Affiliate Faculty Information
White Coat Ceremony August 15, 2009
Restorative Dentistry faculty played significant roles in the 2009 White Coat Ceremony held on August 15, 2009 at Hogness Auditorium in the UW Medical Center. The event, held to recognize the transition of the 2011 class from the preclinical to the clinical arena, was attended by several hundred family and friends of the students. Dean Somerman welcomed all to the event. Students selected Dr. Xavier Lepe as Marshal, Dr. John Townsend as the announcer of names, and Dr. Andy Marashi to help present the white coats to each student. Dr. John Wataha was the invited speaker. After the hour-long ceremony, students, faculty, and families visited during a reception for the event, which was sponsored by the UW Dental Alumni Association. Congratulations to Restorative faculty for their invitation by students to participate.Pacific Northwest Dental Conference, July 23, 2009
Restorative Dentistry was well represented at the Pacific Northwest Dental Conference this year! Three of our faculty members gave presentations during the UW “Clinical Innovations’ session held at the Seattle Convention Center on July 23, 2009. Dr. Hai Zhang spoke of promising developments in biomimetic restorations- using peptides (short chains of amino acids) as signals to direct the formation of bone. Dr. Mats Kronström reviewed the current treatment options available to the clinician when considering an implant supported prosthesis. And Dr. Dan Chan reviewed the most recent developments in light curing of resin-based restorations. We are proud of our faculty for representing our department well; Restorative faculty gave three of the seven presentations!
2009 Bruce R. Rothwell Teaching
Award
We are indeed proud that both 2009 Bruce R. Rothwell Teaching awards went to Restorative Dentistry faculty members. The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Dr. Brent Nash, who recently retired from UW SOD. Dr. Nash returned to Seattle to receive the award. The Distinguished Teaching Award went to Dr. Doug Verhoef. The awards were presented by Drs. John Townsend and Patricia Rothwell at the annual faculty retreat held on the UW campus on June 15. Please extend your congratulations to these fine individuals for their achievement.
Accreditation is coming to UW School of Dentistry!
June 2009- The UW School of Dentistry is due for its accreditation evaluation in 2009. Dean Somerman has been guiding the school for almost a year now in preparation for the site visit evaluation, which will occur on November 18-20, 2009. The school’s self-study document (used by the accreditation team to evaluate the school) is nearing final form, thanks to the efforts of many people, including several hard-working Restorative faculty. Affiliate Faculty are a prominent part of the school’s educational structure, which is apparent from the self-study. Thanks to all of you! During the site visit a team of 10-12 dentists and staff will evaluate our program in detail and formulate a report, which will then be forwarded to the Commission on Dental Accreditation for action. Affiliates may be asked to contribute in various ways. One important thing: all faculty and students should exercise appropriate infection control procedures in the clinic at all times. These measures include wearing gloves (change for each patient), mask, and eye protection with side shields. We cannot emphasize the importance of these measures enough! Please help us do well and to provide the best patient care! If you have questions contact Dr. Dan Chan, Shirley Sampson, or Dr. John Wataha.
AxiUm: UW SOD’s new electronic health record system
June 2009 - After several years of planning, a new electronic health record system is coming July 01, 2009 to the UW School of Dentistry. It is called AxiUm. Currently used by 75% of US and Canadian dental schools, this comprehensive system will manage patent fees, treatment plans, accounting, patient records, and nearly all other dimensions of patient care. Ultimately, this system will replace both the paper chart and physical radiographs. It may be a bit confusing for Affiliates in the short-term! Faculty, staff, and students are all being trained now, and we are working for ways to help Affiliates learn the system as well. We will all probably learn from our students (as always). One big improvement: no more thumb prints for treatment approval! Approval will occur via swipe cards, which will be issued to all Faculty and Affiliate Faculty. Once implemented, this system should revolutionize our ability to track patient treatment and student progress- providing better patient care and student education. Buckle your seat belts! It will be exciting.
Restorative Dentistry Implements New Advising System for Students
June 2009- After nearly a year’s worth of planning, Restorative Dentistry is implementing a new advising system for D3/D4 students beginning Summer 2009. The previous system, which involved multiple advisors per student-patient, was no longer sustainable in the face of the many departmental changes and recent budget reductions. The new system assigns D3 and D4 students to an advising team of 3 Restorative Faculty for their entire time in school. The faculty advising teams will help the students formulate, present, implement, and manage patient treatment for patients with complex dental problems. Furthermore, treatment planning activities will be divorced from the main restorative clinic floor, allowing faculty and students to focus on addressing patients’ restorative needs, and allowing treatment to be planned in a deliberate and thorough manner. Affiliate faculty will be an integral part of this process; specific information has been added to the Restorative Dentistry download site on the Restorative Dentistry homepage (just click on the ‘gears’ in the upper right corner of the page). We also will distribute information on the clipboards in clinic, and Shirley also can help answer questions!
