Current News
February 25, 2011
Dear OSU Orthodontic Alumni and Friends,
I am taking this opportunity to update you on
activities in the Division of Orthodontics at OSU. We are nearly
ready to graduate another class of residents. The current class has
6 members. Starting this July, all classes will have 5 members (Soumya
Padala-India, Caroline Pawlak-BU, Jeffrey Price-OSU, Tyrun Ray-OSU
and Michael Richards-OSU,). This will be in addition to our third
class of interns that will include two people with the possibility
of reaching a maximum of 3 in 2012. That program is attracting
national attention. The interns have a year-long position to learn
more about orthodontic diagnosis, treatment and research. The
interns do not have assigned patients, but participates in all first
year didactic courses, conferences and also present cases. They
also are able to participate in both clinical and basic science
research. Having such an experience allows the intern to make an
informed decision about their future in orthodontics and it can
strengthen their application to a program.
Sarandeep Huja
continues as program director, Saran works closely with me on all
program initiatives. With the help of faculty, we have overviewed
the entire curriculum as the University heads from the quarter to
the semester transition in 2012. This change has allowed the
faculty to review each course and its content. Over the last
two faculty retreats, the curriculum has been reorganized, giving us
the opportunity to overcome some of the obstacles we faced with the
previous curriculum and make innovations for the coming years.
We continue to try to incorporate technology into the curriculum.
Dr. Drew Wade has
taken the lead and has restructured the ABO effort. With the new ICE
options available from the ABO, it is our hope that the graduating
class will be successful with the ABO Certification. Dr. Webb
has participated in the typodont course and is now leading the
practice management course for our residents. Dr.Grubaugh has
reorganized a mini wire bending course that received excellent
comments from residents. Saran continues to work closely with Drs.
Tatakis (Perio) and Holloway (Pros) to provide more
interdisciplinary opportunities for our residents. The
residents continue to benefit from our work with the AAO distance
learning project that originated and continues to be fostered by OSU
and UNC.
The evening
clinics run by Drs. Huja and Sun are busy and provide an option for
our patients and residents. A consolidation of the evening
clinics is possible because the number of patients at OSU exceeds
the times available.
With loss of
stipend and tuition waivers for our residents in the Class of 2014
and beyond, I was able to negotiate with the administration to
continue partial stipends and tuition waivers supported by our
clinic income. This will allow our program to be at a competitive
advantage compared to other university-based programs and give us
the opportunity to continue to attract outstanding residents.
Our incoming first year residents will be assigned 80+ cases to
complete.
In addition to his
graduate program responsibilities, Saran serves as CODA consultant
and is a mock examiner for other educational institutions. He
has been invited to present CE on TADs. He also has completed
his cases and research requirements for membership to the MidWest
component of the Edward Angle Society. Dr. Huja serves on
several editorial boards and as a reviewer for many other journals.
Both Dr. Firestone and Saran serve as Board members for the
Craniofacial Biology Group of the AADR/IADR. His collaborative
funded research continues to thrive.
Allen Firestone is in charge of the
pre-doctoral program that includes multimedia methods and clinical
instruction as an elective. He is also working with a pre-doctoral
student on the changes in airway dimensions after orthognathic
surgery, which will be presented at the IADR/AADR meeting in San
Diego. Allen is working with a second year resident on the
opinions of adult patients and the parents of adolescent patients
about the most important factors in choosing an orthodontic
practice. He is also planning a research project to examine the
effects of orthognathic surgery on quality of life.
Do-Gyoon Kim has
been working on federal and industry funding and successfully
renewed an NIH R21 grant. Outcomes of these projects have led
to papers, conference abstracts and submission of an NIH R01 grant
proposal. Currently, Do serves as an MS thesis advisor,
committee member for orthodontic residents and as an advisor for
pre-doctoral and undergraduate students. He is Division
Research Director and teaches in Orthodontics and Oral Biology.
He continues to serve on College committees and reviews for numerous
journals. He was awarded the 2010 Stazen Junior Faculty Award
for research excellence.
Zong Sun has been
busy submitting grant applications and working on multiple research
projects and publications. He is currently funded by an NIH/NIDCR
R03 grant, an OSU Center for Clinical Translational Research pilot
grant and an AAOF faculty development grant. In the past year, he
has published several papers in AJODO and the Anatomical Record.
Meanwhile, Zong is teaching in the graduate program, advising
several residents on their thesis projects and serving as a frequent
reviewer for AJODO.
Kate Vig is still
teaching both in the didactic and clinical programs. She is
the Mentor and CoPI for the NIH/NIDCR supplemental grant awarded to
Ana Mercado on treatment outcomes in children born with cleft
lip/palate. Kate continues to work internationally with
orthodontic departments as an external reviewer and examiner and
also as an examiner for the ABO. She will be presenting the
Mershon Lecture at the AAO meeting in Chicago. She serves as
Chair of an AAO Task Force on Craniofacial and Special Needs whose
charge is to form an alliance between the AAO and American Cleft
Palate - craniofacial Association (ACPA) which is now extending to
an alliance between the AAO and AAOMS. She is the Keynote speaker
in June at the Eastman Postgraduate Medical Federation in London,
England and the Chair of the Scientific Doctors program for the
College of Diplomates of the ABO at their July Meeting in San Diego.
Ana Mercado directs the Craniofacial Anomalies
program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She continues to
participate in the Americleft project, a multi-center study of
outcome measures sponsored by the American Cleft Palate Association
to assess the primary management of unilateral cleft lip and
palate. A five-part series of articles on the Americleft project,
including Ana’s work, was released online in the Cleft Palate
Craniofacial Journal. Dr. Mercado continues to do research
funded by a grant from the NIH/NIDCR to study functional outcomes of
cleft lip revision surgery in collaboration with UNC. She was
invited to speak at the 2011 Moyer’s Pre-Symposium where she will
present her ongoing study on cleft lip revision surgery.
Shiv Shanker continues to co-direct the Dento-Facial
Deformities Program and teach in the graduate and pre-doctoral
programs.
Richard Burns, Frank Cordray, Dan German, Jeff
Gilmore, Denny Johnson, Jim Karpac, Mark Pierce, George Pommert,
Chuck Reed and Drew Wade still provide excellent clinical
instruction for the Division on a part-time basis. Jack Lude is
associated with our efforts at NCH. Ann Walters will rejoin us soon
in the clinic. The contributions by all of these outstanding
teachers are what make our program excellent. These clinicians are
critical to our program.
We sponsored the Lewis lecture with Ormco in
the fall of 2010 with Dave Paquette as the speaker, and this winter
we had a 2nd TAD symposium organized by Dr. Huja that
was sponsored by Dentaurum and Rocky Mountain. Both courses had
good participation.
I continue to serve the AAO, ADA and the ODA on
various committees along with Editorial Board and journal review
obligations. I was lucky to win the Fields Faculty award and to be
named Ohio’s Distinguished Dentist in 2010. I am pursuing further
research related to treatment outcomes, esthetics and informed
consent / health literacy.
I am proud of the progress we have made each
year and know that it would not be possible without the dedicated
faculty, students and staff. Our partnership with you as alumni and
friends will continue to make new things possible. The OSU
Orthodontic Alumni Association has been a great benefit to the
Division, and I am certain that will continue. Thanks for the
opportunity to work together.
I look forward to
meeting with you at the annual alumni weekend in March, at one of
our continuing education courses and at the OSU Alumni reception
during the AAO meeting on Saturday, May 14 from 6:45 – 8:45pm in the
Superior Room B at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers.
My best to you for 2011,
Henry W. Fields, Division Chair
