On Friday, June 5, the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics held it's 2026 commencement ceremony to celebrate DDS and specialty program graduates.

At the spring meeting of Dental Student Research Group, Vi Phan received the award for 2026 Outstanding Dental Researcher. 

Dr. Teresa Marshall was named the 2025-2026 Student Research Mentor of the Year by the Iowa Chapter of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research. This award was presented in recognition of her efforts to enhance student research at the College of Dentistry.

Senior Research Achievement Awards are determined based on a portfolio of research that is circulated to a group of electors. The electors select award recipients based on the scientific merit of projects, the significance and productivity of projects, the number of years of involvement in research, the originality of the research, and the student's professional conduct. Award recipients were selected in 2026: Jessica Fuessley, Saba Manafi, Vi Phan, Jeremiah Poppen, Christina Spencer, and Taylor Westphal.

Jeremiah Poppen (D4) was featured in the 2026 Dare to Discover Campaign for the University of Iowa Office of the Vice President of Research. Poppen's research investigates how dentists respond to emergencies in the clinic.

Sukirth Ganesan, associate professor and director of the Advanced Education Program in Periodontics at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry, recently served as the open plenary session speaker at the 20th PHSU-PRI Annual Scientific Conference and fourth RCMI Symposium on Health Disparities in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Steven D. Marshall, clinical professor in the University of Iowa Department of Orthodontics, has received the 2026 Dale B. Wade Award of Excellence in Orthodontics from the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO).

During the 2025–26 academic year, 31 University of Iowa College of Dentistry students, one resident, and one dentist volunteered their time at His Hands Dental Clinic in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Sukirth Ganesan presented University of Iowa research on metabolic disease and oral health at the 242nd National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council Meeting hosted by the National Institutes of Health.

The Department of Family Dentistry recognized student achievement during its annual awards presentation on May 21, 2026, in Room W220 of the University of Iowa College of Dentistry.