2004 Dental Calendar

Transcription

aetna.com
151 Farmington Avenue
Hartford, CT 06156
smiles
A look at
Afr ica n Ame r ica ns
i n D E N T I S T RY
2004 AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY CALENDAR
Dentistry is about cultivating relationships and building trust
between doctors and patients. It’s about teaching prevention
to children. It’s about recognizing the intimate connection
between oral health and general health – and addressing and
overcoming disparities in health and dental care.
For its 23rd anniversary edition, Aetna’s 2004 Calendar of
African American History recognizes the powerful contributions
made by enterprising and successful African American oral
health care professionals. It features a broad view of dentistry,
highlighting academia, military, forensics, geriatrics, pediatrics,
hygiene and public health. The year culminates with a story
about six students from Meharry Medical College, School of
Dentistry, that highlights their passion to serve the underserved.
Explore the evolution of the toothbrush from the first “twig”
brush to today’s colorful and playful children's tools such as
Brushtime Bunny®. Meet the unsung heroes of dentistry such
as Colonel Sidney Alan Brooks, Sr., who addresses the dental
needs of the entire U.S. Army. Discover the importance of
shaping oral health literacy that is understood and embraced
by African Americans. Live the rich heritage of African
American dental professionals through the words of respected
author and historian Clifton O. Dummett, D.D.S.
Since 1982, Aetna’s calendar has recognized the outstanding
contributions of African Americans, past and present, in fields
such as athletics, politics, business, medicine and entertainment.
In addition to the printed version, the 2004 calendar
will be featured online at:
www.aetna.com/diversity/aahcalendar/2004/index.html.
On the web site, visitors can enjoy more historical details on
dentistry, along with additional in-depth information on the
featured dental professionals.
Each day, African American dental professionals around the country work diligently to
improve oral health and light up smiles. Filled with endless opportunities, dentistry has
evolved over the last three centuries from a profession of teeth restoration to a respected
discipline of practitioners with a passion for health and disease prevention.
DENTISTRY
Integrating Health Care with
ORAL CARE
Oral health is now being seen by many as an integral part
Dentistry wouldn’t be where it is today and we couldn’t
of general health and well-being. By comparing dental and
have the same bright hopes for the future if we didn’t have
medical data, we now have the ability to demonstrate just
such an illustrious past. I hope, through this calendar, you’ll
how powerful the impact of proper and regular oral health
enjoy learning more about that past and the critical role
Historically, general medicine and dentistry have been
care can be on good health in general and in reducing
African Americans play in oral health care today and in
independent of one another. But, as the health care
overall health care costs. But there is still much work to do.
the future.
Oral Health in America: A Report of the U.S. Surgeon General,
That’s why it’s been particularly rewarding for me to leverage
Ronald Inge, D.D.S.
perceptions of the relationship between the two fields are
Aetna’s unique data and technology resources in ways that
beginning to change.
can help dentists make a significant difference not only
Chief Dental Officer
Aetna Inc.
landscape evolves and with the May 2000 release of
in people’s smiles, but also in their overall health and,
ultimately, their lives.
DENTISTRY IN THE AFRICAN
AMERICAN COMMUNITY
By Clifton O. Dummett, D.D.S.
In the 17th century, dental care was secondary to medical
care and more often than not, medical practitioners supplied both. Prior to 1880, there were fewer than a dozen
trained black dental practitioners in the southern United
States, where the greatest number of African Americans
resided. During the earliest forays of dental practice into
black communities, several African Americans were
identified as providers of varying levels of acceptable
dental services.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, dentists were trained
through apprenticeships and preceptorships. The image
of the dental profession was enhanced in 1840 when the
world’s first dental school, Baltimore College of Dental
Surgery, was founded in Maryland. African Americans were
not accepted for training at any dental schools until 1867,
when Harvard University initiated its first dental class and
accepted Robert T. Freeman as its first black student. A
second African American, George Franklin Grant, graduated
from Harvard in 1870 and subsequently was appointed
to the school’s dental faculty.
There were few trained black dentists in the early 19th
century. However, preparation and training of African
American dentists increased in the late 1800s with the
establishment of Howard University’s dental college in
Washington, D.C. (1881); and the dental department
of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee
(1886). Since their inception, these two predominantly
black schools have produced the majority of black
dental graduates.
In order to meet the needs of underserved minority communities, efforts to increase the number of black dentists
focused on improving facilities at Howard and Meharry.
Better predental education and dental student recruitment
soon followed, and later advances in integrated education
at so-called “white” dental schools assisted black student
enrollment and graduation. An illustrious representative of
that era is Charles E. Bentley, D.D.S., whose 1887 graduation from the Chicago College of Dental Surgery launched
his career as clinician, scientist, humanitarian, prolific writer,
orator, public health pioneer and civil rights activist.
A major contribution to health care for African Americans
was the 1895 founding of the National Negro Medical
Association of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists (NMA)
in Atlanta, Georgia. Despite welcomed benefits of NMA
affiliation, in 1913 the first successful effort at regional
organization by black dentists resulted in the Tri-State
Dental Association of Maryland, Virginia and the District
of Columbia. Five years later the name was changed to
Interstate Dental Association to accommodate dentists from
additional states. Eventually, in 1932, accelerated growth
led to the final name change to National Dental Association
(NDA). Historians generally acknowledge the 37-year period
1932 to 1969 as the “Golden Years,” when NDA’s most
significant organizational, educational and legislative
accomplishments occurred.
As NDA’s reputation grew, it achieved a cordial relationship
with the American Dental Association (ADA) and empathic
support for NDA’s insistence on removal of racial discrimination in dentistry’s predominant organization. In 1965,
unprecedented action by the ADA House of Delegates
essentially nullified sanctioned racial discrimination within
the dental profession. In the ensuing four decades, black
dentists have been elected to presidencies of ADA constituent
and component societies, and served with honor on
numerous committees.
Traditionally, the vast majority of African American dentists
dedicated themselves to providing acceptable, high-quality,
oral health services to minority and underprivileged populations. In recent times an impressive number of African
American dentists pursued careers in dental education,
research and administration. Today it is not uncommon
to see African Americans appointed deans or interim deans
at any number of American dental schools.
During war and peace, African American dentists served
with distinction and honor in various branches of the
military and federal health agencies. Black women dentists
also have made notable advancements since Ida Gray Rollins,
D.D.S., the first African American woman graduate (1890)
of the University of Michigan and the first black female
dental practitioner in Chicago, Illinois.
The goal of accessible health care for all Americans has yet
to be achieved, but it is worthy of continuous vigilance and
enlightened sensitivity on the part of health care professionals
and representatives of the general public.
AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY CALENDAR
www.aetna.com/diversity/aahcalendar/2004/index.html
References
• Lewis, S.J., The Negro in the Field of Dentistry. Opportunity:
A Journal of Negro Life, 2:19, July 1924
• Dummett, C.O., Growth and Development of the Negro in
Dentistry in the United States, Stanek Press, ©1952
• Dummett, C.O.; Dummett, L.D., Afro-Americans In Dentistry:
Sequence and Consequence of Events, ©1978
• Dummett, C.O.; Dummett, L.D., NDA II: The Story of
America’s Second National Dental Association, ©2000
• Dummett, C.O.; National Museum of Dentistry Exhibition: African
Americans in Dentistry, The Journal of the National Medical Association,
95:879, September 2003
01/04
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New Year’s Day
1863: Abraham Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation.
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1965: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. calls for nonviolent protests if
Alabama blacks are not allowed to register and vote.
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1624: William Tucker, first African child born in America.
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1920: National Negro Baseball League started.
1971: The Congressional Black Caucus organized.
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1943: George Washington Carver, agricultural scientist, dies.
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1831: The World Anti-Slavery Convention opens in London.
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1890: William B. Purvis patents fountain pen.
1955: Marian Anderson debuts as first black to perform at
Metropolitan Opera.
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1811: Charles Deslandes leads slave revolt in Louisiana.
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1866: Fisk University founded in Nashville, Tennessee.
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1864: George Washington Carver, agricultural scientist and inventor,
born.
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1985: Reuben V. Anderson, first African American appointed to
Mississippi court.
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1948: Supreme Court rules blacks have right to study law at
state institutions.
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1990: L. Douglas Wilder inaugurated as first African American governor
(Virginia) since Reconstruction.
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1975: William T. Coleman named secretary of Transportation.
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1929: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a major voice for civil rights in the
20th century, born.
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1978: NASA names African American astronauts Maj. Frederick D.
Gregory, Maj. Guion S. Bluford Jr. and Dr. Ronald E. McNair.
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1942: Three-time heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali
(Cassius Clay) born.
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1856: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, pioneer heart surgeon, born.
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Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Observed
1969: UCLA renames its social science buildings to honor alumnus
Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, diplomat.
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1993: Maya Angelou, a great voice of contemporary literature, delivers
On the Pulse of Morning at the Presidential inauguration.
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1870: Hiram Revels elected first black U.S. senator, replacing Jefferson
Davis for the Mississippi seat.
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1949: James Robert Gladden becomes first black certified in
orthopedic surgery.
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1891: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams founds Provident Hospital in Chicago,
the first training hospital for black doctors and nurses in the U.S.
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1865: Congress passes 13th Amendment, which, on ratification,
abolishes slavery.
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1851: Sojourner Truth addresses first Black Women’s Rights Convention,
Akron, Ohio.
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1954: Dr. Theodore K. Lawless, dermatologist, awarded the Spingarn
Medal for research in skin-related diseases.
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1961: Leontyne Price, world-renowned opera singer, makes her
Metropolitan Opera debut.
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1998: Sarah “Madam C.J.” Walker, first black female millionaire,
honored on U.S. postage stamp.
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1926: Violette Neatly Anderson becomes first black woman lawyer
to argue a case before the Supreme Court.
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1979: Franklin Thomas named president of the Ford Foundation.
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1986: August Wilson’s Fences, starring James Earl Jones, opens at
Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
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January
Caswell A. Evans, Jr., D.D.S., M.P.H.
O R A L H E A LT H I N I T I AT I V E S / P U B L I C H E A LT H
Caswell A. Evans, Jr.
D.D.S., M.P.H. Potomac, MD
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“It’s about oral health literacy. The words we speak.
The food we eat. Our smile. The emotions we express.
Our sense of self. The ability to get a job. These are
all intimately connected to oral health.”
Playing stoopball on the streets in Harlem carries bittersweet memories for Dr. Caswell Evans. At a young age,
while retrieving a ball from the fire escape, he fell and
pushed his teeth up into his gums. “It was the rules of ‘the
hood’ to retrieve your own ball, probably to encourage you
not to get a home run,” laughed Dr. Evans, an avid toy
train collector.
After spending many days in the orthodontist’s chair to
repair the damage, he decided that was how he’d like
to spend his future. Fortunate to attend Columbia
University dental school, Dr. Evans decided to direct his
career path toward public health because he felt prevention was equally as important as treatment. “In dental
school, we were taught restorative methods using gold. I
knew that was expensive, which got me to thinking there
must be methods of prevention that could eliminate the
problem in the first place.”
While serving as the director of public health for Los
Angeles County, California, Dr. Evans was approached
to become the project director and executive editor of
Oral Health in America: A Report of the U.S. Surgeon
General. “This document provides a very important
message. Oral health is part of general health; it’s not an
out-of-body experience. While surgeon generals’ reports
are not intended to be policy, they do help to establish
a framework.” Dr. Evans also worked on a second report
highlighting the actions that need to be taken to address
pertinent oral health issues.
“To be part of fashioning that message and to pull all this
together has been very rewarding. It’s a one-of-a-kind
experience. For the U.S. Surgeon General to publish a
report on oral health underscores its importance,” said
Dr. Evans.
The biggest challenge he sees is getting the general public
to appreciate the importance of oral health. Dr. Evans
believes “it’s about oral health literacy. The words we
speak. The food we eat. Our smile. The emotions we
express. Our sense of self. The ability to get a job. These
are all intimately connected to oral health. It affects our
entire personality, but unfortunately, for too many people
it gets distilled down to a tooth or a hole in a tooth. The
issues of oral health far exceed matters of teeth.”
The future, he believes, is rich with opportunity. His past
is filled with many gratifying experiences, including the
opportunity to attend the March on Washington in 1964
to hear Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s unforgettable
public address. “To share in that moment makes me
proud,” said the father of two with wife, Arlene.
Tooth Powders
Fifty years of tooth powder tins, dating from the
1890s through the 1940s.
02/04
1
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1865: John Sweat Rock, noted Boston lawyer, becomes first black to
speak before the U.S. Supreme Court.
2
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1807: Congress bans foreign slave trade.
1892: Carter Williams patents canopy frame (awning).
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1956: Autherine Lucy enrolls as the first black student at the University
of Alabama.
4
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1913: Rosa Parks, civil rights pioneer who sparked 1955 Montgomery
bus boycott, born.
5
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1884: Willis Johnson patents eggbeater.
1934: Hank Aaron, major league home-run champion, born.
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1898: Melvin B. Tolson, educator, author and poet, born.
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1883: Ragtime pianist and composer Eubie Blake born.
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1968: Three South Carolina State students killed during segregation
protest in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
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1964: Arthur Ashe Jr. becomes first black on U.S. Davis Cup team.
10
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1989: Ronald H. Brown elected chair, Democratic National Committee.
1992: Alex Haley, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, dies.
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1990: Nelson Mandela of South Africa is released from prison after
27 years.
12
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Lincoln’s Birthday
1909: NAACP founded in New York City.
13
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1970: Joseph L. Searles becomes first African American member of
New York Stock Exchange.
14
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Valentine’s Day
1879: B.K. Bruce of Mississippi becomes first black to preside over
U.S. Senate.
15
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1915: Biologist Ernest Just receives Spingarn Medal for egg fertilization.
1961: U.N. sessions disrupted by U.S. and African nationalists over
assassination of Congo Premier Patrice Lumumba.
16
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Presidents’ Day
1874: Frederick Douglass elected president of Freedman’s Bank
and Trust.
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1902: Marian Anderson, internationally acclaimed opera star, born.
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1931: Toni Morrison, winner of 1988 Pulitzer Prize for her novel
Beloved, born.
“I absolutely love
working with children,
improving their dental
and general health,
elevating their selfesteem and giving
them a reason to
smile.”
Winifred J. Booker, D.D.S.
P E D I AT R I C D E N T I S T RY
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1923: In Moore v. Dempsey decision, Supreme Court guarantees due
process of law to blacks in state courts.
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1895: Frederick Douglass, leading voice in the abolitionist movement,
dies.
Winifred J. Booker
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1965: Malcolm X assassinated in New York.
D.D.S. Owings Mills, MD
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Washington’s Birthday
1989: Col. Frederick D. Gregory becomes first African American to
command a space shuttle mission.
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1868: W.E.B. DuBois, scholar, activist and author of The Souls of Black
Folk, born.
24
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1864: Rebecca Lee Crumpler becomes first black woman to receive
a medical degree (New England Female Medical College).
25
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Ash Wednesday
1853: First black YMCA organized in Washington, D.C.
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1965: Civil rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson dies after being shot
by state police in Marion, Alabama.
27
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1988: Debi Thomas becomes first African American to win an
Olympic medal in figure skating.
28
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1984: Michael Jackson, musician and entertainer, wins eight
Grammy Awards.
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1940: Actress Hattie McDaniel becomes first black to win an Oscar
for her role in the movie Gone With The Wind.
For years, Dr. Winifred Booker saw parents struggling to
get their children to brush their teeth. Children would
share with her a handful of excuses why they couldn’t
brush. So she decided to create something that would
make a lasting impression on children. Enter Brushtime
Bunny®, a dental hygiene delivery aide that gives children
a fun way to take care of their teeth. Brushtime Bunny
features a rinse cup, toothbrush and toothpaste designed
especially for kids; tasty dental floss; and a whimsical
song. The idea was conceived while Dr. Booker was
flipping through the retail circulars just before Easter.
“I thought with all this candy, and much of it in the shape
of bunnies, no wonder kids have cavities. And then the
idea came to me. I wrote it down; and several years later
I started Brushtime Products, Inc., a company that
manufactures child-friendly dental hygiene products,”
said Dr. Booker. That’s only one small carrot in her daily
work. Most of the time she’s leading her private dental
practice, Valley Dental Pediatrics, and she’s also the founder
of the Maryland Oral Health Institute, an organization
created to combat dental neglect and oral abuse among
children.
“It is a very big challenge to educate parents on the
importance of early dental health care prevention,” she
said, noting baby bottle tooth decay as a serious and
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prevalent problem, especially among low-income populations. The condition arises when babies are put to bed
with their bottles, or they are given their bottles or cups
with sweet juices or milk all day. “For many of these
children we have to do comprehensive dental rehabilitation under general anesthesia,” she said, adding that in
her practice alone there is a waiting list for surgery.
Dr. Booker works hard to strengthen good practices for
children and parents by showing that she can be trusted.
“I engage the children. I share language that they will
appreciate,” she said. She refers to needles as sleepy drops
and the suction as Mr. Thirsty. She also makes sure she
watches one cartoon every Saturday so she can talk about
it with her patients. “They love that I know what is going
on with Dora the Explorer or Oswald the Octopus,”
she added.
“I absolutely love working with children, improving their
dental and general health, elevating their self-esteem and
giving them a reason to smile,” she said. As for the future,
Dr. Booker hopes children across the world will become
exposed to Brushtime Bunny. “The amazement and
excitement that is on their faces when they see it is very
rewarding. They are so enthused to brush their teeth,”
she said.
Dentist Bear
Battery-operated Dentist Bear with drilling
handpiece and Crying Bear, circa 1950.
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“To be able to start programs, open facilities, provide access to care for people who
didn’t have access before, change children’s lives, develop a mobile vehicle program.
The things that I do make a difference in lives every day.”
03/04
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1914: Ralph Ellison, author, born
2
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1867: Congress enacts charter to establish Howard University.
3
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1865: Freedmen’s Bureau established by federal government to aid
newly freed slaves.
4
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1965: Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics honored as NBA most valuable
player for fourth time in five years.
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1770: Crispus Attucks becomes one of the first casualties of the
American Revolution.
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1857: Supreme Court issues Dred Scott decision.
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1965: Supreme Court upholds key provisions of the Voting Rights
Act of 1965.
8
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1945: Phyllis Mae Daley becomes first black to join the Navy
Nurse Corps.
1977: Henry L. Marsh III becomes first African American elected
mayor of Richmond, Virginia.
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1841: Amistad mutineers freed by Supreme Court.
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1869: Robert Tanner Freeman becomes first black to receive a
degree in dentistry.
1913: Harriet Tubman, abolitionist and Civil War nurse, dies.
11
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1959: Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun opens at Barrymore
Theater, New York, the first play by a black woman to premiere on
Broadway.
12
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1932: Andrew Young, former U.N. ambassador and former mayor of
Atlanta, born.
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1773: Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable, black pioneer and explorer,
founded Chicago.
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1956: Montgomery bus boycott ends when municipal bus service is
desegregated.
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1947: John Lee, first black commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy,
assigned to duty.
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1827: Freedom’s Journal, the first U.S. black newspaper, is founded.
1846: Rebecca Cole, second black female physician in the U.S., born.
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St. Patrick’s Day
1885: William F. Cosgrove patents automatic stop plug for gas
and oil pipes.
1890: Charles B. Brooks patents street sweeper.
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1822: The Phoenix Society, a literary and educational group, founded
by blacks in New York City.
Dennis Mitchell, D.D.S., M.P.H.
D E N TA L P U B L I C H E A LT H
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1971: The Rev. Leon Sullivan elected to board of directors of
General Motors.
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1883: Jan E. Matzeliger patents shoemaking machine.
1912: Carter Woodson receives doctorate from Harvard University.
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1965: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. leads march from Selma to
Montgomery, Alabama, for voting rights.
22
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1898: J.W. Smith patents lawn sprinkler.
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1873: Slavery abolished in Puerto Rico.
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1837: Canada gives black citizens the right to vote.
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1843: Explorer Jacob Dodson sets out in search of the Northwest
Passage.
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1872: Thomas J. Martin patents fire extinguisher.
1911: William H. Lewis becomes U.S. assistant attorney general.
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1930: Of the 116,000 blacks in professional positions, more than
two-thirds were teachers or ministers.
Dennis Mitchell
D.D.S., M.P.H. Harlem, NY
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1870: Jonathan S. Wright becomes first black state supreme court
justice in South Carolina.
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1898: W.J. Ballow patents combined hat rack and table.
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1870: Fifteenth Amendment ratified, guaranteeing voting rights
to blacks.
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1988: Toni Morrison wins Pulitzer Prize for Beloved.
When Dr. Dennis Mitchell goes home each night from
Columbia University, he teaches his daughter how to
brush her baby teeth. One-year-old Danielle and wife,
Bridgette, are one part of a life he calls “truly blessed.”
The rest of his blessed life comes from the powerful
impact he’s made during his tenure at the university’s
school of dental and oral surgery.
Growing up in Toronto, Canada, then going to Harlem
to practice dentistry with his uncle was quite an awakening
experience. “In Harlem you see the disparities in health
every day. It set me back quite a bit.” To address these
disparities, he said, “we need to get rid of existing diseases
that come from the past, as well as prevent diseases of the
future. A lot can be done with children three to four years
old. They need to understand that it is a regular routine
to see the dentist two times a year.”
Through his work at Columbia, Dr. Mitchell has helped
establish a community-based dental service program that
treats more than 25,000 patients a year, a Mobile Dental
Center that provides service to children in 40 Head Start
and day care centers, and a $2.5 million state-of-the-art
elderly-focused medical and dental practice in central
Harlem. And he was only 34 when he started doing this.
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March
Dr. Mitchell is a strong proponent of sealants for innercity children, who typically do not have access to this
type of prevention. He was hoping to address this need
through the mobile units and school-based clinics, until
he saw the poor condition of many of the children’s mouths.
“We couldn’t do just preventive medicine because we’re too
far behind. We had to implement new protocols of scaling
and cleaning, and convert our clinics to full-service
treatment centers for children.”
“I am blessed to be able to be a leader in all of this,” said
Dr. Mitchell. “To be able to start programs, open facilities,
provide access to care for people who didn’t have access
before, change children’s lives, develop a mobile vehicle
program. The things that I do make a difference in lives
every day.”
While he has a warm spot for his dental alma matter,
Howard University, Dr. Mitchell said, “I’m not done
with New York yet. I’d like to someday see public health
dentistry at the forefront of dentistry. There are so many
unsung heroes doing good work in the field.”
Toothbrush
Taub’s patented toothbrush, early 20th century.
04/04
1
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1950: Blood research pioneer Charles R. Drew dies.
1989: Bill White elected president of the National Baseball League.
2
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1984: Georgetown coach John Thompson becomes first African
American coach to win the NCAA basketball tournament.
3
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1826: Poet-orator James Madison Bell, author of the Emancipation
Day poem “The Day and the War,” born.
1990: Sarah Vaughan, jazz singer known as “The Divine One,” dies.
4
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Palm Sunday
Daylight Saving Time Begins
1968: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated in Memphis,
Tennessee.
5
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Passover Begins (Sundown)
1951: Washington, D.C., Municipal Court of Appeals outlaws
segregation in restaurants.
6
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1909: Matthew A. Henson reaches North Pole, 45 minutes before
Robert E. Peary.
7
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1959: Lorraine Hansberry becomes first black playwright to win
New York Drama Critics Award (for A Raisin in the Sun).
8
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1974: Atlanta Braves slugger Hank Aaron hits 715th career home run,
surpassing Babe Ruth as the game’s all-time home-run leader.
9
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Good Friday
1898: Paul Robeson, actor, singer, activist, born.
10
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1947: Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson becomes first black to play
major league baseball.
11
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Easter
1899: Percy Julian, developer of physostigmine and synthetic cortisone,
born.
1966: Emmett Ashford becomes first black umpire in the major leagues.
12
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1983: Harold Washington becomes first African American elected mayor
of Chicago.
13
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1950: Historian Carter G. Woodson, author of The Miseducation of
the Negro, dies.
1997: Tiger Woods wins Masters Golf Tournament.
14
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1775: First abolitionist society in U.S. founded in Philadelphia.
15
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1964: Sidney Poitier becomes first black to win Academy Award for
Best Actor for Lilies of the Field.
“What excites me about dentistry is being able to shape
a smile and change a personality; helping others develop
self-confidence and self-esteem because they are
proud of their teeth.”
Hazel Juanita Harper, D.D.S., M.P.H.
P R I VAT E P R A C T I C E , C O M M U N I T Y D E N T I S T RY & E D U C AT I O N
16
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1862: Slavery abolished in the District of Columbia.
17
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1983: Alice Walker wins Pulitzer Prize for fiction for The Color Purple.
1990: Ralph David Abernathy, civil rights leader, dies.
18
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1887: Harlem Hospital founded.
1995: Margo Jefferson receives Pulitzer Prize for criticism.
19
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1972: Stationed in Germany, Major Gen. Frederic E. Davidson becomes
first African American to lead an Army division.
20
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1894: Dr. Lloyd A. Hall, pioneering food chemist, born.
21
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Administrative Professionals Day
1966: Pfc. Milton L. Olive III awarded posthumously the Medal of
Honor for valor in Vietnam.
22
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1922: Jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus born.
23
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1872: Charlotte E. Ray is first black woman admitted to the District of
Hazel Juanita Harper
D.D.S., M.P.H. Washington, DC
Columbia Bar.
24
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1944: United Negro College Fund incorporated.
25
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1918: Ella Fitzgerald, “First Lady of Song,” born.
26
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1888: Sarah Boone patents ironing board.
27
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1968: Dr. Vincent Porter becomes first black certified in plastic surgery.
28
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1839: Cinque leads Amistad mutiny off the coast of Long Island,
New York.
29
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1899: Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, jazz musician and
composer, born.
30
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1952: Dr. Louis T. Wright honored by American Cancer Society for his
contributions to cancer research.
Dr. Hazel Harper always had a desire to work with her
hands. As a student at Howard University with medical
aspirations, she was convinced by her mentor and then
associate dean Dr. Jeanne Sinkford to consider the
university’s dental school. “She advised me that I would
have control over my life, and I would be able to balance
my family and career,” said Dr. Harper.
Today, after nearly three decades in the profession, she
knows she made the right choice. “What excites me about
dentistry is being able to shape a smile and change a
personality; helping others develop self-confidence and
self-esteem because they are proud of their teeth,” said
Dr. Harper.
Her career began as a junior faculty member at Howard
University College of Dentistry. Seven years later, she
made a life-changing decision to enter private practice.
But it wasn’t a typical practice — it was the opportunity
to build a multispecialty office in Washington, D.C., with
five dentists, nine treatment rooms and 20 staff members.
“I didn’t intend to work in a clinical setting, but sometimes your purpose in life evolves,” said Dr. Harper, who
emphasizes to all of her patients how important oral
health is to the rest of the body. “We help patients put
the pieces of the puzzle together.”
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April
She still exercises her roots in education, and over the
years more than 35 dental students have trained in her
office. “I’m proud that they are now practicing all over
the country,” said Dr. Harper, who now is one of the
co-owners of the Rittenhouse Dental Group. “I hope to
be a role model for each of them and be as good as those
who have taught me.” She recalls the impact her mentors
and father made when she was an outspoken overachiever
in a dental class of mostly men. “Mediocrity was not
an option.”
Dr. Harper also has had the opportunity to serve as the
executive editor of the Journal of the National Dental
Association, where she’s written numerous articles on
serving the underserved. “I was intellectually stimulated
by it,” she said. “I now have so much respect for people
who put together the written word.”
As for the future, Dr. Harper, a proud mother and new
grandmother, said, “I dream of having input into the
transformation of a culture of crisis into a culture of
prevention. We have to ensure that we provide community
health education, that providers are culturally sensitive,
and that everyone has access to care.”
Dental Cabinet
This cabinet, one of 300 manufactured
between 1930 and 1933 by the American Cabinet
Company, was modeled after an actual house
in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
05/04
1
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1867: First four students enter Howard University.
1998: Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther, author, dies.
2
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1844: Inventor Elijah McCoy, “the real McCoy,” born.
1995: Shirley Jackson assumed chairmanship of the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission.
3
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1964: Frederick O’Neal becomes first black president of Actors’ Equity
Association.
4
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1961: Freedom Riders begin protesting segregation of interstate bus
travel in the South.
5
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1950: Gwendolyn Brooks becomes first black to win a Pulitzer Prize
in poetry for “Annie Allen.”
1988: Eugene Antonio Marino installed as first U.S. African American
Roman Catholic archbishop.
6
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1812: Physician, author, explorer Martin R. Delaney, first black officer
in Civil War, born.
1991: Smithsonian Institution approves creation of the National African
American Museum.
7
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1845: Mary Eliza Mahoney, America’s first black trained nurse, born.
1878: Joseph R. Winters patents first fire escape ladder.
8
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1983: Lena Horne awarded Spingarn Medal for distinguished
career in entertainment.
9
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Mother’s Day
1899: John Albert Burr patents lawn mower.
10
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1950: Boston Celtics select Chuck Cooper, first black player drafted
to play in NBA.
11
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1895: Composer William Grant Still, first black to conduct
a major American symphony orchestra, born.
12
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1820: The New York African Free School population reaches 500.
13
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1872: Matilda Arabella Evans, first black woman to practice medicine
in South Carolina, born.
14
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1888: Slavery abolished in Brazil.
15
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Armed Forces Day
1820: Congress declares foreign slave trade an act of piracy,
punishable by death.
16
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1927: Dr. William Harry Barnes becomes first black certified by a
surgical board.
17
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1954: Supreme Court declares segregation in public schools
unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education.
“Oral health is directly related to systemic health. The
mouth is an organ that is responsible for speech, taste,
swallowing and the first stages of digestion.”
Jeanne C. Sinkford, D.D.S., Ph.D.
D E N TA L E D U C AT I O N
Jeanne C. Sinkford
18
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1896: In Plessy v. Ferguson, Supreme Court upholds doctrine of
“separate but equal” education and public accommodations.
19
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1925: Malcolm X born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska.
20
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1961: U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy dispatches U.S. marshals
to Montgomery, Alabama, to restore order in the Freedom Rider crisis.
21
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1833: Blacks enroll for the first time at Oberlin College, Ohio.
22
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1921: Shuffle Along, a musical featuring a score by Eubie Blake and
Noble Sissle, opens on Broadway.
23
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1900: Sgt. William H. Carney becomes first black awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor.
24
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1854: Lincoln University (Pa.), first black college, founded.
25
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1926: Jazz trumpeter Miles Dewey Davis born.
26
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1961: During Kennedy administration, Marvin Cook named
ambassador to Niger Republic, the first black envoy named to an
African nation.
27
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1919: Sarah “Madam C.J.” Walker, cosmetics manufacturer and first
black female millionaire, dies.
1942: Dorie Miller, a ship‘s steward, awarded Navy Cross for heroism
during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
28
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1948: National Party wins whites-only elections in South Africa and
begins to institute policy of apartheid.
29
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1901: Granville T. Woods patents overhead conducting system for the
electric railway.
30
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1965: Vivian Malone becomes first black to graduate from the University
of Alabama.
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Memorial Day Observed
1870: Congress passes the first Enforcement Act, providing stiff
penalties for those who deprive others of civil rights.
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D.D.S., Ph.D. Washington, DC
When Dr. Jeanne Sinkford decided she wanted to be
a dentist in the late 1960s, there were no female role
models for her to emulate. Her father, she said, thought
she was crazy. But with hard work and determination, she
became her own role model, entering a field dominated
by men, breaking through the glass ceiling and in 1975,
becoming the first woman dean of an American
dental school.
Dentistry has changed significantly over the decades, she
said. “I remember when I was first in dental school; people
would ask to have their teeth pulled. Today people want
to retain their teeth; they want to keep their beautiful
smiles.” Changes within the oral health care delivery
system, she said, must be addressed, particularly as they
relate to those who lack access to care and can’t afford
proper care.
“It was very challenging. My race wasn’t the barrier. It was
more of the mental barrier with the men in the field,” she
said. “I was not their colleague, which made it difficult.
They had to deal with this odd woman. Fortunately, now
there are nine women deans at 56 dental schools across
the country.”
“Oral health is directly related to systemic health. The
mouth is an organ that is responsible for speech, taste,
swallowing and the first stages of digestion,” she added.
Through her work with the association, Dr. Sinkford has
had the opportunity to travel internationally to share
the concept of pooling resources, sharing faculty and
addressing community needs.
Much like medicine, the number of women entering
the field of dentistry is on the rise, said Dr. Sinkford,
who now works on women and minority recruitment
and retention with the American Dental Education
Association. “Women bring intelligence and energy to
the profession. They are goal oriented, compassionate
and have an eye for beauty. From an aesthetic point of
view (we spend billions on beauty care a year), it’s easy
for women to understand the needs of others and see
what has to be done.”
As for the future, the mother of three with husband
Dr. Stanley Sinkford and first-time grandmother, sees
herself relaxing on the beach with her husband and doing
nothing. Then she quickly adds, “I hope to be useful
as long as there is a need for expertise and advice on
the transitioning and changing needs of the profession.
I’d also like to place more focus on bioethics, cultural
competency and teach graduates the importance of
treating those who are medically compromised and
who lack access to care.”
Parts of an extracting instrument set made in
1835 by blacksmith Henry Harrison Dean. The
instruments were used by his son, James Dean,
who practiced dentistry and medicine.
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May
Extracting Instrument Set
06/04
1
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1968: Henry Lewis becomes first black musical director of an American
symphony orchestra — New Jersey Symphony.
2
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1971: Samuel L. Gravely Jr. becomes first African American admiral in
U.S. Navy.
3
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1890: L.H. Jones patents corn harvester.
1904: Charles R. Drew, who developed process for preserving blood
plasma, born.
4
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1972: Activist Angela Davis acquitted of all murder and conspiracy
charges.
5
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1987: Dr. Mae C. Jemison becomes first African American
woman astronaut.
6
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1831: First annual People of Color convention held in Philadelphia.
7
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1917: Poetess Gwendolyn Brooks, first black to win the Pulitzer Prize
(poetry, 1950), born.
8
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1953: Supreme Court ruling bans discrimination in Washington, D.C.,
restaurants.
9
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1962: W.W. Braithwaite, poet, anthologist and literary critic, dies in
New York City.
1995: Lincoln J. Ragsdale, pioneer fighter pilot of World War II, dies.
10
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1854: James Augustine Healy, first black Roman Catholic bishop,
ordained.
11
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1912: Joseph H. Dickinson patents player piano.
1920: Pianist and singer Hazel Dorothy Scott born.
12
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1963: Medgar W. Evers, civil rights leader, assassinated in Jackson,
Mississippi.
13
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1967: Thurgood Marshall nominated to Supreme Court by President
Lyndon Johnson.
14
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Flag Day
1864: Congress rules equal pay for all soldiers.
1927: George Washington Carver patents process of producing paints
and stains.
15
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1913: Dr. Effie O’Neal Ellis, first black woman to hold an executive
position in the American Medical Association, born.
16
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1970: Kenneth A. Gibson elected mayor of Newark, New Jersey, first
African American mayor of a major Eastern city.
17
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1775: Minuteman Peter Salem fights in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
“In orthodontics, most of
the time it’s elective and
people want to be there.
They are happy, not tense
or stressed out.”
C. Neil Nicholson, D.D.S.
O RT H O D O N T I C S
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1863: The 54th Massachusetts Colored Infantry attacks Fort Wagner,
South Carolina.
1942: Harvard University medical student Bernard Whitfield Robinson
commissioned as the Navy’s first black officer.
19
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1865: Blacks in Texas are notified of Emancipation Proclamation, issued
in 1863. “Juneteenth” marks the event.
20
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Father’s Day
1953: Albert W. Dent of Dillard University elected president of the
National Health Council.
21
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1945: Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes first black to command
an Army Air Corps base.
22
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1897: William Barry patents postmarking and cancelling machine.
23
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1940: Sprinter Wilma Rudolph, winner of three gold medals at 1960
Summer Olympics, born.
24
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1964: Carl T. Rowan appointed director of the United States Information
Agency.
25
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1941: Franklin D. Roosevelt issues executive order establishing Fair
Employment Practices Commission.
26
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1975: Dr. Samuel Blanton Rosser becomes first African American
certified in pediatric surgery.
27
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1991: Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall announces his
retirement.
28
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1864: Fugitive slave laws repealed by Congress.
29
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1886: Photographer James Van Der Zee born.
30
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1921: Charles S. Gilpin awarded Spingarn Medal for his performance
in Eugene O’Neill’s Emperor Jones.
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June
C. Neil Nicholson
D.D.S. Seattle, WA
Dr. C. Neil Nicholson wanted a career that would not be
taken over by computers, a profession where his talents
would never become obsolete. Music production was his
first love, but after observing a local dentist and working
as a dental assistant, he realized orthodontics was where
he wanted to be. “In orthodontics, most of the time it’s
elective and people want to be there. They are happy, not
tense or stressed out,” he said. “Actually, a lot of people
fall asleep in the chair when I’m working on them
because they are so comfortable.”
Dr. Nicholson went down a long, rough road to get to
this peaceful place. Raised by his grandmother — a single
mom who died three months after his own mother — he
took over the guardianship of his two younger brothers
at age 19. To pay the bills, he put school temporarily on
hold and worked as a dental assistant. “I stayed focused,
set my priorities and believed in myself,” he said. “I had
to invest in myself to do what I wanted to do.” He then
met Dr. Seok Bee Lim, a Harvard dental graduate, who
inspired and supported him through his own orthodontic
education and later became his wife.
Today, Dr. Nicholson has his own orthodontics practice
in Seattle, where he’s entrusted with transforming people’s
smiles. “I always tell my patients that it’s not how fast I
can do it, it’s how good I can do it.” Usually, his patients
are excited when the braces are first put on, but midway
through the cycle they tire of them. “Every day, several
times a day, I hear, ‘When am I getting my braces off?’”
he quips.
Growing up poor has made Dr. Nicholson keenly aware
of health care disparities. “One of my motivations has
been to provide and assist people in getting care,” he said.
“We have to continue to teach the priorities of health
care. A lot of people have a perception of health care,
but they are focused on one thing. They don’t realize it’s
the whole body. It’s not just teeth or eyes. It’s overall
health issues.
Now at the peak of his practice growth, Dr. Nicholson
hopes to dedicate more time to organized dentistry by
becoming more active with local and national committees
and community activities. He’s currently involved with
the Washington State Association of Black Health Care
Professionals, a group of health care providers who collectively share information and host public health care events.
“Dental hygiene has to be under control before I even
think about putting on braces,” said Dr. Nicholson, the
father of two boys with wife of 22 years, Bee. He’s turned
away patients who have holes in their teeth and advises
them to focus on basic hygiene. Contrary to beliefs,
orthodontics is not limited to the young. Older adults are
getting their teeth straightened today with braces because
“they are keeping their teeth longer. My oldest patient is
a young 70, and I have several patients in their sixties.”
With patients ages 7 to 70, Dr. Nicholson says making
them look good is easy. “I want to be sure that the upper
and lower jaw work together in a functional way. When
there’s clicking and popping it can be painful. There are
many problems people can have with their jaws, such as
temporomandibular disorder, TMD, or muscle aches,
which can be caused by clenching or grinding teeth in
the night or stress.”
Toothbrush
Branches of trees have been handmade into
toothbrushes in some cultures. Surprisingly,
this method is still practiced in some
parts of the United States.
07/04
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1889: Frederick Douglass named U.S. Minister to Haiti.
2
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1872: Elijah McCoy patents first self-lubricating locomotive engine.
The quality of his inventions helped coin the phrase “the real McCoy.”
1964: President Lyndon Johnson signs Civil Rights Act into law.
3
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1688: The Quakers in Germantown, Pennsylvania, make first formal
protest against slavery.
4
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Independence Day
1900: Traditional birthdate of Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, jazz pioneer.
5
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1892: Andrew J. Beard patents rotary engine.
1991: Nelson Mandela elected president of the African National
Congress.
6
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1957: Althea Gibson wins women’s singles title at Wimbledon, first
black to win tennis’s most prestigious award.
7
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1948: Cleveland Indians sign pitcher Leroy “Satchel” Paige.
8
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1943: Faye Wattleton, first black director of Planned Parenthood, born.
2000: Venus Williams wins women’s singles championship at
Wimbledon.
9
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1893: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performs first successful open-heart
operation.
10
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1875: Educator Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of Bethune-Cookman
College, born.
11
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1905: W.E.B. DuBois and William Monroe Trotter organize the
Niagara Movement, a forerunner of the NAACP.
12
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1937: Actor, comedian Bill Cosby born.
1949: Frederick M. Jones patents cooling system for food
transportation vehicles.
13
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1965: Thurgood Marshall becomes first black appointed U.S. solicitor
general.
14
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1955: George Washington Carver Monument, first national park
honoring a black, is dedicated in Joplin, Missouri.
15
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1867: Maggie Lena Walker, first woman and first black to become
president of a bank, born.
16
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1862: Anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells Barnett born.
17
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1953: Jesse D. Locker appointed U.S. ambassador to Liberia.
18
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1939: Saxophonist Coleman Hawkins records “Body and Soul.”
1998: African American Civil War Soldiers Memorial dedicated,
Washington, D.C.
19
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1925: Paris debut of Josephine Baker, entertainer, activist and
humanitarian.
20
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1950: Black troops (24th Regiment) win first U.S. victory in Korea.
21
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1896: Mary Church Terrell elected first president of National
Association of Colored Women.
22
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1939: Jane M. Bolin of New York City appointed first black
female judge.
23
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1778: More than 700 blacks participate in Battle of Monmouth
(New Jersey).
24
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1807: Shakespearean actor Ira Aldridge born in New York City.
25
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1916: Garrett Morgan, inventor of the gas mask, rescues six people
from gas-filled tunnel in Cleveland, Ohio.
“You have a dual profession in military dentistry. One
profession is being a dentist; the other profession is
being an Army officer.”
Colonel Sidney Alan Brooks, Sr., D.D.S.
U . S . A R M Y D E N TA L C O R P S
Colonel Sidney Alan Brooks, Sr.
26
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1948: President Harry S. Truman issues Executive Order 9981,
ending segregation in armed forces.
27
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1880: Alexander P. Ashbourne patents process for refining coconut oil.
28
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1868: 14th Amendment, granting blacks full citizenship rights,
becomes part of the Constitution.
29
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1895: First National Conference of Colored Women Convention held
in Boston.
30
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1822: James Varick becomes first bishop of African Methodist
Episcopal Zion Church.
31
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1874: Rev. Patrick Francis Healy inaugurated president of Georgetown
University, Washington, D.C.
D.D.S. Fort Sam Houston, TX
After six years of sleeping on the ground with the troops,
Colonel Sidney Alan Brooks decided to follow in the
footsteps of military friend Dr. Fred Sykes and serve the
military by improving the oral health of its soldiers —
a decision that would make his grandfather, who also
was a dentist, proud.
Colonel Brooks added, “You’re not able to build relationships with patients because soldiers move on. You can
develop a treatment plan for one patient and you may
never see them again because someone else is treating
them. But everyone else sees your work, so you have
to be sure you’re doing a good job.”
Despite thinking he’d stay in the Army practicing dentistry
among the troops for about 10 years, the Army’s highestranking African American dental officer still serves after
27 years. “Every time I think it’s time to go, there is
something going on that keeps me here. Some dentists
practice their whole lives in one small town; with the
military it’s much different. I have the opportunity to
travel all over the world,” said Colonel Brooks.
While he’d love to buy a boat and sail away into military
retirement, Colonel Brooks sees a future in his own private
dental practice in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He also
hopes to spend more time with his wife of 29 years,
Colonel Marilyn Hughes, who is stationed with the Army
Nurses Corp in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The couple
get to see each other only once every five or six weeks.
Today, Colonel Brooks commands 4,000 men and women
who are members of the U.S. Army Dental Corps. He’s
never stationed in one location for very long because his
medical soldiers are running dental clinics — some standalone, others created in schools, churches or courtyards
— in 23 countries.
“To be successful you have to make sacrifices. We both
have our professions right now. There was a time when I
was ‘Mr. Mom’ so my wife could do what she needed to
do. We both grew up poor. I remember when I was a kid
not having electricity because my mom couldn’t afford to
pay the bills. Now we are developing our nest egg so we
can leave something to our children,” said the father of
two adult sons, Alan and Wesley.
“You have a dual profession in military dentistry. One
profession is being a dentist; the other profession is being
an Army officer. You have the role of leading soldiers and
running an organization that can be successful in both
war and peace,” he said.
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July
Life Mask
This life mask represents the custom of filing.
As practiced in Africa, this may have been an
attempt to intimidate enemies by creating a
ferocious appearance.
08/04
1
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1879: Mary Eliza Mahoney graduates from New England Hospital
for Women and Children, becoming the first black professional nurse
in America.
2
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1924: James Baldwin, author of Go Tell It on the Mountain, The Fire
Next Time and Another Country, born.
3
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1800: Gabriel Prosser leads slave revolt in Richmond, Virginia.
4
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1810: Abolitionist Robert Purvis born.
5
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1962: Nelson Mandela, South African freedom fighter, imprisoned.
He was not released until 1990.
6
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1848: Susie King Taylor, first black Army nurse, born.
7
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1989: Congressman Mickey Leland dies in plane crash during a
humanitarian mission to Ethiopia.
8
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1865: Polar explorer Matthew Henson born.
9
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1936: Jesse Owens wins fourth gold medal at Summer Olympics
in Berlin.
10
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1989: Gen. Colin Powell is nominated Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff,
the first African American to hold this post.
11
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1872: Solomon Carter Fuller, acknowledged as first black
psychiatrist, born.
1921: Alex Haley, author of Roots, born.
12
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1977: Steven Biko, leader of Black Consciousness Movement in South
Africa, arrested.
13
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1981: Reagan administration undertakes its review of 30 federal
regulations, including rules on civil rights to prevent job discrimination.
14
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1989: First National Black Theater Festival held in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina.
15
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1888: Granville T. Woods patents electromechanical brake.
16
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1922: Author Louis E. Lomax born.
17
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1849: Lawyer-activist Archibald Henry Grimké, who challenged
segregationist policies of President Woodrow Wilson, born.
18
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1859: Harriet Wilson’s Our Nig is first novel published by a black writer.
19
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1954: Dr. Ralph J. Bunche named undersecretary of United Nations.
“I’ve always enjoyed patient practice – making diagnoses
and delivering care to restore health. When you work
as a dean you have a much broader scope.”
Lonnie H. Norris, D.M.D., M.P.H.
A C A D E M I A & O R A L / M A X I L L O FA C I A L S U R G E RY
Lonnie H. Norris
20
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1993: Dr. David Satcher named director of the Centers for
Disease Control.
21
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1831: Nat Turner leads slave revolt in Virginia.
22
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1843: Henry Highland Garnett calls for a general strike by slaves.
23
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1926: Carter Woodson, historian, author, inaugurates Negro History
Week.
24
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1950: Judge Edith Sampson named first black delegate to United
Nations.
25
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1908: National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses founded by
Martha Minerva Franklin.
1925: A. Phillip Randolph founds Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.
26
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1920: 19th Amendment to the Constitution ratified, giving women the
right to vote.
27
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1935: Mary McLeod Bethune founds National Council of Negro
Women.
28
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1963: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers “I Have A Dream” speech
during March on Washington, D.C.
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1920: Saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker born.
30
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1983: Lt. Col. Guion S. Bluford Jr. becomes the first African American
astronaut in space.
31
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1836: Henry Blair patents cotton planter.
D.M.D., M.P.H. Boston, MA
“Get involved completely.” These are words of wisdom
that Dr. Lonnie Norris lives by. Through his 25-year
academic and surgical career, he has given his all. In
return, he’s been more fulfilled than he could ever
have imagined.
A Houston, Texas, native, Dr. Norris rose to the top at
Boston’s Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
when he was named dean of the nation’s second-largest
dental school in 1996. Today, he oversees 700 dental
students, who have the opportunity to practice in a stateof-the-art dental simulation lab and provide oral care to
more than 60,000 patients a year in the school’s
modernized clinics.
His passion for dentistry came about later in life after
working for eight years as a plastics engineer for Ford
Motor Corporation and then the U.S. Army. “The critical
influence in someone’s decision to enter the oral health
profession can come at any time. I looked at where I
could make the most impact and wanted more independence. I was good at working with my hands, and I wanted
more interaction with people,” Dr. Norris said. “Many of
my college classmates entered into health care profession
schools immediately after graduation, and that influenced
my career decision. Now I am one of the few African
American deans in the 56 dental schools across the
country.”
Along with his academic leadership role, Dr. Norris still
works one day a week at the school’s Dental Faculty
Practice and at the New England Medical Center Hospital.
“I’ve always enjoyed patient practice – making diagnoses
and delivering care to restore health. When you work as a
dean you have a much broader scope. You need communication skills and trust to get people to work as a team to
accomplish goals. A big impact is made when decisions
for change affect clinical operations and dental education
in the entire school. Planning with your team does not
always lead to immediate results. Thus, administration
and patient care for me is a balance between long-term
major advancements with widespread involvement and
short-term results that affect individuals.”
heart-transplant patients. Physicians consult with Dr. Norris
and his faculty to determine if there are decaying teeth in
organ-transplant patients, which may cause acute infections
resulting in complications to the transplant. “There is a
direct relationship of oral health to systemic health,” he said.
As for the future, Dr. Norris knows he will always provide
service. “The future involves using my position as dean
to address the challenges of dental education, provide
health career opportunities to a diverse student body,
and influence the issue of disparities of oral health for
underserved populations,” he said.
Through his work in oral and maxillofacial surgery,
Dr. Norris has performed minor surgeries such as removal
of impacted teeth and placement of dental implants; and
major surgeries in hospitals involving facial trauma, and
facial birth and growth defects; and also has consulted on
Dental Instrument
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August
Penknife-style pocket dental instrument, that
includes a pelican, a goat’s foot elevator, a
screw elevator and a straight elevator, used for
extracting teeth in the early 19th century.
09/04
1
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1964: President Lyndon Johnson signs into law the Nurse Training Act of
1964, making it possible for black nurses to get federal funding for their
education.
2
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1958: Frederick M. Jones patents control device for internal combustion
engine.
3
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1979: Robert Maynard, first African American to head a major daily
newspaper, Oakland Tribune in California.
4
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1962: New Orleans Catholic schools integrated.
5
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1960: Leopold Sedar Senghor elected president of Senegal.
6
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Labor Day
1848: Frederick Douglass elected president of National Black Political
Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.
7
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1954: Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, public schools
integrated.
8
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1907: Negro League’s baseball star Buck Leonard born.
9
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1968: Arthur Ashe Jr. wins men‘s singles tennis championship
at U.S Open.
2000: Venus Williams wins women‘s singles tennis championship
at U.S Open.
10
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1855: John Mercer Langston elected township clerk of Brownhelm,
Ohio, becoming first black to hold elective office in the U.S.
11
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1959: Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington wins Spingarn Medal for his
achievements in music.
1999: Serena Williams wins women‘s singles tennis championship
at U.S Open.
12
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1992: Dr. Mae C. Jemison becomes first African American woman to
travel in space.
13
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1886: Literary critic Alain Locke, first black Rhodes scholar, born.
14
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1921: Constance Baker Motley, first black woman appointed federal
judge, born.
15
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Rosh Hashana Begins (Sundown)
1963: Four black girls killed in Birmingham, Alabama, church bombing.
16
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1923: First Catholic seminary for black priests dedicated in
Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
17
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1983: Vanessa Williams crowned Miss America.
“We need to raise public
awareness about oral
signs and symptoms so
African American elders
will know when they
need to go to dentists.”
Ann Slaughter, D.D.S., M.P.H.
G E R I AT R I C D E N T I S T RY
18
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1895: Booker T. Washington delivers famous Atlanta Exposition speech.
19
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1893: Albert R. Robinson patents electric railway trolley.
20
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1830: First National Convention of Free Men agrees to boycott
slave-produced goods.
21
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1815: Gen. Andrew Jackson honors courage of black troops who
fought in Battle of New Orleans.
1998: Florence Griffith Joyner, Olympic track star, dies.
22
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1862: Emancipation Proclamation announced.
1989: Gen. Colin Powell is confirmed as Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff,
first African American to hold the post.
23
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1863: Civil and women’s rights advocate Mary Church Terrell born.
24
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Yom Kippur Begins (Sundown)
1957: Federal troops enforce court-ordered integrations as nine children
integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
25
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D.D.S., M.P.H. Philadelphia, PA
1974: Barbara W. Hancock becomes first African American woman
named a White House fellow.
26
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1962: Sonny Liston knocks out Floyd Patterson to win heavyweight
boxing championship.
27
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2000: Venus Williams wins an Olympic gold medal in women‘s
singles tennis.
28
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1991: National Civil Rights Museum opens in Memphis, Tennessee.
2000: Venus and Serena Williams win Olympic gold medals in
women’s pairs tennis.
2003: Althea Gibson, first African American tennis player to win
Wimbledon, dies.
29
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1910: National Urban League founded in New York City.
30
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1962: James Meredith enrolls as first black student at University of
Mississippi.
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September
Ann Slaughter
“Elders inspire me to continue to do what I do,” said
Dr. Ann Slaughter, geriatric dentistry specialist and
assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
Her parents each had a scientific background, and
throughout childhood she enjoyed spending time with
her grandmother and her friends, “so choosing public
health seemed natural for me.”
Education and clinical dentistry set the pace during her
early career, until she was encouraged to apply for the
Brookdale National Fellowship Program, a national
endowment that funded aging research. “They heard
my ideas and decided to give dentistry a chance,” said
Dr. Slaughter. She spent two years working at the
University of Connecticut’s Travelers Center on Aging,
where she interacted with elderly patients in community
settings and collaborated with other medical professionals
as part of the program’s interdisciplinary training.
Today through her work at the university, Dr. Slaughter
is developing an educational program, “Take Charge of
Your Oral Health,” which will be delivered to African
American senior citizens in urban community centers.
“We need to raise public awareness about oral signs and
symptoms so African American elders will know when
they need to go to dentists,” said Dr. Slaughter.
theme, hoping the elders will provide the messages to
their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
We need to plant the seeds for the future and change
oral health beliefs as the children grow up.”
Elder patients, she said, must be approached differently
because of past perceptions. “I have had to work very
hard and diligently to establish trusting relationships
within the community,” she said. “When these elders
were young, dental care didn’t focus much on prevention.
They’ve always associated going to the dentist with the
fear of getting their teeth pulled. So there are filters over
the issue of trust. I had to earn it from them. And that
was a challenge.”
While addicted to her work, Dr. Slaughter relaxes once
in a while by taking in a classic Humphrey Bogart black
and white movie or reading a suspense novel by Richard
Patterson. “These are the types of relaxation activities
that I enjoy,” she said.
Though passionate about all aspects of her field, she’s most
proud that her geriatric research was recently featured in
Jet magazine. “Perseverance is the key. Just keep moving,”
she shared as her words to live by. "I plan to continue
building on what I’ve got, and I hope to make a contribution to reduce health care disparities."
“We are developing a program that’s culturally sensitive.
We are talking on their terms and using their language,”
she said. “We’re also promoting an intergenerational
Dental Chairs
The National Museum of Dentistry’s Spectacular
Tower of Chairs, spanning the museum’s
two floors of exhibits.
10/04
1
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1940: Dr. Charles Drew named supervisor of the “Plasma for Great
Britain” project.
2
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1986: President Ronald Reagan appoints Edward J. Perkins ambassador
to South Africa.
2000: James Perkins Jr. sworn in as Selma, Alabama’s, first African
American mayor.
3
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1956: Nat “King” Cole becomes first black performer to host his own
TV show.
4
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1864: First black daily newspaper, The New Orleans Tribune, founded.
5
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1872: Booker T. Washington enters Hampton Institute, Virginia.
6
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1917: Political activist Fannie Lou Hamer born.
7
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1934: Playwright-poet Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones) born.
1993: Toni Morrison becomes the first African American to win the
Nobel Prize in literature.
8
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1941: Rev. Jesse Jackson born in Greenville, South Carolina.
9
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1888: O.B. Clare patents trestle.
2001: Dr. Ruth Simmons, first African American leader of an Ivy League
institution, elected 18th president of Brown University.
10
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1899: Isaac R. Johnson patents bicycle frame.
11
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Columbus Day Observed
1887: Granville T. Woods patents telephone system and apparatus.
1887: Alexander Miles patents elevator.
12
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1904: Physician and scholar W. Montague Cobb born.
13
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1579: Martin de Porres, first black saint in the Roman Catholic
church, born.
1876: Meharry Medical College founded, established as the Meharry
Medical Department of Central Tennessee College.
14
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1964: At age 35, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. becomes youngest
man to win Nobel Peace Prize.
15
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1991: Clarence Thomas confirmed as an associate justice of U.S.
Supreme Court.
16
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1984: Bishop Desmond Tutu wins Nobel Peace Prize.
17
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1888: Capital Savings Bank of Washington, D.C., first bank for blacks,
organized.
“I like being in an atmosphere where you can make
a positive difference. Most people are afraid of the
dentist, but if you can put them at ease, the benefits
of prevention and oral health are endless.”
Katie Dawson, R.H.D., B.S.
D E N TA L H Y G I E N I S T
18
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1948: Playwright Ntozake Shange, author of For Colored Girls Who
Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf, born.
19
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1943: Paul Robeson opens in Othello at the Shubert Theater in
New York City.
20
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1898: The first black-owned insurance company, North Carolina Mutual
Life Insurance Co., founded.
21
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1917: Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, pioneer of bebop, born.
22
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1953: Clarence S. Green becomes first black certified in neurological
surgery.
23
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1947: NAACP petitions United Nations on racial conditions in the U.S.
24
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United Nations Day
1980: Judge Patrick Higginbotham finds Republic National guilty in
discrimination case.
25
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1992: Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston becomes first
African American to manage a team to a World Series title.
26
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1911: Mahalia Jackson, gospel singer, born.
27
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1954: Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes first black general in U.S.
Air Force.
28
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1981: Edward M. McIntyre elected first African American mayor of
Augusta, Georgia.
1998: President Bill Clinton declares HIV/AIDS a health crisis in racial
minority communities.
29
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1949: Alonzo G. Moron becomes first black president of Hampton
Institute, Virginia.
30
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1979: Richard Arrington elected first African American mayor of
Birmingham, Alabama.
31
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Halloween
Daylight Saving Time Ends
1896: Actress, singer Ethel Waters born.
1899: William F. Burr patents switching device for railways.
Katie Dawson
R.H.D., B.S. Oakland, CA
While her lifelong dream is to one day be a backup singer
for Luther Vandross, dental hygienist Katie Dawson
appreciates the work she currently does each day with
patients of all ages. “I like being in an atmosphere where
you can make a positive difference. Most people are afraid
of the dentist, but if you can put them at ease, the benefits of prevention and oral health are endless,” she said.
She especially enjoys introducing young children to the
dental chair. “We try to get them to want to do what their
parents are doing. We count teeth with them and shine
the light in their mouths. When it’s time to have their
teeth really checked, they can’t wait for the appointment,”
she said.
For elderly patients, Ms. Dawson said, her focus is on
cleaning teeth so food is appetizing. Recalling an elderly
man in a wheelchair, she said, “After I finished cleaning
his teeth and handed him a mirror, a big smile appeared
on his face. That was a pleasant experience for me. No one
wants to eat when there is pain in the mouth. I hope to
be able to provide relief from pain and discomfort.”
Seahawks football team, suggested she consider the benefits of a flexible and independent profession. “I went back
to school and graduated when I was 30, when everyone
else in the class was 20 or 21,” she said, adding that at
that time she was recently divorced and caring for her
young son, Tony.
Now Ms. Dawson is vice president of the American
Dental Hygienists’ Association, which is 38,000 members
strong. She’s also past president of the National Dental
Hygienists’ Association and served as the hygienist
representative on the Dental Board of California, a
governor-appointed position. “I love volunteering in my
professional associations. It satisfies the lawyer in me. I
like to debate and challenge issues adversely affecting
consumers,” she said.
She’s also chair of the planning committee for her 40th
high school class reunion. “Our class was unique because
we experienced the Kennedy assassination together in
1963. I remember how everyone in the school just fell
apart,” said Ms. Dawson, who expects to become a
grandmother in March 2004.
Her career in dentistry began when her brother,
Dr. Robert Flennaugh, a general dentist in Seattle,
Washington, who also practices dentistry for the Seattle
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October
Postcard
From the “Comic” series, published by Julius Bien
and Company, New York, circa 1907.
11/04
1
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1991: Judge Clarence Thomas formally seated as 106th associate justice
of U.S. Supreme Court.
2
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Election Day
1954: Charles C. Diggs elected Michigan’s first black congressman.
1983: President Ronald Reagan designates Martin Luther King Jr. Day
a national holiday.
3
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1981: Thirman L. Milner elected mayor of Hartford, Connecticut,
becoming first African American mayor in New England.
1992: Carol Moseley Braun becomes first African American woman
elected to the U.S. Senate.
4
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1879: Thomas Elkins patents refrigeration apparatus.
5
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1968: Shirley Chisholm of Brooklyn, New York, becomes first black
woman elected to Congress.
6
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1900: James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson compose
“Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
7
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1989: L. Douglas Wilder elected governor of Virginia, becoming nation’s
first African American governor since Reconstruction.
8
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1938: Crystal Bird Faucet elected state representative in Pennsylvania,
becoming first black woman to serve in a state legislature.
9
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1731: Mathematician, urban planner and inventor
Benjamin Banneker born.
10
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1983: Wilson Goode elected Philadelphia’s first African American mayor.
11
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Veterans’ Day
1989: Civil Rights Memorial dedicated in Montgomery, Alabama.
12
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1941: Mary Cardwell Dawson and Madame Lillian Evanti establish the
“We cannot turn our
backs on people who
are suffering from health
care disparities. If all
dental and medical
professionals participate,
we can address the
problems.”
John M. Williams, D.D.S.
National Negro Opera Company.
13
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1894: Albert C. Richardson patents casket-lowering device.
14
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1915: Booker T. Washington, educator and writer, dies.
15
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1881: Payton Johnson patents swinging chair.
16
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1981: Pam Johnson named publisher of the Ithaca Journal in New York,
becoming first African American woman to head a daily newspaper.
17
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1980: Howard University airs WHHM, first African American-operated
public radio station.
18
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1797: Sojourner Truth, abolitionist and Civil War nurse, born.
G E N E R A L D E N T I S T RY A N D F O R E N S I C S
19
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1953: Roy Campanella named Most Valuable Player in National
Baseball League for the second time.
20
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1865: Howard Seminary (later Howard University) founded in
Washington, D.C.
1923: Garrett A. Morgan patents traffic light signal.
21
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1893: Granville T. Woods patents electric railway conduit.
22
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1930: Elijah Muhammed establishes the Nation of Islam.
23
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1897: A.J. Beard patents the Jenny Coupler, still used to connect
railroad cars.
1897: John L. Love patents pencil sharpener.
24
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1868: Pianist Scott Joplin, the “Father of Ragtime,” born.
25
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Thanksgiving Day
1975: Suriname gains independence from the Netherlands.
26
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1883: Sojourner Truth, abolitionist and Civil War nurse, dies.
1970: Charles Gordone becomes first African American playwright to
receive the Pulitzer Prize (for No Place to Be Somebody).
John M. Williams
D.D.S. Minneapolis, MN
27
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1990: Charles Johnson awarded National Book Award for fiction
for Middle Passage.
28
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1960: Novelist Richard Wright dies.
29
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1908: Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall born.
30
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1897: J.A. Sweeting patents cigarette-rolling device.
In 1974 with two NFL Super Bowls under his belt,
football pro John Williams decided to pursue his passion
for dentistry. Then playing for the Baltimore Colts, he
went to college during the off seasons to earn a dental
degree from the University of Maryland at Baltimore.
He officially retired from the NFL in 1980 after 12 years
and established a dental practice in the inner city of
Minneapolis.
“Part of our responsibility as dentists is to motivate and
educate, as well as treat,” said Dr. Williams, who welcomes
the opportunity to encourage his patients, especially
impressionable youth. “Over the past 23 years, we have
been a resource for many patients.”
In addition to running a successful practice, Dr. Williams
is trained in forensic dentistry and is a member of the
Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, a program
of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Following
the September 11 tragedy in New York City, he participated on the identification team at the Chief Medical
Examiner’s Office. “It’s what we are trained to do, but
we couldn’t help feeling a little squeamish when we had
to identify the first body,” he said.
During the early years of his dental career in a changing
and struggling inner city, Dr. Williams said he had to
make a tough decision — to stay or to relocate to the
suburbs. He was determined to stay in the city and make
a difference. Today he’s proud of the choice he made.
“The city is starting to come back; my patients respect
what I did; they continue to come; and their children
and grandchildren are now patients,” he said.
Each day, besides getting up, which he calls a blessing,
Dr. Williams welcomes “being a good neighbor by
providing service to my community, as well as to people
in need. We cannot turn our backs on people who are
suffering from health care disparities. If all dental
and medical professionals participate, we can address
the problems.”
However, he recognizes responsibility also needs to rest
on individuals. “There is a personal responsibility to
participate in preventive care instead of getting into a
crisis situation,” he said.
Dr. Williams, the father of three adult boys with wife,
Barbara Butts Williams, is also a pilot and is closely
involved with the Prison Ministry Team. “We go in
thinking that we are giving something to them, but
we end up on the receiving end. It’s so gratifying to
see the growth of so many of these men.”
George Washington’s Dentures
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November
Set of dentures made by John Greenwood for
George Washington that were greatly altered in
1798 at Washington’s direction.
#/04
12/04
1
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1955: Rosa Parks arrested for refusing to give her seat to a white man,
sparking the Montgomery bus boycott.
1987: Carrie Saxon Perry, mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, becomes
first African American woman mayor of a major U.S. city.
2
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1884: Granville T. Woods patents telephone transmitter.
3
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1847: Frederick Douglass publishes first issue of North Star.
4
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1909: James Anderson founds The New York Amsterdam News.
5
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1955: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. organizes Birmingham bus boycott,
marking beginning of the Civil Rights movement.
6
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1932: Richard B. Spikes patents automatic gearshift.
7
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Hanukkah Begins (Sundown)
1941: Navy steward Dorie Miller shoots down four Japanese planes
during attack on Pearl Harbor.
8
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1925: Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. born.
9
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1872: P.B.S. Pinchback of Louisiana becomes first black governor.
10
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1950: Dr. Ralph J. Bunche becomes first black awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize.
11
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1938: Jazz pianist McCoy Tyner born.
12
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1975: The National Association of Black Journalists founded.
1992: President Bill Clinton appoints six African Americans to Cabinet
and White House staff.
13
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1944: First black servicewomen sworn into the WAVES.
14
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1829: John Mercer Langston, congressman and founder of Howard
University Law Department, born.
15
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1883: William A. Hinton, first black on Harvard Medical School
faculty, born.
1994: Ruth J. Simmons named president of Smith College.
16
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1976: Andrew Young nominated by President Jimmy Carter to be
U.S. ambassador to United Nations.
17
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1802: Teacher and minister Henry Adams born.
18
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1971: Rev. Jesse Jackson founds Operation PUSH.
19
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1875: Educator Carter G. Woodson, “Father of Black History,” born.
20
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1860: South Carolina secedes from the Union.
21
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1911: Baseball legend Josh Gibson born.
22
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1943: W.E.B. DuBois becomes first black elected to the National Institute
of Arts and Letters.
23
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1867: Sarah “Madam C.J.” Walker, businesswoman and first black
female millionaire, born.
24
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1832: Charter granted to Georgia Infirmary, the first black hospital.
25
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Christmas
1760: Jupiter Hammon becomes first published black poet with
“An Evening Thought.”
26
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Kwanzaa Begins
1894: Jean Toomer, author of Cane, born..
27
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1862: African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church founded in New Bern,
North Carolina.
28
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1905: Earl “Fatha” Hines, “Father of Modern Jazz Piano,” born.
29
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1924: Author, sportswriter A.S. “Doc” Young born.
30
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1842: Congressman Josiah Walls born.
1892: Dr. Miles V. Lynk publishes first black medical journal for
physicians, the Medical and Surgical Observer.
31
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1930: Odetta, blues and folk singer, born.
“It’s particularly
gratifying to watch
students enter into
the unknown of
dental school
and graduate as
extraordinary dental
health providers.”
Cherae Farmer-Dixon, D.D.S., M.S.P.H.
Students, front to back:
Kevin Bolden, Junior; Erin Hughes,
Junior; Errol Isaac, Senior; Audrey
Kemp, Junior; Talisha Mason, Senior;
David Maxwell, Junior
Cherae Farmer-Dixon, D.D.S., M.S.P.H., and
National Health Services Corps Scholars
Meharry Medical College, School of Dentistry, Nashville, TN
Dr. Cherae Farmer-Dixon can relate to the students she
counsels every day at Meharry Medical College, School
of Dentistry. That’s because 13 years ago, this associate
dean and admissions chairwoman was a student working
diligently to complete four years of dental study at the
historically black college located in Nashville, Tennessee.
“It’s particularly gratifying to watch students enter into
the unknown of dental school and graduate as extraordinary dental health providers,” said Dr. Farmer-Dixon.
Meharry’s School of Dentistry, whose mission is to serve
the underserved, accepts only 55 dental students each year.
What attracted Dr. Farmer-Dixon to the college in 1986
is what keeps her there today. “It’s a place where everyone
knows your name,” she said. “It’s a close-knit family
environment. And it’s typical that students come to me
at all hours, even on the weekends, for advice.”
Getting out into the community to serve the underserved
is what Meharry students are motivated to do when they
enter the college — particularly those students who are
selected as scholars of the National Health Services Corps,
a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. While in school the students participate in
numerous dental health programs targeted to the underserved. Upon graduation, each student scholar pledges to
dedicate two years of services in underserved communities.
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December
Senior students Talisha Mason and Errol Isaac had the
opportunity to provide dental care to the homeless
through their outreach in SEARCH — Student Experiences
and Rotations in Community Health. “It was a humbling
experience,” said Talisha, adding that these opportunities
strengthen résumés and provide perspectives on how their
career paths will unfold. Errol, who would sometimes see
10 patients before lunch, saw it as an opportunity to put
his dental education into practice.
Talisha, who grew up in Newark, New Jersey, will be
entering the field of pediatric dentistry upon graduation
in May 2004. Errol has accepted a general dentistry
residency at the V.A. Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, his
home state.
Kevin, from Mobile, Alabama, has spent many weekends
working at the Children’s Oral Health Institute, preparing
him for a career in pediatric dentistry. He also had the
opportunity to work with migrant workers during a
summer weekend program hosted at the University of
Rochester, New York.
Each year, Erin and Audrey look forward to Community
Day at Meharry, where they provide dental screenings to
local children; and Healthy Happy Halloween, where
they teach children what and what not to eat. “They
should eat apples, cheese and parsley to clean their teeth,”
said one of the students. Erin hopes to go home to
California to establish a practice specifically for patients
with special needs; while Audrey, from Oviedo, Florida,
plans to pursue pediatric dentistry.
Junior students David Maxwell, Kevin Bolden, Audrey
Kemp and Erin Hughes also are taking advantage of
extracurricular activities while at Meharry. David, from
Holly Springs, Mississippi, worked on research in a north
Nashville health center to address the Healthy People
2010 objectives. He aspires to establish a network of
comprehensive dental clinics that serve the underserved,
as well as the general population.
Toothbrush
Rotor toothbrush, circa 1930s.
☺ smile 1: a facial expression in which the eyes
Biographies
Clifton O. Dummett, D.D.S.
Dr. Clifton O. Dummett currently is Distinguished Professor
Emeritus, University of Southern California, School of Dentistry
in Los Angeles, California. His teaching career in periodontics
began at Meharry Medical College, School of Dentistry, where he
ultimately became professor of periodontics. He became dean
and director of dental education at age 28, establishing a record
as the youngest dental dean in the United States.
Caswell A. Evans, Jr., D.D.S., M.P.H.
Dr. Caswell A. Evans is director of the National Oral Health
Initiative within the office of the U.S. Surgeon General. In this
role, he provides guidance and assistance to state and local initiatives responsive to Oral Health in America: A Report of the U.S.
Surgeon General (2000), and to the subsequent National Call To
Action (2003) reports, which he directed and edited. The report
can be accessed at www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/oralhealth/.
Dr. Dummett’s subsequent appointments include chief dental
service and associate chief of staff for research and education,
Veterans Administration Hospital, Tuskegee, Alabama; chief,
dental service, Veterans Administration Research Hospital,
Chicago, Illinois; associate project director and health center
director of the University of Southern California South Central
Multipurpose Health Services Center, Los Angeles, California;
professor and chairman, Department of Community Dentistry
and Public Health, and associate dean, School of Dentistry,
University of Southern California.
Dr. Evans has served as director of public health programs and
services for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
and as director of the County Division of the Seattle-King County
Department of Public Health in Washington state.
Dr. Dummett was the first dentist to serve as associate chief of
staff for research and education at one of the nation’s VA hospitals,
and the first dentist appointed health center director at one of the
nation’s OEO health centers.
In 1969, he became the first member of the dental faculty at
the University of Southern California to be elected president of
the International Association for Dental Research. In 1972,
Dr. Dummett was one of the first three dentists in the nation and
the first University of Southern California Health Sciences faculty
member to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences,
Institute of Medicine. He was appointed to the Institute’s Council
and served on the program membership and international health
committees. He currently is a senior member of the institute.
Dr. Dummett is past president of the Los Angeles Dental Society,
the American Academy of the History of Dentistry and the
American Association of Dental Editors. He served two separate
terms as chairman of dentistry, American Association for the
Advancement of Science. A former editor and chairman of the
Board of Directors of the American Association of Dental Editors,
he served 22 years as editor of the National Dental Association. In
1977, he was the only dentist appointed as a member of the U.S.
President’s Committee on National Health Insurance.
Contributor to more than 300 articles in dental, medical and
health publications, Dr. Dummett is author of Growth and
Development of the Negro in Dentistry in the United States,
Community Dentistry and Contributions to New Directions.
With his wife, Lois, Dr. Dummett wrote The Hillenbrand Era:
Organized Dentistry’s Glanzperiode (sponsored by the American
College of Dentists); Charles E. Bentley: A Model for all Times;
Afro-Americans in Dentistry; Sequence and Consequence of Events;
Dental Education at Meharry Medical College: Origin and Odyssey;
Culture and Education in Dentistry at Northwestern University; and
NDA II: The Story of America’s Second National Dental Association.
Dr. Dummett was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the
University of Southern California, School of Dentistry. Among
many honors, he has received the Alfred C. Fones Gold Medal of
the Connecticut State Dental Association and the Wm. J. Gies
Award of the American College of Dentists. He is an honorary
member (1969) of the American Dental Association, and holds
honorary doctorates in science from Northwestern University and
the University of Pennsylvania.
Ronald Inge, D.D.S.
Dr. Ronald Inge recently joined Aetna as its chief dental officer.
Dr. Inge’s multifunctional capabilities include network development,
contracting and provider relations, as well as overseeing and setting
clinical policy. His well-rounded dental business background
includes positions where he directly led or collaborated on a
wide range of business decisions ranging from clinical to sales
and underwriting.
Dr. Inge previously served as vice president of professional services
and chief dental officer at PMI, the managed dental care division
of Delta of California. Before joining Delta, he was senior vice
president of provider relations at DentiCare of California.
He has 14 years of private-practice experience. He holds a doctor
of dental surgery degree from UCLA and a bachelor’s degree in
human biology from Stanford University. He currently is a member
of the board for the California Association of Dental Plans. His
membership associations include the American Dental Association,
the National Dental Association and the California Dental
Association. Dr. Inge and his wife, Patti, live in Hartford, Connecticut.
Elected to the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences,
Dr. Evans is past president of the American Public Health
Association and is the founder of its Faith Community Caucus.
He has served on the board of the National Association of County
and City Health Officials. He is a diplomate and immediate past
president of the American Board of Dental Public Health, and
serves as chair of the National Advisory Committee for the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation Pipeline grants recently awarded to
dental schools. He also serves on the Board of Visitors for the
National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore.
Dr. Evans received his doctor of dental surgery degree from
Columbia University’s School of Dental and Oral Surgery.
He earned his master of public health from the University of
Michigan School of Public Health. He is a visiting professor
of dentistry at the Columbia University School of Dental and
Oral Surgery, and served as a Distinguished Minority Visiting
Professor at Boston University Health Sciences Center.
Dr. Evans has received awards from the California State
Department of Health Services, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, the American Association of Public Health
Dentistry, and the U.S. Surgeon General’s office.
brighten and the corners of the mouth curve slightly
upward and which expresses esp. amusement, pleasure,
approval, or sometimes scorn 2: a pleasant or
encouraging appearance
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 11th Edition, Copyright ©2003
Under Dr. Mitchell’s direction, Columbia’s School of Dental and
Oral Surgery is helping improve the dental health of tens of thousands
of adults and children in Harlem and northern Manhattan. The
school has established numerous community-based dental service
programs, a mobile dental center, a medical/dental practice for elderly
patients and dental services at two community health centers.
To help increase the number of minority applicants to dental
schools, Dr. Mitchell helped Columbia develop a Minority
Medical Education Program dental pilot program. The intensive
six-week program, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
is located at 11 medical centers around the country, where 1,200
undergraduate students enroll each summer for basic sciences and
MCAT courses. During the past 10 years, the program has had
an admissions success rate of 65 percent to medical schools. The
Columbia dental pilot program is one of only two that exist
nationally for dentistry.
Dr. Mitchell is a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Health
Services fellow at Columbia University’s Center for Community
Health Partnerships. He also is a consultant to the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation’s Center for Health and Health Care in
Schools.
Dr. Mitchell received his B.A. in neurobiology and behavior from
Cornell University, his D.D.S. from Howard University and his
M.P.H. from Columbia University. His honors and awards include
the National Dental Association’s Community Leadership Award,
Howard University’s College of Dentistry Distinguished Alumni
Award, National Dental Honor Society and the National
Institutes of Health/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial
Research’s Minority Clinical Associate Physician’s Award.
Hazel Juanita Harper, D.D.S., M.P.H.
An activist for oral health, Dr. Hazel Juanita Harper has served
dentistry in many capacities. Deeply involved in health legislation
and policy issues, she maintains a private practice in general
dentistry within a multispecialty dental group, while providing
consulting services to nonprofit health organizations.
Winifred J. Booker, D.D.S.
Dr. Winifred J. Booker, a pediatric dentist based in Owings Mills,
Maryland, is the founder of Brushtime Products Inc., a company
that manufactures child-friendly dental hygiene products. She also
is the executive director of the nonprofit Maryland Children’s Oral
Health Institute, which she created in 1996 to focus on research
surrounding children’s oral health, and programs to empower
children and their families with good dental hygiene practices.
Dr. Harper was a member of President Bill Clinton’s Health Care
Reform Task Force (1993). Under the direction of U.S. Surgeon
General Dr. David Satcher, she contributed to the first Surgeon
General’s Report on Oral Health (1999-2000).
Dr. Booker received a B.S. degree in biology from Tennessee State
University; a doctor of dental surgery from Meharry Medical
College, Nashville, Tennessee; and earned a certificate in pediatric
dentistry from the Children’s National Medical Center in
Washington, D.C.
Dr. Harper lobbies for dental health in communities of color,
delivering congressional testimony on many occasions. An ardent
proponent of women’s health, she serves on the Advisory Task
Force of the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Research
on Women’s Health.
She began her career in 1988 as an associate dentist in Baltimore
private practices, then as a clinic dentist with the Baltimore City
Health Department. She purchased her first private practice in
1990. She trained at the Children’s National Medical Center in
the department of pediatric dentistry, where she served as chief
resident from 1994-1996 before joining the staff as a faculty,
attending.
Dr. Harper received her B.S. in 1971 from Howard University
and her D.D.S. from Howard University College of Dentistry
(HUCD) in 1975. She holds a master’s in public health from
Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public
Health (1978).
In 1996, Dr. Booker received her certificate in pediatric dentistry
and re-established her private practice. In 2001, she became
principal owner of Valley Dental Pediatrics.
She has served on the Oral Health Committee for the Surgeon
General’s Commission on Oral Health in America. She also sits on
the Maryland Department of Health and Dental Hygiene’s Oral
Health Advisory Committee.
A former faculty member in HUCD’s Department of Community
Dentistry, Dr. Harper continues to donate her time as an assistant
professor and student mentor. In 1997, she became the first woman
president in the 85-year history of the National Dental Association
(NDA). She spearheaded the formation of the NDA’s Women’s
Health Symposium in 1992. In 1996, she founded the NDA’s
Corporate Roundtable and shaped the organization’s strategic
plan. She currently serves as consultant to the Roundtable, which
strengthens NDA’s growth and development through corporate
giving, fund-raising, administrative contributions, and active
participation in programs at the national and local levels.
Dr. Booker was a media spokeswoman for the American Academy
of Pediatric Dentistry. She was the secretary/treasurer of the
Maryland Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. She served in a U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services peer review group
formed to monitor and evaluate pediatric dentistry grant programs.
As editor of the Journal of the National Dental Association, Dr. Harper
has authored and co-authored numerous articles focusing on the
health needs of African Americans and the underserved.
She serves as a consultant for Ethnic Health America and for
Pacifica Radio in Oakland, California; and has served as a consultant
for Washington, D.C.’s, Head Start Bureau.
Dr. Harper was the first to represent African American dentists on
the covers of Dental Economics magazine (February 2001) and the
Woman Dentist Journal (April/March 2003). She has been awarded
many honors for professional service and community involvement,
and serves on numerous editorial boards and boards of directors.
Dennis Mitchell, D.D.S., M.P.H.
Community-based dentistry is Dr. Dennis Mitchell’s passion
and focus. As an assistant professor of clinical dentistry in the
departments of Community Health and Periodontics at Columbia
University’s School of Dental and Oral Surgery, he oversees the
school’s Harlem component of the Community DentCare
Network. In addition to his responsibilities at Columbia,
Dr. Mitchell is an attending dentist and director of research
and community dentistry at Harlem Hospital Center
Department of Dentistry.
Jeanne C. Sinkford, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Dr. Jeanne C. Sinkford is the associate executive director and
director of the Center for Equity and Diversity at the American
Dental Education Association (ADEA) in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Sinkford also is professor emeritus and dean emeritus of the
Howard University College of Dentistry. She is the first woman
dean of an American dental school.
Dr. Sinkford served 16 years as dean at Howard University before
joining ADEA in 1991. She has served on numerous committees
and advisory councils of national significance, including the
National Advisory Dental Research Council; Directors Advisory
Council, National Institutes of Health; governing board of the
American Society for Geriatric Dentistry; advisory board, Robert
Wood Johnson Health Policy Program; chair, Appeal Board
Council on Dental Education, American Dental Association;
Council on Dental Research, American Dental Association;
Special Medical Advisory Group for the Veterans Administration;
Council, Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences;
NRC Governing Board, National Academy of Sciences; Dental
Devices Classification Panel, Food and Drug Administration; chair,
Anatomical Board for the District of Columbia; and member of
the Girl Scouts of the USA. She currently serves on the editorial
board of the Journal of the American College of Dentists and the
Education Committee of the National Dental Association.
She was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine
National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Sinkford currently serves on
advisory boards at Boston University Goldman School of Dental
Medicine, Temple University School of Dentistry, Indiana
University School of Dentistry and the Oral Cancer Regional
Center for Research for Adolescent & Adult Health Promotion
at New York University.
Dr. Sinkford holds honorary degrees from Georgetown University,
the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and
Detroit-Mercy University.
Dr. Sinkford earned her B.S. degree from Howard University,
and her master’s and Ph.D. from Northwestern University. She
completed her residency in pediatric dentistry at Children’s
Hospital National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
C. Neil Nicholson, D.D.S.
Dr. C. Neil Nicholson heads a successful orthodontic practice,
with offices in Seattle and Bellevue, Washington. He opened his
first orthodontic practice in Seattle in 1994, developed a partnership with Orthodontic Centers of America (the nation’s leading
orthodontic management firm) in 1996 and added the Bellevue
practice in 1997. Both practices have grown significantly.
Dr. Nicholson’s goal is to achieve recognition for his practices
as major orthodontic referral centers in the two cities.
Dr. Nicholson views himself and his staff as a team that strives
to provide excellence in clinical care and customer service. He is
committed to providing orthodontic service to underprivileged
children and offers treatment to kids in need, regardless of ability
to pay. In 2000, he was a recipient of the National Association
of Black Accountants (Seattle chapter) “Entrepreneur of the Year,”
awarded to a person who constantly strives to be a positive influence
in the community. Seattle’s Better Business Bureau recently
nominated him for the Small Business of the Year Award.
Dr. Nicholson combines a love for music and the arts and a
commitment to community involvement by serving on the
advisory board of the Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center,
which involves at-risk youth in the performing arts.
Believing that a helping hand extended to a young person at the
right time can allow latent potential to flourish, Dr. Nicholson
routinely offers students the opportunity to learn more about
the dentistry profession and helps them obtain dental care
when needed.
Dr. Nicholson credits three people with encouraging and guiding
him throughout his school, career and life: Ann O’Neal, his aunt
and a teacher in the Seattle Public School District; the late Joe
Fabre’, an attorney and mentor; and his wife, Dr. Seok Bee Lim, a
pediatric dentist who has dedicated her career to helping underprivileged children.
A 1989 graduate of the University of Washington School of
Dentistry, Dr. Nicholson received a certificate in hospital dentistry
a year after successfully completing the prestigious University of
Washington General Practice Residency. Dr. Nicholson received
his certificate in orthodontics from Howard University in 1993.
Dr. Nicholson is a member of the American Dental Association,
the National Dental Association, the Washington State Dental
Association, the Seattle King County Dental Society, the American
Association of Orthodontists, the Pacific Coast Society of
Orthodontists and the Washington State Society of Orthodontists.
Colonel Sidney Alan Brooks, Sr., D.D.S.
Colonel Sidney Alan Brooks’ distinguished career as an Army
dentist spans more than 20 years, with assignments throughout
the U.S., Europe and Korea. He currently leads the U.S. Army
Dental Command at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
A 1971 Distinguished Military Graduate of Morgan State University,
Colonel Brooks served as an infantry officer in Germany, then
as an instructor with the 3290th USAR School in Nashville,
Tennessee. He completed a branch transfer to Armor and served
in the Tennessee Army National Guard from 1978-1982.
After graduation from Meharry Medical College in 1982,
Colonel Brooks returned to active duty as a staff dentist assigned
to the U.S. Army DENTAC, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Following
this tour, he was assigned to the 665th Medical Detachment in
Taegue, South Korea, from 1986-1987.
Biographies
Colonel Brooks completed his residency training in Comprehensive
Dentistry at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 1990. He assumed
duties as clinic chief of the Fort McNair Dental Clinic in Washington,
D.C., from 1990-1994. From 1994-1996, he served as chief of
Restorative Dentistry, Dental Clinic #1, Fort Carson, Colorado.
Colonel Brooks led the Dental Clinic Command at the Defense
Foreign Language Institute in Monterey, California, from 19961998. Before assignment at his current position at Fort Sam
Houston, he commanded the Fort Stewart Dental Activity and the
Fort Bragg Dental Activity.
Colonel Brooks is a 1999 graduate of the United States Army War
College, and a diplomate of the Federal Services Board of General
Dentistry and the American Board of General Dentistry. A fellow
of the Academy of General Dentistry, he has published and
lectured extensively.
Colonel Brooks’ awards and decorations include the Legion of
Merit with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with
two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Army Commendation Medal. He
also holds the Expert Field Medical Badge, the Expert Infantry
Badge, the Senior Parachutist Badge and Ranger Tab. He was
recently inducted into the Order of Military Medical Merit for his
contributions to the Army Medical Department and the Army. He
was awarded the Oglethorpe Distinguished Service Medal from
the Department of Defense for the State of Georgia.
Lonnie H. Norris, D.M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Lonnie H. Norris was appointed interim dean in July 1995,
then dean of the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in
February 1996. A tenured professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery,
he has been a faculty member at Tufts University School of Dental
Medicine since 1980. He earned his doctor of dental medicine
and master of public health degrees from Harvard University
before completing a postgraduate residency in oral and maxillofacial
surgery at Tufts. His undergraduate degree is from Fisk University
in Nashville, Tennessee.
A former captain in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps in the late
’60s and early ’70s, Dr. Norris worked as a thermoplastics research
and processing engineer at Ford Motor’s research and development
department, and as a plastics engineer at the U.S. Army’s Natick,
Massachusetts, laboratories. He holds two U.S. patents.
Dr. Norris is a fellow of the American Association of Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgeons, the International College of Dentists, the
American Academy of Dental Science, the American College of
Dentists and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. He is a diplomate
of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and
served as a member of its advisory committee as a certification
board examiner.
Dr. Norris has been recognized as a distinguished practitioner in
the National Academy of Practice in Dentistry. He served as an
American Dental Education Association representative to the
Commission on Dental Accreditation. Dr. Norris is currently
serving as chair of the Council of Deans on the American Dental
Education Association's administrative board.
Recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, including Who’s
Who in American Education, Distinguished Alumni Award,
Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Who’s Who in Medicine
and Healthcare, Dr. Norris has co-authored more than 40 articles
and abstracts related to dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery,
and has served as co-investigator in more than 20 clinical research
studies. In 1998, he participated in the Massachusetts Governor’s
Commission to study the oral health status and accessibility of
dental care services to residents of the state. He has provided dental
program consultation to universities and health programs; and
lectured in Colombia, Guyana, Greece, Saudi Arabia and Italy.
Ann Slaughter, D.D.S., M.P.H.
Dr. Ann Slaughter is assistant professor and course director for
geriatric dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania. She lectures
in the departmental courses of Geriatric Dentistry, Health
Promotion and Basic Clinical Dentistry II. She is adjunct assistant
professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.
Dr. Slaughter received her D.D.S. from Meharry Medical College,
School of Dentistry. She completed general dentistry post-graduate
training in Rochester, New York, at the Eastman Dental Center.
She completed a fellowship in geriatric medicine at the University
of Connecticut and earned her master’s of public health in
epidemiology from the University of Michigan.
Dr. Slaughter’s research is focused on addressing oral health
disparities from a behavioral and cultural perspective among
minority racial and ethnic groups. Currently, she is the principal
investigator on a study that explores the oral health beliefs and
oral health behaviors of African American elders residing in West
Philadelphia. The objective of the study is to develop communitybased intervention systems to promote health and well-being
among African American elders.
AETNA 2004 AFRICAN AMERICAN
HISTORY CALENDAR
LOCATIONS FOR PHOTOGRAPHY
Aetna Inc.
Hartford, Connecticut
For its 23rd anniversary edition, Aetna’s 2004 Calendar of
Howard University
Stokes Research Library
Washington, D.C.
African American History celebrates the rich history and
heritage of African American dentists. The calendar pays
tribute to the successes and educational achievements of
African American dentists, past and present, and proudly
salutes some of the most dynamic and earnest African
American dental professionals in the United States today.
Since 1982, Aetna has recognized the outstanding contributions
of African Americans with this critically acclaimed publication.
The calendar, which features both monthly profiles and significant
historic events, has become an invaluable reference and education
tool in schools, libraries and homes across the country.
Jennifer Ann Wilson Dental Library
and Learning Center
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California
Lincoln Memorial
Washington, D.C.
Meharry Medical College
School of Dentistry
Nashville, Tennessee
Space Needle Viewing Vista
City of Seattle, Washington
Sunshine Older Adult Center
West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
To date, the calendar has profiled more than 250 individuals –
pioneers in fields such as business, government, athletics, science,
education, medicine and the arts. From the awarding-winning
playwright Lorraine Hansberry and Olympic gold medal winner
the late Florence Griffith Joyner, to heart surgeon Dr. Daniel
Hale Williams and CEO and philanthropist Comer J. Cottrell
Jr., all of the individuals featured have demonstrated strength,
perseverance and grace in succeeding in their chosen fields.
The history of African Americans is rich with courageous and
inspirational stories that touch every facet of American history
The Proud Bird
The Dr. Samuel D. Harris
National Museum of Dentistry
Baltimore, Maryland
The Thelma C. Davidson Adair Medical/Dental
Center of Columbia University Health Care Inc.
New York, New York
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts
and culture. With its 2004 calendar, Aetna is proud to salute
the achievements of African American dental professionals and
proud to feature yet another chapter in the remarkable history
of African Americans.
INFORMATION ABOUT
DENTAL EDUCATION/DENTAL
SCHOOLS
USA DentalCom
Fort Sam Houston, Texas
SPECIAL THANKS
Clifton O. Dummett, D.D.S.
Professor Emeritus
University of Southern California
School of Dentistry
Lois Doyle Dummett
Katie Dawson, R.H.D., B.S.
Katie Dawson is the 2003-2004 vice president of the Chicagobased American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA).
Ms. Dawson, an active ADHA member since 1976, has served
nationally on councils, as committee chair and as a member.
She has served as the president and vice president of the California
Dental Hygienists’ Association, as well as an ADHA delegate,
council member and liaison to the Student American Dental
Hygienists’ Association.
Ms. Dawson has been actively involved with membership, public
relations, administration, education and government relations on
the state level. For the East Bay Dental Hygienists’ Association,
she served as vice president, secretary and trustee; as well as
newsletter editor, delegate and committee chair.
She has extensive clinical experience working as a dental hygienist.
Currently, she is employed in two private practices in California.
She also has served as the president, president-elect and treasurer
of the National Dental Hygienists’ Association. She was a member
of the Dental Board of California and the University of California
at San Francisco (UCSF) Dental Alumni Board.
Ms. Dawson received a bachelor’s of science degree in dental
hygiene from UCSF Dental School in 1976. She is a resident
of Oakland, California.
John M. Williams, D.D.S.
A former pro football player with the National Football
League, Dr. John M. Williams has practiced dentistry in North
Minneapolis, Minnesota, for 23 years.
Dr. Williams is a member of the dental staff at North Memorial
Hospital, Minneapolis. He is a member of the North Memorial
Hospital Dental Unit Study Club and the Public Health Advisory
Committee for the Minneapolis Department of Health and
Family Support. He serves on the board of Children Dental
Services of Minneapolis. Dr. Williams is the chair of the North
Minneapolis Health Advisory Committee. He is a member of
the University of Minnesota Men’s Athletic Advisory Board.
Dr. Williams’ community service includes work as former program
chair and board member, Community Action Agency of Minneapolis;
past board member of the Minneapolis Urban League; and former
president of the West Broadway Business Association. Dr. Williams
has been active with the ministry for the past 19 years and leads
a Prison Ministry Team.
Roosevelt Brown, D.D.S.
President, National Dental Association Foundation
Chairman, Clinical Dentistry, State of Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Richard P. Ferguson, D.D.S., M.S.D.
Seattle, Washington
Rosemary Fetter
Executive Director
Baltimore, Maryland
Kristin Foster
Director of Communications
Baltimore, Maryland
Sandy Hunt
Pacific Northwest Orthodontics
Seattle, Washington
Helen Howse
Meharry Medical College
School of Dentistry
Nashville, Tennessee
Robert S. Johns
Executive Director
National Dental Association
Washington, D.C.
David Mashagh
General Manager
The Proud Bird
Veronica McCallister
Rittonhouse Dental Group
Washington, D.C.
Tracie McCray
American Academy of Forensic Sciences
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Margie Northup
U.S. Army Dental Command
Fort Sam Houston, Texas
Kevin Norige, D.D.S.
South Windsor, Connecticut
In 1992, the Minneapolis City Council selected Dr. Williams as
a Volunteer of the Year.
Dr. Williams graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1969
with a B.S. degree in education. He completed his D.D.S. degree
at the University of Maryland in 1978. He is a member and fellow
in the Academy of Forensic Sciences and American Society of
Forensic Odontology, and served on the Board of Governors.
He is a member of Regional 5 D-MORT Team and Minnesota
Disaster Dental Identification Team.
Dr. Williams retired from the National Football League in 1980
after 12 years playing with the Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles
Rams. He holds a private pilot’s license.
Cherae M. Farmer-Dixon, D.D.S., M.S.P.H.
Dr. Cherae M. Farmer-Dixon is associate dean for student affairs
at Meharry Medical College’s School of Dentistry and associate
professor in the Department of Dental Public Health. She also
serves as chairperson of the Dental Admissions Committee, as well
as dental director of the Health Careers Opportunity Program. She
has been on the faculty at Meharry for 13 years.
A captain in the United States Army Reserve, Dr. Farmer-Dixon
is a native of Indianola, Mississippi, and a 1986 graduate of
Mississippi Valley State University. She is a 1990 dental graduate
of Meharry’s School of Dentistry and a 1994 graduate of its
masters of science in public health program. She is a 2000 alumna
of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program (ELAM)
and is a current member of the American Dental Education
Association Leadership Institute’s 2003-2004 class.
Dr. Farmer-Dixon has been actively involved in research activities
dealing with oral health disparities, cavities in low-income children,
community outreach and intervention, and addressing minority
dental school enrollment. Her research endeavors have led to
presentations at local, national and international meetings. Results
of her research have appeared in journals such as the Journal of
Dental Education, Journal of Dental Research, and the Tennessee
Dental Journal.
She also has received numerous awards from students and local,
state, and national organizations, including Executive Leadership
in Academic Medicine and the American Student Dental
Association. She is active in numerous civic organizations that
reach minorities, children, women and underserved communities.
Nicole Pascua
American Dental Education Association
Washington, D.C.
Sedrick Rawlins, D.D.S.
Manchester, Connecticut
Scott Swank, Curator
Baltimore, Maryland
Ellen Tomassini
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
RESOURCES
American Dental Education Association
Center for Equity and Diversity
www.adea.org/ced/default.htm
www.dentalmuseum.umaryland.edu/
National Dental Association
www.ndaonline.org/
American Dental Hygienists Association
www.adha.org/
CREDITS
Produced by Aetna Inc.
Designer
Lisa Santoro
Editor
Jenny Smith
Web Site Programming
Keith Knowles
Photography
Lou Jones Studio
Photographer
Lou Jones
Assistant
Matt Kalinowski
Printing
Riegel Printing Company, Inc.
Ewing, New Jersey
COVER PHOTOS
Top row, from left: Norman Edinborough,
Angel McKinnon, Jerald Gooden,
Darlene Pye-Gambell, Talisha Mason.
Second row, from left: Erin Hughes,
Kevin Bolden, Errol Isaac.
Third row: Clifton O. Dummett, D.D.S.
HISTORICAL IMAGES
Baltimore, Maryland
Project Manager
Peggy J. Garrity
Editor
Maisha J. Cobb
Project Assistants
Myrna Blum
Rebecca Pandolfo
Creative Development
Pita Communications LLC
Creative Director
Paul Pita
TO ORDER MORE CALENDARS
Additional calendars are available for $4 each.
Proceeds from calendar sales will benefit the
scholarship program of the National Dental
Association Foundation. To order, please send
a check payable to Aetna to:
Aetna Calendar
Corporate Communications
151 Farmington Avenue – RC2D
Hartford, CT 06156-3213
Phone: 860-273-0509
VISIT US ON THE WEB
Writer
Kim Sirois Pita
Currently, there are 56 dental schools located in the
United States. For a complete list of the schools and their
web site addresses, visit the “Related Links” page of the
2004 African American History Calendar located at
www.aetna.com/diversity/aahcalendar/2004/index.html.

2004 Dental Calendar

Transcription

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