Dentistry

DentistryA PublicAtion for Alumni And friends of the school of dentistry sPrinG 2008

Admit OneHow the UABSOD Selects Its Students—

And What It Takes to Get In

GreetinGs! With the dawning of spring in the south comes the refreshing renewal of new growth and vitality; so it is within the school of Dentistry as well. this issue of UAB Dentistry covers a broad spectrum of fresh ideas and newsworthy topics related to events and people comprising the school of Dentistry. “Admit

One” describes our current student selection process for the school; interview Day is an exciting opportunity for Dr. steve Filler and other members of our faculty to meet with dental-student prospects in face-to-face interviews that we consider a most important aspect of the admissions process.

“the Hinman Pledge” relates to the Atlanta-based Hinman Dental society, which has provided generous support to our school for many years. Most recently, the society has graciously bestowed a $500,000 endowment to support a named profes-sorship at our school. Another new development in the sOD is our new Web site, www.dental.uab.edu. Dr. Michelle robinson and her staff worked diligently for many months to debut it in time for spring semester 2008. We have received great feedback from students, faculty, staff, and alumni who have already made use of this outstand-ing resource. if you haven’t already, take a look at the material available to you about our school’s organization, current events, and contact information.

You may have heard the term “unsung heroes” to describe those faithful workers who toil long hours without recognition to keep the wheels turning in any organiza-tion. We are proud to give thanks in a public way to several of sOD’s “unsung heroes” in our article “Behind the scenes.” Kathleen Diveley, recently appointed as director of clinics, discusses her new position and her vision for patient care. Within our student, faculty, and alumni profiles and other articles, details about new sOD research proj-ects are discussed. three of our top dental students are profiled in this edition, and it is always invigorating to feel the energy and enthusiasm that these young professionals bring to the school as they advance through their studies—a June graduate complet-ing her residency in pediatric dentistry, Julia isherwood; Chris Canales, now preparing for graduation; and Brandy Adams, who’s completing her second year of dental school. Our faculty profiles describe the varied and active careers of several of the school’s leading faculty, including Dr. Jim Broome, who began his dental career in the Air Force; Dr. Dennis Pillion, one of our Joint Health sciences coursemasters in pharma-cology; and Dr. Wen Chou Wu, a recent addition in prosthodontics who broadens the school’s cultural base by bringing us insights from his former life in China.

We close this edition of UAB Dentistry with our alumni profiles and development news. the love of sports is universal, but in the south, it is sacred. i hope you will enjoy as much as i did learning about the athletic prowess of three of our sOD alumni: Drs. William Davis and noah Miller, both former Alabama football players, and Dr. Lewis Chapman, a former Birmingham-southern tennis star.

in closing, i would like to express my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to all of our devoted alumni, faculty, staff, and students who faithfully and diligently give of their time, financial contributions, and other resources that sustain our growth and renewal within the school of Dentistry.

On the cOver: More than ever, students are lining up to apply for admission to the SOD—meaning bigger challenges for the teachers and administrators tasked with evaluating them.

Please visit us at

www.dental.uab.edu

for an online version of

UAB Dentistry as well as

information on:

• Continuing Education

• Dentistry Catalogs

• Departments

• Degree Programs

• Alumni Association

• Academic Calendar

• Research

• Giving

Dean’s Message

sincerely,Huw F. thomas, B.D.s., M.s., Ph.D.Dean, school of Dentistry

UAB Dentistry is published by the School of Dentistry in collaboration with the Office of Public

Relations and Marketing.

EXECUTIVE EDITORPam Powell

MANAGING EDITORDoug Gillett

EXECUTIVE ART DIRECTORRon Gamble

ART DIRECTORLaura Hannah

PHOTOGRAPHYSteve Wood

WRITERSShelly DeButts, Laura Freeman,

Doug Gillett, Cindy Riley

PRODUCTION MANAGERMike Turner

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTSJennifer GhandhiJazmund Walker

EDITORIAL BOARDHuw F. Thomas, B.D.S., M.S., Ph.D.

Dean, School of Dentistry

J. Scott Huffman, C.F.R.E.Senior Director of Development

Faculty RepresentativesJim Broome, D.D.S.

Steven Filler, D.D.S., M.S., M.A.Mary MacDougall, Ph.D.

Michael McCracken, D.D.S., Ph.D.Maureen Pezzementi, D.M.D.

Dentistry

http://www.dental.uab.edu


14

Volume 9/1 Spr ing 2008

2 149

contents

8

2

9

Admit One—What makes a good dentist? That’s what the UABSOD admissions committee has to decide as it evaluates each year’s group of prospective students.

The Hinman Pledge—One of America’s oldest and most respected dental societies shows its support for the School of Dentistry in a big way.

10Behind the Scenes—They’re not out in front getting all the credit, but the SOD’s staff is critical to the success of its faculty, students, and patients alike.

14Jim Broome, Dennis Pillion, and Wen Chou Wu are at the forefront of the SOD’s nationally recognized excellence in teaching and research.

F a c u l t y F o c u s

16William Davis, Noah Dean Miller, and Lewis Chapman all excelled athletically at other schools before coming to the SOD. Now their children are following in their footsteps.

A l u m n i P r o f i l e s

18Bruce Cunningham reflects on a lengthy career in den-tistry and a productive year as president of the School of Dentistry’s Alumni Association.

E n d N o t e s

C o v e r S t o r y

F e a t u r e s

Surfing the SOD—To match the major renovation underway at the School of Dentistry’s physical home, its virtual home gets a makeover of its own.

12Julia Isherwood, Chris Canales, and Brandy Adams came from a variety of different backgrounds, but all are finding success at the School of Dentistry.

S t u d e n t S p o t l i g h t s

20Beloved faculty and alumni of the SOD are being remem-bered through scholarships and endowments. Here’s how you can contribute.

D e v e l o p m e n t N e w s

2 ( U A B D e n t i s t r y )

Admit OneHow the UABSOD Selects

Its Students—And

What It Takes to Get In

By Doug gillett

illustrations By ernie elDreDge

FOR FIVE YEARS RUNNING, every single student graduating

from the UAB School of Dentistry has passed their national

board exams, and the class of 2005 ranked number one in the

nation on Part II of those tests. In addition, students at every

level have raked in research awards and grants, and the possi-

bilities for achievement are set to grow even more as

the school implements its groundbreaking

curriculum-reform plan.

1.

( U A B D e n t i s t r y ) 3

But motivated, high-achieving students don’t just magically appear on the UAB campus every summer. the sOD’s high-achieving classes are select groups of men and women who were making names for themselves even before they applied to the school of Dentistry—and whom the school took great pains to recruit. the process for assembling each year’s incoming class is lengthy and complex.

it is also a task that has only become more difficult with each passing year. in just three years, the applicant pool has nearly doubled, with more than 900 prospective students vying for fewer than 60 spots in 2007. And with the sOD increasingly attracting the “cream of the crop” in terms of the nationwide applicant pool, transcripts alone don’t necessarily narrow the field; the admissions commit-tee has to take a long look at each applicant and get to know them well before deciding which ones will be the best fit for the school’s unique personality.

“there’s no magical formula for it,” says steve Filler, D.D.s., associate dean of student, alumni, and external affairs and, for the last few years, the sOD’s admis-sions director. “it’s hard work, sorting through all the applications and trying to decide, and the truth is there are people who don’t make it despite fitting our criteria really well. What i tell people is that it’s not like we have a class of 58 students and the 59th is a stinker—number 59 could be a very nice person who’d make a great den-tist, but we only have so many spots, so we just have to do the best we can in prioritizing and getting the very best people available.”

so how do they choose? And what do prospective students need to know to put their “best foot forward” in

applying to the UABsOD? Filler and his fellow commit-tee members don’t mind sharing some advice.

G e t s t a r t e d e a r l y — i t ’s a l o n g a p p l i c a t i o n p ro c e s s .

it all starts in the spring, more than a year before the applicants who are ultimately selected will enter an sOD classroom for the first time. Aspiring dental students typi-cally begin applying around the end of their junior year or the beginning of their senior year, but Filler says the “early birds” begin completing their applications as soon as mid-May.

the dental-school application process, however, is not the same as the undergraduate admission process. instead of applying directly to the school of Dentistry, aspiring dental students around the country submit highly detailed online applications to the Associated American Dental schools Application service (AADsAs), a central application processor that, according to Filler, serves all but a handful of the dental schools in the United states. With the help of pre-health advisors at their undergraduate institutions, the appli-cants then select the schools to which they’d like their application forwarded; Filler says the average applicant will apply to nine or ten institutions.

AADsAs verifies the applicants’ grades and tran-scripts and begins mailing weekly packets to the coun-try’s dental schools in June. “We immediately start reviewing those applications to choose the people we would like to pursue further, or at least take the next step

2.


with, which is a supplemental application we will send them,” says Filler.

From an applicant pool of as many as 900, Filler says that around 200 will get that supplemental application, at which point they will be asked to submit letters of recommendation, photographs, and other information. the admissions committee reviews this additional info and selects applicants for a formal interview at the sOD. “interview days” start toward the end of August and are held each Wednesday until the end of January—or “until we’re done,” says Filler with a grin.

An interview day (see sidebar) includes a tour of the sOD building and lunch with a number of current students—but the conversation during these activities rarely involves grades or shop talk. Any applicant who has made it to the interview stage clearly has the intel-lect and experience necessary to become a capable den-tal student; the purpose of the interview is to learn more about “the person behind the transcript” and decide which applicants have the interpersonal skills and work ethic to make good dentists.

K n o w w h a t yo u r f avo r i t e d e s s e r t i s .

so what makes a good dentist, and how do the interviewers determine these qualities? neither question has a simple answer, says admissions committee mem-ber Janice Jackson, D.M.D., an associate professor of pediatric dentistry. she adds, however, that most good

dentists share some common qualities: good “people skills,” perhaps even a cut above those of other health-care providers; good artistic skills, or at least the ability to recognize good art when they see it; and a passion for learning. the last of those is important not just for good students but for good practitioners, she says. “As the seniors are about to graduate, i tell them that dentistry is sort of like driving—you’ve been in driver training for a year with your permit, and when you finally get your license, they tell you, ‘now you’ll learn how to drive.’ Dentistry’s the same way, in a sense: You go through dental school, you sit for the board exams, you receive your license to practice, and then you start learning dentistry.”

the committee members ask straightforward ques-tions such as “What characteristics would you bring to the class?” and “What are your strongest and weakest personality characteristics?” Jackson says, but they also delve into some seemingly unrelated topics: What do you like to do to relax? Do you have any pets? What sorts of foods do you like to eat? “each of us has our own special questions that we introduce into the pro-cess, and from the time that i started on the committee, my question was always, ‘What’s your favorite dessert?’” Jackson remembers with a laugh. “And that just sort of became a standard part of the interview. Food becomes a big part of the process of trying to determine a candi-date’s personality; it’s just something about being in the south—food’s a big issue for us.”

Filler says the committee prides itself on two aspects of the interview in particular: First, all five members of the committee conduct the interviews, so each member

i


IT’S ABOUT 10 O’CLOCk on a Wednesday morning, and six people—

three men and three women—are waiting in the SOD lobby. Their

formal business attire suggests a job interview, which isn’t far from the

truth—but this interview will be longer, and yet paradoxically more

casual, than any job interview they’ve ever had. Welcome to “interview

day” at the School of Dentistry.

Steve Filler and his admissions committee have hosted hundreds of

interview days, but that doesn’t mean they have it down to a science—

the unexpected is always likely to occur. This morning, for instance,

Filler disappears for a moment to park a car for an interviewee unfamil-

iar with UAB’s campus, and the two fourth-year students slated to lead

the tour of the school have been sidetracked with exams, meaning that

a pair of third-year students have to fill in at the last minute. But that’s

far from the strangest thing that’s happened on interview day, Filler says.

“I remember one interviewee who hit a dog on his way to the school,

and his airbag went off, and he came in with powder from the airbag

all over his suit,” he recalls. “Another time, it snowed, and we didn’t

know because we were deep inside the building. I came out to get one

of the applicants to come in and interview, and the school had more

or less shut down, so I said, ‘Now, I don’t want to get anyone trapped

here—does anybody feel like they need to leave?’ Not one of them

wanted to reschedule their interview—they didn’t want to worry

about it one more day.”

Today’s group includes an applicant from California, another from

Alberta, Canada, and two sisters from Florence, Alabama. Third-years

Alec Hill and Jenny Castanez improvise nicely as they lead the inter-

viewees floor by floor through the busy clinics and laboratories. Along

the way, students approach the interviewees and chat with them about

what life is like at the SOD—something that isn’t necessarily common

at other dental schools, Filler says.

Filler, who wears a tie but no jacket as he guides the interviewees in

for lunch, says the admissions committee goes out of its way to create

a relaxed atmosphere on interview day. “I purposely don’t make the

applicants wait until everybody shows up for lunch,” he says. “It doesn’t

take much to get their anxiety level running high, and we do our best to

keep that in check.” He adds that he tries to create a comfortable mix

of applicants and students at lunchtime—for instance, if the interview

group includes an older “nontraditional” applicant, he’ll try to find a non-

traditional student to eat with them; if there’s a big group from Auburn,

he’ll pick out a couple of Auburn grads from among the student body.

IntERvIEw DAy

A ‘R ide-Along’ with Six UAB Hopefuls

cOntinueD On page 20

3.

“it was kind of obvious that i was in a different situation from the other students i was grouped with on interview day—i’d been married for five and a half years when i started class,” he says. “i was nervous, too, because there’s such a tremendous buildup: You know this is the last piece of the puzzle, the last thing you have control over in the process.

“But the interviewers were very nice—they calmed our nerves by saying, ‘this is more of a getting-to-know-you opportunity; we’re not going to grill you about your accomplishments or lack thereof.’ A lot of the questions were kind of what i expected—how’d you come to the decision to apply to dental school, why do you think you’d be a good dentist. there was one question that seemed a little bit more obviously tailored toward me in particular—‘Have you ever considered doing anything else?’ But i just answered honestly: When i got out of school with my degree, i had four or five things in mind that i might try, but once i made the decision to go to dental school, i was focused on it. there wasn’t another career that entered my mind, which was a little foreign to me—coming out of undergrad, my goals hadn’t been nearly that specific. But this time around, that narrower focus helped me with my resolve and determination to see the process through.”

richardson was soon accepted into the class of 2011, and he says the positive first impressions he got of UAB on interview day have proved to be accurate. “i’ve been very happy with my experience here with the faculty and facilities,” he says. “And Dr. Filler . . . well, it’s not hard to see why everyone likes him. When i was applying to dental school, there wasn’t a whole lot of reason for me to look elsewhere, and if i had to do it all over again, i’d do it pretty much the exact same way.”


has a clear picture of each applicant without having to rely on secondhand descriptions from other interviewers. second, the committee strives to make the interviews as comfortable as possible. the latter aspect is something Chris Canales can attest to personally: Just a few years ago, Canales was facing the five committee members for his interview, and this year, as a UABsOD senior, he served as the student member of the admissions committee.

Canales says the friendly atmosphere of the inter-view—a conversation as opposed to an interrogation—is no accident: it mirrors the friendly, familial atmosphere of the school itself. “Other schools can grill you during interviews,” he says. “i think one of the things that sets UAB apart is the fact that, day to day, people are friendly here, and the way they interact is great. We want to make sure the applicants understand that this is not only one of the top dental schools in the country, but it’s also a fun place to be.”

r e l a x . d o n ’ t b e a f r a i d t o b e d i f f e r e n t .

if ed richardson’s experience is any indication, that message is getting across nicely. now completing his first year at UAB, richardson earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn University and spent four years working for a paper company before deciding he wanted to exercise a little more control over his own life and career—and that dentistry would be a good way to achieve that con-trol. As a “nontraditional” student, however, he had twice as many reasons to be nervous heading into his interview at the sOD.

5.

4.


b e p a t i e n t .

Once the interviews take place, the admissions com-mittee members compare notes and decide which appli-cants were the most impressive. But even if an applicant interviews in August or september and is immediately deemed worthy of admission, the sOD cannot notify applicants of acceptance earlier than December 1, by agreement with the rest of the nation’s dental schools.

the committee members recognize that this “waiting game” can be another nerve-wracking part of the process, particularly for the applicants who don’t get a decision right at the beginning of December, but it’s made neces-sary by the “rolling” nature of the months-long interview-ing process. “At all times, we have to keep in mind both how many people we have already accepted and how many people have said yes—that’s how we keep track of how many spots we have left to fill,” Jackson explains. “We go through a ranking process at various times on the schedule, and we’ll go back to those rankings quite often. And once we send out another batch of acceptance letters, and we get responses from those people, then we ask ourselves, ‘OK, we’ve filled a few more spots in the upcoming class—now how many more can we pick?’ At any given time we have to base our decisions on the remaining number of open slots in the next class, and that number is constantly changing.”

though the process can be worrisome for the appli-cants, Canales says he can assure prospective students of one thing: the interviews and final decisions are handled fairly and equitably. “that was the thing that blew me away, being on this side of the process this year,” he says.

“there’s no bias or string-pulling; we don’t care who your daddy was or that you bumped into the governor one night at dinner. We look at the whole person and ask ourselves whether they have the character to make a good dentist one day.”

d o n ’ t b e a f r a i d o f h i g h e x p e c t a t i o n s .

Filler admits that the committee makes its own job a little tougher by setting its expectations so high: “We want people who can handle books, handle tests, handle people, and be compassionate and honest on top of all of that,” he says. “We want the whole package—and we get it most of the time. i’ve been very proud of the students we’ve gotten to come to the school of Dentistry and what they’ve done, both here and after they graduate.”

For Canales, that includes an orthodontics residency at the University of north Carolina at Chapel Hill start-ing in August. reflecting on his time as a member of the admissions committee, he says their work has been hard and their decisions difficult to make, but adds that “it’s an important burden to have.

“We’re looking at the future of our profession here,” he says. “When you boil it down to the essentials, we’re deciding who’s going to serve the field of dentistry in Alabama for the next 30 years, because that’s how long some of these people are going to work. it’s an important task that we take very seriously, and we try to put our best foot forward so that we get the top candidates—and we pick the ones who put their best foot forward as well.”


PerHAPs tHe GreAtest LeGACY of the pro-fession of dentistry is being able to make a differ-ence in the lives of numerous patients each day. through passing on their knowledge to educate the dentists of tomorrow, dentists also reach out to future generations.

A longtime ally and supporter of the school of Dentistry, the Hinman Dental society, recent-ly pledged $500,000 to support the thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting endowed Professorship in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry.

the first portion of the donation was awarded in March at the 2008 thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting in Atlanta and was accepted by Dr. Huw F. thomas, dean of Dentistry.

“this contribution will be tremendously ben-eficial to the school in carrying out our academic mission,” says thomas. “We very much appreciate it. the professorship gives us the opportunity to add another quality faculty member to teach our students and allows us to continue to build our relationship with the Hinman Dental society, which we treasure.

“the society has been very supportive of edu-cation at all levels. in the past, their generosity endowed the Hinman Alabama education seminar, an annual one-day continuing-education program at UAB that presents a leading authority lecturing on some aspect of dentistry. the Hinman Dental society also offers scholarships for two of our dental students each year.”

the society is named for Dr. thomas P. Hinman, professor of oral surgery at the southern Dental College in Atlanta. Hinman believed strongly in

education and in the individual’s contribution to dentistry, and he organized the first meeting of 40 dentists for educational purposes in 1911. nearly a century later, the Hinman Dental Meeting has grown to more than 23,000 dental professionals from across the country and around the world. the meeting focuses on providing the best possible continuing education for the entire dental team, including general dentists, specialists, hygienists, assistants, front office staff and students.

senior Director of Development J. scott Huffman explains that the pledge grew from ongoing support from the society with the help of dental students who studied at UAB in years past. “We’ve had a very strong relationship with the society through the years, and they know how much we appreciate their support and what such a pledge would mean for the school,” Huffman says. “several of our alumni are members and were very supportive when the donation was under consider-ation, particularly Dr. Jim Bob Williamson, who is a member of the Board of trustees, and Drs. John C. Barnes and Ken Kendrick.”

the donation, which will be awarded in multiple installments over five years, will be invested with earnings funding the endowed professorship. When funds are fully invested, a nationwide search for candidates for the professorship will begin.

“through this professorship, the pledge helps to strengthen our association with the Hinman Dental society,” says Huffman. “that relationship with such a world-renowned group of dental professionals means a lot. it will be a tremendous boost in helping us to attract and retain a top faculty member.” By laura Freeman

The SOD

Gets a Boost

from One of

America’s

Most Revered

Dental

Societies

The Hinman Pledge

even BeFOre Her First DAY on the job, Michelle robinson, D.D.s., was making plans for the school of Dentistry’s new Web site.

“i started at UAB in August 2005, but the com-mittee chair was so anxious to get this project under-way, he started e-mailing me in July,” says robinson, assistant dean for dental informatics at the UABsOD. “However, the school was about to go through an exhaustive accreditation process and a huge imple-mentation project that involved a new clinical infor-mation system. Both these processes caused the Web project to be stalled.”

in 2007, after a series of meetings, construction finally began on the site, www.dental.uab.edu, which was redesigned to be more user-friendly, with easily updatable pages. “We also wanted to preserve the UAB branding, so the new Web site has an appear-ance that is more consistent with the campus site,” robinson explains. “in addition, current technologies make it much easier to introduce interactivity and multimedia. i think the biggest challenge was agree-ing on a unified design and getting content from the experts in a timely manner.”

According to robinson, the old Web site’s content wasn’t always current, and many facets of clinical care weren’t presented. the new site preserves some of the information layout but allows patients to obtain more specific information about clinics and learn about research studies in which they might be eligible to participate.

“Patients will also be able to send comments to the Webmaster,” says robinson. “eventually, we plan to feature more interactive content targeted to those with specific dental needs. And each department will have areas where they can showcase renovations, research projects, and new personnel.”

With a video server and a new staff member experi-enced in photography and videography, the department plans to showcase accom-plishments with images that look professional but can be viewed by most internet users with average computers. the site also has several areas that rotate content, making it flexible for demonstrations and event publishing.

Surfing the SOD


New Web Site

a Big Benefit

for Patients

By CinDy riley

the school’s new Web site is better-looking than the old one, but it’s also more functional for patients, says Michelle robinson.

“While the new curriculum is in progress, much of our work will be hosted on a sharePoint site linked from our main Web site,” robinson adds. “sharePoint is a Microsoft-based collaboration tool that uses a Web portal to allow us to share docu-ments, have internal discussions, coordinate meet-ings, share blogs and newsletters, and obtain current news feeds from curriculum-related sites. the new layout features a topical menu on one side of the page and a user-centered menu at the top. We now have a search feature that allows users to sort through all our pages and a site map to help guide users. the content-rotation feature allows us to put many more items on a page by using ‘teaser’ links that give users tidbits of information linked to full articles.”

Working on the redesign process, which includes a second phase, has been extremely rewarding for robinson and her committee.

“Because there are so many exciting developments happening at the school, it was a challenge giving every department and topic the appropriate ‘real estate’ on the site. i was thrilled to have this problem, and think the new site will handle it well.”



MOvies MAKe it LOOK eAsY—just wave a magic wand and cue the special effects. in the real world, however, creating a place where amazing things can happen takes a lot of work behind the scenes to set the stage.

the school of Dentistry has its own supporting cast of all-stars working to create an environment where dental students and those who teach them can perform at their best and give their patients the highest standards of care. Here, a few of those many unsung heroes get their turn in the spotlight.

K a t h l e e n d i ve l e y | Director of clinical Operations

Ask Kathleen Diveley what her typical day is like, and she’ll tell you, “there’s no such thing as a typical day. i might do 15 different things. if there are emer-gencies, we handle them; if a patient falls, or a student gets a needle stick, we make sure they get help.”

the clinical operations office also handles com-pliance, legal issues, and quality assurance and makes sure labs meet OsHA standards and regulations; they do orientations and in-service training for clini-cal staff and students, and they make sure students have their vaccinations and CPr training.

Another part of Diveley’s job is resolving prob-lems. “First i listen—a patient may just be unhappy

that he can’t get the appointment time he wants, so i try to explain things.”

Diveley also hears from happy patients. “the nurse practitioner from a state agency told me what a posi-tive experience it was when i was able to coordinate several departments to help two patients,” she recalls. “i also worked with a social worker as an advocate for a patient with disabilities who had no family. Being able to do things like that means a lot to me.”

Diveley, who was named to her current position late last year, has several new goals: “i’d like to ramp up diversity training and standardize orientations, and i’m working on a risk-management policies and pro-cedures manual as a ‘go-to’ source for new people.”

After hours, Diveley still makes time for walking, animal rescue work, and public service with groups such as Habitat for Humanity.

“every year i try to do at least one thing that con-tributes and makes the world a little better.”

K ay W h i t e | Facilities coordinator

When people talk about Kay White knowing the dental school from top to bottom, it’s literally true. since transferring from the school of Health Professions seven years ago, White has helped to coordinate the renovation of almost every floor.By laura Freeman

The Staffers

Who Keep

the UABSOD

Going

Behind THE SCENES

(left-right) Debbie Stanford, Kay White, Yolanda Jones, and Kathleen Diveley

( U A B D e n t i s t r y ) 1 1

“i still have one floor yet to go,” says White. “the transformation is exciting to see.”

White writes work orders, reviews blueprints, and represents the dean in planning meetings. Her office handles maintenance requests, records storage, mov-ing, furnishings and equipment, and building access. she has signed up to 60 access cards at a time for stu-dent tours, and she keeps a close watch on the weather and gets on the intercom when tornadoes are near.

“You have to be ready to deal with the unexpect-ed,” she says, “like the water pipe that broke behind the mechanical room, flooded the floor below, and set off the fire alarms.”

One of White’s favorite jobs is organizing alumni tours of renovations and designing posters showing work in progress. Her proudest moments are the dedications of projects she helped to complete. “the Charles A. McCallum Jr., D.M.D., M.D., Oral and Maxillofacial surgery Clinic was the first large proj-ect, dedicated in 2003. the dedication of the Jeffcoat Periodontology Clinic and the eighth-floor renova-tion were also major highlights,” she says.

White lives in nearby Leeds with her husband, Billy, who is retired from the Alabama Department of Public safety. someday, she says, she would like to do more antiquing in new england to add to her huge collection of Heisey glass. in the meantime, she has plenty to keep her busy.

“When i go to work in the morning, i never know what might come up. that’s what makes it interesting.”

yo l a n d a “ te r r i ” J o n e s | Office Services Specialist, Dept. of prosthodontics

if you’re looking for Yolanda Jones in the Department of Prosthodontics, ask for terri. You’ll recognize her by her quick smile and upbeat per-sonality.

“People say i’m too happy,” she says with a laugh. “i’m outgoing and i enjoy working with students.”

in addition to typing exams and sometimes proc-toring them, Jones scans slides, helps with lecture preparations, and does PowerPoint presentations. “After instructors give a lecture, i post it online for students to review and check against their notes. it helps them study before tests to make sure they are well prepared.”

Jones is also this year’s chair of the administra-tive staff council, and she works with junior and senior students to make sure they are getting all their requirements.

Jones started working at UAB shortly after moving to Birmingham from Mobile with her son

and two daughters. After a busy day, she still makes time to work with the PtA, the football boosters, and the Girl scouts.

“i never thought i’d like working with kids this much, but i do. some day i might like to go back to school and have a business that works with kids and helps to give them a positive spin on life.

“For now, though, they are keeping me pretty busy in prosthodontics. it’s good to be able to get up in the morning and look forward to going to work. . . . We have a good time in this department—when you enjoy being around the people you work with, everybody does a better job.”

d e b b i e s t a n f o rd | executive assistant, Dean’s Office

every morning Debbie stanford arrives at her desk in the dean’s office with a carefully planned schedule. However, even with the best-made plans, experience has taught her to expect the unexpected.

“it may be an out-of-town visitor who can’t make his connecting flight or a student issue that needs the dean’s immediate attention—we manage to get it done. the word ‘no’ is simply not in our vocabulary,” she says. “i must sing the praises of the great staff members in our office.”

stanford schedules appointments, keeps the school’s calendar updated, schedules flights, and keeps the paperwork flowing. Along with her team, she coordinates the annual reporting process for accreditation and plans events such as faculty retreats, Alumni Weekend, graduation, the White Coat Ceremony, and other events in conjunction with the offices of Alumni Affairs and student Affairs. stanford says one of the highlights of the past year was help-ing to plan the southern Conference of Dental Deans and examiners meeting at ross Bridge resort.

stanford is also secretary for the school’s executive Council and Dean’s Council and has served as secre-tary for two UAB dean searches and one chairman search. But she still manages to find the energy after a busy day to enjoy home renovation projects, sew-ing, and painting. stanford and her husband, Larry, have two sons.

After working at University Hospital early in her career, stanford returned to UAB in 1996 and has been helping to keep things on track in the dean’s office ever since. “Meetings are cancelled and rescheduled, e-mail requests are continuous, and the phone never stops ringing . . . and i have to keep Dr. thomas in step with it all,” she says. “it keeps me on my toes!”

“When I go to

work in the

morning, I

never know

what might

come up. That’s

what makes it

interesting.”

—Kay White

Behind THE SCENES


in ListeninG tO Her HeArt, pediat-ric dentistry resident Julia isherwood found her true calling.

After graduating in biomedical sciences as a premed student at Auburn, she was rethinking her original plan to go into medicine and decided to take a year off to consider what choices best fit her talents and what she wanted to achieve in life. “i was working as a lab tech in a genetics lab at UAB and talked with a coworker who had been a dental student and was thinking of switching to medical school. We were such opposites. the more we talked, the more i realized that the things he didn’t like about dentistry were exactly what i was looking for. My husband and another friend were dental students at UAB, and they suggested that i look into it. so i worked a while as a dental assistant to get a feel for the work, and i applied to dental school.”

As she worked with patients, isherwood was drawn to pedi-atric dentistry. “i have a better knack for working with kids and gaining their trust,” she says. “Pediatric dentistry is a challeng-ing field, and it’s not for everyone. it requires patience and tact, and it’s more of a calling.

“though there are many chal-lenges, the rewards are even great-er. to be able to create a positive dental experience for children so that they may continue to have a pleasant outlook on dental care throughout life is one of the most rewarding experiences for the pediatric dentist.”

this summer, after isherwood completes her residency and her husband finishes his orthodontics

school. the more i looked into dentistry, the more i felt it was the profession for me—i wanted to have an impact on the lives of others. even on an average day you have the opportunity to help someone by improving his or her oral health.”

While in school, Canales remained in the naval reserves and was named com-manding officer of his unit. that made com-pleting his degree much more complicated.

“As the person ultimately responsible for 40 sailors, i often had to put my stud-ies aside to help these individuals and their families get ready for one-year deployments to iraq or Afghanistan. i also had to dedi-cate one weekend each month and several weeks each summer to active-duty service. While this required detailed time manage-ment and made dental school more difficult, it was the most rewarding thing i’ve done in the last four years.”

FrOM tHe stArt, Chris Canales knew he’d chosen a challenging profession.

“i think all of us can think of some-where we’d rather be than in the dentist’s chair,” admits Canales, who will graduate from UABsOD in May. “My goal is to provide each patient with a positive expe-rience so they don’t mind coming back.”

Canales, who earned a bachelor’s degree in weapons and systems engi-neering from the United states naval Academy in 1995, actually entered the

dental field as a second career. “After 14 years as a naval officer, i briefly worked as a pharmaceuti-cal rep here in Birmingham after leaving active-duty military. i lived with my sister, who was in her freshman year of dental

Juliaisherwood TRUE CALLING

Chriscanales UP FOR A CHALLENGE—IN ANNAPOLIS OR BIRMINGHAM

chris canales (seen at right as a naval academy cadet) had to balance dental

school with service in the naval reserves.

Julia isherwood looked into dental school at theencouragement of her husband; later this year,

they’ll begin practicing together.

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of people who had careers before this—accountants and engineers and all kinds of things. And there’s a good mix of single people and those who are married and have children. i just love my classmates.”

Adams has also developed quite a bit of school spirit in a short amount of time: even during her freshman year, she could be spotted regularly volunteering at den-tal-school events, from Homecoming to Alumni Weekend to Give Kids a smile.

“Dentistry combines all the things that i wanted in a career,” she says. “it lets me interact every day with people; it lets me help people and provide a service i know they need; it’s got great hours and a good lifestyle—you just can’t go wrong. i’m lucky to have found this path.”

—Doug Gillett

BrandyAdamsA LONG AND WINDING ROAD THAT LED TO DENTISTRY

nOW A sOPHOMOre at the sOD, Brandy Adams says she definitely made the right decision by choosing to explore the field of dentistry. it just took her a little longer than some other people to arrive at that decision.

“i did my undergrad studies at the University of Alabama, finished up, and really didn’t know what i wanted to do,” she says. “i went to work, did several different jobs, and tried to talk with peo-ple about what i really wanted to do with my life; eventually i went into pharmaceutical sales, and i did that for about three years. But i knew that i didn’t want to do that forever.

“i have some good friends who went to den-tal school here at UAB, and through talking to them and doing a little shadowing, i just kind of figured it out—‘that’s it. that’s what i want to do.’”

Adams quit her sales job and moved in with her brother and his family in Mobile, where she spent a year working in a den-tist’s office—which was actually her second stint in the dental field; she’d worked in an orthodontist’s office briefly before going into pharmaceutical sales. During that time, she was accepted to the sOD, and despite following what would technically qualify as a “nontraditional” path to dental school, she says she’s been able to fit in well.

“My class gets along really well, and it’s a good mix,” she says. “there are some people who came straight out of undergrad, and they’re in their early 20s, but there are a lot

After graduation, Canales, 35, will begin a residency in orthodontics at the University of north Carolina at Chapel Hill. He says he’s looking forward to both the move and the opportunity to continue learning.

“each specialty seems to have a personal-ity, and orthodontics fits mine,” explains the Florence, Alabama, native, who has some advice for others considering a career in dentistry: “Make sure you spend quite a bit of time observing dentists and specialties. Dentistry blends science, working with your hands, managing a small business and staff, and handling the personalities of patients. Most patient anxiety comes from fear of the unknown. it is important to build trust with a patient and make sure that they understand what their procedures entail. Just because a past visit was unpleasant doesn’t mean the current one has to be.”

—Cindy Riley

training, they plan to begin practicing in Montgomery.

Of the many lessons isherwood has learned while pursuing her degree at UAB, she says one of the most valuable is persis-tence. “Although there are obstacles in the quest to achieve a goal, it is important to believe in times of doubt that if you keep positive and stay dedicated, then your hard work and persistence will eventually pay off. My best advice to other students is to enjoy college life, but also set priorities to achieve your goal. Also, never give up, do your best academically, and this will keep your future options open. if you do, career opportuni-ties will fall into place.”

—Laura Freeman

Brandy adams credits her parents and family members withproviding the support she needed to succeed in a challenging field.

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WitH His MAster’s in biomaterials sci-ence from the University of Alabama and a position at a top dental school, Jim Broome, D.D.s. is certainly well positioned to come up with the next great advance in dental biomaterials. But it may be his current administrative project that has a bigger impact on the future of dentistry.

For Broome, research has taken a back seat the last two years to the UABsOD’s efforts to roll out a new curriculum. As asso-ciate dean for clinical affairs, Broome chaired the Curriculum innovation task Force based on a vision provided by the school’s dean, Huw thomas, B.D.s., M.s., Ph.D.

As Broome explains, dental students traditionally go through two years of basic biomedical sciences, then two years of clinical studies. Arriving at UAB in 2000, he saw no problem with that, since that was exactly how he had learned at the north Carolina school of Dentistry.

“However,” he says, “it can be hard to make a connection when you separate biomedical learning from clinical practice. And these students come here to learn how to treat patients, so we’re integrating the biomedical with the clinical scienc-es—similar to what the medical school launched last fall.”

Pride is evident in his voice as he describes being part of a new way of learning. “there are a lot of schools going through these changes, but i can say with all honesty that we are at the forefront.”

Broome describes a “perfect storm” of the dean’s vision, resources, and people. “We have the strongest faculty in the coun-try,” he says. “We have the type of people who embrace change, get down to task, and make it happen. virtually everyone on the faculty is involved in one way or another.”

it’s that type of teamwork that Broome experienced in what he calls the most

eArLY in His CAreer, Dennis Pillion, Ph.D., didn’t care much for public speaking. A former laboratory scientist, he focused instead on his research. But that changed after volunteering at a diabetes camp as an assistant counselor.

“it really had an impact on my pro-fessional development,” explains Pillion, interim chair of UAB’s Department of Pharmacology and toxicology, a Joint Health sciences department. “i got back tenfold what i gave, and over the years i became more comfortable in front of a classroom.”

Pillion, a member of UAB’s faculty since 1979, started out working on kidney-trans-port systems, then moved his focus to fat cells before focusing on diabetes research and education. He has served as a director for the pharmacology courses offered to medical, dental, and optometry students for almost nine years.

“i’m in a unique position to serve as director of the organ-systems courses in the new curriculum, because pharma-cology has always been quite broad in its coverage of multiple systems in the body,” says Pillion, a Connecticut native who received a bachelor’s degree in biol-ogy and chemistry from the University of Hartford and completed his doctor-al training at the Medical College of Georgia. “Drugs that affect the heart, brain, or teeth also affect other systems. Pharmacology considers the entire spec-trum of those drug actions and touches every aspect of the body.

“students in the UABsOD program have an incredibly challenging academic objective,” he adds. “they must learn the basics of normal human anatomy and physiology and then discover what hap-pens in a disease state and how to treat the problem. the challenge is to filter

Jimbroomed.d.s. AGENT OF CHANGE

Dennis Pillion,Ph.d. CLASS ACT

Jim Broome has served in leadership positions from elmendorf air Force Base in alaska to here in

Birmingham at the School of Dentistry.

Once strictly a laboratory scientist,Dennis pillion now enjoys teaching students

from three different uaB schools.

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the information and present those students with the most important aspects of it. Add to that the fact that our information is really rudimentary in many areas and con-stantly changing as we discover holes in our understanding. these deficiencies make the whole process of educating future den-tal practitioners a never-ending chess game that requires us to continuously revamp and replace what we teach. it also creates a great opportunity and responsibility for us as educators to continue to learn.”

And Pillion is looking forward to what lies ahead.

“Failure to change our curriculum would have important and long-lasting effects on our competitiveness. And we owe a debt to our current and past faculty for their efforts, positioning us in the top echelon of dental schools in the country. i see the national landscape changing, with UAB at the front of the pack.”

—Cindy Riley

gratifying assignment of his 22-year Air Force career before coming to UAB. Most of his time was spent in medical centers, largely insulated from military operations—but when he was asked to run the dental service at a base in Alaska, the culture was all about fighter jets, not medicine. He says most people don’t realize that for every romantic-sounding solo jet mission, there are a thousand people behind the scenes.

“i felt a real connection. i was contribut-ing to the mission of the Air Force,” he says. “it was a great way to end my career.”

so what happens when the curricu-lum rollout mission is complete? this fall, Broome says he will “go back to his day job” managing the school’s operations. But after an exhilarating Air Force stint and the energetic undertaking of the Curriculum innovation task Force, don’t expect him to remain quietly behind his desk for long.

—Shelly DeButts

“Coming here was a big move—imagine suddenly being in China or Japan with people who, from your point of view, have strange customs,” he explains. “in the begin-ning, my wife was afraid to even answer the phone—she was frustrated and lonely when i was at work. But the people here were so nice and considerate, she started meeting friends and practicing english with them. now she has finished the M.B.A. program at UAB. i am very proud of her.”

Wu is also grateful to have the opportu-nity to help others through his work.

“those patients who’ve acquired defects from cancer, accidents, or congenital defects really suffer a lot,” he says. “it is so rewarding to be able to put smiles back on their faces.”

—Cindy Riley

WenChouWu,d.d.s.,m.s.A LONG-DISTANCE OPPORTUNITY THAT PAID OFF

WHen tAiPei nAtive Wen Chou Wu moved to Birmingham in 2003, he knew it wouldn’t be an easy transi-tion. the nearly 24-hour over-seas flight didn’t help.

“it was really tough in the beginning,” says Wu, an assis-tant professor in the UABsOD’s prosthodontics department. “i came with my wife, whom i’d just married. she didn’t speak english, and with the southern accent people have here, we had a difficult time fitting in.”

But Wu was determined to stick it out. After three years training in the Graduate Prosthodontics Program at the sOD, Wu pursued addi-tional studies in maxillofacial prosthetics.

“My original plan was to learn as much as i could, then go back to serve my people in taiwan,” explains Wu. “i felt i lacked the ability to handle big cases, especially regarding implants. However, the more i learned, the more i became interested in this specialty. i found UAB provided a better environment in academic dentistry, which is why i changed my plans and decided to stay here.”

Along with his mentor, Michael McCracken, Ph.D., Wu teaches in the implant clinic for graduate prosthodontics. He also sees patients and consults at the Kirklin Clinic.

“i’m particularly interested in maxil-lofacial prosthetics and implant dentistry. nothing pleases me more than seeing the happiness of my patients. i feel very fortu-nate to be in this position.”

Wu hopes to become board-certified in prosthodontics and eventually plans to get involved in more clinically relevant studies, as well as more teaching. But he feels he’s already accomplished a great deal.

Wen chou Wu’s original plan was to finish his schooling and return to his native taiwan, but he found uaB too

good an environment to leave.

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been a big influence on me,” he says. “Going to the reunions, there’s a lot of camarade-rie—it’s just like being on a [sports] team, and it gets stronger all of the time. As the years go by, we just keep getting stronger as a team. that may seem strange, but i’ve always thought that.”

noah Dean Miller, D.M.D., agrees. He and Davis were football teammates, then UABsOD teammates, and now practic-ing professional teammates. Miller has a general-dentistry practice in rainbow City, Alabama, and still sees Davis on a regular basis, evidence of the close friendship they developed when they met in Alabama’s 1970 football recruiting class. Miller sees his fellow UABsOD graduates as team-mates, too.

“it’s hard to explain to a layperson, but you almost know what the other dental stu-

Less tHAn tWO YeArs AGO, William Davis, D.M.D., recruited a new player for his team. she was a ’Bama legacy, of course, just like he was, although she didn’t try out for the football squad as he, his brothers, and father all had. And he had drafted her from the UABsOD, which he knew from experience was a reliable source of new recruits.

so he really didn’t need to spend too much time deciding on his pick—she was, after all, his own daughter, Clay reese. she’s now a successful member of his dental practice in Athens, Alabama, a fully contributing member of the team. Davis wouldn’t have it any other way.

“there’s a certain amount of respect that comes with a degree from the UAB school of Dentistry,” he says. “not to men-tion all of the help that you get from your former teammates.”

d e n t i s t r y a s a te a m s p o r t

For Davis, this means pro-fessional colleagues and former Crimson tide teammates alike. Before he was Dr. Davis, he was Bill Davis, football player for Bear Bryant’s title-winning dynasty at UA in the 1970s. Back then his teammates were on the field and in the locker room; now they’re everywhere.

“Other dentists [from the UABsOD] have been a lot of help throughout my career. it’s

alumni profiles

William davis, Noah Dean miller, and Lewis chapman

caption

dents are thinking because you all shared so much,” he says.

And he wholeheartedly agrees that if you can play sports in college, you can tackle anything—pun intended, since Miller played defense. Both he and Davis say that playing football , especially in Bear Bryant’s demanding championship-level program, helped prepare them for life.

“Coach always taught us that if you make it through something tough once, it makes it that much easier to do it again,” says Davis. “You learn how to stick with something and not give up. He was always talking about that.”

“Unlike at UA, we actually had free time to study in dental school, since there was no football practice,” Miller remem-bers. “i wasn’t having to prepare for tests sore and tired after four or six hours of

practice. it was still intense with academics, but i was pretty well focused by the time i got to dental school. the discipline i learned carried over and i knew what i wanted to do.”

Both of Miller’s sons learned the life lessons of mixing sports and academics as he learned them from his father, who was both a coach and a teacher. Matt led the Crimson tide to the Cotton Bowl before graduating to pursue his career; Marc, also a tide player, followed in his father’s footsteps to graduate from the UABsOD in June. He

By shelly DeButts

“Going to the reunions,

there’s a lot of camaraderie

—it’s just like being on a

team, and it gets stronger

all the time.”

—Bill Davis

THEY EXCELLED BOTH ON THE PLAYING FIELD AND IN THE CLASSROOM; NOW THEY’VE INSTILLED THAT SPIRIT IN THE NEXT GENERATION


alumni profiles

is currently part of a periodontal residency program in the Air Force.

so will Marc join his dad’s team when he’s ready to start practicing? “With my son specializing in periodontics and me being a general dentist, i don’t know right now, but it’s a big topic of conversation,” Miller says. “there’s a lot of opportunity for him here—i’m keeping my fingers crossed.”

l e g a c i e s i n t h e c l i n i c —a n d o n t h e c o u r t

that question is already answered for Lewis Chapman, D.M.D. He and his son, Will Chapman, D.M.D., are on the same team, practicing orthodontics together in Montgomery; both are graduates of Birmingham-southern College (BsC), as well as part of the UABsOD “team” referred to by Davis and Miller.

As early as high school, Will had a general goal of working in a health-related

field and explored different areas while in college, but the “before and after” treat-ment results he saw in his father’s office convinced him that working in his father’s practice was where he needed to be.

“the familiarity and trust level we have with each other are the biggest advantages to working together,” he says. “But my wife sometimes gives me a hard time about being too much like my dad. i tell her if he wasn’t a good orthodontist, then that would be a problem.”

Being a lot like his dad extended to play-ing tennis, which eventually earned Will a scholarship to Birmingham-southern, where his father earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Will pursued a degree in eco-nomics there before following his father to the UABsOD.

Will started playing tennis with his dad and brothers as a child and was a walk-on to the BsC tennis team in his freshman year

of college. But by his sophomore year he had earned a place in the playing rotation and a scholarship, and by his senior year he was named to the nAiA All-Academic team.

“i always felt like i was a better student because i played on the tennis team,” says Will. “it definitely made me budget my time better.”

echoing Miller’s sentiments, he adds, “it was easier for me in dental school after being a student-athlete. i was used to going to class in the morning, playing tennis in the afternoon, and studying at night. in dental school, the only difference was that i was going to lab or clinic in the afternoon instead of playing tennis.”

now Will has the chance to pass the athlete-scholar-professional tradition down to a third generation just as Davis and Miller did: His first child is five years old—just about old enough to pick up a tennis racquet. right, Dad?

Will chapman (above, left) followed in his father Lewis’s footsteps by playing tennis at Birmingham-Southern college and then earning a dental degree at uaB; they now practice

orthodontics together in Montgomery.

noah Dean Miller (left) andBill Davis (below, with daughterclay reese) say they learned

valuable lessons both as alabama football players

and as uaB dental studentsthat they’ve been able to

pass along to their children.


UAB DEntIStRy: How did you get interested in dentistry?CUnnInGHAM: My neighbor was roy Cowan, a well-known general dentist in Alabama. Butler’s really small—there’s only 2,000 people in the town, and it’s a very rural area—so he was very well known and respected throughout the community.

UAB DEntIStRy: Which professors made the biggest impression on you at UAB?CUnnInGHAM: everybody has something they remember about David Greer, who died last year, and i could probably list a lot of things i remember about him—but one thing in particular i can remem-ber him saying to me was, “someday you’re going to be a big supporter of this school.” And i don’t know why he said that to me when i graduated; most of us were of the opinion that we would never set foot in dental school again if we didn’t have to.

From there i went into the Army Dental Corps for four years, the first year of which was a general-practice residency, and then an overseas assignment . . . i was in tehran, iran, until the revolution back in 1979.

UAB DEntIStRy: At that time in that country’s history, you were lucky to have made it out at all.CUnnInGHAM: Yes, and it was a difficult time for my family, because that assignment was an accompa-nied tour for me—i took my family over there, and in fact my youngest daughter was born there. When we went over there, it seemingly was a very stable political situation, but then a year after i arrived, things started deteriorating very rapidly, and within 18 months the shah was history and the country was being run by the revolutionary Guard under [Ayatollah] Khomenei. it was an exciting time, but also an unsettling time for my family personally.

i’d had a scholarship that put me through dental school, and to pay that back, my obligation was four years; at that point, i still had one more year of obligation, and i did that up at redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. And then i came to Jacksonville, and i’ve been here ever since—and i tell people i own a cemetery plot here, so i’m intending to stay.

UAB DEntIStRy: What are some of the things

that you find most rewarding about your practice?CUnnInGHAM: i think what’s probably been the most rewarding thing about my practice is the rela-tionships that i have with my patients—the fact that i consider them not only my patients but also my friends, and it’s sort of like a large family. i’ve got my immediate family, my extended family, my family of staff, and then my family of dental patients, which is just another larger circle of family.

UAB DEntIStRy: Jacksonville’s not as small as Butler, but it’s small enough that you still get to feel like part of the community. CUnnInGHAM: And that is why i chose to go to a small town—you can either be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond. i know that sounds a little bit egotistical, but i just wanted to be involved in the community. i am always looking for greater opportunities for service, and that’s easy to find in a small town.

UAB DEntIStRy: that’s one of the areas the school of Dentistry has really been focusing on over the past few years—there are a lot of places in this state that just don’t have access to regular dental care, and the school has done a lot to address that.CUnnInGHAM: You’re right—access is a problem in many areas. Obviously you don’t think of access problems in a place like Jefferson County; our access issues center mainly around the difficulty that many adults have with being able to afford dental care, so it’s an economic access thing. in Calhoun County, we have a lot of dentists, but we also have a lot of people, particularly adults, who are economically disadvantaged and consequently don’t have access. in fact, this morning i’ve been working on that issue—we’re working to open a free dental clinic here in Calhoun County to address that problem.

UAB DEntIStRy: Obviously the sOD means a lot to you, considering that you’ve spent a term as president of the Alumni Association. What in par-ticular made you decide to take that step?CUnnInGHAM: A lot of people have heard me say this before—i am not God’s gift to dentistry; dentistry is God’s gift to me. so i feel very privi-leged to be a dentist, and i feel privileged that i was

Born in Wausau, Wisconsin, and raised in Butler, Alabama,

Bruce Cunningham has lived in many different places and traveled

all over the world, but he’s remained devoted to the state of Alabama—

and to the School of Dentistry. For nearly three decades he has

practiced dentistry in Jacksonville, Alabama—where he is a member

of UAB’s Practice-Based Research Network—and he just finished up

a term as president of the SOD Alumni Association.

Cunningham talked with UAB Dentistry about his career, his affec-

tion for small-town living, and the high hopes he has for the Alumni Association as it rides a wave of

unprecedented growth and success at the School of Dentistry.

BRUCE CUNNINGHAM, D.M.D.a conversation with

By Doug gillett

end notes


allowed to get my dental education at our dental school. in all my years of being a dentist, i’ve never felt like i wasn’t properly prepared compared to my colleagues who went to different dental schools and came from different parts of the country. i never had to take a backseat to anybody in terms of my prepa-ration or education, and i’m thankful for that.

UAB DEntIStRy: What accomplishments are you most proud of from your term as president?CUnnInGHAM: Although i take no credit for it, i think that we’ve seen some significant staff development. We’ve got scott Huffman, who’s our executive director, we’ve got some wonderful staff members underneath him such as Charlene Phillips, and we just recently hired Kimberly Crowe [in the Alumni Affairs office]. i think she’s going to be a real asset to our organization, and we’ve positioned ourselves with some great staff to better serve the needs of the Alumni Association. We’re getting into the computer age; we’re in the process of getting all of our data computerized and using the internet more to increase communication with our members. this past February was the first meeting that people have been able to register for online—which, for the young people out there, probably seems like nothing, but for people like myself who are “technologically challenged,” that’s a big move.

UAB DEntIStRy: that’s been another big focus of the school lately—introducing new technology and structur-ing the clinics more along the lines of a private practice.CUnnInGHAM: And that’s definitely going to benefit the students as they transi-tion from the school to their careers—particularly if they are going into the private-practice model, which is what the majority of them are going to do.

“A lot of people

have heard

me say this

before—I am

not God’s gift to

dentistry; den-

tistry is God’s

gift to me.”

UAB DEntIStRy: What inspired you to become part of the Practice-Based research network?CUnnInGHAM: i guess the problem for those of us who are in private practice, particularly if we’re in solo practice, is that we tend to feel isolated because we’re so engrossed in patient care that we don’t have as much contact and involvement with the larger dental professional community. the Practice-Based research network connects me with a network of practicing dentists, and it also brings into my office a facet of dental research, clinical research, that helps me to be a better dentist.

UAB DEntIStRy: One of the things i hear very often from sOD alumni is that they feel lucky to be part of an alumni network that is so close-knit and well connected in so many ways. What are your thoughts on that from the perspective of someone who’s spent the last year overseeing that group?CUnnInGHAM: From my perspective, the true leader of the Alumni Association is the dean of the dental school, although the Alumni Association has a president and officers. that person sitting up there in the dean’s office and his or her attitude

and philosophy have a major impact on what is going on in the alumni association. And when Dean thomas came to our school, he immediately recognized that as a dental community we are a pretty close-knit family in Alabama. He not only recognized that but he also appreciates it, and he has been active in pro-moting closer “family ties,” if you will, among all of the different shareholders in our community. so i give him the credit for the continu-ing closeness and that sense of community that we have within the profession here in Alabama. it was here before Dean thomas came here, but he’s encouraged it, and that’s helped us a great deal.

end notes

Bruce cunningham


development news

toM JonES HonoRED wItH ADJUnCt FACUlty FUnD

THOMAS JONES was the school of Dentistry’s first resident in oral and maxillofacial surgery, but that pioneer-ing effort was just the beginning of a 60-year career in both practice and teaching. the school now hopes to honor Jones’s lengthy service as a part-time faculty member with an adjunct faculty fund in his name.

“By teaching dental students, tom was able to impact so many people in the state who had poor dental health and oral-related disease,” says Peter D. Waite, M.D., chair of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial surgery. “We wanted to honor tom Jones and raise an endowment that would help people come back and teach on a part-time basis. i compare it to being a missionary—not all of us are able to travel to faraway lands or live in a third World country, but we can all give a little bit to help send someone who can.”

the money for the thomas Jones Adjunct Faculty Fund will be set aside and earmarked specifically to support an adjunct or part-time faculty position.

EnDowMEnt HonoRS wEAtHERFoRD AnD PAlCAnIS

FORMER SOD FACULT Y MEMBERS tommy Weatherford, D.M.D., and Kent Palcanis, D.D.s., set an example for students and faculty alike through their years of service and inspiring mentorship. now the school hopes to honor that service with an endowed professorship in their names.

the tommy Weatherford/Kent Palcanis endowed Professorship is being announced at a particularly critical time in American dental education—around 300 faculty positions are open at the country’s 56 dental schools, and competi-tion for the best teaching talent increases as the dental-faculty shortage contin-ues. the push for the endowed professorship is a fitting tribute to two faculty members who gave so much to the sOD.

“it’s a true honor to have an endowed professorship named for tommy and me,” says Palcanis, who helped found the school’s Academic Careers Club in an effort to attract more dental students to teaching. “However, the important point here is that the professorship will serve as a wonderful means to improve our faculty-recruitment efforts. it will enable the Department of Periodontology to be very competitive in recruiting a productive faculty member to our school.”

the Weatherford/Palcanis professorship will be officially created when the school has raised $500,000, but the optimal goal for the fund is $1.5 million.

Today’s lunch crowd includes the six applicants, their tour guides, and

three other SOD students. The conversation topics include explana-

tions of the application process itself and the school’s ongoing curricu-

lum revamp, but there are also discussions of the just-ended football

season, favorite vacation spots, and the “do-you-know” game played

by applicants and current SOD students who attended the same

undergraduate college.

And then, just as everyone’s getting really comfortable . . . lunch is

over, and it’s time for the formal interviews in front of the full admissions

committee (see main story). But even then, Filler says, they try to main-

tain a relaxed tone, knowing that the applicants are already on edge.

“In fact, if you’re totally cool as a cucumber, we will worry a little

bit about you,” he says with a grin. “My advice is to just answer the

questions honestly and from the heart.”

ContInUED FRoM PAGE 5: IntERvIEw DAy

tHE ClASS oF ’83 GIvES BACk

FEBRUARY ’ S ALUMNI WEEkEND at the school of Dentistry was a chance for members of the Class of 1983 to celebrate their 25th-year reunion by catching up with classmates and shar-ing stories. But they also marked the occasion by pledging a major gift to the school that they say gave them so much as students. “the thing that we wanted to do as a class is give a reunion gift to the school, whether it’s to help renovate part of the school of Dentistry, create a scholarship, or support an endowment,” says class of ’83 member earl “Bud” rogers, D.M.D., of Mobile.

the class is working together with J. scott Huffman, senior director of development, to meet a goal of $100,000, and rogers says they’re already more than three-quarters of the way to their goal. Fellow alumni Jim Ballard, Paul Bussman, Carol Merkle, Michael O’Brien, and randall Palmore have been busy contacting members of the class of ’83 to solicit their support.

“the quality and reputation of our diplomas are represented by the quality of the dental school,” rogers says. “We have an outstanding school, and Dr. Huw thomas has provided outstanding lead-ership, so we’re excited about the opportunity to support the school in our own small way.”

the class of ‘83 reconnects at alumni Weekend 2008.

Dr. thomas Jones

A GIFt tHAt lAStS BEyonD A lIFEtIME...

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE is your gift to your family and to the UAB school of Dentistry. Just as time

spent with grandchildren is a joy for you and for them, supporting the UAB school of Dentistry brings

satisfaction now and ensures future support for dentistry, education, research, and patient care. Made through

your will, retirement fund designation or trust, your estate gift will demonstrate your commitment to UAB’s

school of Dentistry during your lifetime—and beyond.

FOR MORE BEqUEST INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACTJ. scott Huffman, CFre, senior director of development

sDB 214, 1530 3rD Ave sBirMinGHAM AL 35294-0007

(205) 934-3601 or [email protected]

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY, LOG ON TOwww.dental.uab.edu

Always consult your tax or legal advisor when considering a planned gift.

mailto:[email protected]


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