Leaders in Dental Education

Brenna Croft Receives ASDA Delegate Award
Brenna Croft, senior dental student and president of the LSUSD chapter of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) received the 2016 ASDA District 5 Delegate of the Year Award. Selected by the board of trustees from all chapter leaders in District 5, the award is presented to an individual who demonstrates personal dedication and outstanding achievement on behalf of ASDA and its local chapter members.

Brenna Croft displays her ASDA Delegate Award

ADEA Chapter Awards
At the Spring 2016 annual meeting of the American Dental Education Association, the LSUSD student chapter received two awards, Most Distinguished Chapter and Most Improved Chapter. Megan Currier, delegate from the senior class, worked with fellow delegates Morgan Hilton, Dominic Calato, and Ross Harris to achieve the honors. The awards were presented at the 2016 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition held in Denver on March 12-15.

Back row:  Dominic Calato, Dean Gremillion, Ross Harris; Front row:  Megan Currier, Morgan Hilton

LSU Day at the Legislature
On April 13th at LSU Day at the Louisiana State Capitol, Senators Tory Carter and Wesley Bishop presented a resolution recognizing the LSU School of Dentistry for its achievements and favorable report from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) at the site visit this spring.

During the site visit the CODA committee commended LSU School of Dentistry "for the quality of all programs and the robust educational environment associated with a model which incorporates the entire dental team:  dentistry, dental hygiene, and dental laboratory technology, which best replicates intraprofessional collaboration." The consultants also commented on the quality of LSUSD students "who are top-notch, extremely focused individuals with the highest of credentials."

At the Capitol:  (l-r):  Dental students Matt Henson, Erin Moore, Austin O'Quinn, and Jonathan Doucet (far right) with Senator Wesley Bishop, Dean Henry Gremillion, Senator Troy Carter and faculty member Dr. Robert Barsley

Established in 1975, CODA is nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the sole agency to accredit dental and dental-related education programs. CODA-appointed consultants visit schools to assess their programs in education, research, and patient care. The demanding process, which occurs every seven years, involves support from everyoneÑfaculty, students, staff and alumni.

From a national perspective, the LSU School of Dentistry is unique among the more than 65 dental schools in the United States because it offers degrees in dentistry, dental hygiene, and dental laboratory technology. By training students in all aspects of dentistry, LSUSD offers a level of training that has resulted in the schoolÕs reputation for providing an outstanding clinical education. From 1972 to 2015, the school graduated over 5,000 dental health professionals, with a graduation rate of over 99%.