Dental Education News: November 2020
Highlights
Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College Receives NYS Grant to Develop Virtual Model of Care for Special Needs Patients

Touro College of Dental Medicine (TCDM) has been chosen as a COVID-19 Response Small Grant recipient by the New York State (NYS) Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. The $10,000 award will be used in the development of an innovative model of support to provide individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) access to quality dental care by virtually connecting them with oral health care providers. Read more.
Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine: Brendan Gallagher and Sean Zar: How These two Dental Students are Changing the World of Marketing in Dentistry

Two graduate students at Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine changed the way communities of professionals connect through social media. "It started three years ago," said fourth-year Brendan Gallagher, "when a few classmates and I started an Instagram page to share the stories behind the journey of every dental student." The account took off, gaining thousands of followers within weeks, and was quickly known as the most professional page featuring dental students. And that was only the beginning. Read more.
Student News
Columbia University College of Dental Medicine: Student Spotlight: Kyle Sevel’21, Recipient of the ADA Foundation’s Whiston Leadership Award

Kyle Sevel, a fourth-year DDS student at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (CDM), was named a recipient of the Dr. David Whiston Leadership Award by the American Dental Association (ADA) Foundation. The national award recognizes Sevel’s accomplishments and promise as one of dentistry’s future leaders with strong potential to improve the oral health of the public. Read more.
Research
NYU College of Dentistry Research Identifies Genes Highly Expressed in Painful, Metastatic Oral Cancer, Revealing Mechanism for Cancer Pain

Oral cancer is more likely to spread in patients experiencing high levels of pain, according to a team of researchers at New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry that found genetic and cellular clues as to why metastatic oral cancers are so painful. The findings—which appear in Scientific Reports, a journal published by Nature—may ultimately be used to alleviate oral cancer pain and refine surgical decision making when treating oral cancer. Read more.
Faculty News
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine: Longtime UB Faculty Member Sebastian Ciancio Dies at 83

Sebastian G. Ciancio, one of the world’s leading figures in periodontology and pharmacology, and a dedicated UB faculty member for more than 50 years, died unexpectedly Oct. 17. He was 83. Ciancio was a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and the immediate past chair of the Department of Periodontology and Endodontics, a role he filled for 35 years. Read more.
Columbia University College of Dental Medicine: Panos N. Papapanou Named Editor-in-Chief of High-Impact Dental Journal

The European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) has named Panos N. Papapanou, DDS, PhD, professor of dental medicine at Columbia University, the next editor-in-chief of the Journal of Clinical Periodontology. The journal, which publishes peer-reviewed research in periodontology and implant dentistry, is ranked second out of 91 publications in the category of dentistry, oral surgery, and medicine as calculated by International Scientific Indexing, the EFP reported. Read more.
Other News
Eastman Institute For Oral Health, University of Rochester COVID Publications Receive Wide Attention

Articles related to COVID, written by Eastman Institute for Oral Health faculty and published in two dental journals are on top of the lists for Most Read and Most Downloaded articles. “Risk for dental healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 global pandemic: An evidence-based assessment” tops the list of most downloaded articles in the Journal of Dentistry, the leading international dental journal within the field of restorative dentistry. It is also among the top three of the Journal’s articles that received the most social media attention. Read more.
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine Receives $1 Million to Establish Sunstar Robert J. Genco Endowed Chair in Oral Biology

In honor of the late Robert Genco, DDS, PhD, a longtime professor and prolific researcher in the University at Buffalo’s School of Dental Medicine, multinational oral health care company Sunstar Group has donated $1 million to establish a new endowed fund in Genco’s name. It’s a fitting tribute to the 40-plus year partnership Genco spearheaded for UB with the Japan-based Sunstar, which has led to numerous pioneering advancements in periodontal health. Read more.
Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College Opens Complex Care Clinic

Touro Dental Health, the 115-chair clinical training facility of the Touro College of Dental Medicine (TCDM), has opened a new Complex Care Clinic to meet the needs of patients requiring more advanced dental treatment than can typically be provided by dental students. The clinic brings together TCDM faculty from multiple dental specialties, along with dental students, who use the latest tools and techniques in digital dentistry to efficiently educate and manage patients requiring complex implants, and restore their oral health. Read more.
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine: Chester Gary Receives 2020 William J. Gies Editorial Awards

Chester J. Gary, DDS, JD, clinical assistant professor of restorative dentistry in the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, received the second and third place 2020 William J. Gies Editorial Award from the American Association of Dental Editors & Journalists and the American Dental Education Association’s ADEAGies Foundation. The Gies Editorial Award honors the author of the most valuable editorial published in a dental journal or periodical. Read more.