On October 7, Interim Dean Galen Schneider presented Kecia Leary, clinical associate professor and graduate program director for the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, with the 2021 Collegiate Teaching Award. This award recognizes a faculty member who exhibits an “outstanding contribution to dental students’, graduate students’ or residents’ intellectual and professional development.”

Mississippi native Roy L. Irons (’76 D.D.S.) came to Iowa in 1972. Coming from humble beginnings, Irons made the most of the opportunities presented to him, and he has become a leader in the dental profession in Mississippi and the nation while dedicating himself to being a resource and example for the community, particularly those who lack support and opportunities.

Throughout her dental education and career, Judy Greenlea Taylor (’91 D.D.S.) has made it her mission to improve public and oral health for underserved populations—whether through leadership roles in organizations dedicated to that cause, in providing excellent care to her patients, mission trips, or in service to her state and local community.

For 34 years, Dr. Ana Diaz-Arnold (’84 G.P.R., ’87 M.S.) has been a fixture in the Department of Family Dentistry, teaching countless fourth-year dental students, mentoring and working alongside adjunct faculty, and treating her own patients, and as she retires in June 2022, her impact on the college and the dental profession in Iowa will remain long afterward.

An accomplished oral surgeon, Kim Swanson (’81 BA, ’86 DDS) is a dedicated alumna who has left a mark in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery and in the dental profession more widely.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Matthew Remy, a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering, a F31 grant to support his dissertation project, “Bone Regeneration Induced by the Sustained Release of Osteoinductive microRNAs from 3D-printed Constructs.”

As the course director for the fourth-year Dental Emergency Course, Alberto Gasparoni exemplifies the characteristic features embodied in the James H. and Hermine E. McLeran Faculty Award and the namesakes for the award—a passionate commitment to dental education focused on excellence in teaching and patient-centered care.

Michael Kanellis recently published Novocaine, a novel written by his late father, which adapted a story that Michael had developed.

Dr. Lina Moreno DDS PhD, associate professor in the University of Iowa, Department of Orthodontics, was named the Department Executive Officer of her department.

The US Department of Health and Human Services awarded Dr. Julie Reynolds, assistant professor in the Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, almost $100K for her project, "Dental Coverage for Pregnant Women and Parents in Medicaid: Impact on Children's Access to Dental Care." The project investigates how Medicaid coverage for parents, which some states provide and some states do not, affects how much children and parents use dental services. Dr. Pete Damiano and Dr. Jin Xian are co-investigators for the project.