Ephrem, Anderson-Cermin named distinguished alumni

Hiwet Ephrem and Cheryl Anderson-Cermin

Hiwet Ephrem, MSDH, RF was named School of Dentistry Alumni Society (SODAS) Distinguished Dental Hygiene Alumna and Cheryl Anderson-Cermin, DDS was named SODAS Distinguished Dental Alumnus on April 26 at the annual Star of the North Meeting.

Hiwet Ephrem: Distinguished Dental Hygiene Alumna 

Hiwet Ephrem, MSDH, RF, has a strong and beautiful character and lives her life in accordance with a secure set of personal ethics that guide her both professionally and personally. There are many who say that her success as a leader of the School of Dentistry’s Team Care Clinic can only be replicated by ‘cloning Hiwet.’ 

Hiwet Ephrem is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Primary Dental Care at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. She joined the faculty as a dental hygiene educator in 2000, after more than 25 years of experience in team-based care and restorative expanded functions in both private and large group settings. In 2015, Ms. Ephrem developed and applied her experience and research in a team-based delivery care model in the dental school setting. She continues to incubate the model, along with the cohort of U-M dental faculty, staff and students. 

The recipient of six teaching awards, she is the go-to faculty member sought out for her fairness, ability to get things done, and her advocacy for both students and patients. She is involved as a course director in multiple undergraduate courses and as a clinical instructor for dental, dental hygiene and dental therapy students. A master mentor and role model, she encourages her students to both practice to the full extent of their education and training, and to work together in support of patient-based care. 

Beyond the classroom and clinic, her thoughtful contributions add dimension and depth to the growth, creativity, success and goal accomplishments of her students through long-standing memberships and advising of committees related to dental hygiene admissions, scholastics, curriculum, international student affairs and global perspectives in dentistry. 

Cheryl Anderson-Cermin: Distinguished Dental Alumnus 

Cheryl Anderson-Cermin, DDS, is deeply committed to her community, lifelong learning, and to sharing her skills and talents to help others. 

After graduating from dental school (’86), Dr. Anderson-Cermin completed residencies in general dentistry and orthodontics (at Harvard and Boston University), and a surgical orthodontic fellowship at the University of Texas S.W. Medical School in Dallas. During this time, she demonstrated a new a pre-surgical orthodontic appliance for children born with cleft lip and palate. In 1991 she was named director of orthopedic surgery at the S.W. Medical School in Dallas. 

In 2001, she established a private practice in orthodontics in her hometown of St. Croix Falls, Minn. She refined and improved upon the design of her appliance–– a device that, over time, reduces the severity of the cleft lip and palate and aids in feeding. The palate aid is now used throughout the U.S. to enhance the care of infants who have cleft lip and palate and contributes to optimal surgical outcomes.

For almost three decades, she has traveled the world with LEAP Global Missions to teach providers and parents how to care for children born with cleft lip and palate. The temporary palate aid she designed––applied with denture adhesive and a tape on the upper lip––makes it possible for children to feed more easily and gain weight, and to survive. She also is an international lecturer in the area of orthodontic management of the cleft palate and craniofacial patient. 

Closer to home, Anderson-Cermin teaches pediatric dentistry residents at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, where she started the orthodontic program 16 years ago. She serves on a variety of civic and medical boards, is a founding member of LEAP, and is president of the Minnesota Association of Orthodontists.