Generations of HSDM Graduates Return for Alumni Day

June 04, 2018

Alumni classes spanning five decades returned to Harvard School of Dental Medicine on Alumni Day, Friday, June 1, to reconnect with their classmates, faculty and mentors. DMD graduates from the Class of 1950 to the Class of 2013 enjoyed a day of reminiscing and learning about the latest activities of the School.

The day began with breakfast in the Research and Education building followed by a program that included the Harvard Dental Alumni Association (HDAA) business meeting led by Dino Bertini, DMD97, MMSc99, vice president of the HDAA; a presentation of the Distinguished Alumni Awards; a symposium on Oral Health on a Global Scale; and Dean Donoff’s State of the School address.

Accomplished Alumni

Dean Bruce Donoff, DMD67, MD73, presented the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards to individuals chosen for their contributions to the profession that honor the mission of the School. This year’s recipients included a well-known Boston dental entrepreneur, a leading researcher in the field of tissue engineering and wound healing, and a dedicated educator and advocate for access to oral health care around the globe.

The Distinguished DMD Alumni Award for the 50^th reunion class was presented to Charles M. Trauring, DMD68, an entrepreneur who built a unique multi-specialty group practice in Boston, and also served for several years on HSDM’s Dean’s Advisory Board. The Distinguished DMD Alumni Award for the 25^th reunion class was awarded to Ichiro Nishimura, DMSc86, PD86, DMD93, a leader in the field of tissue engineering and wound healing, whose passion for translational research has led to advances in the treatment of facial defects. The Distinguished Advanced Graduate Education Alumni Award was presented in absentia to Nawarat (Jip) Wara-aswapati, DMSc98, a dedicated educator and researcher in periodontology, and advocate for access to oral health care around the globe.

Global Collaborations

The awards were followed by a symposium on the topic of Oral Health on a Global Scale led by Jane Barrow, SM87, associate dean for Global and Community Health. Barrow introduced speakers representing HSDM’s international projects and partnerships. Donna Hackley, PD95, instructor in Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, spoke about the Human Resources for Health Rwanda Project, and her work helping to build the first dental school in Rwanda, and undertake the first oral health survey in the country. Tien Ha-Ngoc Jiang, DMD14, instructor in Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology, spoke about the new Vietnam Health Advancement Initiative that will develop a competency-based dental curriculum in the country. Shigemi Ishikawa-Nagai, associate professor of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials Sciences, spoke about ongoing student research collaborations with Iwate Medical University in Japan. The panel of speakers as well as HSDM students from a global health extension course, took questions from the audience. The symposium was followed by Dean Donoff’s State of the School address which touched on highlights from the past year at HSDM.

Class Connections

After the program, alumni had the chance to reconnect over lunch and take tours of the School. The classes of 1978 and 2008 were most visible with 40% and 60% of their classmates in attendance, respectively. The Class of 2008 gathered for a special 10^th year reunion lunch, and all 24 attending graduates from the class along with their spouses and children posed for a photo on the School’s front steps, reenacting their DMD class photo.