentist regularly, although his parents were scrupulous about taking him to primary medical care appointments. When he was an undergraduate, one of his uncles passed away from Stage IV oral cancer, because he lacked knowledge about the effect of chewing tobacco on overall health.

“I chose my Schweitzer project to further look into why this mentality persists amongst not only the South Asian immigrant population, but immigrant populations in general,” Lakhani said. “Through the Schweitzer Fellowship, I hope to connect with patients outside of the clinical setting and understand why dental care may not be as valued in certain populations. The fellowship will help me evolve as a clinician by being involved in my community and educate patients on the importance of oral health, as it is a window into overall health.”

Patel’s community service project will initiate a holistic wellness and life-skills program for homeless youth at The Crib, 835 W. Addison St., the overnight youth shelter for The Night Ministry, which provides social services to adults and youth.

“The program will strive to encourage academic achievement and build career skills through a tutoring/ mentorship program,” Patel said. “It will also aim to increase financial literacy through simulation activities, and to provide oral health and systemic health education through workshops focused on giving the participants the tools and knowledge to sustain health habits for their future.”

Participants will also have “opportunities to practice channeling their anger and frustration into wholesome activities such as dance, yoga, and art,” she added.

The project’s goal “is to provide homeless youth with the tools and knowledge to be successful as they age into young adults and transition into self-sufficient members of society,” Patel said. “I hope that through this project the participants are able to see the value of education, health, and managing finances and feel more confident with their own skills to succeed in society.”

Patel is President of the College’s chapter of the Dean and UIC Distinguished Professor Clark Stanford, DDS, PhD, Prosthodontics, Cmstan60@uic.edu Associate Dean for Advancement Mark J. Valentino mjv@uic.edu Editor-in-Chief William S. Bike billbike@uic.edu

Staff Janette Guzman, jguzman32@uic.edu; Bruno Mancari, bmancari@uic.edu; Ana Lisa Ogbac, aogbac1@uic.edu Design Kim Arias Design Production UIC Office of Creative and Digital Services

ISSN 1555-1520

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American Association of Public Health Dentistry. She hopes that her Schweitzer project will “teach me how to effectively organize and sustain service projects in underserved populations,” Patel said.

Fry, Lakhani, and Patel are three of the nine UIC students named Schweitzer Fellows in 2018. Each will receive $2,500 and provide at least 200 hours of service.

“Since 2007, with the exception of one year, the College has had at least one student accepted into this highly competitive and prestigious program,” said Dr. Caswell Evans, Associate Dean for Prevention and Public Health Sciences at the College.

For more about the Schweitzer Fellowship Program, log on to www.schweitzerfellowship.org/chapters/ chicago/.

Dr. Anne George Earns Prestigious University Scholar Designation

Dr. Anne George, the College of Dentistry’s Allan G. Brodie Endowed Professor, and Professor of Oral Biology, has been selected as a UIC University Scholar.

The University Scholars Program honors faculty members for superior research and teaching, along with great promise for future achievements.

The award provides $15,000 per year for three years. She will receive it later this year.

“The fact that I was nominated for this award by my peers and selected Dr. Anne George, University from a group of Scholar. extremely talented nominees makes me feel really humbled,” Dr. George said. “The $15,000 will be highly beneficial for the research operation within the lab. Research is a costly affair and this will benefit the students in the lab in carrying out experiments that require additional resources.”

Dr. George’s research focuses on regenerative science, biomaterials, bioengineering, and stem cell biology. She is the Director of the College’s Brodie Tooth Development Genetics and Regenerative Medicine Research Laboratory.

The research of Dr. George and her team on the role of the gene Dentin Matrix Protein 1 (DMP1) in bone metabolism could lead to a new way of filling oral caries.

They are studying how proteins can regenerate dentin, a calcified tissue of the body that, along with enamel, cementum, and pulp, is one of the four major components of teeth.

Dr. George has been instrumental in cloning dentin August 2018

matrix protein genes (DMPs) from the mineralized dentin matrix of animal models, and she is working towards dentists filling cavities with DMP1, which would allow dentin to regenerate.

“Getting this award is beneficial for the College as it highlights the College’s research enterprise,” she said.

“As the selection is made by a committee that consists of members from different colleges in the University, it clearly demonstrates the high quality research enterprise happening at the College of Dentistry.”

Dr. George’s colleagues and students are pleased at the University’s recognition of her.

“I have had Dr. George as a mentor for several years, and now as a colleague,” said Dr. Sriram Ravindran, Assistant Professor, Oral Biology. “She has always been a pleasant person to work with, with a strong commitment to research.”

Elizabeth Guirado, a student in Dr. George’s lab, agreed. “She is always available,” Guirado said. “She is always enthusiastic about our projects and loves it when we show our own enthusiasm. She allows us to be independent, yet is ready to contribute her knowledge and experience at any time.”

“Her work on biomineralization and the role of ECM proteins, such as DMP1, on nucleation of minerals to form bone and dentin solves many aspects of how complex structures such as teeth and bones are formed in nature, and provides vital clues to enable control of these processes for human intervention to enhance repair and regeneration,” Dr. Ravindran noted.

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“Dentin formation, in particular, holds a lot of information about the regulation of biomineralization,” Guirado said. Understanding this regulation more thoroughly will allow us to target degenerative diseases of the bone and craniofacial complex more efficiently.”

Dr. Ravindran said, “I feel happy for her, and honored to be her mentee.”

“Our faculty, exemplified here by Dr. Anne George, are talented researchers, mentors, and teachers,” said Dr. Lyndon Cooper, Associate Dean for Research and Head of Oral Biology.

“Anne is internationally known for her pioneering work in protein regulation of biomineralization and regeneration,” Dr. Cooper continued. “It is gratifying to see her recognized system-wide for her efforts here in the College of Dentistry and the broader UIC community. With this award, we look forward to her leading UIC research faculty to greater successes in biomineralization and regenerative sciences.”

“This recognition represents the fruits of very hard labor,” Guirado concluded. “The field poses many challenges and she has been very successful at tackling them. She truly deserves this recognition.”

“Success to me is gauged when the students and trainees who leave the portals of my lab succeed in clinical, academic, and scientific arenas,” Dr. George said. “I have been highly fortunate to have great students and trainees who are enthusiastic and receptive to the

scientific questions and try to discover and understand the process of biomineralization.”

In conclusion, Dr. George said, “Each day we try to unravel the mechanisms involved in understanding this process and we realize that a big chunk of the iceberg lies beneath the surface. It is this unknown that keeps us going.”

The Brodie Professorship and Brodie Laboratory are named for the late Dr. Allan G. Brodie Sr., a former Head of the Department of Orthodontics and Dean of the College, and were created through generous gifts from the Brodie family’s Willow Springs Foundation.

Dr. Luisa DiPietro Named UIC’s Scientific Director for Chicago Biomedical Consortium

The new Scientific Director for UIC for the Chicago Biomedical Consortium (CBC) is from the College of Dentistry. Dr. Luisa DiPietro is Professor of Periodontics and Director of the Center for Wound Healing & Tissue Regeneration. The CBC post is her second Universitywide role, as she also is the UIC Associate Vice Chancellor for Research.

The CBC stimulates collaboration among scientists at UIC, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago, accelerating discoveries made at the three universities that will transform biomedical research and

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improve human health.

Established in 2006, the CBC is supported by the Searle Funds at the Chicago Community Trust.

The CBC has a Scientific Director from each of the three universities, along with one Executive Director for the organization. In her role as Scientific Dr. Luisa DiPietro, UIC’s Scientific Director for UIC, Director for the CBC. Dr. DiPietro reports to Dr. Susan Poser, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UIC. Reflecting on her qualifications as the Scientific Director for the CBC, Dr. DiPietro noted that she has “worked in academic biomedical research in the Chicago area for more than 20 years” at three institutions—Loyola University Chicago, Northwestern University, and UIC. “My continued engagement in collaborative research across Chicago has provided me with deep roots in the Chicago biomedical research community, and I have a strong interest in seeing Chicago thrive and grow as a center for biomedical discovery,” Dr. DiPietro said.

Since joining UIC, Dr. DiPietro shared that she has “seen firsthand how the CBC has reduced institutional barriers, encouraged research collaboration, and elevated biomedical research among the three partner institutions.”

She explained that she has “a deep appreciation of the ability of the CBC to accelerate basic biomedical research. I am also very enthusiastic about the more recent CBC goal of accelerating translational science, as the future of biomedical research in Chicago, particularly as it relates to translational science, is at an exciting tipping point. I hope that my new role in the CBC will allow me to help accelerate the path from research findings to clinical outcomes for the Chicago community.”

Dr. DiPietro succeeds Dr. Brian Kay, Professor, Biological Sciences, who had been the UIC Scientific Director since 2011.

resources, information technology, student affairs, academic affairs, research, faculty affairs, and prevention and public health; works with the Associate Dean for Administration and Finance on the budget and business services; and works with the Dean on facility and space needs.

“I hope to serve Dean Clark Stanford, the faculty, students, and staff of the UIC College of Dentistry with continued dedication in support of our mission,” Dr. Rowan said. “I will represent the Dean for day-to-day operational issues, and stand in when conflicts prevent him from participating in College and University level meetings.”

She will continue in her role as Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, “performing my current duties as with the assistance of a dedicated and effective team,” Dr. Rowan said. “Internal realignment of duties has been completed within the Office of Clinical Affairs, which will support the College’s mission of Dr. Susan Rowan is excellence in patient care and Executive Associate student education, and allow Dean and Associate Dean for Clinical me to perform the additional duties of the Executive Associate Affairs.

Dean.”

Dr. Rowan is in charge of the College’s HVAC reconstruction and repair project.

A 1984 alumna of the College, Dr. Rowan is a Clinical Associate Professor of Restorative Dentistry. She formerly was Managing Partner of the Monet Clinic and enjoyed more than 20 years as a clinical instructor and course director.

She is a Fellow in the American College of Dentists, was Chief Judge for Clinic and Research Day in 2011 and 2012, Past President of both the OKU Dental Honor Society and UIC Dental Alumni Association, and was one of three faculty Co-Chairs of the We Care, We Count faculty component of the College’s Centennial Campaign.

Dr. Susan A. Rowan Promoted to Executive Associate Dean

Dr. Robert E. Rada, Clinical Professor, Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, has been named the 2018 recipient of the College’s Jon Daniel Teaching Award, which confers upon him the distinction of also being a Jon Daniel Teaching Scholar.

The Daniel Award is named in honor of the late Oral Biology faculty member Dr. Jon Daniel, who passed away in 2009. It is presented to one faculty member each year for his or her exemplary contribution to the education of UIC College of Dentistry students.

Selection for the award is based upon the recipient’s ability to engage students’ interest, curiosity, and motivation to learn; challenge students to achieve breadth

Dr. Susan A. Rowan has been promoted from Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs to Executive Associate Dean.

The Executive Associate Dean serves as the College’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Compliance Officer; represents the Dean and makes decisions in his absence; builds relationships with other UIC colleges and departments; promotes organizational efficiencies; implements the College’s vision and priorities; promotes the teaching of dentistry; provides oversight for facilities, alumni activities, finance and administration, human August 2018

Dr. Robert E. Rada Earns Jon Daniel Teaching Award

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Dr. Robert Rada, recipient of the Jon Daniel Teaching Award, with Jayne Daniel and Lauren Daniel.

and depth in their understanding and excellence in their skills; support students in their learning by fostering clarity, meaningfulness, and confidence; and respond to student needs in ways that keep learning at the center of the educational enterprise.

“Dr. Rada is involved with D-3, AS-3, D-4, and AS-4 students as the coordinator for the Special Care Track,” explained Dean Clark Stanford. “Dr. Rada’s nomination cited his ability to instill confidence and motivate students and noted his patience, mentorship and ‘can do’ attitude.

Dr. Rada’s commitment to the academic mission of our College and his dedication to expanding our knowledge of special care dentistry make him an outstanding choice for this award. He has earned the admiration and respect of his colleagues and students by demonstrating the highest standard of professionalism and excellence in dental education.”

Dr. Rada was nominated by students Laurel Frausto, Gabija Revis, Gayatri Satam, Camilla Peralta-Sugano, and Melissa Villafane. He has introduced many dental students to individuals with special needs, “primarily the treatment of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities as well as frail elderly and those with complex medical conditions,” Dr. Rada said.

“The students have accompanied me in numerous offcampus locations through a personal site agreement with the University of Illinois, as well as a negotiated affiliation agreement with Amita LaGrange and Hinsdale Hospitals,” he continued. “Students have been able to provide direct care of patients in my private practice and at various community sites, as well as under IV sedation and general anesthesia in the hospital.

“The students are performing procedures and caring for patients that rarely are experienced in an undergraduate curriculum,” Dr. Rada noted.

Dr. Daniel, who taught histology, was one of Dr. Rada’s teachers at the College when Dr. Rada was a freshman.

“I still have Dr. Daniel’s lecture notes,” Dr. Rada said.

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“The detail and organization of his lectures was incredible, yet he spoke in a style that allowed us all to understand the material. He was one of the few who would review the class co-op notes for completeness and quality.”

Dr. Rada thanked the Daniel family “for honoring Dr. Daniel's memory and continually sharing with the College the importance of his commitment to caring, excellence, professionalism, collegiality, and continued growth throughout one’s life” through the Daniel Award.

He also thanked Dr. Caswell Evans, Associate Dean for Prevention and Public Health Sciences, and Dr. Susan Rowan, Executive Associate Dean and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, for giving him the freedom to develop extramural student rotations and the special care dentistry track.

“I hope that this award not only recognizes me but also the patients with whom the students have had the opportunity to interact,” Dr. Rada concluded. “Dentistry and healthcare providers in general have done a relatively poor job in providing optimum care to individuals with disabilities. I am certain that these experiences have helped make a step in the right direction in improving that care.”

Dean Stanford also congratulated the other faculty members nominated for the Daniel Award: Drs. Fatemeh Afshari, Asha Eapen, Ghadeer Thalji, and Tolga Tozum.

The Daniel Award Selection Committee was composed of Drs. Ales Obrez, Phil Patston, and Seema Ashrafi, and student Karen Homsi. Drs. Obrez, Patston, and Ashrafi are previous Daniel Award recipients.

Dr. Rada was presented with a plaque in recognition of his receiving the Daniel Award at the July faculty meeting.

Dr. Russell Pesavento receives Chancellor’s Translational Research Initiative (CTRI) Award

Dr. Russell Pesavento, a College of Dentistry MOST (Multidisciplinary Oral Science Training) Postdoctoral Fellow and a researcher in the Center for Biomolecular Sciences at the College of Pharmacy, received the Chancellor’s Translational Research Initiative (CTRI) award for 2018-2019.

The CTRI is offered to UIC faculty innovators by the Chicago Office of Technology Management (OTM), in partnership with the UIC Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and provides funding up to $25,000.

“I am working on a series of compounds that limit biofilm growth on surfaces—specifically, the plaque you clean from your teeth that facilitate decay,” Dr. Pesavento explained.

His research is directed toward developing chemical agents that adhere to the enamel surface and limit the degree to which bacteria can attach—the agents do not kill bacteria, but prevent growth on the surface. Overall, this method of prevention would result in less of an effect on “healthy” bacteria of the mouth, as opposed to using traditional topically applied bactericidal agents.

“To apply, the Principal Investigator [PI] has to have

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Dr. Russell Pesavento (right) received the CTRI Award. Dean Clark Stanford is at left.

a patent application in place with OTM,” Dr. Pesavento explained. “I filed a patent application in March of 2018, so I was eligible.

“The award of $25,000 is meant to help develop early phase technology so it becomes more commercially relevant,” he continued. “The goal is to accelerate early phase research to the next stage of development, which is referred to as a Proof of Concept, or POC, study. At the POC stage, additional funds are available as the research more closely approaches commercialization.”

Dr. Pesavento noted that “the award is extremely useful to me as it affords me the opportunity to move the research forward quickly, as well as answer questions that I have about how useful the compounds will be in a more advanced model.”

Dr. Pesavento thanked Dr. Michael Johnson, his research mentor in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy; and from the College of Dentistry, Dr. Lyndon Cooper, Associate Dean for Research and Head of Oral Biology, and Dr. Ana Bedran-Russo, Associate Professor, Restorative Dentistry, and Head of the MOST program, “for helpful discussions in guiding the research.”

Oral Medicine and Orofacial Pain Clinic Achieve Success; Dr. Sahni named a Diplomate

The Oral Medicine and Orofacial Pain Clinic of the Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences (OMDS) has achieved a great deal of success since it opened last year.

Formerly the Oral Medicine Clinic, its scope was expanded to add orofacial pain under Dr. Harvey Wigdor, Chief of the Clinic, with the addition of orofacial pain expert Dr. Jasjot Sahni, Clinical Assistant Professor, OMDS. Dr. Beth Miloro, Clinical Assistant Professor, OMDS, also plays a key role in the clinic’s work.

The clinic fills “a tremendous need for the patients suffering from orofacial pain,” Dr. Sahni said. Patient August 2018

problems may include temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, neuralgias, atypical facial pains, and more.

“The addition of the Oral Medicine and Orofacial Pain Clinic to the largest dental school community of Illinois is one of the most important steps for providing access for this group of patients,” she added.

With the current opioid epidemic, the medical community is open to “adopting alternative, more conservative, and reversible methods of managing pain,” Dr. Sahni explained, making this “the right time to introduce and include these kind of services in effective patient management within the dental school.”

The clinic definitely fills a need, as “most of the time patients have seen an average of up to five-to-six providers before they end up in our clinic,” she noted.

Success “has been twofold, as we are able to educate dental students, who comprise the population of future dentists, and also at the same time, serve the needs of patients with orofacial pain,” Sahni said.

Dr. Sahni supervises and educates the undergraduate students while they engage with orofacial pain patients.

Team members hope in the future “to accommodate more patients in a more organized and effective manner,” Dr. Sahni said. “This would lead to our goal of developing better strategies for a more comprehensive student and patient experience.”

In addition, she believes that “more awareness has to be created, not only at dental and medical schools, but also within communities, to better understand and to support these patients,” Dr. Sahni said.

More awareness came about when Dr. Sahni became a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain. “I think this gives patients more Dr. Jasjot Sahni recently became a Diplomate of of a sense of satisfaction and the American Board of confidence that they are being Orofacial Pain. managed by a board-certified specialist,” she said. “Also, it promotes our College’s mission of enhancing the quality and the type of services provided to our patients.”

To achieve Diplomate status, Dr. Sahni had to pass written and oral examinations from the board after completion of a two-year residency in oral medicine and orofacial pain.

“Achieving the status of Diplomate of ABOP is a great accomplishment for Dr. Sahni, and is a reflection of her excellent diagnostic skills and treatments for orofacial pain patients,” Dr. Miloro said. “Her addition has brought a valuable dimension to our clinic.”

For their support, Dr. Sahini thanked Dr. Wigdor, Dr. Miloro, Dean Clark Stanford, Executive Associate Dean and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs Dr. Susan Rowan, and OMDS Department Head Dr. Richard Monahan.

For more information about the clinic, call (312) 3551222 or email oralmedicine@uic.edu.

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Sparky Award Winners Named; Nominate a Colleague

Several members of the College community were named Sparky D. Dragon UIC College of Dentistry Customer

professional conduct; exceeds expectations; promotes the missions of the College; supports diversity; and treats people with great respect.

To nominate a member of the College community for the Sparky Award, log on to https://dentistry.uic. edu/sparky-award, or contact Janette Guzman at jguzma32@uic.edu.

‘Standardized Patient’ helps Students Connect—and has Surprising Connection to Dean

Tim Sullivan (2nd from right) with colleagues.

Alberto Cardona.

Service Award recipients over the last few months.

They are Tim Sullivan, Director of Academic Affairs and Registrar, for May; Alberto Cardona, PrePatient Care Clinic Coordinator, Dental Clinics, for June; and William S. Bike, Director of Advancement Communications, for July.

The award is presented to a person who shows excellence in care, concern, and support for patients, students, faculty, and alumni; a high degree of

William S. Bike (center), with Office of Advancement colleagues.

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Chuck Dribin spends a lot of time at the College as a patient—but not because he needs dental work. Dribin is a Standardized Patient (SP)—an actor who takes on the characteristics of a real patient to help students develop their ability to communicate.

“I regularly use SPs to help me teach communications skills to the D-1 to D-3 students,” explained Dr. Sheela Raja, Associate Professor, Pediatric Dentistry. “The SPs come into class and volunteer students work on simulated cases. We do many kinds of patient cases— patients who are angry/ uncooperative, how to break bad news or deal with an adverse event, how to motivate a patient to quit smoking, how to assess whether a patient has experienced domestic Standardized Patient Chuck violence, how to calm Dribin with his former student, an anxious patient.”

Dean Clark Stanford.

One of those SPs is Charles (Chuck) Dribin (who goes by “Dribin”), a former acting and English teacher at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, IL. Dribin has worked with the UIC Graham Clinical Performance Center (GCPC) at the University’s College of Medicine since 2007. One of the first performance centers established in the United States, in 1987, the GCPC has served thousands of medical and dental students with simulation training.

Dribin noted that students “will be interacting with a variety of patients who are experiencing emotional distress regarding the care they’re receiving. Often the diagnosis ranges from distressing or annoying to dire or life-changing. Students need specific training regarding strategies for communication skills on how best to resolve the distress being demonstrated.

“Dr. Raja’s classes provide those techniques,” Dribin added. “Patient care needs to provide not just expertise in procedural manners, but also what constitutes ‘bedside manner.’

“Better to be prepared in using learned skills from class, than to first encounter a distressed patient in a medical or dental practice,” Dribin said.

The College also uses SPs in an Objective Structured

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Clinical Exam (OSCE) in the D-3 year. Students move from station to station and have various individual conversations with the SPs. The conversations are videotaped, and the student has the chance to receive feedback from Dribin and other SPs. “Chuck is one of my ‘go-to’ SPs,” Dr. Raja explained.

“I’ve worked with him for many years as one of the actors in the OSCE, and he also has come into countless classes over the years where we use SPs for students to practice how to talk to a challenging patient.”

Through the UIC GCPC, the SPs first worked with medical students. Dr. Raja was a volunteer at the College of Medicine, and was so impressed with the talents of the SPs that she worked with Dr. Bill Knight, who was then Executive Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry, to introduce the SPs into the DMD curriculum.

“I write all of the cases in consultation with one of our dentists from the clinic, and train the SPs for my classes and the OSCE exam,” Dr. Raja said.

“Chuck’s background as a teacher makes his feedback even more useful to the students,” she added.

“Often, students think using actors is going to be silly, but when they see how skilled these SPs are, they are usually shocked. It often feels like a real patient in the room, not an actor. This is why it is called ‘simulation’ and not ‘role play.’”

Dribin became involved with the GCPC several years ago after recovering from mitral valve replacement. During Dribin’s convalescence, his wife, Alice, saw an article in the Chicago Tribune about the UIC GCPC, and suggested that the program might be a good fit for him because it would utilize both his love of acting and his love of teaching.

“It turned out to be a wonderful match-up,” Dribin said. “After encounters with students, a debriefing occurs in which I can discuss specific observations based on performance. It’s the best possible job for a retired performance teacher—acting, a ready audience of one, and then a sharing of what was learned. Perfect.”

In the more than ten years since he was hired by the GCPC, Dribin estimates he has “been through a thousand encounters. I’ve been impressed by the level of proficiency of the students.”

Many medical students have actually discovered Dribin’s heart murmur during the simulations, and when he congratulates them, he often receives an excited fist bump.

Students also often become emotional at conveying bad news to Dribin and other SPs, sometimes even crying. “It’s quite moving for the student to empathize with an adult male in his 50s/60s who’s crying in front of him or her,” Dribin explained. “Many of these students move in to comfort me, hugging me or holding my hand. It really is quite affecting to be so involved during a simulation.”

After a recent simulation in one of Dr. Raja’s classes, dental student Patrick Magner approached Dribin.

Magner was a Glenbrook North alumnus, and although he never had Dribin as a teacher, he recognized him because many of Magner’s Glenbrook North friends were students August 2018

of Dribin’s. Magner told Dribin that the College’s Dean, Dr. Clark Stanford, was a Glenbrook North alumnus as well. Although Dribin had worked at the College for years, it was only then that he put it together that his former student from the 1970s was now the Dean of the College of Dentistry.

Dribin and Dr. Raja went over to Dean Stanford’s office, and the teacher and his former student caught up on the intervening 40 years.

“Some students are memorable, and Clark is one,” Dribin said. “He was in my sophomore English class, and was involved in the Glenbrook North drama program. It’s from that program I remember Clark.

“Theater is a highly disciplined endeavor requiring a tremendous amount of time and focus, as well as being part of a team—cast or crew,” Dribin said. “That’s what Clark was like—reliable and willing to work long hours in order to achieve the highest quality of performance. He may have been soft-spoken, but he put out the energy that was needed to get the job done on-stage or offstage.”

Dribin enjoyed reconnecting with Dean Stanford, and that led him to reflect on the connections he helps foster as an SP. “An emotional connection leading to a bonding of trust is in order,” Dribin concluded. “Bedside manner is more than a smile and a handshake. ‘White coat fever’ needs to become a thing of the past. Communication skills provide an equal footing. Standardized Patient work helps to prepare students to be the best medical/dental professionals possible.”

Jennifer Bereckis Now Executive Director of Clinical Operations

Jennifer Bereckis has been promoted to Executive Director of Clinical Operations.

In that role, “Jennifer will play an active role in preparing the College for the Commission on Dental Accreditation site visit in 2020,” explained Dr. Susan Rowan, Executive Associate Dean and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs. “In addition to performing many of her current activities in the Office of Clinical Affairs, she will increasingly focus on quality assurance, quality improvement, risk management, reporting systems, and assuring compliance with regulatory requirements for the College.”

“I am very excited to Jennifer Bereckis. embrace this new challenge by working alongside Dr. Rowan to take risk management, compliance, and quality assurance to the next level,” Bereckis said. “While we already maintain high standards of compliance, we cannot rest on our laurels.”

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Bereckis already has begun efforts towards the CODA site visit. “I aspire to create a quality assurance manual for the College and incorporate ways to achieve our benchmarks,” she said. “I enthusiastically look forward to fulfilling this opportunity and am appreciative of the College’s support.”

For the last six years, Bereckis has been Director of Clinical Operations at the College of Dentistry. She graduated from and was a former faculty member of the Kennedy-King College dental hygiene program, and is finalizing a Master’s of Oral Science degree from the College of Dentistry. Bereckis is a delegate of the Illinois State Dental Society and chair of its Education Committee, and a Commission on Dental Competency Assessments Board examiner.

ISPD Honors Dr. Indru Punwani, Resident Researchers

The Illinois Society of Pediatric Dentists (ISPD) recently honored Dr. Indru Punwani, Professor Emeritus, Pediatric Dentistry, with a Certificate of Appreciation, and by making a $2,000 contribution to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry’s Dr. Indru C. Punwani Resident and Faculty Development Endowment Fund.

Dr. Punwani served as the first Executive Director of the ISPD from 2000 to 2017. He retired as Executive Director in 2017.

The ISPD honored him “for his tireless devotion to the progress of oral health for the children of Illinois, along with his national and international influence on pediatric dentistry.”

Dr. Indru Punwani (right) being He noted that honored by Dr. Generand Agenio “it has been my of the ISPD. honor and privilege to serve” the ISPD as Executive Director.

Five years ago, the ISPD named its graduate student research award for Dr. Punwani. The award honors two pediatric dental residents from the State of Illinois for their excellence in dental research. This year, each recipient received a certificate along with a $500 prize to help defray their costs to attend a dental meeting to present their research. Applicants for the award each submitted his or her research abstract along with a personal statement about how the research process has enhanced the dental resident’s development as a pediatric dentist.

This year, the ISPD conferred the Punwani Award to Dr. Sarah Duchaj of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and a 2016 DMD graduate 10

of the College, and Dr. Risa Hurwich, a pediatric dentistry resident at the UIC College of Dentistry.

Dr. Duchaj’s research focused on the temporal effects of silver diamine fluoride.

Dr. Hurwich’s Dr. Ashlee Vorachek, ’09; Dr. Sarah research regarded Duchaj, ’16; Dr. Indru Punwani, Dr. a randomized Risa Hurwich, and Dr. Generand trial on juice Algenio at the Punwani Award consumption. presentation.

They presented their posters at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s annual session in Honolulu, HI, in May. “I am greatly humbled and touched” at the ISPD honors, Dr. Punwani said.

To make a contribution to the College’s Punwani Fund, contact Director of Development Bruno Mancari at (312) 413-3554 or bmancari@uic.edu.

Student Annette Merkel Earns NIH Grant

Annette Merkel, a dual degree (DMD-PhD) College of Dentistry student in the MOST (Multidisciplinary Oral Science Training) program, has received a competitive National Institutes of Health F30 award through the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

The prestigious F30 is a fellowship grant for dual-degree students who aim to have careers as clinician-scientists.

“During my first year of my PhD, I gathered preliminary data for my research project with the goal of applying to this fellowship grant,” Merkel explained. “The F30 is different than other NIH grants because a large portion of the application requires Annette Merkel, with Dean Clark a proposal of how Stanford. to integrate both the clinical training plan with research training during one’s education, as well as a future direction in how the fellowship award will benefit one’s career path. The application was reviewed by experts in the field and scored over a few months.”

In Merkel’s research project, “Endoplasmic

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Chaperone GRP78 Interacts with DMP1 to Function in Biomineralization,” she is aiming to understand the interaction of Glucose Regulated Protein-78 and Dentin Matrix Protein-1 and how they function in the differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells and in mineralization.

“This knowledge will give us a deeper understanding of biomineralization and lead to more reliable and effective ways of tissue regeneration,” she said. “My overall goal is to understand how the two protiens function together to ultimately provide a novel way to achieve bone regeneration with stem cells in the periodontium.”

As an undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Merkel’s research was on the microbiome and the biomineralization of kidney stones.

“Once I matriculated into the dual degree program, I knew I wanted to work with Dr. Anne George and expand my knowledge on biomineralization to bone and teeth here at the College.”

Dr. George, the Dr. Allan G. Brodie Endowed Professor and Professor of Oral Biology, and Merkel developed her research project “that would both expand my knowledge and give me the proper training to become a dentist-scientist in the future,” she said.

Merkel’s research is just a portion of the mineralization research underway at the College. “I hope to continue to learn from other researchers at the College and use what I discover to enhance that research,” she said. “By presenting my research nationally and internationally, I hope to help the profession by forming collaborations to

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Positions/Practices/Space Available

A “Positions/Practices Available” page is on the College’s website at http://dentistry.uic.edu/alumni/career_postings/.

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