LSUHSC dental school to be awarded top nati...( The School of Dentistry at LSU Healt...),Health

The School of Dentistry at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans has been selected as the inaugural academic dental institution recipient of the William J. Gies Award for Outstanding Innovation. The award will be presented by the ADEAGies Foundation at a black-tie celebration on March 29, 2008 in conjunction with the 85th American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Annual Session at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas. Named after William J. Gies, a pioneer in dental education, the William J. Gies Awards for Vision, Innovation, and Achievement recognize contributions to and support of global oral health and education initiatives.

The LSUHSC School of Dentistry is being honored for its innovation in rebuilding dental education in the State of Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, a critically important endeavor as the LSUHSC School of Dentistry is the only dental school in the state. Flooding caused by the failure of federally built levees inundated the dental schools New Orleans campus for weeks, necessitating its relocation to Baton Rouge. With help from the national dental community and Louisiana State University, LSUHSC dental faculty, staff and students rebuilt a dental school almost from scratch in old former research buildings next to a cow pasture on LSUs South Campus. Facilities included two state-of-the-art teaching clinics, an oral surgery suite, as well as lecture rooms and laboratories. Classes resumed mere weeks after the disaster for students in the DDS, dental hygiene and dental laboratory technology programs, along with clinical rotations, so students and residents graduated on schedule, on time.

The Gies Awards are presented by the ADEAGies Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the American Dental Education Association. For more than 50 years, the ADEAGies Foundation has enhanced the oral health of the public through programs that support dental education, research, leadership, and recognition. For a complete listing of Gie
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