Two pre-doctoral students at Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine have been awarded honors for academic excellence.
Adam Fritzgerald, a third-year dental student, is the American Association of Public Health Dentistry’s third-place winner in its annual Pre-doctoral Dental Student Merit Award for Outstanding Achievement in Community Health Dentistry. He will receive the award at the 2014 National Oral Health Conference in Fort Worth, Texas in late April.
A native of the rural Central Illinois village of Mt. Zion, Fritzgerald has had a passion for public health dentistry in caring for the oral health needs of underserved populations, particularly pediatric dentistry, for years. He conducted a two-semester graphic information systems (GIS) study while at SIU SDM.
Under the guidance of Dr. Poonam Jain, professor and director of community dentistry at SIU, Fritzgerald used GIS techniques as a means for analyzing trends and creating maps of where children’s dental health needs are the greatest across Southern Illinois. Fritzgerald collected data from exam forms of Southern Illinois children in kindergarten, second and sixth grades. He correlated that information with data from publicly funded pediatric dental care centers and programs, pinpointing “hot spots” of underserved children.
“I have a master’s in ecology from SIUE,” said Fritzgerald. “I actually began performing GIS back then. When I entered dental school, I was able to combine my GIS experience with my commitment to public health when I was selected to take part in the Rural Scholars Program. It specifically prepares you to work with kids in underserved rural areas who don’t have regular access to dental care.”
Fritzgerald has been actively involved with most of the clinics referenced in his award-winning study. He plans to practice in rural Central Illinois once he graduates next year. Before heading to Texas to accept the AAPHD award, he will present his research at the American Dental Association’s conference in Bethesda, Md.
“Adam is uniquely qualified to use GIS,” said Jain. “He has valuable skills and experience in its use. He is definitely one of the best students I have had.”
Dr. Bruce Rotter, dean of the SIU School of Dental Medicine, said Fritzgerald’s passion for dentistry and for learning is worthy of such recognition.
“Adam has exceeded expectations in terms of his devotion to his research,” Rotter said. “His attendance at the 2014 National Oral Health Conference and other distinguished conferences of this nature, not to mention the time spent in preparation for his research presentations, speaks to his commendable dedication.”
SIU SDM fourth-year student Eric Castle is a recipient of the Illinois Section of the American College of Dentists’ Outstanding Leadership Award. Castle earned the award for his outstanding scholastic performance and demonstration of leadership skills during dental school.
Castle is also a 2013 recipient of the Irwin Robinson Research Award. Graduating in June, Castle will be starting a three-year orthodontics residency at the University of California – San Francisco.
“I’m honored to have been chosen by Dr. Rotter for this award,” said Castle, who is SIU SDM’s American Student Dental Association chapter president. “Last year, Dr. Rotter and I developed a student newsletter that keeps dental students in the loop about what’s going on with lobbying efforts in Washington, along with other relevant information. My hope is that when I come back to visit years from now, that newsletter will still be going strong.”
Castle’s leadership efforts also include serving as president of the school’s dental student research group, which he also helped start. The group is an opportunity for seasoned students like Castle to assist first and second-year students in conducting research.
“Eric has exhibited leadership in the classroom and outside of class, both at the local and national levels,” said Rotter. “He is a model student and a natural leader. I expect to continue to see great accomplishments from him in the future.”