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New Endodontic Clinic on the Way

Joel Hearn, DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental Help Renovate UAB Dentistry Fifth Floor

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Joel Hearn

Joel Hearn, D.M.D., has a passion for the endodontics program in the School of Dentistry at UAB. A former president of the Alabama Dental Association, former president of the UA School of Dentistry Alumni Association, a 1972 graduate of the school, and a 1980 graduate of the endodontics program, Hearn is currently chair of the fund-raising committee working to transform the fifth floor of the dental school into a state-of-the-art endodontic clinic through the Excellence for Endodontics Campaign.

DENTSPLY Tulsa Dental made a lead commitment of $400,000 to support the effort to remodel the fifth floor and move the endodontic clinic into that area from the fourth floor. Several members of the fund-raising committee, made up primarily of alumni from the endodontics program and some general dentists, made gifts of $25,000 each.

“This renovation is for the D.M.D. students and the endodontic residents,” Hearn says. “Our endodontic facilities will now mirror the outstanding training that has been the program’s hallmark.”

The clinic is one of the busiest facilities in the school. Dental students and residents provide surgical and non-surgical endodontic care to about 2,500 patients annually. The state-of-the-art clinic will act as a classroom where students and residents obtain a valuable portion of their education leading to board certification. An important aspect will be the one-on-one faculty supervision of student procedures.

The renovation was the vision of Paul Eleazer, D.D.S., chair of the Department of Endodontics. “We appreciate Dr. Hearn and our fund-raising committee for their efforts,” Eleazer says. “Their hard work combined with the phenomenal support of our alumni and Tulsa Dental are the reasons for the project’s success.”

The school has committed internal funds, and dean Michael Reddy, D.M.D., D.M.Sc., is committed to renovating the floor in its entirety. Construction will begin in July, and the goal date for completion is February 2013. Naming opportunities are still available.