The University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics and the Dental Alumni Association recognized three alumni for their contributions to dental education, patient care, leadership, and service during the 2026 Alumni Reunion on Sept. 11 inside The Graduate, Iowa City.
Matthew K. Geneser ('06 DDS), Georgia K. Johnson ('81 DDS, '83 MS), and Paul M. Colthirst ('08 MS) were named the 2026 Dental Educator of the Year, Dental Alumnus of the Year, and Dental Service Recognition Award recipient, respectively.
Their careers have taken different paths — from educating future dentists in Iowa City to advancing the field of periodontics and leading dentistry across the U.S. Army — but each credits an Iowa education and the people they met here with helping shape the work that followed.
Georgia K. Johnson, 2026 Dental Alumnus of the Year
For more than four decades, Georgia K. Johnson has helped advance periodontics as a clinician, educator, researcher, and leader.
A three-time University of Iowa graduate with degrees in dental hygiene, dentistry, and periodontics, Johnson’s path began with an interest in both patient care and education. Her experience as a dental hygienist helped spark an appreciation for periodontics, and encouragement from Iowa faculty member and longtime mentor Phil Lainson led her toward specialty training and, ultimately, an academic career.
After eight years on the faculty at the University of Nebraska, Johnson returned to Iowa. She served as chair of the Department of Periodontics from 1998 to 2017, guiding the department through a period of transition as longtime faculty members retired and a new generation of clinician-scientists joined the college.
Johnson considers the people and team she helped build among her proudest accomplishments.
“I’m so proud of our current department,” she says. “They carry forward the legacy of excellence that I received and passed along and are now taking it to the next level.”
Johnson also built an internationally respected research career, studying tobacco use, inflammation, and periodontal disease and helping advance understanding of the relationship between oral health and overall health. Beyond Iowa, she served in national leadership roles with the American Board of Periodontology and the American Academy of Periodontology.
Teaching, however, remained at the center of her career. Whether working with dental students or periodontics residents, Johnson found satisfaction in watching learners develop their knowledge and judgment.
Her advice to them reflects an approach she followed throughout her own career.
“Always be a student,” Johnson says. “You have a good foundation graduating from Iowa, but continue to learn and stay current with your field.”
Matthew K. Geneser, 2026 Dental Educator of the Year
For Matthew Geneser, the impact of teaching is measured in what students do after they leave the classroom.
Geneser, a 2006 graduate of the University of Iowa College of Dentistry, describes that influence as the “multiplier effect” of education: A lesson that helps one student become more confident caring for children can ultimately improve the experiences of countless patients and families.
Geneser discovered his interest in pediatric dentistry while in dental school. After completing a pediatric dentistry residency and an academic appointment in Providence, Rhode Island, he returned to Iowa, where the variety of academic dentistry — caring for children with complex needs while preparing future dentists — appealed to him.
He previously served as graduate program director in pediatric dentistry and now serves as D3 clerkship director in pediatric dentistry and chair of the college’s Curriculum Committee. His approach centers on helping students build both the clinical skills and confidence needed to care for children.
“I hope students remember there is much more to dentistry than teeth,” Geneser says. “Those teeth are attached to children and families. We have to meet people where they are and help them improve their health and habits over time.”
That goal is especially important to Geneser, who grew up in rural Iowa and understands that many general dentists practice in communities without easy access to pediatric specialists.
Through his teaching and curriculum leadership, Geneser emphasizes communication, clinical judgment, and relationships alongside technical ability. Seeing students become comfortable — and even enthusiastic — about caring for children remains one of the most rewarding parts of his work.
“My goal is to give students a good experience,” he says. “If they leave here more comfortable treating children and excited about helping patients achieve health, then we’ve done something worthwhile.”
Paul M. Colthirst, 2026 Dental Service Recognition Award
When Col. Paul M. Colthirst completed the University of Iowa’s Dental Public Health graduate program in 2008, he was already an Army dentist and had deployed to Iraq. The training he received at Iowa would help prepare him for responsibilities that eventually extended across the U.S. Army.
Today, Colthirst serves as the 30th Chief of the U.S. Army Dental Corps, overseeing dental policy, readiness, and professional development for Army dental personnel worldwide.
His route to dentistry was unconventional. After earning an undergraduate degree from Georgia Southern University, Colthirst enlisted in the Army as a medical research specialist. Work involving head and neck injuries and aviation accident investigations sparked his interest in the anatomy of the head and neck, eventually leading him to dental school at Meharry Medical College and a career as an Army dentist.
Assignments in Alaska and a deployment to Iraq prompted broader questions about patterns of disease, prevention, and military readiness. Those questions led Colthirst to dental public health and Iowa.
At Iowa, faculty members including Steven Levy, John Warren, Elizabeth Momany, Peter Damiano, and Raymond Kuthy helped him learn to think about health beyond the individual patient and consider the systems, policies, and populations that influence outcomes.
“Iowa taught me how to ask the right questions,” Colthirst says. “It was exactly the right program for me.”
Colthirst went on to serve in a succession of Army leadership positions, from brigade dental surgeon to command and strategic roles shaping Army-wide policy. Those experiences reinforced his view that military dentistry is part of a much larger health care mission.
“It’s not just about teeth,” he says. “It’s about understanding how dentistry fits into the overall medical mission and preparing dental professionals to contribute when soldiers need them most.”
As Chief of the Army Dental Corps, Colthirst is focused on maintaining dental readiness, recruiting and retaining providers, and preparing the next generation of military dental leaders.
His progression from enlisted soldier to the Army’s top dental leadership position reflects a career rooted in service — and one he says was strengthened by his time at Iowa.
“I owe a lot to Iowa,” Colthirst says. “The quality of the education, the openness of the faculty, and the opportunities I had there helped prepare me for everything that followed.”
Together, the 2026 award recipients represent the many ways an Iowa dental education can extend beyond the college — through students who become confident clinicians, research and mentorship that strengthen a specialty, and leadership that improves the health and readiness of people around the world.