Alumni and Faculty Honored in 2016

Every year at Alumni Day the LSU School of Dentistry has an opportunity to recognize excellence among alumni and faculty. Alumni awardees are nominated and selected by the Alumni Association Board of Directors while faculty recipients are selected by the leadership of the school. In 2016, five worthy individuals were recognized for their commitment and service to the dental profession.

Alumnus of the Year
Congratulations to Dr. Kristi Soileau for being named the LSU School of Dentistry Alumna of the Year. She has been a practicing periodontist in the New Orleans area since 1986. She received a DDS in 1985, a certificate in advanced education in general dentistry in 1986, and a certificate in periodontics in 1988, all from LSUSD. Dr. Soileau also received her master of education in curriculum and instruction from the University of New Orleans in 1987, and is currently enrolled in the Creighton University Masters in Health Sciences Ethics program.

Kristi Soileau, DDS, Alumna of the Year

Dr. Soileau has been a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology since 1994. She has strong ties with the LSU School of Dentistry. She is past-president of the Alumni Association, serves as a gratis faculty member with the Department of Periodontics, and has generously given back to the school with her time, talent, and financial support. She has led fundraising campaigns for the renovation of the preclinical labs and the Periodontics Resident Research and Education Fund, and has served as committee chair of her class reunions over the past few years.

Dr. Soileau has served as president of the Louisiana Society of Periodontists, the American Association for Dental Research, and the New Orleans Dental Association. She has represented Louisiana at the American Academy of Periodontology State and Regional Assembly for the past 12 years, served two terms on the AAP State and Regional Assembly Coordinating Committee, and currently is a member of AAP's Volunteer Qualifications and Awards Committee. She has served as editor of the NODA Newsletter for nearly 30 years, is on the Louisiana Dental Association Board of Directors, and has been an alternate delegate to the American Dental Association House for the past several years. Dr. Soileau is currently treasurer / secretary / meeting coordinator for the Louisiana Society of Periodontics and has served in that position for 13 years. She is also treasurer of her American College of Dentists chapter and editor for her International College of Dentists chapter. Recently Dr. Soileau was appointed to the ADA Council on Ethics, Bylaws, and Judicial Affairs. Her membership and involvement in professional dental organizations are extensive. She is a member of the American Dental Association, Louisiana Dental Association, American Academy of Periodontology (AAP), Louisiana Society of Periodontists, Pierre Fauchard Academy, Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity, American Association of Dental Research, and Delta Sigma Delta Dental Fraternity.

Dr. Soileau also has a heart for teaching. Since 1979, she has taught a variety of courses to junior high, high school, and dental students, and presents topics related to periodontology regularly at dental-related conferences and organizations. She has also engaged in significant research with results being published in prestigious journals such as the Journal of the American Dental Association, Journal of Periodontal and Restorative Dentistry, and the Journal of Periodontology. She resides in New Orleans and is married to fellow alumnus, Dr. David DeGenova, who received both his DDS and his orthodontic certificate from LSUSD in 1978 and 1984 respectively. They have three sons.

Dr. Soileau was nominated by fellow alumni, Drs. Gary DeWitt, Tom McNeely, Steven Spindler, and Gerald Evans (chair of the Department of Periodontics). "Whether you are a periodontist or a restorative dentist, you should be familiar with Dr. Soileau's contributions to dentistry, dental leadership, and dental education," said Dr. McNeely, current president of the Louisiana Society of Periodontists. "She is tireless and very deserving of this recognition from the Alumni Association!"

Distinguished Alumnus Award
Congratulations to Dr. Robert Delarosa for being named the LSU School of Dentistry Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. The founding partner of Associates in Pediatric Dentistry in Baton Rouge, he is a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American College of Dentists. He obtained his DDS from LSUSD in 1981, where he received the ASDC Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award in Pediatric Dentistry. He completed his specialty training in pediatric dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, serving as senior chief resident.

Robert L. Delarosa, Jr. DDS, Distinguished Alumnus Award

Dr. Delarosa has lectured extensively to many organizations and groups, including the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Southwestern Society of Pediatric Dentistry, Southeastern Society of Pediatric Dentistry, and (g)nathos. He is a published author and was the chair of the Council on Clinical Affairs of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

Dr. Delarosa has served in leadership roles in numerous dental professional organizations at the state, regional and national levels. He has also served as president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Louisiana Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and the Greater Baton Rouge Dental Association. He holds membership in the American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Academy of Pediatrics, Southwestern Society of Pediatric Dentistry, Louisiana Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the Louisiana Dental Association, and the Greater Baton Rouge Dental Association.

He has served on the boards of several professional and business organizations and remains active in his community. His family is also actively involved with the Progeria Research Foundation. A native of New Orleans, he is the married father of twins, and enjoys traveling with his family for golf and diving.

Dr. Delarosa was nominated by his fellow alumni, Drs. John Hendry and Richard Olinde. Dr. Janice Townsend, head of the LSUSD Department of Pediatric Dentistry, also nominated him for the award. "Dr. Delarosa testified on Capitol Hill on behalf of the ADA on issues of access to care for all children and participated in over 100 interviews on children’s issue," said Dr. Hendry. "In every walk of life, Dr. Delarosa represents America's pediatric dentists. His is 'the big authority on little teeth' and LSUSD should be proud to have a graduate who has risen so high in our profession and represented LSU so well."

Lifetime Service Awards
Dr. John "Jack" Kent was one of two to receive the inaugural LSU School of Dentistry Lifetime Service Award at Alumni Day, September 23. He is former chair of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) at LSU Health Sciences Center School of Dentistry and former chief of OMS at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, 1973-2002 and 2003-2008. A 1963 graduate of the University of Nebraska School of Dentistry and 1969 graduate of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) residency program at the University of Texas Medical Center in Houston, Dr. Kent subsequently served as a full-time OMS faculty member at the University of Texas in Houston (1969-72) and at the University of Iowa (1972-3) before coming to LSUSD. Simultaneously he served as head of the OMS Division of Surgery at LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport, 1978-2003. In 2015, he was appointed professor emeritus of the LSU Health Sciences Center.

John (Jack) N. Kent, DDS, FACD, FICD, Lifetime Service Award

Dr. Kent was appointed a Boyd Professor in the LSU OMS department in 1983, one of seven Boyd Professors in the history of the LSU Health Sciences Center. He has served as president-elect of the medical staff at the University Hospital in New Orleans and president of the Louisiana Society and the Southeastern Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

In 1988 the LSU OMS alumni and friends funded the James R. Peltier Endowed Chair – the first $1 million dollar chair at the LSU Health Sciences Center. Dr. Kent occupied that chair as its first eminent scholar from 1988 to 2012. His teaching and research have rendered him an authority on orthognathic surgery, facial deformities and reconstructive surgery, cosmetic surgery, dental and facial implants, facial bone grafting, and biomaterials, with authorship in 15 textbooks and over 250 journals and abstract publications. He is co-author of the first textbook on orthognathic surgery and facial deformities in the United States.

Since 1974 Dr. Kent has directed over 60 OMS continuing education courses on behalf of the LSU Department of OMS, both the Louisiana and the Southeastern Society of OMS, and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He has been the investigator and author of 40 significant research reports and has received the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Annual Research Recognition Award. Dr. Kent was the principle investigator and program director for a National Institute of Health grant from 1987-1995, which provided PhD training for nine OMS surgeons, the greatest number ever from a single institution in his specialty. He is the recipient of the coveted American Dental Education Association Gies Foundation Award, the Simon P. Hullihen Award, the Louisiana Dental Association Distinguished Service Award, the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Harry Archer Award, the 2014 AAOMS Presidential Achievement Award, and he is a Fulbright Scholar.

Dr. Kent has served on the editorial board of several surgical, medical, and dental journals, including the Journal of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, where he was surgery section editor for several years. He is a fellow of the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists. A diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS), he served on the ABOMS Advisory and Examining Committee for six years, its board of directors for seven years, and as president of ABOMS in 1987-88.

Because of Dr. Kent's exemplary contributions to dental education and to the oral and maxillofacial surgery specialty, it is a privilege and honor to recognize him with the LSU School of Dentistry Lifetime Service Award.

Dr. J.M. Chadha also received the inaugural LSU School of Dentistry Lifetime Service Award on Alumni Day, September 23. He is past chairman and professor emeritus of orthodontics and served as a faculty member at the LSU School of Dentistry (LSUSD) for nearly 40 years. He began teaching at LSUSD in 1970 and retired in 2008.

J.M. Chadha, BDS, DDS, MS, FICD, Lifetime Service Award

After obtaining his dental degree in 1956 from Punjab Dental College and Hospital, he relocated to Boston for a postgraduate internship in pediatric dentistry and was selected for a two-year clinical fellowship program in orthodontics. Dr. Chadha completed both programs at Forsyth-Harvard in 1958 and 1960 respectively. In 1962 he received a master of science and in 1964 and a DDS, both from the University of Iowa.

He joined the University of Iowa Department of Orthodontics in 1962 as an instructor and by 1968 had attained the rank of associate professor. From 1965 to1967 he served as assistant professor at the Royal Dental College University of Aarhus in Denmark, returning to the University of Iowa in 1967. In 1970 Dr. Chadha accepted a position at the LSU School of Dentistry to create the orthodontic department and was appointed the department’s professor and head. In 1972, he was also appointed as professor of speech pathology and audiology at the LSU School of Allied Health. In 1970, he was named coordinator for advanced education and in 1976 he was appointed as assistant dean for advanced education, serving in the position until 2005. During his tenure at LSUSD, Dr. Chadha served on multiple school committees, served as course director for orthodontic-related classes for both pre-doctoral and post-doctoral students, participated in research, authored numerous articles and publications, and lectured in continuing education courses. Dr. Chadha also served as orthodontic consultant to the LSUSD Department of General Dentistry, Charity Hospital of Louisiana, and the U.S. Public Health Service Hospital in New Orleans.

Dr. Chadha has received many awards. One of the most notable is the prestigious American Association of Orthodontics Louise Ada Jarabak Memorial International Teachers and Research Award. When he received the award in 2005, nearly 100% of his alumni traveled to the AAO Annual Meeting in San Francisco to honor his academic career. In 2008 he also received the LSU Health Sciences Center Distinguished Service Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to the advanced education programs at LSUSD. Other awards include the University of Iowa College of Dentistry Instructor of the Year Award, Royal Dental College Aarhus University Best Teacher of the Year Award, the University of Iowa International Scholarship Award for Graduate Studies, and membership in both the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honorary Dental Society and Sigma XI, a national honorary research fraternity. Dr. Chadha is also a fellow in the International College of Dentists. He served as president of Omicron Kappa Upsilon, Theta Kappa Chapter, and as a member of the AAO International Relations Committee during their annual meeting in New Orleans in 1980. In addition, he served as president and member of the board of trustees of the India Association of New Orleans.

Dr. Chadha is especially proud of his LSUSD orthodontic alumni. "They are an exceptional group of people," he wrote previously. "I believe that the way I treated them, by stimulating their thought processes instead of using 'drawstring' techniques, left a lasting impression. Our alumni are amazing in what they give back. A majority of the alumni financially support this department on a very decent level." Because of Dr. Chadha's legacy, alumni have funded endowments valued at over $2 million to benefit the LSUSD Department of Orthodontics. Alumni contributors, who are represented by a board of directors, have established six endowed funds to recognize Dr. Chadha, four long-time faculty members, and the program’s alumni. "It shows they care," Dr Chadha said. "I always encourage students to give me feedback when they leave the program – negative or positive. We always think in terms of improving the program. So, even after they leave, their input, as well as their financial support, enhances the program."

Because of Dr. Chadha's exemplary contributions to dental education and to the orthodontic specialty, it is a privilege and honor to recognize him with the LSU School of Dentistry Lifetime Service Award.

Shawky E. Mohamed Distinguished Faculty Award
Congratulations to Dr. Edward Ireland, Jr. for receiving the Shawky E. Mohamed Distinguished Faculty Award at the LSU School of Dentistry Alumni Day on September 23. Dr. Ireland, professor emeritus of comprehensive dentistry and biomaterials-division of operative dentistry, served as a faculty member at the LSU School of Dentistry for over 40 years. He began teaching at the dental school one year after the first graduation and retired in 2010. Dr. Ireland received his DDS from the Loyola University School of Dentistry in 1970; he was recipient of the International College of Dentists Award that year. He was a major in the U.S. Army Dental Corp from 1970-1973 and practiced dentistry in Franklinton, Louisiana, from 1973 to 1977. He also practiced dentistry in the LSUSD Faculty Dental Practice from 1977 to 2005. In 1982 he earned a master of education from the University of New Orleans.

Edward J. Ireland, Jr., DDS, MEd, Shawky Mohamed Distinguished Faculty Award

In 1973 Dr. Ireland initially joined LSUSD as an instructor in the Department of Periodontics, later transferring to the Department of Operative Dentistry and retiring as a professor in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry. He served as team leader for fourth-year dental students from 2007 until retirement. During his tenure at the dental school, Dr. Ireland served on numerous LSUSD committees, was a delegate to the LSUSD Faculty Assembly, had teaching responsibilities in multiple departments and programs, and authored numerous articles and publications. Following retirement, Dr. Ireland continued teaching as a gratis professor in the Department of Dental Hygiene from 2010 until 2014.

In 1996, Dr. Ireland spearheaded a sister-school agreement between LSUSD and Okayama Dental School to encourage student and faculty exchanges, a joint symposia, and collaboration on research projects. The collaboration lapsed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. However, while in Okayama in 2014 to attend the Third International Symposium of Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Dr. Ireland visited with Professor Takuo Kuboki, dean of Okayama Dental School, and they agreed to renew the sister-school agreement.

In 2010 Dr. Ireland received the Allen A. Copping Award, the highest honor in teaching given by the LSU Health Sciences Center, which is awarded each year during LSUHSC commencement exercises. It recognizes faculty members who are excellent teachers, demonstrate a lifelong quest for discovery, and inspire their students.

Dr. Ireland was a member of the American Dental Education Association, the New Orleans Chapter of the International Association for Dental Research, and the Operative Study Club. He was a life member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon (OKU) Dental Honor Society, the C. Edmund Kells Society, and the C. Victor Vignes Odontological Society. In addition, he served as secretary-treasurer, vice president, president, and convocation chairman for the Theta Kappa chapter of OKU.

Retired faculty member Dr. Thomas Spranley said that Dr. Ireland has had a significant impact on students. "Many students light up when they see him. He is exacting and he wants everything the way it's supposed to be. He's shaped the lives of a lot of people, some in fantastic ways."

The Shawky E. Mohamed Distinguished Faculty Award was established in 2009 to recognize faculty members who have made outstanding contributions to the LSU School of Dentistry. Recipients are chosen based on a faculty member's contributions in teaching, scholarship and service. Dr. Mohamed, now retired, was a beloved faculty member in prosthodontics for over 30 years.