The Dr. Roy J. Rinehart Foundation invited the DDS Class of 2028 and the Dental Hygiene Class of 2026 to a barbecue lunch catered by Jack Stack to learn about the foundation and how it has impacted the school and continues to do so.
Students received embroidered UMKC pullovers courtesy of the Rinehart Foundation.
The UMKC School of Dentistry Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics has partnered with Smiles Change Lives to provide access to life-changing orthodontic treatment to children from families that cannot afford the full cost of braces.
Smiles Change Lives, originally the Virginia Brown Community Orthodontic Partnership, has treated more than 16,000 children since 1997, when they initially partnered with the dental school, and has emerged as the nation’s leader in providing access to orthodontic care for qualified youth.
This July, orthodontic residents renewed the partnership and began treatment for six patients, selected by Smiles Change Lives.
Hear from Erin Cahil, star of multiple Hallmark films, about the organization’s mission and how you can get involved here.
American Student Dental Association (ASDA)
Each fall, ASDA celebrates their annual Crawfish Boil as a kick-off to the new school year and to welcome in the new D1 class. Not only is it fun event for all students to attend, but it helps us raise funds to send students to conferences.
In October, ASDA sent 8 students to represent theschool at ASDA’s National Leadership Conference in Chicago. This was an amazing experience for all who got to go as they were able to receive continuing education, network with students from all over the country, and learn how to strengthen the local chapter.
In the spring, ASDA was able to send a large group of students to Jefferson City to participate in ASDA’s Missouri Lobby Day. Participants were able to actively participate in organized dentistry and advocate for their profession to our state’s lawmakers.
In March, ASDA sent three students to ASDA’s Annual Session in Colorado, where ASDA executives can vote on national ASDA legislation and policies. This is another great opportunity for our students to get to participate in organized dentistry and contribute to efforts that support dental students nationwide.
This September, ASDA also sent four students to the ASDA district’s leadership retreat in Okoboji, Iowa. The local chapter leaders were able to collaborate with chapter leaders from 6 other dental schools to learn about how we can better support and grow our local chapter.
ASDA has goals and plans to more than double conference attendance and to bring more resources to students than ever before. Major ASDA events coming up are this year’s National Leadership Conference in Chicago in November, the ASDA District 8 Conference in St. Louis in January, ASDA’s National Lobby Day in March, and ASDA’s Annual Session right here at UMKC in March.
Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA)
HSDA earned the 2023-24 Chapter of the Year award for its outstanding dedication to diversity, community engagement, and student empowerment. In partnership with the Student National Dental Association (SNDA), the chapter organizes key initiatives like Impressions Day and the Shaping Smiles Shaping Futures program. These programs are designed to provide high school and college students interested in dentistry with valuable information about the profession, an introduction to the school, hands-on dental activities, and direct exposure to both dental students and faculty. Through these efforts, the HSDA not only inspires the next generation of dental professionals but also strengthens its ties with the broader community.
Additionally, the chapter holds monthly general body meetings that serve as vital opportunities for members to share resources, explore new opportunities, and build a strong support network. To further foster a closely knit community, the HSDA hosts a new student welcome dinner and social, which helps new students connect with older students and learn about the various organizations within the school.
These combined efforts highlight the chapter’s leadership, dedication, and far-reaching impact, making it a deserving recipient of the Chapter of the Year award.
Executive members took to New York City to attend the HDA Student Regional Conference this summer. Click here for HSDA’s overview of their time.
Student National Dental Association (SNDA)
Dental students from the UMKC Chapter of SNDA recently went to Las Vegas to attend the 52nd Annual SNDA National Convention, and went home with some well-deserved recognitions including:
Medium Chapter of the Year: 1st Place – UMKC SNDA Chapter
Shark Tank Competition: 3rd Place – Micheal Opara, DDS Class of 2027; Daysha Horne, DDS Class of 2027; and Francesca Anderson, DDS Class of 2027
Scholarship Awardee: Daysha Horne, DDS Class of 2027
Dr. Luke Wezeman, Clinical Assistant Professor, as been named the new Vice Chair of the Department of Restorative Clinical Sciences, after having served as interim.
Dr. Wezeman received his bachelor’s degree from Seattle Pacific University in 1996, and in 1997, he earned a Washington state teaching certificate and master’s degree in teaching in 1999. Following his schooling, Dr. Wezeman went back to Whidbey Island, where he grew up, and taught middle and high school for five years, then, in 2004, began dental school at New York University’s College of Dentistry where he graduated with his DDS degree in 2008. Dr. Wezeman became the owner and operator of a private practice for ten years, then after choosing to sell his practice in 2018, worked as an associate dentist for two and half years.
He joined the dental school in 2021 as Clinical Assistant Professor, where he’s successfully united his passion for dentistry and teaching. This passion is evident to the dental school community, as he’s received numerous teach awards including Faculty of the Year multiple years running, Lecturer of the Year and Pre-Clinical Lab Faculty of the Year. He was also selected to be the DDS keynote speaker for our Transitioning to the Profession Ceremony. Dr. Wezeman has served as a course director for two major courses in the Department of Restorative Clinical Sciences, teaches in the student clinic four to five days a week, manages and administers a Fixed Prosthodontic competency for the D4 class and helps to prepare students for success in the clinical board exams.
Currently, Dr. Wezeman maintains memberships with the American Dental Association, American Dental Education Association, Missouri Dental Association, Kansas Dental Association, and the Greater Kansas City Dental Association.
by Jimi Sode, Senior Manager of Dental Admissions and Smiles and Sets Event Lead
The first-ever Smiles & Sets: UMKC School of Dentistry Spike Showdown was a huge success!
Held at The Sandbox on Saturday, August 17th, this inaugural sand volleyball tournament brought together students, faculty, staff and alumni for an exciting day of friendly competition. The event had teams representing various different UMKC School of Dentistry constituents. The atmosphere was electric with excitement and camaraderie.
The sun was shining, the sand was hot, and the play with fierce, as everyone came together to celebrate the start of the academic year in the best possible way. There were clever team names with the winner of the best team name going to the “Drill and Kill”.
The dual-division tournament allowed players of all skill levels to compete, and in the end, the top teams were awarded well-deserved prizes.
Maddie Janes (D2) served as the captain for “79 Courts” who won the Upper Division Championship and Jimi Sode served as captain for one of the faculty and staff teams called the “The Floss Bosses” who won the Lower Division Championship.
The Smiles & Sets truly set the tone for an unforgettable year at the UMKC School of Dentistry, bringing the community closer while showcasing the spirit of friendly competition.
To an outsider, pancakes flying through the air at 8 in the morning may not be something you’d expect during Orientation, but the annual pancake breakfast has been a long-standing school tradition at the dental school, and something students, faculty and staff look forward to each year on the final day of Orientation.
Following the pancake breakfast, classes took their first official group photos, got to know each other through team building, learn more about setting themselves up for success as they start their dental school journey, and got to know how to get involved with our dental student organizations.
Orientation continued Thursday, August 15th with an opportunity to meet and hear from school administrators and enjoy a variety of activities to allow them to get to know one another.
Presentations topics included student success, the school’s culture of diversity, respect and belonging and the dental school’s alumni associations.
The day wrapped up with a cool sweet treat on a very hot Thursday from One More Scoop ice cream truck, sponsored by the Missouri Dental Society and Greater Kansas City Dental Society.
The UMKC School of Dentistry welcomed its newest students, the incoming Dental Class of 2028 and Dental Hygiene Class of 2026, on Wednesday, August 14th.
It was a day of computer checks, composite photos, locker move in and prep work, all designed to make the year start smoothly.
Congratulations to Dr. Sarah L. Dallas, UM Curator’s Distinguished Professor, Lee M. and William Lefkowitz Endowed Professor, Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, for receiving the 2024 Stephen M. Krane Award! This award, which is given in recognition of outstanding achievements in basic, translational or clinical research in inflammation and/or skeletal matrix biology, will be presented during the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) 2024 Annual Meeting at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, ON, Canada.
Dr. Dallas completed her undergraduate training at the University of Birmingham, U.K. and her Ph.D. at the Royal Veterinary College, London. She then came to the United States for postdoctoral training and transitioned to an independently funded investigator. Her research has focused on extracellular matrix regulation of growth factor actions and more recently she has employed live cell imaging to investigate the dynamic mechanisms of bone extracellular matrix assembly, dynamic interactions of bone cells and effects of aging and bone-muscle crosstalk on the skeleton. She has helped launch the careers of a number of trainees, several of whom have received ASBMR young investigator awards.
“I am honored to be selected for the 2024 Stephen M. Krane Award. Steve was a pioneer in our field. At one of my first ASBMR meetings as a postdoc I saw his ground-breaking talk describing a mouse with collagenase-resistant type I collagen and its effects on osteocyte apoptosis, which inspired my research interests in extracellular matrix biology and osteocytes. I would like to thank my mentors and research colleagues who nominated me for this award, Lynda Bonewald, Marian Young and Cindy Farach-Carson, who have been amazing role models as women in bone and mineral research. I also thank my former mentors and colleagues Lance Lanyon, Gregory Mundy and Mark Johnson, and all the brilliant colleagues, postdocs, students and staff who have inspired me and made major contributions to the work in my lab and who made the pursuit of science fun and exciting. I also thank my family and friends for their support, encouragement and patience as I pursued my dream of being a full-time science geek.” – Sarah Dallas, Ph.D.
The dental school recently donated 600 dental hygiene kits for Hope Community School in Ndola, Zambia and Spark Ventures Educator Empowerment Initiative in an effort to extend care to those outside of Kansas City. Thanks to Henry Schein, kits included two disclosing tablets each.
“The things that we take for granted were treasures to the children at Hope,” says Jamie Charles of the UMKC School of Dentistry Business Office, pictured above, middle. “They were very grateful. I am hoping that our connection with Spark Ventures will be one that will continue on for years to come!”
Spark Ventures looks to build global partnerships between US-based teachers and Hope School in Zambia. Although the dental school wasn’t able to perform care in Zambia, the gift still made an impact.
Thank you to the numerous School of Dentistry faculty and staff who contributed to the success of this project.