Boston University Medical Campus

On November 6, the Boston University chapter of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) hosted a Success seminar given by Dr. Robert Madden titled, “Practice Management for Seniors.” Dr. Madden is an experienced family dentist with a DDS degree from the University of Nebraska College of Dentistry and a MBA from the University of Colorado. He works in private practice in Littleton, Colorado and serves as a consultant to the American Dental Association’s (ADA) Council on Private Practice and has been a Success Speaker since 1991. The seminar was sponsored by Patterson Dental and the Professional Protector Plan for Dentists.

The goal of the seminar was for pre-doctoral students in their last year of Dental School to learn about the practice management aspects of dentistry and ethical aspects of dental practice. Topics included practice location and acquisition/start-up; practice financing; practice marketing; recruiting and leading a successful dental team; production, collection, and expense management; dental reimbursement; financial management, taxes, and avoiding embezzlement; maintaining records, privacy, and security; patient expectations and dentist responsibility; ethics in real life situations new dentists face; and ADA resources for practice success.

This is the first of two seminars for DMD IV and AS II students. The second will cover the same information and will be held on Friday, February 26 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the 670 Albany Street Auditorium. Attendance is mandatory and each student has been assigned a specific date. A high-speed hand piece will be raffled off to one lucky student in attendance.

“We think these seminars are a great opportunity for students to gain a unique perspective into organized dentistry and a fresh look at dentistry through the eyes of a private practitioner who is committed to the community,” said BU ASDA Secretary Heather Parsons DMD 11.

The Genome Science Institute held its inaugural Research Symposium, an interdisciplinary research symposium that explores genetic and genomic science, in the Boston University Medical Campus Hiebert Lounge on Thursday, Oct. 8. Sixty-three abstracts were submitted by students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty from Institutions throughout the Boston area.

Prizes were awarded in undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral fellow categories. Six abstracts were chosen for oral distinction and the first authors were invited to give an oral presentation at the symposium. Seven researchers were awarded outstanding poster prizes. Winners of both oral distinction and poster prizes received an award of $100.

Award Winners for Oral Distinction:

Graduate Level

Adam Gower, “openSESAME: A new tool for discovering biologically relevant connections in public gene expression data.” Faculty advisors: Marc Lenburg, PhD., and Avrum Spira, MD., PhD., BUSM.

Paul Romesser, “Cancer biomarker discovery by genome-wide transcriptome vs. proteome profiling: problems, advantages, limitations and insights.” Faculty advisor: Gerald Denis, PhD., BUSM.

Undergraduate Level

Vishal Patel, BU, Biology, “Understanding the Molecular Nature of the Loss of Function Mutation, THREAD 1.” Faculty Advisor: Kim McCall, PhD., BU.

Arun Rai, BUSM, Biochemistry, “GM-CSF is a novel target of p53-related p63.” Faculty Advisor: Jim Xiao, PhD., BUSM.

Post-Doctoral Level

Hamid M Abdolmaleky, BUSM, Genetics Program, “Epigenetic dysregulation of serotonin receptors type-2 (5HTR2A) in post-mortem brains of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.” Faculty advisor: Sam Thiagalingam, PhD., BUSM.

Jean-Bosco Tagne, BUSM, Pulmonary Center, “Genome-wide Identification of Titf1 Target Genes in the Developing Lung.” Faculty advisor: Maria Ramirez, PhD., BUSM.

Outstanding Poster Prizes:

Graduate

Alexandra Silveira, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, “Haplotypes Within The Vitamin D Metabolism Gene CYP24A1 Are Associated With the Development Neovascular AMD.” Faculty Advisor: Margaret DeAngelis, MD., PhD., Harvard Medical School.

Ari Friedland, BUSM, Biomedical Engineering, “A Synthetic Gene Network that Counts.” Faculty Advisor: James Collins, PhD., BUSM.

Jenny Loew, BUSM, Medical Nutrition Program, Cancer Research Center, “CpG Demethylation of ARHI Gene and Synergistic Inhibition of Ovary and Breast Cancer Cells by HDAC Inhibitors and Natural Isoflavonoid Product Genistein.” Faculty Advisor: Sibaji Sarkar, PhD., BUSM.

Joseph Gerrein, BU, Bioinformatics Program, “Deep-sequencing identifies smoking and lung-cancer associated changes to the large airway transcriptome.” Faculty Advisor: Avrum Spira, MD., PhD., BUSM.

Josh Campbell, BUSM, Pulmonomics, “Changes in gene expression with progression of emphysematous destruction in COPD.” Faculty Advisor: Avrum Spira, MD., PhD., BUSM.
Postdoc

Alexia Eliades, BUSM, Biochemistry, “New roles for cyclin E in megakaryocyte polyploidization.” Faculty Advisor: Katya Ravid, PhD., BUSM.

Alex Ensminger, Tufts University, Molecular Biology and Microbiology, “From broad host range to isogenic prison: genotypic plasticity in experimentally evolved strains of Legionella.” Faculty Advisor: Ralph Isberg, PhD., Tufts University.

Kelly Harrington, VA Boston, “Reexamining the Associations of DRD4 and 5-HTT with ADHD Using an Alternative Comorbid ADHD Phenotype.” Faculty advisor: Irwin Waldman, PhD. Emory University.

A study by BU School of Public Health researchers, published ahead of print in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, suggests that polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs) may affect serum cholesterol levels in people.

The authors analyzed the relationship between serum concentrations of four PFCs-perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS)-and measures of cholesterol, body size and insulin resistance. Participants with PFOS, PFOA and PFNA levels in the top 25 percent of the study population had higher total and non-HDL cholesterol (which is primarily LDL, or “bad” cholesterol) than participants whose PFOS, PFOA, PFNA concentrations were in the lowest 25 percent.

Most previous studies of people with high PFC exposures have also reported positive associations, but the current study suggests that much lower PFC exposures experienced by typical U.S. adults may also affect cholesterol levels. The association was most striking for PFNA, with a 13.9 mg/dL difference in estimated serum cholesterol levels between people with the highest and lowest serum PFNA concentrations. In contrast, people with the highest levels of PFHxS, a PFC that has not been extensively studied, had lower total and non-HDL cholesterol than those with lower PFHxS concentrations.

The study found little evidence of an association between PFCs and body size or insulin resistance.

“Though these results are based on cross-sectional data and are exploratory, they are consistent with much of the human epidemiologic literature and indicate that PFCs may be exerting an effect on cholesterol at environmentally relevant exposures,” wrote first author Jessica Nelson, a doctoral candidate in environmental health, and colleagues. “Our study affirms the importance of investigating PFCs other than PFOS and PFOA, particularly as industrial uses of PFOS and PFOA decline and other PFCs are substituted.”

Other authors included Elizabeth Hatch, associate professor of epidemiology, and Tom Webster, associate professor of environmental health. This study was partially supported by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

The full study is available on the Environmental Health Perspectives website.

Submitted by Lisa Chedekel

Osamu Shimomura, PhD, BUSM Professor Emeritus and recipient of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry will address the BU Medical Campus community on Tuesday, November 17. He will speak on “Discovery of Green Fluorescent Protein, GFP: My Nobel Prize Lecture.”

BUSM Professor Emeritus Osamu Shimomura was one of three winners of the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry. He will speak on the BU Medical Campus on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Shimomura is credited with the discovery of green fluorescent protein or GFP, which he observed in 1962 in the jellyfish Aequorea Victoria, found off the west coast of North America.

“This protein has become one of the most important tools used in contemporary bioscience,” according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. “With the aid of GFP, researchers have developed ways to watch processes that were previously invisible, such as the development of nerve cells in the brain or how cancer cells spread.”

Shimomura shared the $1.4 million prize awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences with Martin Chalfie of Columbia University and Roger Y. Tsien of the University of California, San Diego, both colleagues were recognized for pioneering cellular research techniques that use the proteins Shimomura identified.

The BUMC community is invited to join in the celebration of Dr. Shimomura and his achievements. The lecture will begin at 3 pm in the 670 Albany Street auditorium. A reception will be held at 4 pm in the lobby of the auditorium following Dr. Shimomura’s formal remarks.

Boston University Alumni Weekend ‘09 was held Friday, October 23 to Sunday, October 25 and featured events for alumni from every school. This year, for the first time, combined events were held for all three schools on the Boston University Medical Campus (BUMC).

The William J. Bicknell Lectureship in Public Health kicked things off on Friday morning and featured a lecture titled, ” Is There Such a Thing as a Safe(r) Cigarette?: Tobacco Legislation and the FDA,” by 2009 Bicknell Lecturer and Professor of the Practice of Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health Dr. Gregory Connolly. Later that evening a Dean’s Recognition Dinner was held at the Trustees Ballroom. The dinner honored major annual fund donors from the three schools and included performances and instruction by the Boston University Ballroom Dance Club.

Saturday morning a BUMC Alumni College event titled, “Health Care Reform and the Promise to Address Health Outcomes Disparities,” took place in the Bakst Auditorium and included a keynote speech by former Secretary of Health and Human Services Louis W. Sullivan MED 58, as well as a panel discussion by faculty experts from BUMC, including Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) Professor and Assistant Dean for Community Partnerships and Extramural Affairs Dr. Michelle Henshaw.

Saturday evening the Medical Campus Gala was held at the Westin Waterfront. Approximately 250 alumni, faculty, staff, students, and guests gathered for dinner, live music, and dancing.

“I was pleased to see alumni from all three schools on the Medical Campus come together at the Gala to to celebrate their past and present educational and professional successes,” said Dean Jeffrey Hutter.

During the event two GSDM awards were given. The first went to Donald Feldman ORTHO 71 for his service to the School, which was presented to him by his son, Craig Feldman ORTHO 02 and Steve Perlman PEDO 76. Dr. Feldman maintains a private practice in Lynn with his son and is well known in the community as a generous practitioner and a gifted fundraiser for many causes. Dr. Feldman has served as President of the Massachusetts Society of Orthodontics and as Chairman of the North Shore Dental Society. He has been instrumental in alumni fundraising efforts at GSDM for many years.

The second went to Pamela Baldassarre DMD 82, PERIO 84 for her service to the profession. Dr. Baldassarre began her career as an Assistant Clinical Instructor at GSDM while in private practice in Framingham. She now practices periodontology full-time in Bedford and Nashua, New Hampshire.

Dr. Baldassarre is the first woman to lead the New Hampshire Dental Society and has served as Delegate at Large and Political Action Committee Chair for the organization. She is Past President and Trustee, Greater Nashua Dental Society; and Chair of the American Dental Association Council on Membership.

On Sunday the GSDM Alumni Board held a meeting which Dean Jeffrey Hutter attended to brief GSDM’s alumni leaders on the state of the School. The Board also discussed the newly established Alumni Leadership Advisory Forum (ALAF), which will bring together no more than two representatives of all Boston University Alumni Association (BUAA) component organizations at least twice a year to represent the alumni’s interests, advise the Boston University Alumni Council (BUAC), and serve as a communication and advisory conduit between the BUAC and other alumni networks or organizations. In addition, the Board reviewed current progress and new ideas for the five-year plan they established at last year’s meeting.

Other alums attended the SoWa Open Market to experience eclectic shopping in the heart of the BU Medical Campus on Harrison Avenue.

A researcher at the BU School of Medicine became ill last weekend after being infected with the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, which he had been studying in a BioSafety Level 2 laboratory. MED spokespeople say the researcher, whose identity has not been disclosed, does not have meningitis, but is infected with a bacterium that can cause the disease. Thomas Moore, Medical Campus associate provost for clinical research, says the researcher is responding well to antibiotics and is expected to make a full recovery.

Click here to see the BU Today story by Art Jahnke

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) have shown that an employer-sponsored, internet-based diet and exercise program shows promise as a low-cost benefit to lower healthcare costs for those at higher risk for above-average costs and healthcare utilization such as cardiac, hyperlipidemia, hypertension or diabetes patients. These findings appear in the current issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Health insurance premiums have risen faster than inflation for the past 10 years, placing an increasing burden on employer-sponsors of health insurance and their employees. Some employers have become proactive in managing healthcare costs and improving healthcare quality by providing tools that engage employees and their dependents in their healthcare. One example is DASH for Health, an internet-based nutrition and exercise behavior modification program offered by a team of health scientists at BUSM. The program is currently offered as a free, voluntary benefit to US-based employees of the EMC Corporation, as well as Boston Medical Center, CVS/Caremark, and a subset of employees at Partners Healthcare.

Program participants can login and get weekly information about how to improve their nutrition and exercise habits. Employees enter detailed information about their diet, blood pressure and weight and the website provides nutrition and exercise information tailored to their needs. The program also provides personalized progress reports to document the participant’s development.

As part of the DASH for Health Study, the BUSM/BUSPH researchers focused on employees at EMC to determine whether an internet-based behavior modification program like DASH for Health had any effect on healthcare costs. They analyzed the costs on the aggregate for EMC employees and their spouses during the 12 months preceding the initial launch of the DASH for Health program and costs during the 12 months following the launch. The researchers also analyzed the relationship between how often a subject visited the DASH website and healthcare costs. These relationships were examined among all study subjects and among a subgroup of 735 subjects with cardiovascular conditions (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia). Multiple linear regression analysis examined the relationship of program use to healthcare costs, comparing study year costs among DASH participants and non-participants and then examining the effects of increased website use on healthcare costs. Analyses were repeated among the cardiovascular condition subgroup.

Among all employees, program use was not associated with changes in healthcare costs. However, among the cardiovascular risk study subjects, healthcare costs were $827 lower, on average, during the study year. “We analyzed costs for all study subjects and then performed a more focused analysis on employees and spouses with medical conditions (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and/or diabetes) targeted by the DASH program,” explained senior author Thomas Moore, MD, director of the Office of Clinical Research and an Associate Provost for Research at Boston University School of Medicine. “In an earlier study we found that people who enroll in the DASH for Health program lose weight, lower their blood pressure and improve their eating habits. This study adds the important finding that this internet-based program can also reduce healthcare costs as early as the first year of enrollment in persons with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. To our knowledge, this is the first program of its kind to provide evidence of cost savings,” he added.

In addition, the researchers found evidence suggestive of a dose-response relationship. Among DASH participants who visited the website at least 9 times during the study year, each additional visit was associated with lower study year costs overall and in the DASH cardiovascular risk group. “Evidence of this dose-response was strongest among the DASH participants in the Cardiovascular risk group, where each additional website visit was associated with a $55 study year healthcare cost decrease,” said lead author Naomi Sacks, MA, a PhD student in Health Services Research in the Department of Health Policy and Management at BUSPH.

“Our focus on the effects of an employer-sponsored, web-based diet and exercise program on healthcare costs also expands our understanding of the effects of employer benefits that encourage employees to better manage their health status and contain healthcare costs,” added Sacks. “Regular use of the DASH for Health program may encourage health behavior changes that result in cost savings among persons with chronic conditions in a relatively short time frame. The benefits of DASH participation among healthier, younger enrollees may be evident over a longer time period than the year evaluated for this study. Employers, particularly those who are self-insured, may be interested in both short- and long-term employee costs and health status and choose to invest in health status improvements that will show benefits over the long term.”

According to Delia Vetter, Senior Director of Benefits and Programs for EMC Corporation, the company is committed to helping its employees balance their work and personal lives and prioritize their health. “We are pleased to offer DASH as a part of our overall strategy to partner in health with our employees through highly targeted, value-based benefits and programs. Over 7,000 EMC employees have participated in DASH, signaling a swell of interest in programs lie this that drive good health management.”

All NFL and College Football Players Studied Post-Mortem Show Signs of CTE

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) announced today that a recently deceased member of the NFL Hall of Fame suffered from the degenerative brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) when he died, becoming the 10th former NFL player diagnosed with the disease.

Last week, CSTE researchers announced CTE had been diagnosed post-mortem in a former college football player who died at 42, the first advanced case in a non-NFL football player. Most concerning, all 11 of the former NFL and college football players studied post-mortem at the CSTE have shown signs of CTE.

Lou Creekmur, former offensive lineman for the Detroit Lions and eight-time Pro Bowl player, was diagnosed with CTE by neuropathologist and CSTE co-director Ann McKee, MD. Creekmur played 10 seasons for the Detroit Lions, and was famous for breaking his nose 13 times while playing without a facemask. He died July 5, 2009 from complications of dementia following a 30-year decline that included cognitive and behavioral issues such as memory loss, lack of attention and organization skills, increasingly intensive angry and aggressive outbursts.

Three brain sections from Mr. Creekmur showing dense tau deposits (brown) in the insula (1), temporal (2) and frontal (3) cortices, amygdala (4) and hippocampus (5) in the absence of beta amyloid plaques. A normal control brain would not show any brown discoloration.

CTE can only be diagnosed by examining brain tissue post-mortem. Creekmur’s brain was studied by McKee who determined that he was suffering from CTE and not another cause of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. McKee said, “This is an important case because we are confident many CTE cases are misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease. By examining his brain, I was able to confirm that there was absolutely no sign of Alzheimer’s disease or any other type of neurodegenerative disease except for severe CTE. This is the most advanced case of CTE I’ve seen in a football player; his brain changes were similar to those of profoundly affected professional boxers.”

President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association Mass./N.H. Chapter James Wessler stated, “This is a very important finding that could explain the underlying cause of dementia in countless individuals who have had histories of repetitive head trauma.”

The Creekmur case is also important in advancing discussion of what risk factors may play a role in causing CTE other than trauma. One hypothesis that has been put forward is that anabolic steroids could play a role in CTE. However, Creekmur played in the 1950s, a time that predates documented steroid use in the NFL, so the case proves CTE does occur in the absence of steroids.

Robert Stern, PhD, CSTE co-director, added, “The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on the football head injury crisis on Oct. 28, and we feel that this evidence should be part of the discussion. The long-term consequences of brain trauma in sports are a tremendous public health problem. CTE is the only fully preventable cause of dementia. We need to make changes to the game of football, at all levels of play, which will decrease the risk of CTE to both pro and amateur athletes.”

Creekmur was a member the NFL’s Plan 88. The Plan was named for former NFL star John Mackey’s jersey number. Mackey, a Hall-of-Fame tight end for the Colts in the 1960s and 70s, suffers from severe dementia. The Plan was created by the NFL to provide financial support to families of former players who suffer from some form of dementia. Members of the Plan have been diagnosed with “dementia,” which refers to progressive memory and cognitive deficits significant enough to impair daily living. During life, it is not possible to determine the underlying disease that causes dementia. However, now that a Plan 88 member has been examined pathologically, CSTE scientists have proven it is possible to determine the cause of dementia, which in this case was repetitive trauma from football.

Creekmur’s wife of 33 years, Caroline Creekmur, had extensive discussions with her husband prior to death about his brain trauma history, and is confident he remembered “16 or 17″ concussions, none that caused loss of consciousness or necessitated a hospital visit. He did not have any significant head trauma since retiring from the NFL.

There are approximately 100 former NFL players whose families are receiving support through Plan 88, including Ralph Wenzel, age 66, former lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers, who now resides in an assisted living facility with advanced dementia. Upon learning of Creekmur’s CTE diagnosis, Wenzel’s wife, Dr. Eleanor Perfetto, stated, “Sadly, these findings do not come as a surprise. For those of us who have watched our husbands deteriorate and lose their independence from progressive dementia, our hope is that this research will one day lead to changes in the game of football such that other players and their families will not have to experience the pain that we have experienced.”

CTE is characterized by the build-up of a toxic protein called tau in the form of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and neuropil threads (NTs) throughout the brain. The abnormal protein initially impairs the normal functioning of the brain and eventually kills brain cells. Early on, CTE sufferers may display clinical symptoms such as memory impairment, emotional instability, erratic behavior, depression and problems with impulse control. However, CTE eventually progresses to full-blown dementia. Although similar to Alzheimer’s disease, CTE is an entirely distinct disease.

BUSM’s CityLab program has received a five year, $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Research Resources (NCRR).

With this award, BUSM’s CityLab program will expand its curriculum supplements with hands-on laboratory experiments and computer-generated simulations designed to impart an understanding and appreciation of the basic elements of clinical research including clinical trials.

“Our goal is to generate a deep appreciation of the importance of citizen participation in clinical trials and the importance of the data generated by a clinical trial,” said Carl Franzblau, PhD, professor of biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine. “This award allows BUSM to show students, teachers, parents and the community the significant role of clinical trials in medical research,” he added

The Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) program of the NCRR has supported BUSM’s CityLab program for more than 18 years. CityLab’s hands-on inquiry based biotechnology laboratory curriculum supplements have been used by more than 600,000 middle and high school students nationwide as well as more than 3,000 teachers. CityLab has two dedicated laboratories at Boston University School of Medicine along with its mobile biotechnology laboratory (MobileLab) and is a teaching model for both local and national efforts to improve pre-college science education.

In 1992, Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) launched CityLab, an innovative, science education outreach program that has been disseminated across the country. CityLab is a biotechnology learning laboratory serving students and teachers in grades 7-12. CityLab is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) and BUSM. CityLab’s mission is to provide access to state-of-the-art biotechnology laboratory facilities and curriculum, unavailable to most school systems. Teachers from Massachusetts and neighboring states bring their students to CityLab where they solve problems by applying the same techniques and concepts of genetics and molecular biology used in research laboratories today.

The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), provides laboratory scientists and clinical researchers with the tools and training they need to understand, detect, treat, and prevent a wide range of diseases. NCRR supports all aspects of clinical and translational research, connecting researchers, patients, and communities across the nation. This support enables discoveries made at a molecular and cellular level to move to animal-based studies, and then to patient-oriented clinical research, ultimately leading to improved patient care. Through programs such as the Clinical and Translational Science Awards, NCRR brings together innovative research teams and equips them with essential tools and critical resources needed to tackle the nation’s complex health problems.

Members of the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) community traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii to celebrate 150 years of the American Dental Association (ADA) at the 2009 Annual Session. The Session was held from October 1 to 4 and had approximately 24,644 registrants.

“The Session was fantastic,” said attendee Clinical Associate Professor Dr. Mark Ferriero. “The exhibits and educational offerings were excellent.”

Dean Jeffrey Hutter and his wife Kathy hosted a reception at the Halekulani Hotel on Saturday, October 3 which brought together the GSDM alumni, faculty, and staff members in attendance.

“Kathy and I are so pleased to be here in Hawaii to host our Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine alumni during the ADA 2009 Annual Session,” said Dean Hutter, “We have a special place in our hearts for Hawaii, having lived here with our family from 1982 to 1986 while I was in the Navy Dental Corps stationed at the Naval Dental Center, Pearl Harbor.”

Dean Hutter went on to honor third-year DMD student Courtney Brady, who as the recipient of the ADA/Dentsply Award for her presentation, “Evaluating Program White Coat a Dental Pipeline Program for Children,” was invited to present her research at the Session. He added, “Courtney presented her project this afternoon and I know that everyone there was as impressed as I am with her research.”

Also during the ADA Annual Session, the American (ACD) and International (ICD) Colleges of Dentists inducted GSDM faculty and alumni in separate ceremonies.

ACD inductees included Pamela Baldassarre DMD 82, PERIO 84; Dean Jeffrey Hutter; Richard Sugarman PERIO 78; and Guenter Jonke DMD 88. The ICD inducted Joyce Hottenstein DMD 98.

ACD is the oldest national honorary organization for dentists. Its members exemplify excellence through outstanding leadership and exceptional contributions to dentistry and society. Similarly, membership in the ICD is an honor given to dentists who have made significant contributions to the profession, the community, and their families.

Photos from the ADA Annual Session, ADA Reception, and ACD Induction are available on GSDM’s flickr account.