News - School of Dentistry

COVID-19 rate among dentists less than 1 percent, UAB co-written report finds

A national report co-written by a UAB dentist found that dentists who were assumed to be at increased risk of COVID exposure had a less than 1 percent infection rate of COVID-19.

Call it destiny

Dr. Kumar Patel (’03) traveled across multiple continents to claim the UAB School of Dentistry as his alma mater. Patel is originally from Ahmedabad, India but he calls London his home town because that’s where he spent his formidable years and “…discovered myself as a person.”

Zhang’s paper featured as leading edge research

A recent paper by Ping Zhang, DDS, PhD, Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, has been selected for the ‘Frontline Science’ section and featured as leading edge research in the October, 2020 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology (JLB).

First Comes Love, Then Comes… Dental School!

Charles Crowder met Kristen Flowers at a fraternity party in 1995, when the two were undergrads at Birmingham-Southern College.

UAB research funding from the National Institutes of Health tops $300 million

UAB stands 22nd in the nation in research funding from the National Institutes of Health.

Cumbus Receives UAB’s Highest Alumni Honor

Dr. Ben Cumbus (’72) of Montgomery, Ala received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the UAB National Alumni Society.

Blazing a trail: School’s staff council completes successful inaugural year

When a newly reestablished School of Dentistry Staff Council kicked off in July 2019, the group quickly went to work developing initiatives to support and engage staff school-wide. That was before COVID-19 brought its activities to a halt.

Alumni Spotlight: Making History at the School of Dentistry – Dr. Karen Clements-Crunk

In 1965, Karen Fox walked into her first day of classes at the University Of Alabama School Of Dentistry in Birmingham, Alabama. She was the only woman in the room. In fact, she was the only woman in her entire class of 52 students.

New student group receives national chapter award

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) Student Chapter was recently named national chapter of the year.

Cyprès named associate provost, Robinson to serve as School of Education interim dean

School of Education Dean Autumn Tooms Cyprès, Ed.D., has been named associate provost for lifelong learning, effective Oct. 1. She will lead a university-wide strategic review of UAB’s continuing education efforts. Michelle Robinson, DMD, senior associate dean in the School of Dentistry, will become the interim dean of the School of Education.

UAB sets enrollment record for fifth year in a row, all-time high for retention

UAB tops 22,500 students for the first time, featuring its highest retention rates in the history of the university.

Dean's Message: So close…

Written by: Russell S. Taichman, D.M.D., D.M.Sc.

In March 2019, I had an opportunity to see the future. So close, but no cigar.

School of Dentistry alumni share ‘The Minor Details’

Mark Abere, DMD, (’19) recently launched The Minor Details (TMD), a blog which he titles “a culmination of minority experiences in dentistry, retold to educate and inspire.”

Robinson, School of Dentistry recognized for international trends and services

Michelle Robinson, DMD, MA, was recognized for her service as interim dean by The Links, Incorporated, Tri-County (AL) Chapter. The award, for international trends and services, was presented at the organization’s annual “Model 2020” event honoring model citizens.

UAB adapts to extraordinary circumstances, holds annual SHPEP program virtually

With UAB in limited business operations, its annual Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP) was held virtually in 2020.

Scholarships are a Two-Way Street

Being awarded the Dr. Charles E. Smith Endowed Scholarship means everything to Steven Beard. The Birmingham native plans to graduate from the UAB School of Dentistry in 2023, and he’s hoping to do it without taking on a lot of debt.

Alumni Spotlight: He’s Still At It! – A Profile of Dr. Thomas “Tommy” Weatherford

If you ask UAB School of Dentistry alumni to list the professors they remember from their time in school, chances are good that Dr. Tommy Weatherford’s name will be on that list.

Mazer looks to expand partnerships to train students, improve oral health outcomes for Alabama

Dr. Raquel Mazer was appointed Director of Community Collaborations shortly before COVID-19 began upending community outreach. She explained how she is settling in to her new position and advancing community partnerships in the wake of the pandemic.

12 honored for excellence in teaching

Twelve faculty have been selected to receive the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, which honors those who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in teaching. The 2020 honorees represent each school, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Honors College and the Graduate School.

Dental student tapped for out-of-the-box role

Austin Stiles, a third year D.M.D. student, has assumed an out-of-the-box role at the School of Dentistry.

Alumni Spotlight: Discovering A New Balance During Quarantine

Dr. Michelle Dandridge (’06) opened Dandridge Dental Family Dentistry in Dothan, Alabama in 2011, just five years after she graduated from UAB’s School of Dentistry.

UAB School of Dentistry implements new technology in response to COVID-19

To protect the health of patients, students and staff, UAB’s School of Dentistry has acquired new technology to help with temperature scanning and aerosol filtration system.

Alumni Spotlight: A Dentist, Air Force Pilot, and Antique Automobile Enthusiast: The Legacy of Dr. George P. Petznick

George P. Petznick, D.M.D. served the Birmingham community for over 55 years before retiring just this summer, at the age of 86.

ADPH, UAB evolving campus entry efforts with launch of multifunctional GuideSafeTM Platform

GuideSafe is the uniting platform/brand for ongoing communication about COVID-19 testing, tools and actions to promote a safe entry to higher education campuses and ongoing COVID-19 monitoring for students and the community at large.

Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Thomas Dudney takes a minimalistic approach

Lean and mean. This is the phrase Dr. Thomas Dudney (’77) of Alabaster, Alabama uses to describe how his office is organized.

Heroes and Cowboys

Earlier this summer, Dr. Peter Waite stepped down as Chair of UAB’s Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS). Dr. Patrick Louis was appointed the interim successor to Waite, who had served as chair since 1993.

Alumni Spotlight: The oral surgeon who does it all

For most dentists in Alabama, the COVID-19 shutdown during March and April meant slowing down and spending a lot more time at home. Unless, of course, you are Dr. Mark McIlwain.

UAB dental students win national research awards

Two D.M.D. student researchers recently participated in the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) ePoster Competition, held virtually this year.

Dean’s Message: Peanut statues, parties, and pandemics: All in the life of a first year dean

Written by: Russell S. Taichman, D.M.D., D.M.Sc.

July 1 marked my first anniversary as your dean. It has been an amazing and exhilarating experience filled with great highs, as well as many fun and certainly unusual challenges. If you will indulge me, I’d like to share the year from my vantage point.

High Energy at High Speed

Dr. Forrest Bryant (’97) was recently recognized as a 2020 UAB Excellence in Top 25 Business Class member, but it wasn’t in dentistry, the profession he trained for at UAB.