President’s Message: WMDDS Honors Dr. John Vander Kolk

WMDDS Honors Dr. John Vander Kolk

By Sarah Lennan Masterson, DDS, MS Grandville WMDDS President

The WMDDS is pleased to honor Dr. Vander Kolk this year for the 2022 Silent Bell Award. True to his character, he did not feel deserving of it. He has been patiently waiting for the past two years to receive this award due to COVID-related delays.

I first met Dr. Vander Kolk right at the beginning of the pandemic. It was the first day of Michigan’s mandated shutdown for non-essential dentistry. As an endodontist, my office remained open to treat patients with painful oral infections that we didn’t want to escalate to more serious medical emergencies. It was at this time that masks were nowhere to be found and I was in desperate need to remain open. Dr. Vander Kolk, having never met me, drove to my house that very evening to share his supply with me. I was beyond grateful. As a thank you, I donated some dental supplies and materials for his next mission trip.

As much as we wanted to gather for the traditional Silent Bell reception, a rise in COVID cases led us to make the difficult decision to postpone Dr. Vander Kolk’s celebration, and, instead, hold a smaller event on April 21st at the Kent Country Club. Dr. Vander Kolk’s family, closest friends, colleagues, and WMDDS leadership will be in attendance. We thank Dr. Vander Kolk for being such a fine steward to our profession and the dental community at large.

2022-2023 WMDDS CE Program Lineup

October 14, 2022

Dr. Lou Graham

January 20, 2023

Dr. David Landwehr