Golden Apples for new dentist leaders

Miami鈥擳he Committee on the New Dentist bestowed four awards May 2 during the ADA 23rd New Dentist Conference.

The Golden Apple Award for New Dentist Leadership went to Dr. Courtney Alexander of San Antonio, who held many leadership positions in dental school and continues to mentor students at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School, where she is currently enrolled in a pediatric graduate residency program. Dr. Alexander was the only resident in the nation selected by the Foundation of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry as the Samuel Harris “Harris Fellow for Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children.” She is also the recipient of the 2008 Texas Dental Association’s New Dentist Leadership Award.

The ADA presented the Golden Apple Award for New Dentist Legislative Leadership to Dr. Matthew Niewald of Lee’s Summit, Mo., whose political and legislative accomplishments began in 2005 when his contributions to a successful lobbying initiative resulted in a $1 million increase in the University of Missouri School of Dentistry’s core budget that enabled the school to hire additional faculty members. Since then his accomplishments have included lobbying for reinstatement of some adult Medicaid services, exclusion for dental personnel on a medical imaging bill requirement, a $7 million increase in the dental Medicaid budget and funding for dental hygiene distance learning.

The Golden Apple Award for Outstanding Leadership in Mentoring went to Dr. Ethan Glickman of the Middlesex County Dental Society of New Jersey, who resurrected a dental shadowing program for dental students and redeveloped the program for new dentists in New Jersey. To get new members involved in organized dentistry and leadership positions, Dr. Glickman started the Central New Jersey Dental Hygiene Study Club and the Middlesex County Dental Society Study Club.

The Pennsylvania Dental Association received the New Dentist Committee’s Outstanding Program Award of Excellence for its 2008 program, “Consider Pennsylvania Panel Discussion,” which boosts PDA’s outreach to the American Student Dental Association and seeks to increase the number of dental students that stay and practice in Pennsylvania. Events and receptions feature speakers who address new dentist challenges, dental licensure, legislative issues and insurance.