This March, the Office of Students Programs hosted the DDS Class of 2029 and their family and friends for a Welcome Reception at the School of Dentistry.
Attendees got their composite photos taken, mingled with fellow classmates and guest and enjoyed info sessions and games with dental faculty and staff to learn more about what to expect when starting dental school.
The Pre-Dental Society Symposium is a day-long event at the UMKC School of Dentistry where pre-dental and pre-hygiene students are able to meet with UMKC School of Dentistry admissions, faculty and other students.
Throughout the day, attendees participated in a variety of hands-on activities and lab projects and sat in on presentations designed to enrich their pre-professional experiences as they work towards getting accepted into their respective programs.
View photos from the event here.
Faculty member Sarah Dallas, Ph.D., received the 2024 Stephen M. Krane Award from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), the premier organization for the field.
The award recognizes outstanding achievements in basic, translational or clinical research in inflammation and/or skeletal matrix biology. The award was presented at the organization’s national annual meeting.
Dallas’ research focuses on extracellular matrix regulation of growth factor actions. More recently, she has employed live cell imaging to investigate the dynamic mechanisms of bone extracellular matrix assembly, dynamic interactions of bone cells and the effects of aging and bone-muscle crosstalk on the skeleton. She has mentored a number of students, several of whom have received young investigator awards from the same organization.
Dr. Sarah Dallas (mentee, left) and Dr. Lynda Bonewald (mentor, right) at the ASBMR event
In accepting the award, Dallas credited the mentors and research colleagues who nominated her – Lynda Bonewald, Marian Young and Cindy Farach-Carson – whom she said “have been amazing role models as women in bone and mineral research.”
Dallas also recognized her “brilliant colleagues, postdocs, students and staff,” whom she said have inspired her and made significant contributions to the work in her lab, while also making the pursuit of science fun and exciting. She said this acknowledgement was a huge thrill for her entire research team.
The award ceremony was particularly special for Dallas because her longtime mentor and former UMKC faculty member, Lynda Bonewald, Ph.D., received the Louis Avioli Founders Award. That award recognizes fundamental contributions to bone and mineral basic research.
Read the full story in UMKC Insider here.
Story by Bryce Puntenney
National Children’s Dental Health Month brings together dental practitioners and educations to promote the benefits of good oral health to children, their families and caregivers every February, and for nearly 20 years, the dental school has participated in observing the event.
Give Kids a Smile, which offers free dental care to children in the Kansas City area, 0 – 17 years old in need of dental exams, teeth cleanings, dental sealants and fluoride treatment, is hosted at the dental school, and kids are shown how important oral health care is in a fun, interactive environment.
View photos here.
On January 17, the dental school hosted an orientation for our newest cohort of eight Advanced Standing Dental Program students. The program focuses on training dentists who have a degree from a foreign dental school and are now U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Many students have worked as dental assistants, dental hygienists, researchers, and educators while living in the U.S. and now desire to have a United States dental degree from a CODA approved institutional program, allowing them to be eligible to practice in the United States. It includes a semester-long didactic, laboratory and patient care orientation to the school’s dental curriculum and course of study. The cohort will then “transition” into the third-year dental class, the DDS Class of 2027, during the summer term and complete the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) curriculum.
For more details on the program, click here.
To view photos from the day, click here.
The MLK Day of Service is an annual opportunity as a dental school community to join together to support and serve the local community in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
At this year’s event, organized by the UMKC SOD Engagement and Wellbeing Committee, volunteers assembled over 2,000 dental hygiene kits to donate to local shelters. Thank you to all the faculty, staff, students and friends at GEHA Solutions who volunteered their time to make this happen!
We’ve had another exciting year here at the UMKC School of Dentistry and we’re looking forward to many more! We wanted to look back at just a few of the many highlights of this year, all made possible by our faculty, staff and students. Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year!
Click here or click the thumbnail below to watch our 2024 year in review:
Hosted by the School of Dentistry Staff Council and Interim Dean Russ Melchert, the annual Holiday Luncheon event brings faculty, staff and retirees together for a traditional holiday lunch before all depart for holiday break. Games were played, gift baskets raffled off and a holiday feast was enjoyed by all, many dawning festive apparel.
Faculty and staff also donated non-perishable food items to the UMKC Kangaroo Pantry, a charity providing food assistance for those in need within the UMKC community.
Dr. Michelle Briner, Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Pathology, Radiology and Medicine, has been elected to serve as the Vice President of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Diagnostics Science Group, which aims to enhance communication, cooperation and inter-disciplinary activities among those interested in research in the diagnostic sciences, strategies and related disciplines, especially as applicable to diseases, conditions and abnormalities that affect the oral and maxillofacial region. She will begin her term at the conclusion of the 2025 IADR/PER General Session & Exhibition in Barcelona, Spain (June 25-28, 2025). Following her service as Vice President, Dr. Briner will serve one year as President Elect, then one year as President.
Congratulations, Dr. Briner!
Since the 1970s, Cookie Crunch has been a much anticipated event at the dental school, serving as a “thank you” after the end of a long semester and final exams.
Tables lined with trays of baked goods filled the hallways and lines of eager students, faculty and staff made their way to indulge in a homemade treat.
View all photos from the event here.