About 1,100 faculty, alumni, staff, and students participated in the 4th annual Dean's Day on March 28, 2008. The date was set aside as a day of personal and professional enrichment for students, staff, faculty, and the dental community, and featured events in three separate locations.
For the faculty, the keynote speaker was U of M School of Dentistry alumnus Paul Krebsbach (’87), the Roy H. Roberts Professor of Dentistry and professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan. Krebsbach presented a keynote speech, “Gene Therapy Strategies for Craniofacial Regeneration.” His research program focuses on the cell and molecular biology of mineralized tissues, with an emphasis on gene therapy-directed osteogenesis and bone marrow stromal cell biology. He is considered a leader in the field of tissue engineering, and he began his research career as a Summer Research Fellow at the School of Dentistry.
The faculty event, which was titled "Dental Research Updates from the U of M -- A Celebration of Student Research," also featured poster presentations by dental students in the summer research program and a discussion of just some of the dental school’s current research initiatives, highlighted in the following presentations:
Caries: The Battle Between Good and Evil (Bacteria) - Dr. Jens Kreth
Persistence of Bacterial Resevoirs in Oral Mucosa after Treatment of Aggressive Priodontitis - Dr. Jason Johnson
Dental Implant Research Review - Dr. Wook-Jin Seong
Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaws: An Update - Dr. David Basi
Oral Health-Related Quality of Life - Dr. Mike John
Osteoclasts and Their Role in Bone Remodeling - Dr. Kim Mansky
2-D and 3-D Imaging as a Tool for Orthodontic Practice - Dr. Brent Lason
School of Dentistry staff members also enjoyed a day of personal and professional enrichment, including a presentation by motivational speaker Mary Jo Paloranta, whose consultancy firm specializes in teaching employees to empower themselves to achieve greater effectiveness and productivity.
For dental and dental hygiene students, the highlight of the day was a presentation by an alumna of the Program in Dental Hygiene. Award-winning keynote speaker Naomi Rhode (’58) shared her insights into leadership, living a balanced life, interpersonal communication and team building. Later, internationally known speaker and consultant David Schwab presented techniques that students can use to launch their careers.