AAA P uP u bb ll i ci c a ta t i oi oo nn f of of o rrr A lA l u mu m n in i aa n dn d FF r ir i e ne n d sd s o f t h e S c h o o l o f D e n t i s t r y SUMMER 2014

SOD TARGETS KEY INITIATIVES THROUGH NEW UAB CAMPAIGN

Please visit us at

www.dental.uab.edu

for an online version of

UAB Dentistry as well as

information on:

• Continuing Education

• Dentistry Catalogs

• Departments

• Degree Programs

• Alumni Association

• Academic Calendar

• Research

• Giving

Dean’s Message

Sincerely,Michael Reddy, D.M.D., D.M.Sc. Dean, UAB School of Dentistry

UAB Dentistry is published by the School of Dentistry in collaboration

with the Office of Public Relations and Marketing.

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Erin Tapp

EXECUTIVE EDITORMatt Windsor

MANAGING EDITORJo Lynn Orr

EXECUTIVE ART DIRECTORRon Gamble

ART DIRECTORLaura Hannah

PHOTOGRAPHYSteve Wood

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONSJoy Johnston

WRITERSJo Lynn Orr, Cindy Riley, Dale Short,

Gail Allyn Short, Marti Slay Webb

PRODUCTION MANAGERTraci Bratton

EDITORIAL BOARDMichael Reddy, D.M.D., D.M.Sc.

Dean, School of Dentistry

J. Scott Huffman, CFREExecutive Director of Development

Ann Marie KarakiDirector of Dental Continuing Education

Faculty Representatives:James Broome, D.D.S., M.S.

Steven Filler, D.D.S., M.S., M.A.Mary MacDougall, Ph.D.

Maureen Pezzementi, D.M.D. Ken Tilashalski, D.M.D.

THE FOUNDATION OF the UAB School of Dentistry is continually strengthened by the philanthropic support of our key stakeholders. It is the generosity of our alumni, donors, faculty, and staff that keeps us at the top of the list of premier dental schools. Our cover story highlights how the funds raised through the university’s new capital campaign, The Campaign for UAB: Give Something, Change Everything, support a number of innova-tive efforts that will positively impact our stakeholders.

These new projects include a Student Excellence Fund to enrich the student experience, a scholars program to advance faculty excellence, an Excellence in Alabama Dentistry Fund for allocating resources where they’re needed most, a Patient Directed Discoveries program supporting innovative research, and a community-based rural health initiative. It will be exciting to see how these fundraising efforts can enhance our stakeholders’ experiences.

In this issue of UAB Dentistry, we also highlight a few of our initiatives that allow us to continue leading oral health care. For example, “The Big Picture” feature article introduces a new approach to dental care in the form of an oral health wellness clinic. In addition to providing preventive dental procedures such as cleanings, we will expand the focus of oral health care to include BMI, blood pressure, nutrition, smoking, and diabetes and cardiovascular disease assessment in addition to dental caries and periodontal disease risk assessment. Also included are photos from our inaugural UAB Dentistry Cares Community Day, held last October, and an update on other patient outreach initiatives. You’ll also read about outstanding faculty, alumni, and student leadership, and will learn what motivates Drs. Neumeier and Mueninghoff to serve as our school’s capital campaign co-chairs.

When it comes to actual bricks and mortar, we recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Tulsa DENTSPLY Endodontics Clinic and our new UAB Dental Group faculty practice clinic, which allow us to provide the best in oral health care in a state-of-the-art clinical environment. See inside for photos of these new facilities, along with pictures of our new sixth floor clinical research space.

Decreased state funding makes philanthropic support more important than ever to our school, our faculty, our students, and to the value of a degree. To the many generous donors who give something to change every-thing, we truly appreciate your contributions of time and financial support. Your stewardship is invaluable and allows us to maintain our high educa-tional standards and our pursuit of innovative advancements in dentistry.

10Faculty Focus: Leonard Meuninghoff and Toni Neumeier

encourage excellence in the school’s fund-raising campaign.

12Student Spotlight: Jared Riley sings the praises of small-town life,

Eleanor Harper shares her talents to bring dental students together, and A.J. Fennell develops a different kind of film.

14Alumni Profiles: Meet Jim Shamburger, the 2014 alumni

president. Stanley Beard celebrates his father and lifelong learning, David Sarver helps his patients face the future, and Adolphus Jackson shares inspiring stories of service.

18Honor Roll of Donors

Volume 14 /1 Summer 2014

contents

features

8Healthy Teeth, Healthy Lives: New wellness clinic takes a look at

overall health.

9UAB Dentistry Cares

Community DayCharity event treats more than 350.

departments

Give Something, Change Everything SOD Targets Key Initiatives Through New UAB Campaign

44cover story

2 ( U A B D e n t i s t r y )

news briefs

UAB RANKED FIRST NATIONALLY IN NIDCR FUNDING

The UAB School of Dentistry leapt from No. 15 to No. 1 in recently announced rankings based on 2012 funding to dental schools and academic institutions in the country by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), one of the National Institutes of Health. The institute is the primary sponsor of dental, oral and craniofacial research and research training for the NIH. “These rankings illustrate UAB’s and the school’s leadership position in dental research,” said Michael Reddy, D.M.D., D.M.Sc., dean of the school. “We have some of the top minds in dental research in the United States and the world at UAB, and this is a testament to our hard work and dedication to the nation’s oral health.” The UABSOD was awarded a total of $12,456,763 in 2012. In 2011, it received $4,251,671. This is an increase of slightly less than three times the school’s federal NIDCR research sup-port from 2011 to 2012. It also is $2.5 million more in 2012 than the second-ranked Forsyth Institution. The majority of the NIDCR funding increase, Reddy said, is due to the new National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. The seven-year, $66.8-million grant announced in 2012 has consolidated the institute’s former three regional research networks into a single, nationally coordinated effort. It is housed in the UAB Department of Clinical and Community Sciences under the leadership of Gregg Gilbert, D.D.S, M.B.A. Reddy said the school is thrilled to be leading this national research effort, but it is not the only funding increase the school recorded from NIDCR in 2012. The Department of Periodontology saw an increase of $720,123; the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery had an increase of $629,312; and the Department of Pediatric Dentistry saw an increase of $117,570. “Rankings such as these are mostly a way for us to compare ourselves with other universi-ties and dental schools across the country,” Reddy said. “But the good news for our patients is these numbers are a testament to the fact that our faculty are making major contributions to the field of dentistry, bringing new treatments to our patients sooner, and disseminating that information to our students–the dentists of tomorrow. And for that, we are very proud.”

In operating Alabama’s only retirement community-based dental clinic, the UAB School of Dentistry serves a growing popu-lation of people for whom getting dental care poses serious challenges.

Lillian Mitchell, D.D.S., and the dental students that work in Birmingham’s Fair Haven Retirement Community clinic pro-vide services residents would otherwise have to leave the facility to receive—an impos-sible task for many of the clinic’s patients due to their compromised functional status. “They often cannot be transported to an office,” Mitchell said. “If they can be, fre-quently the office is not equipped to treat someone in a wheelchair or who has a severe

cognitive dysfunction like Alzheimer’s dis-ease or advanced dementia. Some nursing home residents are bed-bound, which pre-cludes their transfer.”

Mitchell said the time commitment required to care for patients in a nursing home makes it difficult for many dental practitioners to leave their offices. Some residents also find that the high costs of transportation to outside offices are beyond their restricted budgets, so having onsite dental services is a true benefit.

“If they can come to the clinic, we see them here,” Mitchell said. “For those patients who can’t be transported, we will do bedside consults.”

UAB OPERATES ALABAMA’S ONLYRETIREMENT COMMUNITY DENTAL CLINIC

Resident receives prestigious research award

Jennifer Bain, D.M.D., a UAB periodontal

resident, was selected to receive the 2013 Volpe

Prize, a $3,500 award for the best clinical research in periodontology by dentistry

students.

The Volpe Prize is named in honor of Anthony Volpe,

an internationally acclaimed clinical dental researcher with more than 250 scientific

publications and presentations worldwide, as well as several patents in dental science.

Bain also is finalizing her doctoral dissertation under the guidance of Susan Bellis, Ph.D., professor in the UAB Department of Cell,

Developmental and Integrative Biology, and Michael Reddy, D.M.D., D.M.Sc., professor

and UABSOD dean. Maninder Kaur, D.D.S., another dental resident, also was an

award finalist.

Greene receives grant from Colgate, NDAF

STEPHEN GREENE, D.D.S.,

postdoctoral trainee in the UAB

Institute of Oral Health Research,

has received the Dr. Clifton O. Dummett

and Lois Doyle Dummett Award

from the Scholarship Committee of the

National Dental Association Foundation. The $10,000

grant is awarded each year to a student in the area of dentistry.

The full-service clinic, supported by Fair Haven Retirement Community, UABSOD, a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, and Henry Schein Dental, provides radiographs, extractions, fillings, dentures, partial dentures, and crowns. It also repairs existing prostheses and manages and maintains implants.

“This is important work because the vulnerable older adult population is the fastest growing segment of our population; these people are maintaining their teeth longer and will need oral care,” Mitchell said.

Patients are not the only ones who ben-efit from the clinic.“Our students need to know how to take care of the complex older adult; one in four of their patients will be over the age of 65 in the next 20 to 30 years,” Mitchell said. Students also interact with geriatricians, nurses, CNAs, dieticians, and caregivers, and they con-

tribute to the interprofessional, holistic care of these vulnerable adults.

As people live longer and retain more natural teeth, the complexity of dental treatment increases. Geriatric dentistry includes diagnosing, treating, and prevent-ing cavities and periodontal disease, along with oral mucosal diseases, dry mouth caused by medications, salivary dysfunc-tion, and impaired chewing, tasting and swallowing that can come with aging.

Treatment and prevention have broad health implications. “We know oral health is linked to diabetes, heart disease, stroke and dementias,” Mitchell said. “Also, in the nursing home setting, rates are high for aspiration pneumonia, and oral health has been directly linked to this as well.” There has been a decrease in aspiration pneumo-nia rates at Fair Haven, and “I truly feel it’s because we are seeing patients regu-larly,” Mitchell said. “If we can take care

of residents’ dental needs, we are not only impacting their quality of life; we’re likely impacting their longevity as well.” Mitchell has also worked with Fair Haven staff on helping residents with daily dental care, as well as on what to look for in patients who may have dental issues.

Working with retirement community residents is not without its challenges and often requires creativity, Mitchell said. “This population of older adults and their dental issues will stretch the skills of even the most seasoned practitioner. Especially for patients with dementias or other issues, the students learn to think out of the box to get the job done, and they go the extra mile in talking to patients and helping make them comfortable.”

Mitchell said she would eventually like to expand and be able to accept patients from the community and other retirement facilities.

( U A B D e n t i s t r y ) 3

THE UA B SCH O O L O F DENT IS TRY has opened a new pediatric clinic to better serve patients with Medicaid and Alabama’s All Kids health insurance program and expand its annual Give Kids a Smile event to a year-round offering. UAB Pediatric Dentistry at Cahaba Valley offers services including cleanings, fillings, crowns and other restorative services. The clinic, located south of Birmingham in north Shelby County, is open Tuesdays and can accommodate 20 to 30 patients each day.

“UAB Dentistry provides the highest quality children’s dental care, but many people can’t access us downtown,” said clinic Director Stephen C. Mitchell, D.M.D. “We wanted to be more accessible.”

Mitchell said research reveals 75 percent of dental decay occurs in 25 percent of the population, many of whom come from disadvantaged neighborhoods. Often this reflects the difficulty families have in accessing high-quality nutrition or lack of awareness of simple things that can reduce a child’s risk of developing cavities, he said.

“Preventing and treating dental disease for a child requires a team approach, and parents are critical,” he said. “We do not want simply to fix a cavity or clean teeth; we want to empower parents to provide the best oral health care for their child.”

Patients needing more advanced care or sedation can be treated at the school’s clinic at Children’s of Alabama. Braces and other orthodontic care can be provided at clinics in the UABSOD.

Clinic staff includes UAB dental professionals, graduate dentists receiving specialty training, and third- and fourth-year students. “It is important for dental students and residents to gain experience with the technical side of dentistry, but they also need to connect with their patients and understand their diverse backgrounds,” Mitchell

said. “Smaller, community-centered clinics like this enable students to develop both aspects of their professional skills.”

The clinic is an outgrowth of the school’s involvement with Cahaba Valley Healthcare (CVHC), a not-for-profit organization providing dental and optometry services for disadvantaged adults. CVHC has worked with UAB on events including Give Kids a Smile, and many UABSOD faculty volunteer with CVHC.

“While volunteering, Noel Childers, the chair of Pediatric Dentistry, had the idea that since CVHC only uses its clinic on weekends and provides adult care, we should care for children during the week,” Mitchell said.

Future plans include adding more appointment days and clinical opportunities in other communities, he adds. “Community-based clinics are a key part of our department’s future for affecting Birmingham and surrounding communities.”

news briefs

NEW DENTAL CLINIC OPENS to care for underserved kids

cover story

SOD TARGETS KEY INITIATIVES THROUGH NEW UAB CAMPAIGN

UAB recently launched its largest fund-raising effort in university history, and there are a number of reasons why this is generating broad smiles within the School of Dentistry. The university’s ambitious

goal is to raise $1 billion over the next five years, with $20 million of that designated for the School of Dentistry, according to SOD Executive Director of Development Scott Huffman.

“We’ve been planning this campaign for the last couple of years,” Huffman said. “It will involve administration, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as students. We’ll have student projects throughout the campaign where they can help raise money. It is going to be a true team effort. They’re

all working together to raise $20 million, and we’re already halfway there.”

The chair for the campaign is Benjamin J. Cumbus, D.M.D., and the honorary chair is former UAB President Charles “Scotty” A. McCallum, Jr., D.M.D., M.D. They are working with Michael Reddy, D.M.D., D.M.Sc.—the dean of the School of Dentistry—and the 40-plus members of the leadership council.

Together, they have identified at least five key initiatives that stand to benefit from this fund-raising campaign. These initiatives touch nearly all aspects of the school, from the students and faculty working within the university to the patients in Birmingham and throughout Alabama who benefit from services provided by the School of Dentistry.

4 ( U A B D e n t i s t r y )

( U A B D e n t i s t r y ) 5

cover story

S T U D E N T S (Student Excellence Fund)An increasing number of students leave college filled

with both new knowledge and fresh debt. The School of Dentistry plans to use some of the money generated by the fund-raising campaign to help chip away at student debt with the creation of several new scholarship opportunities.

“The students appreciate every penny,” said Steven J. Filler, D.D.S. “Probably about 90 percent of them come from modest backgrounds and are hard-pressed financially. You can have students who are maxed out on their loans, and they’re careful budgeters, but they run into an unex-pected expense and they’re kind of up against it.

“Dr. Reddy is very familiar with the issues related to student debt, and he’s committed to keeping those costs down. This is one of the ways to do that, to attack it from the support side. We’re committed to doing that.”

While there are approximately 30 scholarship offerings currently available to SOD students, Filler said many of them are for a limited amount of money—$1,000 or less per year—or have certain restrictions on how they can be used. He said the school would like to increase the scholar-ship funds available and have some additional flexibility in the way those funds are distributed.

“When alumni meet a specific situation with a scholar-ship, they are very wonderful and generous, and we are thankful for each and every one of them,” Filler said. “What we’re trying to do is grow those individual scholar-ships funds and add to them. We want to enhance our student scholarships.

“It’s always been a challenge to translate those special scholarship situations to more generalized support. What we would like to do is get the word out that we have a lot of great students who really deserve support and would be very worthy of this sort of scholarship, and build those scholarship accounts so we can provide that support in a more ready fashion.”

Filler said it is surprising just how much students can do with even a modest increase in funds. “This is a heck of a lot of money to them,” he said. “Trying to handle all their expenses can be daunting. When they see that this type of help is available, it encourages them a lot, beyond what you’d probably even expect.”

FA C U LT Y (Scholars Program)The Scholars Program addresses the school’s long-term

needs and sustainability. It can provide funds to supple-ment a research endeavor, cover travel expenses for a faculty member to attend a conference, and allow faculty to stay informed regarding technological developments.

“That money can really go a long way toward providing a margin of excellence for faculty members,” Huffman said. “It’s a way to help recruit and retain faculty.”

Currently, these funds are generated through endowed chairs and endowed professorships. The donation level for an endowed chair is $1.5 million, while a professorship is $500,000. That is a level of giving that can be difficult for some potential donors to reach. So the school is establishing a new faculty scholars program for donations of $100,000.

“There are a number of people who aren’t able to give at the chair and professorship level who would still like to do something,” Reddy said. “So this way, someone could give $100,000—even if it’s over a five-year period—and that will allow us to identify faculty scholars. That would spin off a percentage: 5 percent that would go either toward their salary or toward their research or toward a creative endeavor that the particular faculty member is doing.”

The endowed scholars can be named after the person making the donation, or in honor of a loved one or men-tor. It also can be designated to benefit a particular depart-ment or area of research. Reddy said the goal is to obtain 16 endowed scholars during the current capital campaign.

“Sixteen is an ambitious goal, but it would be great to have that,” Reddy said. “Donors would come from alumni, industry partners, patients—anyone who has a stake in the school and wants to make a gift. It would give a sense of pride to faculty members who are recognized for their faculty achievements, and it would be a nice way to start building those gifts toward endowed professorships or chairs.”

PAT I E N T S (Patient Directed Discoveries)With matching help from the university, the School of

Dentistry has raised $1.5 million in recent years toward the development of the sixth floor of the clinical research center. Now the goal is to fund some of the research and projects that will take place on the new sixth floor, which is where the Patient Directed Discoveries initiative comes in.

“This is an area to enhance our research in terms of what matters to a clinical dentist,” Reddy said. “These are projects with immediate applications that could change the direction of the future. ‘Patient-directed’ means this is clini-cal research. Not that fundamental benchtop research isn’t important, but sometimes it doesn’t directly impact patients.

“We’re trying to move toward something that would be immediately a translational research project or even what I would call implementation science, where we change the way people do business in the practice of health care for tomorrow.”

6 ( U A B D e n t i s t r y )6 ( U A B D e n t i s t r y )

cover story

Reddy uses the creation of UAB’s national practice-based research network as an example of the benefits that can develop from this type of initiative.

“That came from looking at what’s done in practice and comparing that to what data supports,” Reddy said. “Then you use that to determine what are the best practices or standard operating procedures on how something should be done. So one of the great things about having a national network is you have enough numbers that you can collect data to indicate what the best treatment is for a given individual.

“So if I’m in practice in one part of the country, and you’re in practice in another, we may only see a handful of a particular type of cases, and we may not know how to manage them. But collectively, dentists across the nation may see hundreds or thousands of these cases, and then we can get an answer.”

COMMUNITY(Rural Health Outreach Initiative)

Quality health care is beneficial only if you have access to it. And for many people in rural areas of Alabama, dental care is not always easy to obtain. The School of Dentistry hopes to use funds generated during the current capital campaign to address this issue through an expansion of the Rural Health Outreach initiative.

“That’s an outworking of the level of concern the dean has for those who don’t have access,” said Allen Conan Davis, D.M.D. “We’re in the process of consid-ering additional external sites for our students to spend rotation time working on patients. Nearly every week there is someone new wanting us to come help them. We have pockets in the state that are underserved, and we hope to be able to spread the access points around.

“You have these small, fledgling clinics, and they need somebody to partner with them. They have equipment, space, and manpower needs. With the necessary fund-ing, we could send our students to work beside the local dentists, whom we accept as part-time adjunct faculty. They can oversee our students and work directly with them. We’ve done that with community health centers in a number of different locations, and we’d like to expand it.”

In addition to helping patients who might not other-wise be able to obtain proper dental care, Davis said this initiative also benefits the students, who receive valu-able hands-on experience outside of their accustomed environment.

“It gives students an opportunity to see the big-ger world and work with patients closer to where the patients live,” Davis said. “In dental school it’s a little more cloistered. When students get out in the com-munity health center, they’re right there in the midst of the patients coming and going as they would be in a practice. It gives them a chance to become more cultur-ally aware.”

Davis said the SOD is in discussion with UAB Medicine in Huntsville about expanding its dental residency program, and hopes to be able to do the same thing in Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, and Mobile.

“We would need some capital investment in order to do that,” Davis said. “Right now there is only one general practice residency program in the state, and a number of students like to spend an additional year studying some of the higher-level techniques that they learned at residency. This would give us more of an opportunity to keep them in the state, which we always prefer to do, because sometimes when they go off on these residency programs, they don’t come back. The more of these programs that we have in-state, the more likely our students are going to think about staying.”

ALUMNI(Excellence in Alabama Dentistry Fund/Annual Fund)

The Excellence in Alabama Dentistry Fund was cre-ated by Reddy a few years ago in order to put a name on unrestricted funds. The Excellence Fund is for gifts of $1,000 or more, while the Annual Fund is for smaller donations.

Huffman said these unrestricted funds are crucial in the overall operation of the School of Dentistry, since they can be used largely at the dean’s discretion. “He could send a group of students on travel stipends to learn the latest and best practices or research,” Huffman said. “We could use the funds to provide professional development for faculty. Some of the money has been spent to enhance faculty training, and to put together the school’s long-term strategic plan. We used it to pay for some of the faculty/staff planning retreats.

“Basically this fund gives the dean flexibility to allo-cate resources wherever they might be needed, and to support our operations and our clinical mission at any particular time. Most of the other funds are restricted in some way or another. This is money that gives the dean and the school a way to stretch those dollars and make the most of the funds that we have.”

( U A B D e n t i s t r y ) 7

cover story

Charles A. “Scotty” McCallum, D.M.D., M.D.

As the former dean and UAB president, what does it mean to you to serve as honorary chairman

of the UAB School of Dentistry capital campaign?

I was very flattered. I came here from Boston in 1951, and I never left, and a great deal of those years were spent at the School of Dentistry. I am very proud of what this school has accomplished over the years, and I hope I am able to do the job on this campaign that they expect of me.

You’ve seen firsthand how private contributions can make a difference. What would you say to

alumni and friends who are considering giving to the campaign?

The school would not be where it is today without the generous contributions from the individuals and busi-nesses that have chosen to support the school. One of the things I’m most proud of is the active support of our alumni—not only in contributing money but also in teaching and making the school an important part of their lives even after they’ve graduated and started careers.

The current leadership, starting with the dean, Michael Reddy, sets a great example through his involvement with students, faculty, and alumni, and it’s those close connections that we are counting on to make this cam-paign successful.

Benjamin Cumbus, D.M.D.

When you were asked to chair the capital campaign for the School of Dentistry, what were your

thoughts?

To be honest, I was a little taken aback at first, but it is a tremendous honor. It’s an opportunity to take part in an endeavor that is going to mean so much to the school for many years to come.

By previously serving on the school’s Leadership Council and now the Alumni Association

Executive Council, how do those positions help you understand the school’s alumni culture and

culture of giving?

I feel like I’m a little more abreast of what’s happening at the school. It seems everyone is reeling from the economic turmoil and the cuts to state funding over the past few years. If the school wants to maintain the level of education and training it has in the past, then it is going to have to be creative in how it finds new fund-ing and in how it utilizes those funds.

As a long-time supporter of the school, what is it about the school that attracts you to

continue to give?

I got my education here, and that has enabled me to have a wonderful career and to live a fulfilling life, and that’s my hope for future students and for the future of the profession.

Benjamin J. Cumbus, D.M.D., is the chair of the campaign, and the honorary chair is former UAB President Charles “Scotty” A. McCallum Jr., D.M.D., M.D. They are working with Michael Reddy, D.M.D., D.M.Sc.—the dean of the School of Dentistry—and the 40-plus members of the leadership council.

DISTINGUISHEDLEADERSHIP }}

8 ( U A B D e n t i s t r y )

feature

FOR MANY PEOPLE with healthy teeth, dental visits are a matter of routine. With no urgent demands, such as fillings or extractions, these patients receive a cleaning, perhaps an occasional whitening, and noth-ing more.

School of Dentistry dean Michael Reddy, D.M.D. wants to make sure those people are getting the most of their dental visits. To that end, the school is creat-ing a first-of-its-kind wellness clinic. More than just a dental practice, the wellness clinic will offer an array of screening services focused on overall health. “I envision this clinic as being a home for those dental patients who already have healthy teeth,” says Reddy. “This will be unique for a dental practice in that the only dental

services we will provide are cleaning and whitening. But each patient will receive a blood-pressure check, height and weight, body mass index, and things like that, so that when they leave, they will take with them a check-list that reflects their overall health.”

Because a healthy mouth is not always a sign of a healthy body, Reddy says he hopes the clinic will alert patients to other health risks. “There are dozens of potential health issues that can be identified through quick and relatively simple screening procedures,” he says. “If you’re prehypertensive, diabetic, or if you need help with smoking cessation or unhealthy diet or lifestyle issues, we can provide information on that. If, on the other hand, a patient comes into the clinic with a cavity or more advanced dental problems, those patients will be sent to one of the other School of Dentistry clinics.

“The School of Dentistry is an ideal place to cre-ate a clinic like this, because we have such a large and diverse pool of potential patients among the thousands of people who go to school, work, or live in the vicinity of the school,” Reddy says. “But we also are a part of a major medical center. We want to take advantage of that network to make sure these patients are getting a level of customized overall medical care that you won’t find in any other dental practice.”

The idea may seem unusual, but Reddy says that may prove to be a key to its effectiveness. “We’ve all heard reports about smokers who are more likely to quit when they are advised by their dentist, as opposed to their family doctor,” he says. “You expect your doctor to tell you to quit smoking, but you might not expect to hear it from a dentist. Getting that message from an unexpected source sometimes makes people take more notice of health issues and to look at the overall health of their bodies in different ways.”

Healthy Teeth, Healthy LivesNEW WELLNESS CLINIC TAKES A LOOK AT OVERALL HEALTH

( U A B D e n t i s t r y ) 9

feature

MORE THAN 500 VOLUNTEERS from the UAB School of Dentistry, the UAB School of Nursing, Cahaba Valley Health Care, and other local dentists, health agen-cies, and companies cared for more than 350 people as part of the first UAB Dentistry Cares Community Day.

The charitable event saw UAB’s volunteer team treat basic dental needs for low-income and underserved people in the Birmingham-area community at no cost. Treatments includ-ed cleanings, restorations, and extractions.

“The bottom line is that this is a need for a large part of our population in this area, and we want to help make a positive impact and contribution to our community,” said Michael Reddy, DMD, D.M.Sc., dean of UAB’s School of Dentistry, one of the first schools of dentistry in the country to offer these kinds of services to underserved members of the community in a daylong charitable event.

“Oral health care goes beyond a smile, and research shows that the infection and inflammation that can occur in the mouth affect our overall health,” Reddy said. “We’re privileged to do what we can today to help those in the community in need.”

On-site wellness activities, including blood pressure checks and oral cancer screenings,

were made available to patients. School of Nursing students provided additional health care education to patients, reviewed medi-cal histories, and more. Each patient also received extensive entry and exit oral health care counseling.

“Our school has a saying that ‘to whom much is given, much is required,’” said Conan Davis, DMD, chair of UAB Dentistry Cares and Assistant Dean for Community Collaborations and Public Health. “We’ve been given skills, abilities, and resources, and we want to give back to our community. We believe it is part of our duty.”

More than 250 people were expected for the daylong event, which began at 8:00 a.m. But more than 110 people had registered for care by 9:00 a.m., and the 250-person goal was surpassed by noon.

The School of Dentistry worked with Cahaba Valley Health Care, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access to quality health care for the underserved, and One Roof, a networking and referral agency of service providers for homeless, to coordinate the event. Most of the patients came from homeless shelters in the Jefferson and Shelby County areas, but walk-ups also were accepted.

More than half of adults ages 20 to 64 and

below the federal poverty level report their teeth are in either “fair” or “poor” condition, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Less than 50 percent of these adults see a dentist regularly. Additionally, Alabama Medicaid provides no dental coverage for adults, so low-income people have limited access to dental services.

“So, essentially, once you’re past the age of 19 in the state of Alabama, you don’t have any dental coverage,” Reddy said. “If you’re a little down on your luck, like some of the people I’ve met today, there’s nowhere to go. Anyone who has ever needed some preven-tive care or just had a solid toothache can tell you how important it is to have access to care. Unfortunately, there are many in our own community who have very lim-ited access, and the access they do have is mainly charitable. We’re hoping this event will raise awareness of the need for better access to care.”

Other groups partnering with UAB includ-ed local dentists, Henry Schein Dental Supply, Oral Arts Dental Laboratories, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, the Alabama Dental Association, the Birmingham District Dental Society, Christ Health Center, Johnson and Johnson, Brasseler USA, and 3M ESPE Dental Products.

UAB DENTISTRY CARES COMMUNITY DAY CHARITY EVENT TREATS MORE THAN 350

10 ( U A B D e n t i s t r y )

faculty focus

AS A TEENAGER, Leonard Mueninghoff, D.D.S., envisioned becoming a dentist. Now, in the twilight of his career, he wants to make certain UABSOD can offer future students the same opportunity.

“Dr. Toni Neumeier and I have been asked to solicit other faculty members of the UABSOD, and we will be soliciting graduates from our specialty program of prosthodontics,” explains Mueninghoff, who is co-chairing a portion of the university’s largest ever fund-raising campaign. “With inflation, $1 billion is not what it was when I was young. It’s an ambitious goal, but I believe in going for the stars. It is doable. And it’s important that 100 percent of an organization be part of an effort.”

Dr. Mueninghoff, retired from UABSOD since 2004, currently serves as an adjunct professor with the Department of Restorative Sciences. He believes reaching out to other UABSOD faculty members for contribu-tions is vital to the university’s success.

“The School of Dentistry badly needs finances in addition to state support, which is at an all-time percentage low. There remain facilities in the building that were installed in 1950.”

Mueninghoff, who has taught in the Department of Prosthodontics and

Biomaterials and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, served as Director of both Graduate Prosthodontics and Maxillofacial Prosthetics. He says the stan-dards set by Dr. Volker and Dr. McCallum decades ago must be maintained.

“Dr. McCallum came here over 62 years ago. He remains vitally involved with UAB and UABSOD, along with his longtime administrative assistant, Kitty Robinson. Our clinical requirements are the highest in the nation. Faculty are chosen very carefully and must produce or they are eliminated. Out of more than 50 dental schools, our national board scores are usually in the top five, and they have never been out of the top 10. We have a high percent of full-time faculty who mentor the students carefully. Many dental schools use mostly part-time faculty, with no one really in control.”

As for his strategy for inspiring monetary gifts, Mueninghoff simply demonstrates the need and exact benefit to the UABSOD resulting from donations made by each individual. He’s also appealing to faculty, prosthodontics graduates, and special con-tact groups who would like to support a memorial in honor of Dr. C.N. Lam.

Clearly passionate about his work and cur-rent fund-raising efforts, Dr. Mueninghoff

says he made his career choice while sitting in his dentist’s operatory during his junior year of high school.

“My grandfather, father, and uncles were in farming, construction, truck transporta-tion, and retail grocery. We always had repair shops and places to tinker with mechanics. The dental laboratory really caught my eye with all of the many gadgets.”

Despite having been accepted into an orth-odontic program, Mueninghoff, a graduate of St. Louis University School of Dentistry, decided to focus on prosthodontics. But whatever the specialty, he believes having the proper facilities to train the dentists of tomorrow is essential.

“We attract very high-level applicants who could be accepted anywhere. Students must be trained on the same type of equipment that’s available in private practice. Dentistry is equipment-intensive, and the better the equipment, the better the treatment.”

As for some of his fondest memories at UABSOD, Dr. Mueinghoff says helping start the dental implant program is at the top of the list.

“Seeing students progress from knowing almost nothing about dentistry and devel-oping them to be the best is rewarding, along with reconstructing a full-mouth reha-bilitation with the residents in the graduate prosthodontics clinic.”

Although he no longer works full-time, Mueninghoff still makes a meaningful con-tribution to the program that’s been an inte-gral part of his life.

“I like working with people; otherwise, I’d be in a one-dentist office in the suburbs. To me dentistry is like a big club, and the dental school is the clubhouse. I like being part of a dynamic organization, and I must always have a goal which is to make every student a better dentist than I am.”

Adds Mueninghoff, “I don’t like asking individuals for money, but the UABSOD is a 30-year effort on my part, and I want to fade away contributing as much as possible to leave our great school better than when I arrived.”

A L E G A C Y O F O P P O R T U N I T Y

Leonard Meuninghoff

( U A B D e n t i s t r y ) 11

faculty focus

WHEN TONI NEUMEIER, D.M.D. ,was first approached about playing an active role in the school’s fund-raising campaign, she wasted no time signing on.

“I know how important this campaign is for the future of UAB and the dental school,” says Neumeier, a prosthodontist and associ-ate professor with UABSOD’s Department of Restorative Sciences.“The School of Dentistry’s goal is $20 million, which reflects our ambition to meet our future needs, bene-fiting our clinical training, research, commu-nity outreach, specialty programs, and facility upgrades. The UAB School of Dentistry is a leader in oral health. All of our constituents, from students to patients, expect us to offer the very best. To transform our school and continue the tradition of excellence, we need private gifts to address and enhance our most important initiatives.”

Along with Dr. Leonard Mueninghoff, Dr. Neumeier serves as a co-chair of faculty giv-ing for the campaign.

“In this role, we will help deliver the mes-sage of need, talk about our funding priorities, provide options for faculty to give, lend our names to the campaign on solicitation letters and other communications, personally give to the campaign, and assist with special events or fund-raisers for the faculty, staffs and students.

“We will communicate the great need for all faculty to give to the campaign, at what-ever level they are capable of giving.

“As an aggregate, our faculty giving can be very strong in numbers of participants and dollars raised. Because the campaign includes many initiatives, we will show faculty that their gift can support something that appeals to them personally, whether that be endow-ments to support faculty, funds to help students, funds to renovate clinical areas, or general school support.”

For the overall school campaign, the co-chairs will be appealing to faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as patients, corporations, foundations and organized dentistry.

“Our goal is to have 100 percent partici-pation. Having every-one at the school par-ticipate demonstrates that those closest to the school believe in our cause and want others to see that sup-port. Faculty and staff giving are particularly important as we solic-it foundations. It’s common for founda-tions to ask what percentage of our faculty, staff, and alumni support the campaign.

“Dr. Mueninghoff and I will make presen-tations and give updates. We will also be help-ing to organize and attending various special events and recognition events throughout the campaign as our faculty giving chairs.”

Dr. Neumeier believes maintaining UABSOD’s reputation as one of the top dental schools in the nation is extremely important.

“Because UABSOD is a small-size dental school compared with some in more popu-lous states, our faculty, staff, and students all work together as a family and strive to pro-vide the best oral health care to our patients. Ever since Dr. Reddy took over the dean’s position, he has set the mission, values, and goals for the school, and leads UABSOD as the leader in oral health care. I have been a faculty member here for 22 years, and I’m very proud to be a member of this great team.

“The campaign will help us bridge the funding gap as reductions in state funding have challenged us in the past several years. More importantly, the campaign will help us raise dollars for initiatives we have identified as the most important to lead oral health care in the 21st century, such us digital dentistry, the faculty development research fund, the preventive care clinic, and the community service fund.”

Born in Taiwan, Neumeier received a bachelor’s degree from National Taiwan University in 1976, then traveled to the U.S. to earn a master’s degree in microbiology from the Mississippi University for Women. Dr. Neumeier received her D.M.D. from UABSOD in 1989 and certificate in prosth-odontics in 1991. Currently, Dr. Neumeier is the quality assurance team leader for student prosthodontic lab work and one of the group managers for the Comprehensive Care Clinic. She is also the principal investigator for an Astra Implant study on HIV-positive patients.

“Dentistry has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. New dental material and techniques come up almost every day. Being a faculty member, you have to challenge your-self to stay at the front line to keep up with these new things, which keeps me passionate about dentistry.”

Adds Neumeier, “The School of Dentistry’s leadership is woven into the university’s fab-ric, from Drs. Volker and McCallum having served as UAB presidents to the many faculty who’ve developed worldwide innovations. As a school, we have been a model for patient care and for treating the underserved. Our humanitarian impact has been worldwide. There’s no limit to what UABSOD can prog-ress toward in the future.”

Toni Neumeier

from Nationao

obW

Neumeier ral

thbiology

E N C O U R A G I N G E X C E L L E N C E

12 ( U A B D e n t i s t r y )

GROWING UP in a remote area of south-east Alabama, UABSOD student Jared Riley learned early on the importance of reaching out to others.

“I’d be skeptical if someone told me there were more than 1,500 people in Echo,” admits Riley. “I think being in a small town really instills a sense of camaraderie you don’t see in large cities. There isn’t a lot of privacy, but it pulls everyone together. It made me a better person and gave me the desire to help other human beings.”

Riley, who earned a B.S. in biomedical sci-ences from Auburn University, always had an interest in science. But it wasn’t until the end of his sophomore year that he made his career choice.

“I’d considered pharmacy, optometry, and

medicine before I settled on dentistry. I looked around at several options and concluded it was the best fit for me. It requires a lot of hand skills, and it’s something I thought would remain interesting for an entire career.”

A typical day for Riley consists of attending classes, spending time in a pre-clinical simula-tion laboratory, and studying in the library. Although the hours can be long, he’s focused on his ultimate goals.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing patients and learning more about dentistry. As far as long-term, that’s more challenging. I know I want to help folks and become good at every aspect of dentistry that I can. There are a lot of different routes that can be taken.”

Riley is equally passionate about music. When he isn’t spending time with friends or

student spotlights

S M A L L-TO W N H A R M O N Y[JaredRiley]

FOR THIRD-YEAR UABSOD student Eleanor Harper, pursuing a career in dentistry provides her with a unique opportunity to establish a lifelong relationship with patients.

“You get to help people who are in pain and fix the problem almost immediately. You can make people feel better about their smiles and the way they look. Dentistry also offers a great work-life balance and the opportunity to own your own business.”

The 25-year-old Huntsville native actually didn’t decide to study dentistry until her third year of college at the University of Alabama.

“I was on track to graduate with a double degree in finance and foreign languages and literature. I wanted to be involved in an interna-tional company, and I was applying for an internship with FedEx. My sister works as a CPA for Mercedes, and I probably would have pursued a career there as well.”

Hoping to one day run her own general dentistry office, Harper would like to associate with a practice after graduation. She’s been active with the American Student Dental Association by helping orga-nize ASDA’s annual 5K run, and has served as an associate for the com-mittee on education and licensure. Harper has also been involved with

the American Association of Women Dentists and the UAB Annual Variety Show.

“The show is basically an opportunity for dental students to show off their other talents and to kind of make fun of student life,” explains Harper, who enjoys running, reading, and hanging out with her labra-doodle and chihuahua in her spare time. “It’s easy to get bogged down in studying and clinic and lab work. This is a chance to have fun, get the whole school together in an informal setting, and to connect with the dental school alumni.

“I work with Dr. Filler, our dean of admissions, and a small group of students to plan the show. Last year, Emily Anne Latta, Emily Simpson, and I basically had the task of taking an abstract idea and making it a reality. We organized the venue, publicized the event, wrote the stage script, and held countless meetings. We’re basically doing the same thing this year, but we aren’t starting from scratch. We also have the invaluable help of two second-year students who have joined the team. It was a great success in 2013, and we’re looking forward to doing it again this February.”

S E T T I N G T H E S TA G E F O R S U C C E S S[EleanorHarper]

( U A B D e n t i s t r y ) 13

student spotlights

THE CLOSEST most dental profes-sionals come to working in film is devel-oping x-rays. But third-year UABSOD student A.J. Fennell takes things to anoth-er level.

“It all started last year when we got word the School of Dentistry had a variety show in the works, with a video contest. Joe Vaughn and I sat down and started putting together this storyline and could see the scenes playing out in our heads. We naturally developed into our roles—Joe behind the camera getting the right shot, and me being more of a director and making sure the script was followed. Joe edited the entire movie while I studied for boards, and a few weeks later, we were on stage, accepting the first place award for video competition.”

Fennell, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Alabama, decided to attend the nation-ally ranked UABSOD because it was close to home. Upon graduation, he looks forward to keeping dentistry in the family.

“My aunt is a general dentist in my hometown of Huntsville. After working for her for a few years, I began to realize what a career in dentistry could provide

—enabling me to help people, earn a great income, and give me the power to control my work schedule. I didn’t decide to pursue dentistry until the spring semester of my freshman year in college. I began majoring in business with the idea of just ‘figuring it out.’ The only idea I had in mind was to be a dental sales representative.”

According to Fennell, “my short-term career goal is focused mainly on going into practice with my aunt and building a name for myself within her practice. Long-term, we both have discussed my eventu-ally buying out her practice. I look forward to continue learning and building upon it with whatever new advancements, tech-niques, or tools become available within our profession.”

Fennell, the proud owner of a rescue cat named Regis, enjoys running, going to the beach, and spending time with his fiancee. But it’s unclear if more videos are in his future.

“I don’t really have any goals. I don’t plan on shooting my own dental practice com-mercials or anything,” he teases. “I mean, if Spielberg or JJ Abrams got a hold of our video and wanted to turn it into a full-length feature film, I wouldn’t be upset.”

attending football games, he can be found strumming a tune.

“My dad used to play in rock bands in the 1980s, and somewhere along the way, he got interested in bluegrass and folk music. That’s mainly what I heard growing up. When I was about 11, I remember asking my dad to teach me to play. From there, I got really into it and found an old mandolin and started play-ing it. Since then, I’ve messed around with the violin and banjo, but pretty much all I can do with those is run folks out of a room.”

And while his primary focus is his studies, the second-year student can’t help but look ahead.

“General dentistry is my most likely career path. But, it’s still somewhat early, so I’m keeping an open mind.”

L I G H T S , C A M E R A , A C T I O N[A.J.Fennell]

14 ( U A B D e n t i s t r y )

alumni profiles

J IM SHAMBURGER knew earlier than most that he wanted to be a dentist—he even recalls that classmates referenced that future career in notes written in his high school annual. The Alabama native graduated first from Emory University, then entered the School of Dentistry at UAB, from which he earned his D.M.D. in 1980. After completing a yearlong general practice residency at the VA in Birmingham, Shamburger set up his first practice in Brookwood, Ala., near his hometown of Tuscaloosa. His was the first dental practice established in that small town.

Shamburger practiced dentistry there for five years, then moved into Tuscaloosa, where he established a solo practice. Four years later, he joined a large group practice, and six years after that, he made the move down to the coast, where he now lives—in Orange Beach—and practices, in Gulf Shores.

Shamburger and his wife of 33 years, Julie, were married during his senior year of dental school. They have four children, Lindsey, Ryan, Dale, and Millie, all in their 30s and 20s. After a career busy with more than the average buying and selling of dental practices, Shamburger says he doesn’t anticipate any more moves or changes. Coastal life suits him; he’s an avid golfer and enjoys fishing and being on the water. “Once you’re down here and you’ve got a boat, there are a whole lot of opportunities open to you that tourists don’t necessarily have at their disposal,” he notes.

Shamburger recently took office as president of the School of Dentistry’s Alumni Association and has been active in professional and alumni orga-nizations throughout his career. Prior to moving to Orange Beach, he rotated through the chairs of the sixth district Dental Society, eventually holding the titles of vice president and president-elect in the Tuscaloosa district. After the move, he became a representative of the Alumni Association and held a number of roles, including treasurer, before being installed as president in January 2014.

His recent donation to the school will go toward the endowed support fund, an initiative that began when Shamburger was treasurer, and with which he’s been especially involved. Right now the fund is at around $50,000, with a target of half a million dollars in sight. “In five to fifteen years,” he says, “I hope there will be a professorship provided by this endowment.”

Shamburger says he remains continually impressed by the quality of the education he sees being delivered at the school. “Back when I was a student,” he says, “I was told by graduates of other schools that Alabama was supposed to be one of the top schools in the nation. As I get older, I realize it to be true more than ever, and I’m very proud to be a graduate of the institution.”

In particular, he says he feels particularly fortunate to have Dr. Mike Reddy as dean of the school. “He’s doing a super job and has a great atti-tude about where we’re going and what we need to do.”

Jim ShamburgerA L U M N I P R E S I D E N T ’ S C A R E E R S T R E TC H E S F R O M B I R M I N G H A M TO T H E B E A C H

( U A B D e n t i s t r y ) 15

alumni profiles

UAB’S SCHOOL OF DENTIS TRY has been a part of Stanley Beard’s life from day one: He was born in Birmingham in 1962, when his father, Bobby Beard, was studying dentistry. After obtaining his undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Dr. Beard followed in his father’s footsteps, first at UAB, and then in his hometown of Jackson, Alabama, where he joined the elder Beard’s practice. Father and son served their community together for 20 years before Bobby retired five years ago.

“We had a great relationship, and it was great to have him as a sounding board, to be able to talk about new cases that came in every day,” Beard recalls. When they weren’t practicing together, father and son enjoyed fishing and hunting for turkey and deer in the forestland of southwest Alabama. Beard says he was inspired to go into dentistry in part by his father’s ability to balance a busy practice and an active home life, “not to mention the respect he had of our local community.”

Now, Stanley Beard is honoring his father with a $25,000 matching contribution to the school made in his name, through the School of Dentistry’s Alumni Association. The donation was a Christmas present to his father. “It’s a great honor to do this for him,” he says.

Beard, who was president of his class at UAB, has led an active role in alumni and professional organizations. He has served as vice presi-dent of the executive committee for the University of Alabama Alumni Association, in the Rotary Club, and on Jackson’s school board, for which he was chairman for five years. He’s currently serving on the leg-islative council of the Alabama Dental Association, involved in politics related to dentistry.

Beard has stayed abreast of the many changes in dental practice over the past 25 years through numerous continuing education courses. He followed up on his studies at UAB with a postdoctoral course in San Francisco focused on gnathology. Since then he’s completed continuum courses at LSU in New Orleans and in Texas, as well as a surgical residency for implants through the Alabama Implant Institute in Birmingham. Beard’s belief in the importance of lifelong learning in part fueled his desire to donate to the school. “It’s something you can’t afford not to do,” he says. “Whatever it costs you in time out of the office and tuition and supplies, the return on investment is far greater

than the original expense.” Cosmetic dentistry has been the mainstay of Beard’s practice for

many years, but he sees the tide turning. Completion of the implant residency has allowed him to offer that service to patients, rather than refer them to an oral surgeon. “It’s been a great service for our patients,” he says, “and we’re incorporating other treatment modalities into our practice that allow us to touch more people’s lives. With digital technol-ogy, so much of the things we used to see in two dimensions are now in three, which is incredible, and raises the bar in dentistry for us all.”

On that note, Beard acknowledges the way he was taught to practice dentistry is no longer the way he practices. “In the past 25 years, things have changed more than they did in the previous 50,” he says. “There have been dramatic changes in materials and the delivery of dentistry to patients, which I think have all been for the good.”

Which is not to say Beard doesn’t hold his education at UAB in the highest regard. He values strong relationships with his former classmates, many of whom he’s stayed close to as colleagues. And he remembers his training as “exceptional, not only from the dental but the medical side of things.”

Which is, of course, another big reason Beard wants to give back: “I think we have one of the top dental schools in the country, so I wanted to take advantage of an opportunity through the alumni association to continue that.”

Stanley BeardA L I F E O F L E A R N I N G

16 ( U A B D e n t i s t r y )

alumni profiles

WHEN IT comes to orthodontics, Dr. David Sarver wrote the book—literally.

In addition to authoring Esthetics in Orthodontics and Orthognathic Surgery, Sarver co-authored the fourth and fifth editions of the world’s most widely used orthodontic text, Contemporary Orthodontics, as well as the surgi-cal text Contemporary Treatment of Dentofacial Deformity. His expertise in designing smiles with the maturing face in mind has been the subject of segments on the Today Show, The View and Fox national news.

The journey that brought Sarver to the UAB School of Dentistry as a student, and as a lecturer to every continent except Antarctica, began with a train trip from his hometown of Auburn to visit an orthodontist in Columbus, Georgia.

“I had braces when I was a kid. Those train trips with my mom over to see Dr. Horton cre-ated a lot of good memories. He took an interest in me and seemed happy taking care of people. That’s why I decided to study dentistry and go into orthodontics.” Sarver said.

While at the School of Dentistry, Sarver was president of the freshman class and the Student Government Association. A 1977 graduate, he was selected as the Outstanding Professional Student in the University of Alabama Medical Center and the Outstanding Student in the School of Dentistry by the UAB chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa. During his orthodontics studies at the University of North Carolina, Sarver received the Orthodontic Alumni Research Award.

Today Sarver Orthodontics in Vestavia is known not only for braces and shaping the smiles of multiple beauty pageant winners—Sarver’s expertise in treatment planning takes into account how children are likely to grow into their adult features and what needs to happen now to help them look younger as they age. His work in three-dimensional facial mapping and computerized treatment planning and prediction using digital algorithmic imaging has brought him invitations to lecture around the globe, including the prestigious Salzmann, Mershon, and Angle lectures at annual meetings of the American Association of Orthodontists.

“Predicting growth in the child is so multifac-torial that it is actually one of the holy grails of orthodontics,” Sarver said. “Projecting a child’s face in the future is a relatively new develop-ment and still has a long way to go. However, we have data that can be incorporated through intellectual application of the knowledge itself, and through computer programs for prediction.”

Sarver has worked with Kodak to develop imaging software and systems through a spin-off company, CareStream. He advises them on software design of treatment projection, treat-ment planning, data management, and three-dimensional cone beam technology.

In addition to spending time with his wife, Valerie, and their children, Dave, Leigh, and Suzanne, Sarver’s favorite after-hours activities include photography, particularly travel photog-raphy when he is on lecture trips.

An instructor at the School of Dentistry for a number of years, Sarver continues to lecture monthly. He is also one of the school’s most avid supporters. Sarver established a lectureship in honor of Kitty Robinson, who was executive assistant to former dean Scotty McCallum.

“The lectureship was a way I could help cre-ate a mutual learning experience and give back. Alumni giving back to help prepare the next generation of students who will be joining our profession is so important. It’s also personally rewarding for me. Why are we here? Doing what we do isn’t just about braces. It’s about touching lives and improving self esteem and quality of life. When I contribute to preparing new den-tists, I multiply the positive effect I can have by the number of lives they will touch.”

David SarverA R O U N D T H E W O R L D A N D B A C K A G A I N

( U A B D e n t i s t r y ) 17

alumni profiles

WHEN YOUNG Adolphus Jackson went to school on professions day, the sixth grader heard a guest from UAB talk about dentistry. The idea captured his imagination.

“The speaker said there weren’t enough black dentists. He also said you needed to be good in science and math. Those were my two favor-ite subjects,” Jackson said.

After high school, Jackson left his home on the west side of Birmingham and headed to Nashville, Tennessee, where he attended Fisk University before returning to enroll in the UAB School of Dentistry.

“It was great being able to study at one of the best schools of den-tistry in the country—right here at home,” Jackson said.

Jackson graduated in 1981, then spent several years in the Navy before returning to the neighborhood where he grew up to open his own dental practice in general dentistry, which has grown to include cosmetic dentistry.

“You really get to know your patients. I’ve taken care of them and their children and their grandchildren. Dentistry isn’t something you go into for money—you do it for love of the profession. It gives me the opportunity to interact with people, make them feel good about themselves, and relieve their pain. That makes my day,” Jackson said.

That spirit of service has taken Jackson from his practice at West Princeton Dental Clinic to remote parts of the globe on medical mis-sion trips.

“We went to Haiti last October through the Healing Hands orga-nization from Nashville, and were able to visit the dental school there while we were in the country. Instead of only being able to extract teeth to get people out of pain, we were able to clean the teeth of children in an orphanage. So many children there lost their parents in the earth-quake and in storms.”

Through the years, Jackson has volunteered his skills in the Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Liberia in Africa as well as in Mexico and South America. He hopes to soon have an opportunity to participate in an outreach program to take dental care to the Black Belt areas of rural Alabama.

“People in these underserved areas have to go quite a distance to get dental care, and transportation is often a problem, as well as simply

finding a way to afford it. I hope we can get together and help them.”Between his practice and medical mission trips, Jackson still manages

to find time to serve on the UAB Dentistry Leadership Council.“It helps me reconnect with the school and stay up to date on what’s

going on in the field. I also see how important it is for us alumni to support the school in preparing the next generation of dentists. I espe-cially encourage other dentists from minority backgrounds to be part of giving back and helping to build the future of our profession and our community,” he said.

“To keep UAB among the top dental schools and research facilities in the country, they have to be able to attract strong instructors. The state isn’t contributing as much as it was. The school has been very suc-cessful at getting grants, but grants are often designated. There is a real need for funds that can be moved to cover other expenses.”

When he isn’t busy with dentistry and volunteering, Jackson says his favorite way to spend time after hours is with his wife, Diane, raising their six children.

“Being a dad can be a full-time job in itself—but it’s good practice for being a family dentist,” he said.

Adolphus JacksonS P I R I T O F S E R V I C E

18 ( U A B D e n t i s t r y )

The Volker Society

Lifetime giving of $100,000 and above

3M Unitek CorporationAlabama Dental Alumni AssociationAlabama Dental AssociationDr. William A. BeallBenjamin & Roberta Russell

FoundationBioHorizons Implant Systems, Inc.Biomet 3iBioMimetic Therapeutics, Inc.Dr. Charles Black IIIDr. Barry L. BoothChildren’s Health SystemDr. Benjamin Joseph CumbusDentalQuest FoundationDentsply Tulsa Dental SpecialtiesDr. Joel P. HearnHenry Schein, Inc.Dr. Robert L. HoltDr. Benjamin B. IngramDr. John Kenneth KendrickKLS MartinDr. George Michael Maitre, Sr.Dr. Charles A. McCallum, Jr.Nobel Biocare Usa, Inc.Oral Arts Dental LaboratoriesPatterson Dental Supply, Inc.Procter & GambleDr. Firoz G. RahemtullaDr. O. William Reeder, Jr.Research Foundation of State

University of New YorkRobert Wood Johnson Foundation

Sirona Dental SystemsDr. Charles E. SmithStraumannSybron Dental Specialties, Inc.Dr. Robert Edward TaylorThomas P. Hinman Dental SocietyUA Health Services FoundationDr. Peter D. WaiteDr. Paul R. Weeks, Sr.Mr. Denvill Thomas Winstead

The Greer Society

Lifetime or annual giving of $50,000 to $99,999

3M CompanyDr. William C. Adams, Jr.Alabama Academy of General

DentistryAlabama Association of

Orthodontists, Inc.Dr. Rocklin David AllingAmerican Dental Education

AssociationDr. C. Eugene Brown, Jr.Dr. John T. CarlsonDr. Lee Van CarrollDr. Lewis P. ChapmanDelta Dental of CaliforniaDentsply InternationalDr. and Mrs. John B. DunbarDr. John B. Farmer, Jr.Dr. John J. Flowers, Jr.GAC International Inc.Dr. Lori M. GearhartDr. Dat P. Giap

Dr. Michael J. GrahamDr. H. Gilman GriggsInstrumentarium Imaging, Inc.International Association for Dental

ResearchKerr CorporationDr. Malcolm David Lehman Dr. Patrick J. LouisDrs. Arthur and Carol B. MerkleDr. Samuel J. OgdenDr. Kent G. PalcanisPelton & CraneDr. Richard A. RasmussenDr. Leesa K. Rogers and Mr. Joel G.

HuguleyDr. David M. SarverDr. Okey J. StaatsSynthes USA HQ, Inc.Zimmer Dental, Inc.

1948 Society

Lifetime or annual giving of $25,000 to $49,999

2nd District Dental Society3rd District Dental Society5th District Dental Society6th District Dental Society8th District Dental SocietyDr. R. Clyne AdamsAdecAlliance of the Alabama Dental

AssociationAnonymousDr. James C. BaileyDr. James F. Ballard

UAB School of DentistryH O N O R R O L L O F D O N O R S | F I S C A L Y E A R 2 0 1 2 - 2 0 1 3

UAB Dentistry deeply appreciates the support of its activities and initiatives provided by alumni and

friends during this past year. It is a pleasure and a privilege to recognize supporters whose generosity

continues to be of vital importance to the school in achieving its mission. The following individuals,

corporations, and foundations made gifts or in-kind contributions to the school during the fiscal year

(October 1, 2012-September 30, 2013). This listing is for actual dollars received and active pledged gifts;

thus, it does not include gifts under $100 or gifts made to the Alabama Dental Alumni Association. Every

effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this listing. For corrections or for information on how to

make a contribution, please contact Jeremy Ward at (205) 996-6786 or jward7@uab.edu.

donor list

( U A B D e n t i s t r y ) 19

Dr. John D. BarnesDr. Stanley R. BeardDrs. John H. and Deborah S.

BishopDr. T. Brian BozemanBrasseler USA DentalDr. Luther T. Cale, Jr.Dr. Grant B. CannonDr. G. N. CarlsonDr. Ken CavallariDr. Mark CoxDr. Bruce E. CunninghamDr. J. Felton DavenportDr. Buris Parker Davis, Jr.Dr. William Alvin DavisDr. Jonathan B. DentonDr. Morton B. DimenstienDolphin Imaging & Management

SolutionsEastman Kodak CompanyDr. Lowery A. FalerDr. Hugh FlaxDr. Staci N. GaffosGlobal Surgical CorporationDr. J. Russell Goodloe, Jr.Dr. Roger A. GraceDr. Charles Ray GrahamMs. Sandra J. HaighDr. Robert C. Haraway, Jr.Dr. J. Eric Herrington, Sr.Dr. Sam HollandDr. Gary W. HudsonIBM International FoundationDr. William L. Ingram VJapan Society for the Promotion of

ScienceDr. Teresa Johns and Mr. James

M. JohnsJordco, Inc.Dr. Timothy A. KerperDr. Richard W. KinseyDr. Jack E. LemonsDr. Paul McCraryDr. Preston D. Miller, Jr.Mobile Area Dental SocietyNational Children’s Oral Health

FoundationDr. David W. NorringtonDr. Hugh E. Ogletree O’Melia FoundationDr. Sandra Jean O’NealDr. Jerry L. ParkerMs. Helen Crow Mills PittmanDr. and Mrs. John Bascom Ponder,

Jr.Dr. Stephen R. Price Ms. Minnie H. RastDr. Shilpa J. Register Dr. James A. RyersonDr. Angela T. SaccoDr. Christy J. SavageDr. Kevin M. SimsDr. James A. Smith, Jr.Dr. Barry C. StaceyDr. Herbert L. Strickland, Jr.Stryker CranioMaxilloFacialMr. Deryck I. SuttonDr. Donald W. Sutton

Dr. Russell TurnerUAB Research FoundationDr. Paul M. UptonDr. Christos C. Vlachos Vulcan Materials CompanyDr. John S. WalkerDr. Thomas W. Weatherford IIIDrs. Sherri L. and Jeffrey WeissmanWhip Mix CorporationDrs. William Bruce and Sue Nimer

Young

Founder’s Society

Annual gifts of $10,000 to $24,999

5th District Dental SocietyAlabama Dental Alumni

AssociationDr. Bruce D. EvansDr. John B. Farmer, Jr.Dr. Staci N. GaffosDr. John Kenneth KendrickDr. Harry Russell Mack, Jr.Dr. Michael Scott McCrackenDrs. Arthur and Carol B. MerkleNational Children’s Oral Health

Foundation

Dean’s Partner

Annual gifts of $1,000 to $9,999

3M General Offices3M Unitek CorporationDr. Anne-Marie AbneyDr. R. Clyne AdamsDr. William C. Adams, Jr.Alabama Academy of General

DentistryAlabama Association of

Orthodontists, Inc.Alabama Dental AssociationAlabama Dental SocietyDr. Kenneth David AndersonDr. Sigurjon ArnlaugssonDr. Marty M. AskariDr. Edward Vincent BachoferDr. James F. BallardDr. John D. BarnesDr. Marya J. BarnesDr. Marvin L. BarronDr. Stanley R. BeardDr. Richard M. BedsoleDr. Gregory Charles BessBestbizDrs. John H. and Deborah S.

BishopDr. Charles Black IIIDr. R. Chris BondurantBonaDent Dental LaboratoriesDr. Jon N. BowieDr. Herbert C. BowlingDr. Michael J. BreneganDr. Mindy Dimenstien BrodaDr. Mark J. BronskyDr. William O’Neal BrownDr. Kevin Bryant

Dr. Roy H. BullardDr. John O. BurgessDr. Bruce A. CampDr.Michael Andrew CampbellDr. Grant B. CannonDrs. Eli and Mary Lynne CapiloutoDr. and Mrs. Harry John Caprara, Jr.Dr. John T. CarlsonDr. H. Todd ChamblissDr. James T. ChastainDr. George W. ChildressDr. Darin V. CissellDr. Sam J. Citrano, Jr.Dr. David W. ClantonDr. Dennis Mark ClarkDr. Paige Judith CollinsDr. Karen L. ConnellDr. W. Frank CrimDr. Bruce E. CunninghamDr. Alben B. CurtisDr. M. Shannon Daugherty Dr. J. Felton DavenportDr. Buris Parker Davis, Jr.Dr. Jennifer D. DavisDr. William Alvin DavisDr. Joseph R. DeatherageDentsplyDr. Joseph Paul DiazDr. Ronald L. DiChiaraDr. Morton B. DimenstienDr. Tony W. DollarDr. James B. Donaghey IIDr. Jennifer H. DoobrowDr. Cecil R. DorsettDr. James D. DreadingDr. Andrew Roland DuckettDr. Christopher T. DyerDr. William Gerard Eastburn, Sr.Dr. K. Clay Ellis, Jr.Dr. Milton E. EssigDr. Jason A. EthertonDr. Joshua E. EvertsDr. Sam E. FarishDr. F. Norman FordDrs. David M. and Jill GamotisDrs. James Steven and Stacey

Strickland GardnerDr. W. Day Gates IIDr. Nicolaas C. GeursDr. Dat P. GiapDr. Javier E. GonzalezDr. Michael J. GrahamDr. H. Gilman GriggsDr. Ormond Grimes, Jr.Ms. Sandra J. HaighDr. Lewis E. HananDr. John Bondurant HarrisonDr. Joseph A. HastingsDr. Nancy M. HeinDr. Mark A. HendrixHenry Schein, Inc.Dr. J. Eric HerringtonDr. Sam HollandDr. David Michael HornDr. Gary W. HudsonMr. J. Scott Huffman, CFREDr. Jeffrey D. Hutcheson

Dr. William L. Ingram VDr. Gordon R. Isbell IIIDr. Adolphus M. JacksonDr. Teresa Johns and Mr. James

M. JohnsDr. Michael F. JohnsonDr. Francisco M. KerblDr. Timothy A. KerperKerr CorporationDr. Brown Franklin KimbellDr. Thomas P. KingDr. William G. KingDr. William G. King, Jr.Dr. Richard W. KinseyDr. Stephen M. KobernickDr. Lee R. LeglerDr. James M. LewisDr. John P. LightfootDr. Rania LivadaDr. Nicholas R. LivingstonDr. William Benjamin LooneyLuminous Consulting GroupDr. G. Michael Maitre, Jr.Dr. Tres H. ManascoDr. Ashley MatthewsDr. Karen A. McCafferyDr. Christopher P. McHughDr. Margaret Hendrix McKelveyDr. Christopher S. McManusDr. John S. McMurphyDr. L. Frank Melazzo, Jr.Dr. James V. Mills, Jr.Dr. Tara L. MoncusDr. Richard Walker MorganDr. W. Kenneth Morgan, Jr.Dr. David D. NelsonDr. Stephen B. NewsomeDr. Michael R. NicholsDr. David W. NorringtonDr. Michael O’BrienDr. Hugh E. Ogletree Oral Arts Dental LaboratoriesOrmco CorporationOsstell, Inc.Dr. Alva N. O’SteenDr. Jason M. PetersonDr. Jon E. PetersonDr. Kevin L. PickettDr. Daniel M. Pittman IIIMs. Helen Crow Mills PittmanDr. Stephen R. PriceDr. David W. RawsonDr. Shilpa J. Register Dr. David A. RogersDr. Kenneth S. RogersDr. Leesa K. Rogers and Mr. Joel G.

HuguleyDr. Todd P. RothDr. James L. Sanderson, Jr.Dr. Christy J. Savage and Dr. Perry

L. Savage, Jr.Dr. Kenneth F. SealeDr. James V. ShamburgerDr. Stan SheppardDr. Kevin M. SimsSirona Dental SystemsDr. David Lee Skees

donor list

Dr. James A. Smith, Jr.Dr. Timothy W. SmithDr. Christa D. SpannDr. Barry C. StaceyDr. Alvin W. Stevens, Jr.Dr. Kim E. StieglerStryker CranioMaxilloFacialDr. Mary Linda SullivanDr. Henry G. Swicord IIIDr. Robert A. ThackerDr. Russell TurnerUAHSF-Kirklin ClinicDr. Ash VasanthanVulcan Materials CompanyDr. Sherri M. WeissmanDr. William Feemster WestDr. Brian WestDr. Tom Wilson WestDr. Jenny WhatleyDr. J. Derek WhiteDr. Bart David Williams IIIDr. Lisa G. WilsonDr. David R. WinchesterDr. Gary Alan WolanekDr. Jiann Jang Wu Drs. William Bruce and Sue Nimer YoungDr. Gregory A. Zieman

White Coat Society

Annual gifts of $500 to $999

Dr. John C. BarnesDr. Martin Miller Barnes, Jr.Dr. Michael J. BoykinDr. Harris R. BrownDr. Donald H. BusbyDr. Adam Z. CoxDr. Maurice R. CrowleyDr. Benjamin Joseph CumbusDr. David CummingsDentistry for Children, Inc.Dr. M. James Dobbs, Jr.Dr. Michelle M. DoboDr. Thomas E. DudneyDr. Michael D. EdwardsDr. John L. GarlinghouseDr. Butch Gilbert, Jr.GlaxoSmithKlineDr. Kelly R. Green and Dr. John C.

Green, Jr.Dr. James Edwin HatcherDr. Lawrence Austin HendrixDr. Frank P. HernandezDr. Barry Kenneth HibbettDr. E. Kenneth Howard, Jr.Dr. Bibb Bowles HuffstutlerDr. Lewis G. Humphreys, Jr.Dr. Robert S. JonesDr. Jason B. JordanDr. John M. LaneDr. Arthur E. LewisDr. Mark S. LitakerDr. Billy N. LovettDr. Rodney M. Marshall

Dr. J. Calvin McCullohDr. Shelton Park MimsDr. Malinda Byrd NixDr. Robert H. Owen, Jr.Dr. Matthew M. ParkerDr. Robert L. PikeDr. Don Michael RasburyDr. Michael Charles ReindlDr. Lew B. SampleDr. Calvin O. Sanders, Jr.Dr. Craig G. ShadingerDr. R. Clarke StewartDr. Elizabeth S. WhiteDr. Thomas T. Willis, Jr.Dr. O. Lee Wilson

D.M.D. SocietyAnnual gifts of $100 to $499

Dr. Kevin J. AlexanderAligncoDr. Vincent Paul ArataAtlanta DentalDr. Maureen BaldyDr. Terence Daniel BarnesBentson Clark & CoppleBiomet 3iBirmingham Society for Advanced

DentistryDr. Dale E. BishopDr. W. Timothy BrooksDr. Ronald E. BrownCarestream DentalDr. Noel K. ChildersDr. John M. CokeDr. Karen Locke CottinghamDr. James E. Covan, Jr. Dr. David A. DauphinDr. Cheryl E. DavisDr. L. Elizabeth DavisDr. Gresham T. Farrar, Jr.Dr. Mark E. FeigenDr. John J. Flowers, Jr.Forestadent U.S.A.Dr. Nancy C. FowlerDr. Richard S. FrederickDr. Mary S. GallianDr. James T. GardinerDr. Daniel A. GivanMr. John R. Goodloe IIIDr. Alexander R. GoodmanDr. Charles J. GraffeoDr. Shannon D. GreenDr. Robert F. GuyetteDr. William Dayton HartDr. Barry W. HerringDr. Elizabeth Palmer HillDr. M. Wendy HolderDr. Karen S. HoraceDr. John H. JayneDr. James H. JohnsonDr. Hiram L. Johnson, Sr.Dr. Shaunda E. KellyDr. Jimmy Edward KikerDr. William R. Lacefield, Jr.

Dr. John F. LemlerDr. Edgar A. LunaDr. Kimberly Michelle MaldonDr. Charles A. McCallum, Jr.Dr. Christopher J. McCallumDr. Ray H. McLaughlinDr. Timothy E. McNutt, Sr.Dr. David C. MellownDr. Carol Wilson MilesDr. Joseph B. MilholmMr. R. Bryant MooreDr. Debra Long MorganDr. W. Britt MorrisDr. Tom H. MyersDr. Patrick C. NassettaDr. Thanh Ngoc NguyenDr. Jake R. NoelDr. James K. NolenOKU Phi Phi ChapterOpa Dental Laboratory, Inc.Orthopli CorporationDr. Leon E. PappanastosDr. Dipti V. PatelDr. John E. PettyDr. William Robertson PhillippiDr. James A. PickleDr. Robert E. PierceDr. Ilaya R. RajagopalDr. Matthew J. RasmussenReliance Orthodontic ProductsMr. Michael RicheyDr. Earl D. RogersDr. Ollie E. Rollings IIIDr. R. Ross RussellDr. Rosalyn J. SalterDr. D. Brett SchroederDr. C. Alan SherrillDr. Richard A. SimpsonDr. Jack Smalley, Jr.Mr. Jimmy D. SmitheyMs. Mary O. SpencerMr. Sean SpurlockMr. Michael S. StearnsMs. Mary Gayle StonerDr. Jonathan M. ThreadgillDr. Darlreen B. ToneyTp Orthodontics, Inc.Treloar & Heisel, Inc.Dr. Bobby T. UnderwoodMr. Stephen M. VaughanDr. Thomas G. WalkerDr. Walter A. WalkerDr. Charles R. WaltonDr. Richard A. WeemsDr. Tara J. WheelerDr. Joseph T. WillisMs. Cynthia H. WilsonDr. John Robert WintersWorld Class Technology CorporationDr. Jeffrey H. WorleyDr. J.C. YarbroughDr. L. Wayne YarbroughDr. Charles R. YatesDr. Jennifer Y. You

20 ( U A B D e n t i s t r y )

donor list

Visit our Web site at www.uab.edu/plannedgiving

Planning for the future is your gift to your family and to the UAB School of Dentistry. Just as time

spent with grandchildren is a joy for you and for them, supporting the UAB School of Dentistry

brings satisfaction now and ensures future support for dental education, research, and patient care.

Made through your will, retirement fund designation, or trust, your estate gift will demonstrate your

commitment to UAB’s School of Dentistry during your lifetime—and beyond.

Today’s promise         ...tomorrow’s dentists

J. Scott Huffman, CFRE, Executive Director of Development

(205) 934-3601 or shuffman@uab.edu

Elizabeth A. Ponder,Director of Planned Giving

(205) 934-0759 or eponder@uab.edu

Create your legacy for the School of Dentistry

Always consult your tax or legal advisor when considering a planned gift.

For more bequest information, please contact:

OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENTSDB 214 • 1919 7th Avenue South1720 2ND AVE SBIRMINGHAM AL 35294-0007

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

P A I DPERMIT NO. 1256

BIRMINGHAM, AL