Dr. Sandra Andrieu is Alumna of the Year

Dr. Sandra Andrieu, professor and associate dean of academic affairs at the LSU School of Dentistry (LSUSD), has been selected as Alumna of the Year. The announcement was made by Dean Henry Gremillion. A graduate of the first dental hygiene class in 1972, Dr. Andrieu has been a member of the LSUSD faculty for 30 years.

"This honor gives us the opportunity to announce how much we appreciate the many contributions she has made to dental education locally, nationally, and beyond," said Dr. Gremillion.

Dr. Andrieu is now serving on the national level as president of the American Dental Education Association, which has a membership of 16,000 educators and students. Her presidency is the culmination of many years of service to ADEA. Her broad perspective has been instrumental in expansion of vision for this important organization, according to Dr. Gremillion.

Dr. Andrieu was a faculty member of the LSUSD Dental Hygiene Program from 1979 to 1994. From 1994 to 2005, she coordinated the National Dental Board Dental Examination Review Course and has served as course director for the Dental Honors in Teaching Elective from 2004 to the present. With major grants, she worked with other faculty to expand the program in dental hygiene to the Lafayette and Baton Rouge campuses through distance education. She has published papers in peer reviewed journals and has received invitations to give presentations at numerous local and national dental meetings.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when flooding caused LSUSD to relocate to Baton Rouge, Dr. Andrieu played a key role in re-creating the curricula for the programs in dentistry, dental hygiene and dental laboratory technology. These innovations were a significant factor in the on-schedule graduation of all students in 2006.

Dr. Andrieu also led the massive accreditation process that is vital to the life of all academic institutions. Although the multi-year process was delayed because of Hurricane Katrina, the end result is that the school's accreditation has been renewed by the American Dental Association. "We cannot thank her enough for all the sacrifices she had made over the years for the benefit of her alma mater," said Dr. Gremillion.

In 2008, Dr. Andrieu was selected to receive special leadership training offered through the Hedwig van Amerigen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women. ELAM is a unique program that focuses on preparing senior women faculty members at schools of medicine, dentistry and public health to move into positions of institutional leadership, where they can accomplish positive change.

In 2008, Dr. Andrieu was selected by CityBusiness as one of their "Women of the Year", and in 2009, she was chosen as one of the "Top 10 Female Achievers" by New Orleans Magazine.

"For decades, Dr. Andrieu has brought great honor to the LSU School of Dentistry," said Dr. Gremillion. "How fitting it is that we honor her now. Please join me in congratulating her."