Department of Periodontics and Preventive Dentistry: News
Department Takes Part in National Minority Health Day
On April 12, the Department of Periodontics and Preventive Dentistry participated in National Minority Health Day at the Kingsley Association in East Liberty, Pa. The event "Building Healthy Black Families" was sponsored by the University's Center for Minority Health and included medical screenings and community service projects. Faculty and students of the Dental Hygiene Program and third-year predoctoral students volunteered by provided prophies without cost. Twenty individuals signed up for further treatment at the school. Participants also completed surveys regarding personal oral healthcare and their satisfaction with dental healthcare services. The department's participation in the event was coordinated by faculty member Ms. Gayle Ball, assistant professor in the department and former University Diversity Fellow (2005).
Lee P. Johns Award
Ms. Jennifer Mateja, fourth-year predoctoral student was the recipient for the 2008 Lee P. Johns Award, endowed in honor of the late Dr. Johns, beloved faculty member of the Department of Periodontics/Preventive Dentistry. Each year, a graduating predoctoral student with a record of strong performance and genuine skill in periodontics is selected to receive the award. The award is made possible by the generosity of the family of Dr. Johns and his wife, Dr. Linda Kelly.
New residents begin program July 1
Rising second-year resident Abdulaziz al-Jazzaf (Medical College of Virginia) was elected chief for 2008 in a vote of the residents on April 25. He will lead the remaining four residents -- Drs. Eugenie Daignault (McGill University), Abdullah Al-Shuraidah (Medical College of Virginia), Kelly Bolden (University of Pittsburgh), and Priya Acharya (Boston University). New residents Jennifer Mateja, 2008 University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine graduate; Danny Choi (Ohio State University) and Ahmad Alshareef (University of Pittsburgh) begin work in the three-year residency starting July 1. Graduating residents Chief Alexander J. Kim (University of the Pacific) and Meriana S. Martin (Medical College of South Carolina) are guests of honor at the department's annual 2008 Residents' Day party, hosted by Dr. Famili at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association on June 20.
Department of Periodontics Visiting Assistant Professor Summer 2008
Dr. Ayla Ozturk
Returning to the Department of Periodontics/Preventive Dentistry from her native Turkey, former periodontics resident Dr. Ayla Ozturk (Pittsburgh 2002), will spend the next six months in residence in the department in Pittsburgh again, supervising cases in the Predoctoral Module Clinics, conducting her own research, and following a joint research project of Dr. Alexandre Viera and Dr. Pouran Famili, Genetics of Chronic Periodontitis in Pittsburgh. In 2005, she received a doctoral degree in human genetics from the University of Pittsburgh. She has been a periodontics faculty member at Ondokuz Mayis University in Ankara, Turkey, since returning there in 2005.
Cutting-edge periodontal researcher William V. Giannobile, PhD presents at Grand Rounds May 22
Well-known among periodontists for conducting highly influential research into C-telopeptide and its role as a bone-density and quality marker that is key in guiding dental implant placement, Dr. Giannobile, assistant professor at Northwestern University Medical School, will spend the day discussing his research with residents in periodontics and other members of the School of Dental Medicine. His visit to Pittsburgh is coordinated by Dr. Charles Sfeir, director of the Center for Craniofacial Regeneration and assistant professor in the Department of Oral Biology, and the school's Student Research Group. C-telopeptide levels correlate with microbial pathogens associated with periodontal disease and in patients with dental implants, and have been suggested as a marker that could indicate cases predisposed to osteonecrosis.